[6.1] The Dream City

They say that the ideas one has at night sound a lot better than they do during the day.

As Teru got off the station platform following a two-hour ride, with plenty of time to review the conversation he had during yesterday's dream, he had only one conclusion.

He had to have been crazy.

It sounded like a good idea at the time, even if he also thought it was a pretty insane idea.

He always wanted to come here. Making it here to study, that was one of his short-term dreams.

But now he was here, literally because of his dreams.

In Tokyo.

He hoped he didn't get stopped by any street interviewers asking him what he came to Tokyo for.

Oh yeah, I came all the way here to find a girl I've been dating in my dreams who I can't get a hold of anymore, but probably lives somewhere around here! I also never met her or even talked to her online before riding the bullet train for two hours! Teehee!

He'd probably get the police or psychiatrists called on him, or get labelled a cult member. He wasn't sure which one was the best case and which was the worst case.

The other thing he'd get called would also likely be stupid, because he used most of his money to come here. He only had enough to transit around and buy the trip back home.

His parents were out of the country, but they were going to murder him after randomly dropping big money to come here.

Teru sighed as he took out a small pink pouch from his sling bag, holding it to his chest.

It was a lucky charm he made right after waking up, which contained his amateurish attempt at copying Keina's chibi doodle.

If she were with her right now, she'd probably be like,

Come on, Teru! We gotta see the Skytree! I wanna see if it's really as high as that skyscraper!

He chuckled as he thought of that.

Teru took a deep, calm breath and focused. He had an objective today.

And, spiritually, he wasn't alone.

---

That said, Teru had very few leads to go off of.

He blotted his face with a menthol wipe, desperately needing the minty coolness on his skin from the stuffy 38-degree weather.

Dying cicadas were also falling out from trees overhead, threatening to collide into him and striking terror into his soul.

The Tokyo streets were jam-packed, compounding the unbearable summer heat.
This was absolutely not his element.

But Teru had one lead in mind as he arrived at his destination.

Shin Okubo.

He pulled out a small book from his sling bag. His dream journal, which he used to record all of his Dream Dates with Keina.

What happened during the dates, the way the Dream itself behaved, and the things he learned from her.

This place came up when they were at Cafe Sil, the cafe they had dreamed of with the convoluted menus, where they encountered her childhood friend.

Awamiya Tomoe, whose family apparently ran 'a really good BBQ restaurant in Shin Okubo,' as Keina put it.

Teru did some searching during the train ride and found one store of interest, which was now around the corner.

The only BBQ restaurant that matched the name of the trendy cafe in the vicinity.

Sil Okubo.

"Welcome!" A man called out as he entered, mercifully met with air conditioning.

Sil Okubo wasn't the duke's summer villa that Cafe Sil was. It had a more homely, bar vibe. An aesthetic that closely matched Yumeppo's horrific hyper-realistic chicken cake pops that time.

But now wasn't the time for food. Teru had questions.

"Umm..." He attempted to raise his finger. But the gruff man talked over him.

"Table for one? You're here at the right time!"

"Uh, no. I..."

"We have a special going on. All you can eat yakiniku, hundred minutes for 3500 yen! Come on in and take a seat!"

---

Teru stared straight ahead at nothing in particular, his plate full of grilled beef and ice-cold water in hand. Beef strips sizzled in front of him as the fume hood above noisily caught all of the smoke.

What was he doing?!

He internally screamed.

The guy ushered him in before he could ask any questions, and before he knew it, he was too deep in to politely decline.

3500 yen all you can eat wasn't a bad deal, but that really wasn't money he wanted to spend right now.

Keina's pouch was on the table next to a red pepper shaker, far enough that it wouldn't get splattered with any meat juices or sauce. Though the real one might spill stuff over herself.

He could picture her gushing over the food and heaping praise on Awamiya's restaurant. Maybe even banter with her and her family.

That was when Teru saw her, as he picked up the pink pouch to refocus.

Familiar jet black hair, but shorter and messily tied up instead of neatly braided.

An aproned figure that could exude elegance if she were dressed up as a maid, but favored something more relaxed.

She looked a little older and taller than she did at Cafe Sil, a little more weary too.

But she was unmistakably the person Keina called her best friend.

Awamiya Tomoe.

Teru felt goosebumps as he watched her.

It was uncanny, unsettling to see somebody for the first time in a dream, from the memory of someone else, be an actual living person in real life.

"...Can I help you?"

Awamiya was now at his table, her voice taking on a wary, guarded tone.

"You've been staring at me for a while now, customer."

Teru paled.

"Uh, I, well, you, er," he stammered, his thoughts and vocal cords not syncing up, as usual.

"T-The bill."

...

"You still have twenty minutes, but the bill will be handled at the front counter when you are ready to pay."

"Wait, no, no!" Teru waved frantically as he backtracked after blurting out the least important thing, as Awamiya was about to turn away to help another customer. "Look, I travelled for two hours here because I need you!"

...

"To ask you!" He self-corrected. "I have something to ask you!"

"...What would that be?" She kept a professional tone, but was sounding increasingly weirded out, her eyes occasionally fluttering back to where a man was now glaring at him.

He gulped. That may have been her dad.

Teru didn't have much time, but his nerves rapidly took over, his voice not cooperating.

How was he going to ask her about Keina without coming across as a complete nutcase?

"I'm sorry. I know I'm crazy—sound crazy! But I came all the way here to look for you and—Not like in a stalker way. Look, I really need your help with—Ugh!"

In a last-ditch move, he took the pink pouch and held it out straight to her in both hands.

"Here!" He said, lowering his head. Hopefully, she could do the talking.

A painful silence passed. Then he heard stomping. Oh no.

"Are you giving this to me?" She sounded unsure.

"N-No! Just look at it. Please!"

She stared at him as she opened the pouch, her eyes widening at the chibi girl doodle hidden within.

"Who is this supposed to be?" She asked.

"It's Keina!" He snapped without a second thought.

Awamiya's eyes dilated as she recoiled at her name, taking a step back as she almost dropped the pouch.

"Listen here, sir." The man Awamiya stared at came to her defense, but she held a hand out to steady him.

"...Who are you?" She questioned, taking deep, wavering breaths as he now had her full attention. "You're not from our school. I never talked to anyone about her." 

"How did you know about me?"

Teru sighed with some relief. She still seemed freaked out, but at least she might be willing to listen without kicking him out of Sil Okubo.

He silently gave his thanks to his small pouched negotiator as he began to speak with more clarity.

Someday, it will be the real person seeing the one before him, who was beginning to tremble.

But right now, there were so many questions he had to ask. He took a deep breath as he focused his mind on the one he needed to know the most this time.

"I need to know where she is."