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Now, a boy in his late sixteens jolts from his bed. His face distorts into fear then surprise then happiness.

What a nice dream…

And he becomes disappointed.

Tseh! Why did I suddenly wake up!!? Agh!!! Now I lost my chance, dammit!!

Right in front of his face is a cat meowing.

“Morning, Mika,” he strokes the underside of the cat’s chin, “it’s your turn to sleep here, isn’t it?”

Mika, the cat, is always actively guarding and hunting intruders while they slept. You could say that she had a night shift.

“Ugh, how I wish you were the woman from earlier…”

“Meow?” the cat replies.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I gotta get ready for school.”

***

Tensain Michito, a high school student, exits the gates of his humble home, and a girl around his age greets him.

“Good morning!”

“Ah Mirimi, good morning.”

“What’s up with the sad look?”

“Eh? This?” Tensain points to his face then hovers his hand over it. “There? Does it look better now?”

“T—that smile looks creepy…”

“Really? Then, I’ll just kee—”

“Hahahaha!”

“Why are you laughing?”

“You switched so quickly…”

“Why, isn’t that me, the happy go lucky Tensain?”

“Come on, we are going to be late for school.”

Idly chatting, together they walk side by side with a respectable distance between them.

After a few minutes, they arrive at school. Both of their houses are near the school, but their houses are far apart.

Renka Mirimi, Tensain’s friend, makes an effort to drop by Tensain’s house every day just to walk with him to school.

And Tensain takes this for granted.

“I’ll be going to my classroom,” Tensain announces.

“Okay, have a good day,” she replies with a smile.

It would be nice to at least walk with him to his classroom too, but he always finds a way to escape. Is he embarrassed by me?

Once Tensain faces away from Renka, his face becomes dim, sad, and depressed. Usually, it is like this. He abhors going into class every time because it makes him feel isolated. No one glances or greets him. He considers it lucky that he sits at the corner of the room because there he could just stare all day long if he wanted.

But this time, his face grimaces more than usual. His brows are furrowed rather than flat. He enters the classroom with an occupied mind.

As if only a breeze entered the classroom, the classmates continued in their business.

Is she real? The girl in the dream? I want to meet her… It’s a dream that might not come true, but it felt so real, too real. It was as if I was there. This should be some kind of vision I had.

He hangs his bag on the side of the table and sits on his chair. He stares outside the window. That is his routine.

I wonder if I can meet her.

A nudge interrupts his thoughts.

“Oy, what’s with that attitude today?” standing over him is a handsome-looking student. His hair is neatly kept unlike Tensain’s. His body seems to have developed some muscles but still keeping his slim frame. In any case, he left his group of friends to talk to some loner.

Ah, it’s Tokihiro. What does he want from me?

“Can I talk to you?” he asks, but he sounds demanding.

“A—ah, sure…

Rinato Tokihiro, an old ex-friend of Tensain, but still friends with Renka.

“You know, Michito, you’ve been hanging out with Renka lately. Are you guys dating?”

“No way,” Tensain quickly answers.

“Oh, really?” Tokihiro is surprised at his answer, but then his smug turns into a grin.

“Then, she isn’t dating anyone right?”

What is with that weird question?

“Well, she hasn’t talked about a boyfriend, that’s for sure.”

“I see~” Tokihiro is laughing on the inside. Of course, he can’t be dating Renka. Her type is someone like me. I shouldn’t have wasted my time on this turd. “That was a waste of my time. Next time don’t waste it again.” He couldn’t contain his laughter so he chuckles as he left.

What is with him? Tokihiro wasn’t like this before. He was that small, humble kid, but now that he gained some muscles and popularity, he became prideful.

Tensain sighs. Well, he isn’t important right now. What’s important right now is the question…

…

…

…is the woman real?

Meanwhile, Tokihiro and his friends chat among themselves.

“Oh? So he isn’t dating Renka after all!”

“Then, why don’t you go for it?”

“Ahahaha, you guys, don’t be so confident, but she will be my girlfriend at the end of the day!” Tokihiro declares.

“Did you ask him who he likes? He might be your competitor.”

“Even if that turd likes her, he has no chance on Renka,” Tokihiro states.

“That’s right, that’s right!” they respond in unison.

The teacher enters and all students rush back into their seats. And school starts for the day.

Tensain spends most of the time thinking about the woman in his dreams, which is slowly turning into the woman of his dreams.

School ends, and the routine of Renka starts.

“How’s school?” she asks.

But Tensain is not conscious of her presence.

“Tensai?”

“…”

“Tensai!!” she smacks his head.

“Woauch! What was that for?”

“You seem to be in a world of your own.”

“Ah, sorry. There’s just this thing I’m thinking.”

“Hm? You rarely brood over things. What is it? Tell me! Tell me!” Renka is interested in knowing Tensain’s secrets.

“Alright, alright, don’t bug me any further. I’ll tell you.” but Tensain hesitates for a bit. If I tell her, won’t she think that I’m weird? I don’t wanna lose the only friend remaining…

I’ll just play it off as a joke, I guess.

“Well, there’s this—”

“Yo, Renka-chan!” Tokihiro pops out of nowhere, but he has been waiting for this chance.

“Tokihiro-kun, hello! Is there something up?” she cheerfully asks.

Oh, why is that turd here? Well, whatever, I’ll just confess to her in front of him. That’ll show him.

Tokihiro comes near to Renka, and Renka jolts back a little but maintains her friendly smile.

“You know, I’ve been seeing you for a while now… Your silky long brown hair, your precious face, your friendly personality, not to mention, your popularity —— I like them all! So, go out with me!”

“E—eh?” she casts a glance to Tensain, but Tensain is not even looking at the two. He only stops in sync with her steps.

Tensain is distracted by his thoughts.

Why is Tokihiro confessing with Tensain around? Is he trying to hurt him?

“U—ummm, Tensai—”

Tokihiro jumps in between Renka and Tensain, blocking her from seeing him, “So, your answer? You are going out with me, right?”

Renka’s expression dims as she averts her face, “I have someone else I like.”

“Oh? It’s none other than me, is it? Hahahaha! What a roundabout way of saying that you like me! Then, let’s go out!”

“T—that’s not what I mean!”

“Ah?”

“I can’t go out with you. It’s impossible.”

Tokihiro’s face churns into anger, “Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!!? You are not dating anyone, right? You are lying!”

“W—well that’s true that I’m not dating anyone, but—”

“But you seem me romantically, don’t you?”

“I—I’m sorry, I don’t.”

Tokihiro growls at her and faces away from Renka. Then, he sees Tensain still enveloped by his thoughts.

“Hey, turd!”

“…”

“Turd!” he shoves Tensain causing him to fall over.

“Wah!” luckily, he lands on some soft grass, but it dirties his white uniform.

“How dare you lie to me! You were keeping her for yourself, aren’t you?”

Tensain slowly gets up and wipes the dirt off his pants.

“And you still have the nerve to stand up!?” Tokihiro kicks Tensain in the stomach making him fall over again. “Stay down as the turd you are! You belong in the soil!”

Renka, frustrated by Tokihiro’s actions, pulls him by his wrist, “What are you doing!? Stop!”

“So, it’s him you like, huh? Ahahahah! Why do you like that crap anyway? Don’t you think I’m a better fit than him?”

I have to defend him.

“No, you aren’t a better fit than him! You are worse!”

“What’d you say? I’m worse? Don’t joke around. This is your last chance to go out with me or he will face the consequences.”

“W—what are you going to do with him?”

“I’m going to make him suffer. Hahahaha!”

I don’t want to pain Tensain any further…

“Hoy, bastard, look what you did to my clothes,” a different aura surrounds Tensain. Heh, I won’t back down! I’m way stronger than him than before!

“And you made me forget what I was thinking about.”

“Ho? So you challenge me to a fight?”

“I don’t need a fight,” Tensain brings out a phone and shows the screen toward. “It’s your mom.”

M—my mom!? “Tch, don’t forget this, you turd!”

The two watch him as Tokihiro flees.

Then, Tensain sighs heavily, “What should I do? Now I forgot what I was thinking about…”

“You are worried about that!?” Renka exclaims.

“It’s something precious, you know? I have to remember it or else I’ll die.”

Renka bursts into laughter.

“Huh, what’s funny this time?”

“Hahahaha! You always turn every situation funny.”

“Really? Well, I guess I—”

He always does this. I know he’s hurt and yet he tries not to show it. Then, Renka suddenly hugs Tensain.

“W—woah!? What’s wrong!?”

“…thank you, Tensai…”

Tensain lowers his voice into a whisper, “…I can feel them, you know?”

She swiftly detaches from him, “Eeek!”

And Tensain laughs.

“S—stop! It’s not funny, pervert!”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“I remembered what I was thinking about.”

“You are still dwelling on that!?”

A few silent moments later as they walk to Tensain’s home…

“So, what is this that you’re thinking?”

“A woman.”

“A woman?”

“A red-haired woman with beautiful red eyes.”

“Why are you thinking about her?”

“She appeared in my dream saying that she’s my wife.”

“Hahahaha, is your puberty hitting you again?”

Puberty hit —— a phenomenon where one suddenly has erotic dreams —- she might be right. This might be a conjuring of my brain.

“Tensai? Tensai!?” she hits him again. “You’re spacing out again!”

“Oh, sorry.”

“I was expecting you to joke it off.”

“Really? Then I guess—”

“Why are you seriously thinking about her? It’s only a dream, right?”

“Yeah,” he looks up to the sky, “but it felt so real…”

She manages to stifle her laughter this time, “What are you being so dramatic for?”

Tensain looks back at her again, “Say, do you think dreams come true?”

“In this context, probably not, but some have dreams of the future and end up living in that dream.”

“Déjà vu?”

“I think that’s what they call it.”

Déjà vu… That means there’s a chance that I’ll meet her!

I remember the dream taking place in my room, in my house…wait, does that mean I haven’t progressed at all and still living with my parents? That’s embarrassing, but…

For her to become my wife, that means I have some kind of work, right?

But my grades in high school are barely passing. How can I get a job like this?

“—sai! Tensain Michito!! Oy!”

“Huh, what’s the matter?”

“I’ve been hitting you several times now! Look, now people are looking!”

It is what she said. Several people are whispering amongst each other, “Is she bullying him?” “Maybe not, they might be a couple. ”A couple’s fight? Gotta leave them alone.“ They gradually shift their attention elsewhere.

And Renka sighs, “You’ve been out of it today. Is she worth seriously thinking for?”

Suddenly, Tensain makes a fist pump, “Yosh! I’ll become a better person to meet her!”

“Huh? What are you on about now?”

Tensain faces her with determination in his eyes, “I’m going to meet the woman of my dreams!”