[ Haneda Airport, Terminal 2 - Year I of Time Loop ]
People sometimes say that trips and troubles go together-
"What shall we do, sensei?" Hairo asked, rocking a backpack that looked a few tens of kilograms too heavy for the occasion. His sleeves were rolled all the way to his shoulders, presumably to not have them tear from his bulging tri's and bi's.
"This really isn't good..." said the sensei in question, eyes fixed on his watch.
-We're learning that the hard way right now.
On cue. "Due to a typhoon, the flight to Okinawa scheduled for ten o'clock has temporarily been suspended at this time," boomed a voice over the PA System. While over at the electronic board, scrolled a 'Okinawa Flights Temporarily Suspended' message over where their flight listing should have been.
Indeed... Our highly anticipated school trip, its already at a climax, Saiki continued to narrate in his head for some reason.
Students, that only ten minutes ago, had been in such a celebratory mood-
Chatting and giggling. Bantering with abandon. Talking about all the places they wanted to check out. All the things they wanted to do.
Then we heard news of the Typhoon. And as you can observe-
Heads buried in their hands, they sat, others dramatically falling to their knees. The less devastated of the girls consoled the more devastated of the girls with sympathetic head pats. Muted mutterings of 'Crap..' and the sort filled the air.
I've never seen the mood of a place flip quite like this before.. They're in the depths of despair.
Saiki's eyes wandered around the room.
"Just when I was finally able to go...," quavered a dejected Mera-san. Who would blame her?
From working odd jobs in construction, to diving into the sea hunting for tuna, Mera had exhausted every avenue to scrap together funds for the trip. It had been nothing short of a divine miracle, running into Saiki right as he'd relieved a ticket to Okinawa from the overzealous Teruhashi Makoto. Only for typhoon-kun to rain on her parade.
Oblivious to her own part in getting Mera on the trip-
Just when I was finally able to be in Saiki's group, Teruhashi Kokomi lamented to herself.
And him, Saiki helpfully moved the scene along.
"Hmphf. School trips are so stupid. Saiki, you wanna skip it with me?" Jet-black wings had said, playing the part of the cool, nonchalant Shonen manga protagonist.
He was bluffing like that up until earlier...
And now, he sat knees drawn to his chest, rambling incoherently under his breath.
The truth is he wanted to go. You could see it in the bags under his eyes. I would imagine he was too excited to fall asleep last night.
Then there was Yumehara-san.
Up until just earlier, she was showing off all the snacks she was going to eat on the plane.
"Chiyo, that's too much!" Her friends had said.
But right now, she's gnawing through them with a vacant look. Like some sort of pensive beaver.
Ignoring Nendou's unfocused eyes and flailing bare butt - consult the episode for more context - Saiki looked over as one of the boys raised his hands.
"Excuse me..." Matsuzaki looked over. "If the flight gets cancelled, will the school trip be postponed?"
"...No, it'll be cancelled," the man said in his usual no-nonsense way, evoking a chorus of indignant "What?!"
"You may not care!-" One of the boys found himself out of his mind enough to grab the older man by his collar. "-But we've really been looking forward to it-" He paused when what looked like a pack of cards slipped from the man's track suit.
"UNO?!" A dozen or so boys and girls repeated in unison.
"I..." Matsuzaki faced away, presenting his broad, manly back to his students.
"I do want to go," he grumbled, the frustration in his voice barely contained, "but it's out of my hands!"
Denied an outlet for his frustrations, and with no one left to blame, the boy crumpled to the floor.
"Teacher!"
"Dammit!"
The kids bawled.
Watching from a distance, even Saiki couldn't help but feel that the turn of events might have been a tad too cruel. He looked over to Hairo, to see the boy fervently pleading for the sun to shine. Yet, not even the ever-optimistic Hairo's intense passion could keep the class's morale from continuing to plummet.
Good grief... I can't bear to keep watching this.
"O-Oi! They said that the flight's on again!"
"They said that the typhoon suddenly disappeared!"
Suddenly, he says. Oh, did it now? A typhoon did? Instead of weakening over the course of days or weeks like one usually does, from typhoon to storm to tropical depression - it just up and vanished?
That same meteorological phenomena known to be capable of eroding coastlines and decimating entire cities? That same meteorological phenomena that, in its most severe incarnation, exercises more energy in one tenth of a second than the entire yield of the Atomic Bomb dropped over Nagasaki?
That thing did? It vanished over the span of a few minutes, you say?
"All right!"
"We can go on the school trip!" These feeble minds, that could not begin to imagine the sheer scale of the miracle they had just witnessed, shouted in ignorant cheer.
"Oh, Saiki, where have you been?" A now revived Jet-black wings asked as he spotted the boy.
"Hey, aren't you a little wet?"
Never mind that.
"It took off!"
"Yooohooo!"
A lot happened, but the plane finally left for Okinawa, with the school trip students on board.
"Phew!"
"Seriously, I was so worried there for a while!"
"It'll make a good story."
"I'm so glad the flight wasn't cancelled," Chiyo said, relaxing into her seat. "Umu!", Kokomi chirped.
"I was ready to cry," affirmed Mera as well.
In another corner of the plane-
"Teacher! Let's play UNO later!"
"I'm pretty hard to beat, y'know," Matzuaki said, arms folded, looking sharp.
"Oh! I'll definitely beat you!"
More closer to Saiki-
"Whoa! We're flying aibou! How do we open the window?"
Well.. I'm glad everyone's in good spirits again, he thought, if a little prematurely.
H-H-Huff. *H-H-Heave.*
H-H-Huff. *H-H-Heave.*
A wellness bucket in hand, Jet-Black wings sat, reeling from the celestial scars he'd suffered from the Dark Phoenix Metorus-Titanus, that had imparted upon our hero a fatal vulnerability to high altitude.
Well... looks like the guy next to me isn't necessarily in the best spirits.
"Kaidou-kun, are you alright?" asked a concerned Kokomi from across the aisle. "Maybe you could ask the cabin attendant for some motion sickness pills?" She suggested.
"W-Well, I did get some earlier, but they didn't help. I'd also bought some that I know work on me.. but I think I left them in my room." On his desk to be more specific.
"B-But I'll manage somehow," he reassured, "It's only two and a half hours anyway!"
Spoken like a true man, Kaidou.
Seeing Teruhashi-san concerned for me made me feel better too, he allowed himself to think for one moment before-
"Oi, are you alright, Chibi?"
*Wawglugluglu!*
"Hey, why are you puking after looking at my face you jerk?!"
*Owglugluglu!*
"Kaidou-kun, are you really alright?!"
Discreetly walking away from the scene of the chaos, Saiki made his way to the end of the cabin.
I'm gonna get sick of this trip too at this rate...
[ Kaidou Residence ]
"Yosh, I don't see any here either." Mrs. Kaidou said as she rifled under her son's bed. The room was in disarray, drawers left ajar, their contents strewn about the floor.
"He's at the age of puberty so I was afraid he'd hidden some dirty magazines, but looks like I was worried for nothing."
Sorry for intruding, Saiki intruded, not looking particularly sorry as he popped in behind her, grabbing the medicine from where Kaidou had left it on his desk.
None the wiser, Mrs. Kaidou continued to rifle under the bed when she slipped out a certain black notebook-
`The Ten Commandments of Darkness,` it read.
"Huh.. what's this notebook doing here?"
Saiki teleported away before she had a chance to find out.
"I found them! I didn't expect them to be in the pocket of my other clothes! Ahh, I feel better now!"
"That's wonderful!"
Leaning over from the aisle, an arm casually draped on the top of Kaidou's seatback, "Hmph, Chibi'd gotten motion sickness from the plane, huh?" Nendou teased.
"It's just your face that's got me sick!" retorted Kaidou.
"What'd you say jerk?"
I bet you'd feel more sick if you knew what was going on in your room right now. Bet.
Good grief... I'm getting kind of tired. There was the thing with the typhoon. Then I teleported twice back-to-back. I think I could use a little nap..
"-In other news, a terrible accident occurred on a flight en route to Okinawa. A plane, carrying students on a school trip, was forced to make an emergency water landing. The flight in question is ASO-815-"
Saiki's eyes shot open.
'When it rains, it pours,' they say. But this is getting ridiculous!
He found himself grimacing.
That was a prophetic dream. This plane, it will crash. Should I try using my restoration ability?
He touched his chin in contemplation.
No, that wouldn't work. This plane may have already had this problem yesterday.
"Heading to the restroom again?" Kaidou said as Saiki got up.
At any rate, I need to find out the cause first.
In the cockpit, first-officer Sakuragi glanced out of the window, then over at his superior. "We'll be landing soon, I think?"
The captain, a much older man, returned a nod. "Uh huh." When the younger pilot's eyes widened in alarm, locking onto a gauge whose needle was spinning wildly.
"Captain!" he exclaimed, panic creeping into his voice. "There's something wrong! The needle on that gauge's spinning like crazy!"
The captain's head snapped to where the first-officer was pointing. "What the? That gauge?! What's going on? Hurry, try pulling that lever on the right!"
The first-officer complied immediately, but to no avail. "It's not responding!" he cried.
"Then try those yellow and green buttons, quick!"
*Click!* *Click!*
Getting up from his seat, the first-officer rapidly pressed the indicated buttons, but there was still no improvement. If anything, the plane had started pitching down violently.
"No use! We're losing altitude fast!"
"This isn't good!" The captain's face grew ashen. "If we don't do something, we're going to crash!"
Over at the cabin area, the cabin floor began to tilt dangerously to one side, the fuselage groaning under the torsional stress. Passengers in their seats held on tightly, while those standing scrambled to find something to grasp.
Then, without warning, the plane lurched back to its original orientation with force. Food trays flew, luggages bursting from overhead compartments, and passengers thrown off balance.
"What's going on?!" exclaimed Kaidou.
"Whoa! That was some huge earthquake!" shouted a surprised Nendou.
Back in the cockpit, the first-officer voiced his surprise. "Captain! Our altitude's stabilizing!"
"Guess random button-pushing sometimes does do the trick!" He said, his right still smacking the overhead panel.
The first-officer hesitated, trying to make sense of the instruments. "No.. I'm not sure if the problem itself's fixed. But somehow we're not falling!"
Good grief...
His clothes and hair fluttering in the strong wind, Kusuo exerted himself on the telekinetic net he was using to support the plane from underneath.
Faster to just do this than try figure out what's wrong with the plane.. Although it is a bit heavy.
Back in the cockpit, the first-officer quickly retook his seat, followed by the captain. "I can't explain it, but the plane's functioning now!"
Not one to nitpick apparently, "Whatever the reason, let's get this bird on the ground while we still can!", declared the captain.
And so they did.
The plane doors opened to a wave of warm tropical air.
"We've finally arrived!", declared Nendou as they disembarked onto the jet-way. Looking over to Kaidou supporting Kusuo on his shoulder, "You don't look too hot there, aibou," he said, "What's wrong?"
"Who would've thought?" Remarked Kaidou. "Planes give you motion sickness too, huh?"
The pink-haired boy had a peeved expression.
I've already had it with these string of mishaps. Just how many more to go?
"One... Two..."
In unison. "Good evening!"
"We came to play UNO with you guys!" Went an enthusiastic Yumehara.
Eyes twinkling playfully, a hand to her forehead in a Tee-Hee pose, "A bunch of guys showed up in our room for some reason," enthused Teruhashi. "Can we evacuate to your room for a bit?" she cooed.
To an empty girls washroom.
Exchanging glances, the two high-fived.
"Perfect!" Said Yumehara, barely able to contain her excitement.
Teruhashi nodded in full agreement, "It's just right!"
Closing the washroom door behind them, they were on their way.
"Okay! We've practiced enough! Now comes the real thing!"
"I'm getting nervous!"
Sorry but I'm not a big fan of UNO...
With a subtle flicker of time and space, Kusuo teleported over to the beach. In the background, waves lapped gently onto the shore under the soft glow of the moon and a thousand stars.
He sighed as he took a moment to gather his thoughts, the salty sea breeze ruffling his hair.
This should be a safe spot for now, he thought, settling into one of the sun-lounges facing the sea.
Dispelled a typhoon. Then carried an airplane over a few dozen kilometers. He could feel the weariness from all of the day's events coming up full force.
Taking off my limiter twice in such a short span... Good grief, this school trip really is turning out to be more exhausting than I expected.
The sand crunched softly under her feet, all cool and pliant, as Teruhashi Kokomi strolled onto the beach, radiating an idle eleven hundred lumens.
"Seriously..." she murmured, her voice exasperated. "Where did Saiki disappear to?"
He wasn't in his room. He wasn't in the cafeteria. He wasn't at the ping-pong and billiards court. Nor in the bath-house from what she could gather.
She wasn't sure why she thought she might have better luck finding him at the beach, but she'd wanted to at least check to be sure.
"Why do I, a perfect pretty girl, have to-" She cut herself off.
Offu! "Saiki!"
One hand resting on an armrest, his chest quietly rising and falling, there he was, reclining comfortably on a sun-lounge, eyes closed and deep in slumber as far as she could tell.
He's asleep! She felt a rush of giddiness surge through her.
This is the perfect opportunity!
She inched closer. While I have a chance while he's sleeping-
She paused.
Wait a minute! Wait a minute! She thought, reeling.
What?! A Perfect opportunity for what?!
Blood rushed to her cheeks, but she couldn't help the embarrassed grin on her lips.
A perfect pretty girl like me! What was I trying to do, acting like some creepy old man!
Vigorously shaking her head, she willed herself back to composure. When she lightly cocked her head, noticing something.
Taking a step, she leaned in, tucking away a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she did. The moonlight gently caressed her face as she inched closer, illuminating the light blush on her cheeks, and a gentle conviction in her eyes.
Reaching out, her fingers stopped just short of his head, hesitating for a just a second longer. And then, with a (cute) little Yoi~shou~ she delicately plucked a 'hair-pin' off.
I took it off without asking. I wonder if its okay... She gently pulled her hand back.
But, he could hurt himself, rolling onto it in his sleep...
Settling onto a small smile, she brought the hair-pin closer to inspect.
When her world went dark.
"Saiki-san! Wake up!" It sounded from right above him. The boy wearily forced his eyelids open, to see the visage of one panicked-looking Toritsuka Reita hovering over him. "We have a real problem!"
'Good grief...' Saiki blinked away his sleep. 'Look's like I fell asleep.'
"This isn't the time to be taking a nap!" said Reita as he pulled Saiki up by his shoulder.
'What? You're being real annoying, Toritsuka. More importantly, what time is it? We should probably return to the hotel right away'.
"Return the hotel!"
'That should be `return to` the hotel, no? And what's this guy all panicked for?'
"What-" Toritsuka pointed in the general direction of the hotel. Or at least where it used to be. "-the heck's up with that?" He cried as Saiki finally deigned to look. "Why's the hotel gone?!"
The situation finally starting to somewhat dawn on the boy, eyes widening, Saiki teleported over to the place where the hotel had been earlier. He looked down to see a dark abyss in the ground where the building's foundations should have been.
Toritsuka jogged up to him. "No matter how you look at it, it's gotta be your doing, right?!"
'...Oops.'
*Ka-chink.* *Ka-chink*
Frowning, Zolbe gave the overhead strap one more test pull, before he decided something was wrong.
"Wha- Is it a blackout or something?" His hair made in tightly-braided cornrows, and his Japanese just a touch accented, the transfer-student found himself perspiring a little.
"This isn't good. I can't sleep if its pitch dark."
"Maybe they've set it up so the lights won't turn on since it's past lights out?" Another boy, already tucked comfortably into his futon, chimed in.
"Whoa, seriously?"
"Never mind that," interjected another boy, also from his futon. "I wanna talk about girls right now!"
Zolbe's attention was elsewhere, however.
"What on- The AC isn't working either!"
"Oi, don't dodge the topic Zolbe," chimed in the first boy. "You're the only one who hasn't spilled yet."
"Hairo hasn't said anything either!", protested Zolbe.
"Hairo went to bed at eight, so it can't be helped he gets a pass." Indeed, the red-haired boy was already sound asleep, indifferent to chatter around him. "Also, I shouldn't have to mention, but Teruhashi-san's off-limits. Considering she's the school's idol and all."
"And it has to be someone from our school," the boy next to him added.
His face now a little flushed, "Ahh, it's boiling in here," went a retreating Zolbe. "I'm going to open the window, if its all the same to you guys."
*Zhirrrk*, went the window.
And fluttered in the luke-warm sea breeze, the moon shimmering in front of him on what one could only presume open water.
"...Hey. Was this- Was this supposed to be a sea-view?"
"Huh? Weren't you the one griping just a while ago that we couldn't see the sea from here?"
His index pointing to the sea, Zolbe turned to his compatriots to reveal a non-plussed expression.
"It's the other way now. I can't seen anything but the sea..."
"What are you on about, bro? Don't be ridiculous," said one of the boys as he nevertheless got up to verify what was out the window.
"No, seriously, take a look," said Zolbe as he finally looked back himself. To see the city sprawl staring back at him.
"What?! Wait, what?! Huh?!"
The other boy shook his head. "Must've just been the dark playing a trick on your eyes, no?"
And right on cue.
*Fzz-Fzz*
"Oh, the light's back on too!"
Good grief... that was close.
Saiki exhaled, eyes narrowed in concentration.
Reita offered a "Whoa!", his eyes wide. "That was insane! Everything just returned to normal in an instant!" His pose relaxing, "Does that mean the case's closed?" he asked.
'Not yet.' Saiki held out a palm as he glanced at him with a cool expression. 'Give this back,' he said, pointing to his head.
'You're the one who pulled it out, right?'
Reita took a second to realize what he was talking about. "Oh, you mean that thing you always have on your head is gone? Did you lose it or something?"
'Huh?'
An irritated looking Saiki loomed over him.
"What?! Me?! I didn't take anything!" Inside, Reita's thoughts were racing. 'Why would I want his headgear? I'm only into things that belong to girls!'
"It's true!" The boy replied hastily. "I know nothing about it. Honestly!" 'Why even would I pay attention to a guy on a beach during a school trip? I couldn't care less about his head-thingy!'
..He certainly seems to be telling the truth. Then, who on earth- Saiki cut himself off as his telepathy honed in on something.
"Kokomi isn't back yet!" echoed Chiyo's voice back from the hotel. "Even thought it's already way past curfew!"
"I think we should inform the teachers," chimed in an equally concerned Mera.
"I think so too. Kokomi isn't one to sneak out without telling anyone. I'll go talk to the teachers!"
Teruhashi-san! There's no doubt about it! She's the one who disappeared with my limiter- He paused for a second. Well, more like I made her disappear to be more precise.. If it's like with the hotel, she might have swapped places with something...
He glanced back at the sun-lounge where he'd been sleeping.
But there was nothing nearby.. No, calm down. If its Teruhashi-san, it might just be faster to locate her using clairvoyance.
Eyes crossed, and concentrating for a moment-
[ Clairvoyance ]
Starting with a high altitude sweep of the East China Sea, his now-uninhibited telepathic range filtered through huge patches of ocean in the blink of an eye, before he quickly increased altitude and swept through the Pacific expanse on Okinawa's South-West. That girl should have been easy enough to spot even from the stratosphere-
There! Switching to a higher resolution view, he zeroed in on what looked like an island forest, honing in on her telepathic signature.
She's okay!
Relief washed over him, apparently showing on his face.
"What's up? What's up? You're making a really strange face, Saiki-san."
Ignoring the boy, Saiki backed up his clairvoyant vision a little.
Just in time to catch Schrodinger's bear made magically manifest the moment it was observed. Kokomi made a muted cry like she'd only just noticed it herself for some reason.
She's not okay!
"Another strange face, Saiki-san. What's up? What's up?"
Too caught up to dwell on his words, Saiki made haste.
[ Teleport ]
Stepping in right as the bear jumped at her, he sent it flying with a flick of the pinky.
"S-Saiki?!" The girl's eyes were wide in disbelief.
Good grief.. Now that its come to this, Saiki resolved himself, I can't make excuses anymore. It's my own fault. I have not choice but to just be honest and-
"Is this..." Her voice quavered a little, but her eyes shimmered with all the maiden-energy of a girl in love.
Dreamily. Tenderly.
"-a dream?"
"Tee-hee-hee, Saiki!"
Teruhashi Kokomi was a girl that knew how to seize the moment. Eyes closed dreamily, she'd completely snuggled up to the boy, nuzzling her face against his shoulder, her arms tightly wrapped around his.
An expansive canopy stretched overhead, penetrated by only sparse beams of moonlight. The air smelled of flowers and damp earth. Around them, insect's chirped over the distant murmur of the ocean.
"Wow! Is this what they call a lucid dream? I've never experienced one before!" Her tone was all giddy.
A lucid dream is when you're conscious that you're in a dream and can manipulate its events. Teruhashi-san seems to be under the impression that she's experiencing one right now, Saiki explained in his head for some reason.
"Tee-hee-hee!" The girl was absolutely exhilarated.
I should play along with her misconception for now.
"Even though its a dream, it's so realistic!" Marvelling, she traced the contours of his face with her fingers. "It all feels so real!" Gently pinching the boy's cheek, she tugged at it, like a mischievous aunt might tug a toddler's.
"I get to touch Saiki!"
There's only one problem. My limiter. She's still holding onto it. And I can't control my body without it. He continued to narrate in his head, dutifully ignoring Kokomi as she fiddled with his face.
Normally, I'd want to knock her out and take her to the hotel- He paused for a second. ...That didn't come out right.. Regardless, without my limiter, it's well beyond a matter of just trying to be careful. I'd cleave her head clean off if I tried to knock her out in this state. She'd get blown away if I tried moving my arm even an inch. The only thing I can do right now is play along until she drifts off to sleep...
Kokomi blinked, her expression lightly concerned. "A strange song just started playing in my head..."
Using [ Brain Lullaby ] in her head is just about the only thing I can do at the moment.
The humidity made Kokomi's skin glisten just a touch, her shirt lightly clinging to her body. Around them, the hum of crickets blended in with the soft rustle of foliage, frogs croaking in the distance.
In the distance, shapes became shadows, and shadows became the inky blackness, trees and plants rendered into unrecognizable silhouettes. The soil underneath her, soft and malleable, yielded slightly to the contour of her shins.
"It's a bit scary here... I don't really like it."
Well, were not even in Japan to start with.
A thought occurred to the girl.
"Now that I think about it, since its my dream, I should be able to pick whatever place I like! In that case, I'd like to go somewhere with a huge castle!"
Eyes squeezed shut, and hand curled into a dainty little fist, "Eiy!", she squealed. Before reopening her eyes into the dark, a little stumped. "...It's not changing?"
For a second, a ludicrous thought popped into her head.
"This.. Is this not actually a-"
[ Teleport ]
Kokomi instinctively squinted at from the sudden burst of brightness. Floating reds, greens and white sharpened into the image of an expansive, regal chamber, the afternoon sun pouring in generously through towering grand windows.
Tall white pillars rose into arches that resembled the contours of inverted umbrellas, forming a stark contrast against the verdant shade of the chamber walls. A luxurious red carpet stretched across the polished marble floor, leading to an imposing bed, draped in tall purple curtain with elaborate gold detailing.
On either side of the pair, grand desks gleamed under the ambient light.
"Wow! This is absolutely amazing!" Kokomi gushed. "The interior's a bit different than what I had pictured, but it's everything I wished for!"
Don't be so picky. This was the closest one I could find.
"It's really something," her eyes twinkled as she took it all in, "being in a dream. Being able to manifest anything you could want. Although," she made a cheeky expression, "it's not like reality's too far off from that for me either way-" She paused for a second.
"Wait, anything I want?"
An idea occurred to the girl. "Of course!"
Turning to face Saiki, a impish expression on her face, "Saiki," she purred, her voice half-commanding, "Offu! for me, oh, won't you?"
"..."
"After all, Saiki's a part of my dream too, right? Then he'll have to do as I say," she affirmed, before letting out a small yawn. Brain lullaby was almost there.
"I'm feeling a little drowsy. But aren't I'm already in a dream, right now? Maybe I'm shifting from REM to non-REM sleep?"
Well, its already 2 AM back home...
"Well, whatever it is, I'm not falling asleep until I hear Saiki Offu!" she said, voice a little petulant.
Staying up late isn't good for the skin, you know?
Drawing to him, (or what she thought was him), she cradled his face, an alluring expectant smile on her face. "Yield before me, oh won't you, Saiki?"
This girl...
She really had no intention of falling asleep until she got her Offu!, did she? The girl was way too stubborn for her own good.
There was no helping it-
"...Offu!"
Kokomi let out a squeal. "Kyaaa! He said it! Saiki finally said it! I even got him to blush!" She cried, clasping her hands together, all of her earlier tension melting away.
"I'm just so... happy..."
"W-Woah!" The Saiki-lookalike caught the girl right as she fell, [ Brain Lullaby ] at last overcoming her will to keep awake. She finally let go of Saiki's limiter as she did.
"I was in the girls' room up until just earlier... Where am I?"
I made it so that Toritsuka appeared as me to her. Saiki explained in his head for some reason.
Heading off, he popped his limiter back onto his head.
Now maybe I'll go finally catch up on my sleep.
"Ah..." Catching on to what'd just happened, "Saiki-san," Toritsuka mused, "You really don't want to say Offu! that bad?"
'...Not happening.'
[?]
He stepped in, triggering a small electric chime. A heater rumbled overhead.
His sneakers squeaked on the light-gray vinyl floor, an advertisement banner overhead fluttering due to the warm indoor air diffusing into the cool weather outside for the duration it took the door to close.
Khaki pants and a slate gray cotton pullover made up his attire. The scent of fresh coffee wafted over from a brewing station, while the aisles smelled faintly of disinfectant. The shelves looked stark in the cool, bright light from fluorescent lights overhead, rising about six feet high, teetering with beverages and Christmas-themed snacks.
They lined narrow aisles, spaced just wide enough to accommodate two people side by side. Sounds of shuffling feet, crinkling plastic, and muted conversation made up the ambient noise, occasionally punctuated by the electronic chime of the entrance.
As he came up to the refrigerated section, he searched around for a moment until he found a row of coffee-jellies. Grabbing one, he eyed the selection in the adjacent sections. Yogurt. Ice-cream. Pudding. In all varieties of flavors.
Thinking it over for a second, he grabbed a petite container of pudding, before heading over to the counter.
There were two clerks present from what he could see — one restocking a shelf near the magazine counter and another standing attentively behind the counter. The clerk offered a "Good evening," as he spotted the boy. He gestured to the counter where Saiki placed his coffee-jelly and pudding. Scanning them-
"Three-hundred and fifty yen," the cashier said, breaking his train of thought. "Would you prefer to pay in cash or card?"
'Cash.'
The transaction completed with a light jingle of coins going into the register, the drawer closing with a soft chime. The receipt printed, and the clerk looked up. "Bag?"
He nodded.
Drawing a translucent plastic bag from beneath the counter, the clerk deposited the items, placing the receipt on top. "Here." The boy took it with a nod.
"Please come again."
The electronic bell above chimed softly as Saiki stepped out of the entrance, into the cool December air. The ground was mildly damp from the earlier shower. The sky overhead was a canvas of deep reds and night blue, tinged with the promise of snowfall a week or two away.
His gaze drifted momentarily to the horizon, lost in thought.
He let out a small sigh.
Good grief.
"Mmmh..."
Softly murmuring in her groggy state, she shifted from her back to her side, leisurely drawing her legs towards her chest, before-
"Mmmmmmh..."
-stretching them out once again. Without really thinking, she adjusted the comforter, pulling it around her shoulders and nuzzling into the pillow.
Her ears made out a faint hum of wind over the rustle of fabric. A vague recognition of the crisp air filling up her lungs blossomed into an awareness of her own breathing.
Exhaling softly, her eyes fluttered open. It took a second for her pupils to adjust, the indistinct wash of colors and shapes coming into focus-
She sat up abruptly. Her fingers instinctively clutched at her sheets as her eyes darted around.
The room was roughly the size of a classroom. Warm amber light poured in from a chandelier above. A fresco stretched from waist height to the ceiling on the wall across from her, knight and dragon lifelike in the flicker of faux-candlelight. Cream-colored walls rose above intricate wooden wainscoting that circled the lower half of the room.
Muted daylight filtered in through heavy drapes. The air smelled like wood polish and lavender. Opulent mahogany furniture filled the foreground.
Kokomi would have pinched herself if she wasn't already drawing to the window. Her steps were quiet, muffled by the patterned rugs underfoot. Pulling back the drapes-
Her eyes widened in awe.
Winter-light splashed into the room, revealing a stretch of rampart directly under the window, covered in snow. Beyond extended a steep drop-off, plunging into a forest blanketed in white. Jagged mountains loomed in the horizon, their peaks cloaked in mist. A gleaming river snaked through a valley at their feet.
It was, in a single word, magical. Like stepping into a fairy-tale.
The window itself was framed by intricate wooden carvings in the shape of twisting vines growing around the panes. Taking a few more seconds to fully appreciate the view, she settled back onto the bed, soaking in the luxurious feeling of the mattress on her back, her legs leisurely dangling off the edge.
Without really thinking about it, her arms swept outward, tracing a snow-angel.
This... This is really nice.
Her hands stopped.
This place. It wasn't Japan. As far as she could tell, at least. Somewhere in Europe? What on Earth would she be doing in Europe?
Pushing herself up, she tried to recall the last thing she remembered before waking up here.
T-That's right! It hit her. The car accident!
Her heart rate picked up a touch recalling it.
It'd started raining on the way back. The car had stopped all of a sudden. One moment, she was just staring out into the road, the next, it felt like the car was flying. The next, like it was falling. And then-
S-Saiki!
She didn't know how. She didn't know why. But she could have sworn she'd seen Saiki right as she was passing out.
But that didn't make any sense.
What would Saiki Kusuo be doing out there in the middle of nowhere-
'It was a dream.'
Kokomi perked up, almost looking around for a second. The thought had bubbled out of nowhere. Strangely foreign in her own mind.
A... A dream?
No way... A dream? Could it really have been just a dream?
Was it really all a dream?
'...All of it.'
Her eyes wandered over to the ceiling, tracing patterns on the plaster mouldings, as it unfurled around the ceiling medallion. She made out the chandelier; the gold leaf finish on intricate wrought iron curlicues and swirls that made up its frame; the crystal pendants dangling off of it, catching the artificial flicker of adjacent bulbs in mesmerizing shapes of light.
Her fingers absentmindedly brushed the fabric beneath her; a luxurious blend of silk and cotton, cool and inviting to touch. Her ears made out the muted hum of what she would presume a radiator. A faint scent of aging wood tingled her nostrils.
...It was hard to believe, but was she actually still dreaming? It all felt so real, and yet she knew for a fact that it couldn't be.
The place didn't make sense. The fact that she was here didn't make any sense.
A lucid dream, then?
Hadn't something like this happened to her once before-?
Before she had a chance to ruminate, however, she heard a soft knock on the door, prompting her to straighten up, head swerving in its direction.
"W-Who is it?"
The door pushed slightly ajar. A convenience store bag in one hand, his other holding the door open, she saw-
"S-Saiki-kun?!"