Adrift in a Dream Pt. 5

I tapped in the code to my apartment and stepped in. After taking my shoes off, I made my way over to the living, and... I don't even know what I was expecting.

Already, the girls were sprawled out in my apartment, making a mess of my living room, and using my belongings as they pleased. On the table were bags upon bags of chips, all empty with crumbs spilling out and onto the floor. Chloe and Lana were curled up in a blanket to watch the movie. Alice was sipping tea while taking notes in a journal.

It took them a moment, but they finally noticed that I'd been standing there for a full minute.

"Oh! Welcome home, Aikami," Lana grinned.

"...I thought you said you were going to go shopping," I mumbled.

"We did," Alice said. "Chloe."

Chloe snapped her fingers, and from seemingly out of nowhere, dozens of bags rolled out like a slot machine that just landed on the jackpot.

"What's all of this?" I said. "Just from the surface alone, I can see at least seven different designer brands. Just how much money do you have to spend?"

"Oh, come now, darling," Alice chuckled. "Whenever we go out shopping, we buy a lot. You know this. At this point, can you really call it a surprise? And as for your latter question, we use Hades's bank account."

I immediately thought back to that shabby-looking man from last week.

"Hades... The lunatic who seemed like he was homeless?"

"That's the one," Chloe smiled. "Don't be fooled by his appearance. When he wants to look good, he'll look better than even his brothers. It's only because his wife isn't around that he dresses as comfortably as possible. For him, I guess that means dressing like a hobo."

"I... see. Anyway, can you clean this up now?"

"Oops."

Chloe snapped her fingers again, causing all the bags to miraculously disappear in a brief flash of light.

I sighed, opening my bedroom door. "And clean up the mess you made while you're at it."

"Where are you going, Aikami?" Alice asked.

"I'm gonna take a nap. I wasn't lying when I said that I barely had any sleep last night. Ah, and don't be loud."

With that, I clicked the door shut and plopped onto my bed. This isn't normal. Not the fact that the goddesses are staying at my place for a bit. I've already come to terms with that. This... is something else entirely.

I don't get drained that easily, nor do I take naps if I can help it. I'm not even that tired, but for some reason... I just wanna close my eyes...

And so, I did, and through the darkness that collapsed onto me... I saw a thread.

Meanwhile, in the living room, the girls were going about their usual business, careful to not disturb Aikami's slumber.

Alice made her way to the fridge. "I'm going to grab a soda. Want one, Chloe?"

"Oh~ Can I have an orange one?"

"Sure thing. And Lana?"

She grabbed the orange one for Chloe and a lime one for herself. By that time, Lana still hadn't replied.

"Lana?" Alice called out once more, poking out from behind the fridge door.

Chloe also turned to see her leaning against the balcony window, peering out with a rather solemn expression. It was clear that she was not as cheerful as she usually was. Instead, her brows furrowed almost into a frown, and her mouth was as straight as it could get—a rather rare look for someone like her.

"Chloe. Alice."

"Lana..." Alice muttered. "What is it?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but she hesitated, spouting only a subtle groan. After a deep breath, she was ready to speak. However, she kept her gaze on the window, lest she lose focus and say something she'd come to regret.

"First, is Aikami asleep?" she asked.

Alice peered over to his door, peering through the gaps between reality. On the other side, he was without a doubt sleeping soundly.

"Yes. Now tell me, sister... What is troubling you to this extent?"

"...When I read Aikami's mind... I saw more than just a simple bed."

Chloe and Alice exchanged wary glances.

"You mean... he really did think about something bad?" Chloe asked, her voice small.

"Well, yes. But also no. Not in the way you're thinking." Lana exhaled deeply as if steadying herself. "I saw Aikami lying there, eyes closed, undisturbed, and completely still. He looked... peaceful like all he wanted to do was sleep. But when I looked closer... he was crying."

The quiet hum of the refrigerator filled the space as Alice slowly shut the door. For a brief moment, she simply studied Lana, taking in the rare cracks in her usually unshakable demeanor. Then, without a word, she turned, walked back into the living room, and placed two cans of soda on the table.

"Aikami... was crying?"

Lana murmured. "And the weirdest part? On the outside, he seemed fine. Normal. Blunt as ever. Same old Aikami Enzou. But inside… Something was hurting him. Enough to make his heart shed tears."

Chloe whispered, hugging herself. "Aikami..."

Alice's gaze sharpened. "And? Did you see what he was thinking about? What exactly was hurting him?"

Lana hesitated. Her fingers clenched into fists. "...He's scared."

"Scared?"

"Yeah. Aikami is scared that once this whole 'research' thing is over… we're gonna leave him."

Silence. A heavy, suffocating silence.

Each of them processed the weight of those words in their own way. Different thoughts, different emotions—but all rooted in the same undeniable truth. Aikami, a mortal who defied fate itself, was afraid of losing them.

A small scoff escaped Alice's lips. "What a strange boy. Mortals usually fear our presence… yet Aikami fears our absence? Make it make sense."

"In any case, his fear isn't unwarranted," Lana muttered. "If we do figure out his situation… what then?"

"...I'm not sure. Tch... I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. He's always been the type to act like he doesn't care while shouldering everything alone."

Chloe lowered her head, fingers curling around the fabric of her sleeves. "But… we wouldn't just leave him, right? Even after we find out the truth?"

"That's the thing. We don't know what'll happen. We started this whole thing because of curiosity and obligation. Aikami is an anomaly—someone without a thread of fate. We were supposed to observe, investigate, and figure out why. But…"

"But it stopped being just that," Lana finished for her, her voice softer than usual.

Alice nodded. "Yeah. At some point, it stopped being research and just… became normal. The late-night talks, the teasing, the stupid little arguments over nothing… It's not just Aikami who got used to it. We did too."

Chloe looked between them, her eyes shimmering with uncertainty. "So… does that mean we will leave?"

Again, they said nothing for a moment, letting the words hang heavy in the air.

Alice clicked her tongue, clearly frustrated. "Gods, that boy... Why does he always have to complicate things?"

Lana let out a small laugh, though it lacked her usual brightness. "That's rich, coming from you."

"Hah. Honestly, I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen when we figure things out. Maybe we will leave. Maybe we won't. But what I do know is that Aikami thinking about it like this—hurting over it alone—is unacceptable."

"For once, we agree. But that still leaves the question... What do we do?"

That was the hard part. Such a question was simple, and the answer was just as obvious. However, as much as they wanted Aikami to ignore their immortality, they couldn't just ignore his mortality.

Even if we do stay... Won't times inevitably change?

"Well…" Chloe curled up on the couch, hugging her knees. "I don't know about you two, but… I like being around Aikami. This past month has been more fun than the last three decades of our so-called vacation. I don't want it to stop yet. In fact… I don't ever want it to stop. I wanna stay."

Lana glanced at Alice, then let out a mischievous huff. "Oh, Chloe~ It sounds like you're seeing Aikami as something more than just a mere human."

"W-wha—?! No, that's not it!"

"Pfft—Hahaha! I'm just kidding, Chloe." Lana hopped over the couch, landing beside Chloe and slinging an arm around her shoulders. "I'll admit it too. Mortal or not, Aikami's fun to be around. And besides, we are the reason he's lived a life without a thread. As the Goddesses of Fate, the least we can do is stick around for him, yeah? Just doing our job."

Alice chuckled and settled beside them. "And here I thought we were about to have some tragic, emotional family meeting."

Lana grinned, looping an arm around Alice as well. "C'mon, Sis. Aikami's still asleep. Got anything to add that you wouldn't say in front of him?"

"Hah. As if I wouldn't say anything to his face. Hmm... I suppose if I were to say something... Aikami..."