Extra Trial 1: Aoki's Dream

Dear Diary,

I had a strange dream last night.

At first, it felt like a memory. I was back in school, wearing my old uniform, my shoes clean, and my hair tied into neat little buns like Mama used to make. The classroom seemed normal, but something felt off.

The walls shimmered. The windows only showed static.

My classmates were smiling.

Smiling too widely.

When I walked in, they all stood and clapped.

Clapped like I was a hero. Like I was famous.

Like I was someone I didn’t know how to be.

I stood frozen by the door, my hand gripping my school bag strap. Then the teacher, or at least someone who looked like one, motioned for me to come forward. He didn’t have eyes, just glasses made of paper, and his voice sounded like static wrapped in honey.

“Please welcome our star pupil, the Miracle Child.”

The class erupted again. Their hands hit desks, and their faces turned red with excitement. Some even held banners. One said:

“You’re doing great, Aoki!”

Another:

“You’re literally hope but a person.”

I don’t know why, but it made me feel sick.

The teacher pointed to the board.

Teacher: Show them.

It was just a math problem. I knew the answer. I wrote it.

They clapped again.

Then came a history question. I answered. They clapped.

Then science. They clapped.

Then… poetry. Clapped.

Over and over. The problems got stranger, the questions twisted.

“How do you handle being the favorite child?”

“How do you stay strong while your parents are never there?”

“How do you smile when your brother disappears for days?”

“How do you carry a dream you weren’t allowed to choose?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came. Only silence.

They clapped anyway.

The teacher smiled.

Teacher: Even your silence is perfect.

I wanted to scream.

I told them I was tired.

They smiled wider.

I told them I was scared.

They laughed.

I told them I didn’t want this.

They handed me another medal.

One student, who looked like my old best friend Mika, leaned forward.

Mika: You’re our strong girl, remember? You’re the one who always smiles. You can’t let yourself fall apart.

And then, the room changed.

The windows disappeared. The walls closed in. The students became like statues, mouths open, clapping without pause. They stood still, not blinking.

The teacher changed into a thin old man with a long beard and a robe. His voice now sounded colder and older. Was this... the "Trial Master"? The one Big Brother once described?

???:To leave this place, Aoki, you must stop being what they want you to be.

I stood there, frozen. Deep down, I didn’t know who I was without their applause.

Was I still kind if no one noticed?

Was I still strong if no one needed me to be?

Then something small. Something soft. A pack of gummies. It fell out of my pocket. 

Grape flavor, Me and Big Brother’s favorite, the one we always shared.

And just like that, I remembered.

Sora never asked me to be perfect.

He never asked me to carry anything.

He just wanted me to be me.

Not the miracle child. Not the ace student. Not the bright little sister who never cries.

Just Aoki.

For the first time, I looked at the board, now filled with messy equations, memories, and expectations, and I erased it with a duster. 

I erased everything.

The clapping stopped.

The students faded into golden dust. The teacher, or maybe "Trial Master", bowed and vanished.

The door finally opened.

As I stepped through, I heard someone whisper, maybe it was Sora, or maybe it was me:

“You’re allowed to rest, too.”

I woke up after that. My pillow was wet.

Not with sweat.

With tears.

I smiled.

If this is what Big Brother mentioned before, what a “Trial” feels like, then maybe Big Brother experienced something even tougher than I realized.

But I’m glad I witnessed this. Now, I want to confront life just like he did, with my own steps. One at a time.

Love,

Aoki