Chapter 2: Nightmare ②

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Translator: Soafp

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The city at night, decorated with glittering illuminations and a gigantic Christmas tree.

The cheerful Christmas carols spilling from the shopfronts sounded unbearably grating to me in that moment.

Gasping for breath, I pushed desperately through the crowd and ran.

“Yuzuki… Yuzuki!”

Half-mad, I screamed until my voice cracked.

Soon, the red-light district appeared in my vision.

Amid the throngs of couples walking by—

“Yuzuki!”

My girlfriend was walking there.

But she wasn't alone.

Not with a female friend.

The person she was linking arms with was a blond, muscular man.

“Ah… Ren…”

“What the hell is going on…? You said you couldn't today because of photography club stuff. I even asked the club, and there's no such schedule…”

“Sorry…”

Yuzuki looked away awkwardly, speaking almost as if it were someone else's problem.

“I… I've started liking this person more than you—Nagasawa-senpai. So, I can't go out with you anymore.”

“Wh-what…?”

“So, I'm going with him from now on. Bye, Ren.”

I collapsed to the ground.

Tears streamed endlessly as I cried out, “Yuzuki! Yuzuki—!”

She didn't even glance back.

Instead, she clung tighter to the blond man's arm and walked away.

“Why… why…!!”

I shot upright in bed.

My entire body was soaked in cold sweat.

Gasping heavily, I looked around.

I wasn't on cold asphalt—it was my familiar room.

It had all been—just a dream.

*(…Could this really be one of the “nightmares”?) *

I had never felt a dream so wrenching.

More painful than dreaming of losing all my wealth.

Even deep breaths couldn't calm my racing heart.

At that moment, a voice came from beyond the door.

“Ren? Still sleeping~? If you don't wake up soon, I'll play a trick on you, okay?”

That teasing tone…

I immediately opened the door.

There was Yuzuki in her uniform, here to pick me up.

“You're not ready yet? Hurry up—Re—n?”

I couldn't help but pull her into a tight hug.

Ah… this warmth.

This is reality.

That awful dream wasn't real.

“Did you have a scary dream?”

“Ah… yeah… sorry.”

Seeing her confused expression, I tried to slowly release her.

Even so, she held my head firmly against her and stroked it.

“There, there… poor thing. Did my Ren-kun miss mommy's ch*st?”

“Ba-boo, give me milk.”

“Ugh… gross.”

“Yuzuki's big, so if I try hard, I can really get it out.”

“Even though you sucked so much yesterday, you still want to do it!?”

She laughed, cupping my face with both hands and planting a quick kiss.

This charm, our playful moments—right now, they were mine.

But if the “nightmare” came true, they would belong to that Nagasawa senior.

(I can't just dismiss this as a bad dream.)

The dreams I have—especially the “nightmares”—are special.

They are omens of events that will surely occur in the near future.

Unless it's absolute “fate,” I should be able to change the future through my actions.

“Yuzuki. Just ten… no, five minutes. I need to talk seriously.”

“Suddenly?”

I nodded.

Right, start with what I can do, one step at a time.

The future I saw hasn't been set in stone yet.

I invited Yuzuki into my room, and we sat side by side on the bed.

“Hey, Yuzuki. There's that Senpai in the photography club—the one who just returned from suspension, right? Nagasawa-senpai?”

“Ah, yeah. Third-year senpai. How do you know about him?”

A small part of me hoped it was just a dream.

But if this wasn't a precognitive dream, something was wrong.

Takagi hadn't even told me the Senpai's exact name.

This couldn't be an ordinary dream.

“I heard some rumors… that he isn't great with women…”

“Ah, did you dream that I was cheating on you or something?”

“Sort of the same thing.”

Yuzuki chuckled.

“Ah, Ren, you're really cute in moments like this!”

“No, listen seriously…”

“I'm devoted to you, Ren. Nothing like that would ever happen, so don't worry! I told you, right? Since elementary school, I've only liked you. So don't worry.”

“…I see.”

My anxious heart calmed slightly.

But her next words made my body stiffen.

“And that senpai… isn't bad at all, surprisingly.”

“Not bad…?”

“Yeah! I was a little worried when I heard the rumors, but even the club president said they were exaggerated. And when I actually talked to him, he wasn't hitting on anyone weirdly—he was totally normal.”

“Really?”

“And you know what surprised me most? He was feeding the stray cats in front of school. Everyone teased him endlessly, saying it was like a manga scene.”

I immediately realized.

Nagasawa-senpai was pretending to be harmless to lower the girls' guard.

I grabbed her shoulder firmly and shouted.

“Yuzuki, please. Stay away from him.”

“Ren, what's wrong? Were you listening to me? He's not like that. He didn't seem interested in me at all.”

“No, it's not that. All of that is a ploy to take you away!”

But Yuzuki sighed deeply and shook her head.

“Ren, I get why you're anxious after a weird dream. But you know what my dream is, right?”

“…Photographer, right?”

“Exactly. I can't quit the photography club. Being in club activities naturally means interacting with senior members. Saying ‘don't ever interact' is impossible.”

She was right.

It's impossible to suspect every guy she meets in club activities.

That would be pathological possessiveness.

But my dream isn't illness.

I'm not saying she can't meet any guy, just that I want her to avoid Nagasawa-senpai—nothing more.

“Oh, right!”

Yuzuki clapped her hands as if she had an idea.

“Ren, why don't you meet Nagasawa-senpai directly? Then you'll understand what I mean.”

“No, it's not about that—”

I was about to object when—

“You two! Come downstairs and eat, now!!”

Mom shouted from the first floor.

Yuzuki smiled, holding my hand.

“I'll make it up to you properly tonight, okay?”

Even though she was right next to me, she felt further away than usual.

That day, breakfast wouldn't go down easily.

---

After school, I followed Yuzuki to the photography clubroom.

There, a blond, muscular third-year was sitting on a folding chair, reading a book.

—No doubt.

He was Nagasawa-senpai, the one who had stolen Yuzuki in my dream.

“Huh? Who's this guy?”

“I'll introduce—my boyfriend, Ren!”

“Boyfriend?”

“Yes! Ren, this is Nagasawa-senpai.”

He put the book on the desk and stood up.

He slowly approached me.

Even though I'm not short, he towered over me.

At least 185 cm, easily.

“You look like a really kind guy. Good boyfriend, huh, Kitayama?”

“Right? He's super kind!”

“Hmm… How long have you been dating?”

“Since middle school! Ren confessed to me. He was so red-faced, shaking all over at the time.”

Hahaha, Nagasawa-senpai laughed.

“Aw, so innocent. First love, huh?”

“Yes! Actually, we've been childhood friends since kindergarten.”

“I see. You two must be really close.”

He smiled slowly.

“So trusting of each other, huh?”

Those words sent goosebumps down my spine.

Taken literally, it meant they were deeply trusting.

But the real meaning—if Yuzuki ever secretly cheated with him, I wouldn't even suspect a thing.

(Right, that nightmare was just that I caught it on Christmas.)

When that relationship started, I didn't know.

Maybe summer vacation, maybe next month, maybe next week.

Maybe even already…

I shook my head, clearing the thought, and spoke.

“I'm Ren Fukagawa. I heard some troubling rumors about you, Nagasawa-senpai… and it concerns me.”

“Well, the rumors aren't entirely false.”

“You… wouldn't go after other people's girlfriends, right?”

He smiled and replied.

“Ah, I just get hot and cold easily. I wouldn't go out of my way to steal anyone.”

---

That night, Yuzuki comforted me, just like she said in the morning.

Even giving me or@l attention, which she rarely does.

Had my actions that day averted the worst future?

For now, it didn't matter if she fully believed me.

What I said would leave an impression.

Nagasawa-senpai probably noticed that I was wary too.

“See you tomorrow then.”

Chu.

As thanks for walking me home, Yuzuki gave me a small kiss.

I returned to my room and lay on my bed.

That night, I had no energy to check the stock app and fell asleep as I was.

Please, let me dream of nothing tonight—I prayed.

But that wish was abruptly shattered.

I saw Yuzuki, far worse than in my previous dream—completely taken by Nagasawa-senpai.

The worst “nightmare” had come true.