The Eye of the Hospital Room

-Chapter 6-

Once again, I find myself dreaming like this…

This was the thought that flashed across the mind of Mariko Yamagata as she suddenly realized the bizarre situation she was in.

Right now, she and her good friend Eiko Shinohara were in the eastern district library. Both women now took on the same appearance they had many years prior when they were both students together in this place. Mariko looked down at her body, taking note of the black uniform and blue skirt she wore. Sure enough, it was the school uniform for the eastern district’s high school; the same one her students wore. Though, since Mariko was teaching 1st-year students this year, their ties and pants/skirts were red. The blue skirt she wore now was worn by the 3rd-year students. So, was she dreaming of a memory from her final year in school…? Mariko took another look around to investigate her surroundings. As she did, Eiko took note of her friend’s odd behavior and spoke up.

“Mari? What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Huh? Oh, sorry Eiko.” Mariko smiled, waving her hands. “It’s nothing at all, don’t mind me.”

“Okay, if you say so…” Eiko gave an unconvinced look, before returning to the book she was looking at.

A dream of the past, huh…? Back then, I had plenty of fun, peaceful days in the library with Eiko, just like this…

Mariko continued to try and contemplate what was going on. The night prior, she also had a similar dream; it was a dream depicting the time she’d spent with Shinohara as they studied in Central to become teachers. Those were the last days they spent together before being separated and getting assigned to teach in different districts. It was really tough having to say goodbye to such a close friend. Could those feelings be why she was having such vivid dreams now? Perhaps because she got to reunite with Eiko after all this time, she was feeling nostalgic for those days? Mariko could only ponder such questions as she pretended to flip through the book she’d taken from the shelf.

I suppose one can’t fully control what they dream about… Still, it’s odd to have such a vivid dream twice in a row. And just after I spent most of the day with Eiko already…

Earlier in the day when she was awake, Mariko didn’t have much to do while Yuko went across the hospital from one appointment to the next. Of course, there were some moments when she’d have to come in to check up on things, but she had most of the day free. Most of that free time she spent with Eiko. The two spent much of the day together, with Mariko even cooking a meal for Eiko at her apartment.

At that time, Eiko, she…

Mariko shook her head, trying not to think too hard.

Regardless of what happened during the day, what was going on now was only a dream. Mariko was conscious enough to be aware of that. Despite the pleasant memories, though, it wasn’t a dream Mariko particularly wanted to have right now. Thankfully, since it was only a dream, and she was aware enough to realize that… She could just leave. After all, she did the same thing in the dream she had the night prior.

Making up her mind, Mariko closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. She then started to make her way towards the exit of the library.

“Mari? Where are you going?” Eiko had noticed Mariko leaving, of course.

“Oh, I’m just heading to the restroom. Don’t mind me.” Mariko smiled apologetically at her friend before turning back to the doorway.

“Okay, please be quick though.” said Eiko, sounding a bit uneasy. “I have a lot of fascinating things to share with you about the book you recommended!”

“Of course, I’ll return in no time.” Mariko responded before turning back toward the doorway.

Eiko merely looked on with a sad expression as Mariko exited the library.

“Oh my…” Mariko whispered on reflex after noticing her surroundings.

Suddenly, she was in the middle of Central again. Rather, she was standing right outside of the Central library. Both the building and everything else around her were devoid of color.

“How odd, I could’ve sworn I was just in the eastern district’s library…” Mariko glanced back up at the building behind her in confusion. “Ah…”

It was at this moment that Mariko looked at her body and realized she’d returned to her usual older appearance, wearing her usual clothing instead of the school uniform. She was no longer in the shape of her high school-aged self.

“Quite the bizarre phenomenon…” Mariko muttered. “Is this what they call lucid dreaming? The human mind is full of mysteries…”

As bewildered by the situation as she was, Mariko held a bit of comfort in knowing that whatever this was, it was just a dream that she’d awaken from once morning came. Thus, with no particular destination in mind, Mariko simply began strolling down the street to see what she’d find.

As she walked, she glanced up at the sky, taking note of the bizarre dome-like enclosure surrounding this colorless approximation of Central. She began to wonder if such a sight was really something her own mind could think up. To begin with, why was this whole location such a drab gray to begin with? Mariko could recall a similar scene in her previous dream, and began to worry why she was seeing such a dreary-looking version of Central in her dreams.

While wandering around lost in such thoughts, Mariko’s train a thought was suddenly interrupted by a voice calling out to her.

“Mari!!”

“Huh…?” Mariko turned around to spot Eiko, who’d apparently followed her out here. It was still the high school version of Eiko she’d just seen in the library.

“Eiko… Why are you out here?” asked Mariko, frowning just a bit. She thought she’d left her behind in the library part of her dream.

I suppose learning to control one’s dreams isn’t so simple, even when you’re lucid dreaming…

“Why…? Mari, you’re the one who left the library all of a sudden!” Eiko raised her voice, sounding just a bit frustrated.

“Well, yes…” Mariko scratched her head. She wasn’t sure how to deal with this situation. But still, it was only a dream, so she figured maybe if she expressed her intentions in a straightforward manner the mind would work things out on its own.

“Listen Eiko… It’s kind of awkward to be dreaming of you right now, so I’d rather not…” Mariko looked away from Eiko, with an expression that seemed a bit troubled. “See, this is just a dream, right? I started to realize that a little while ago. And since this is my dream, I can kind of change what’s happening if I focus enough, right?”

“… What are you saying?” Eiko trembled, with her head hung low.

“Well, it’s like I said. I’d rather not dream about you right now. I have a lot to think about, and I’m going to see the real you one last time tomorrow before I leave, so…” Mariko felt incredibly awkward saying this out loud. Regardless, despite how uncomfortable it made her, this was all just a dream, so just saying things straightforwardly like this was probably the best way to shift the dream.

Despite this, however, the same dull-colored street and buildings around them lingered. The scenery wasn’t changing at all. Instead, the only other bright thing around was the young Eiko as she stood there in full color, fist trembling.

“Mari, don’t you get it?” Eiko whispered, her voice shaking. “This is the only way…! This is the only way!!” suddenly, Eiko screamed with all her might.

Mariko was taken aback as she watched Eiko lift her head. The sharp glare of Eiko’s tear-stained eyes pierced Mariko.

“Have your feelings for me really grown so dull over these past several years? Huh?!” Eiko lashed out at Mariko. “Why are you trying to push me away?! And after we finally got to see each other again for the first time in so long…!”

“You can’t…” Mariko muttered as she backed away. “This is just a dream. Stop, I don’t want to dream of something like this!” Mariko began to hold her head, confused.

“This is no mere dream, Mari…” Eiko stepped forward, getting closer and closer to Mariko, until they stood face-to-face. Suddenly, it was no longer the young high school-aged Eiko from a second earlier. She’d suddenly changed into the adult Eiko who Mariko had just recently reunited with.

“I am right here.” Eiko spoke with a cold smile, staring Mariko directly in the eyes. “We are now forever connected.”

---

“Tsukiko… I’m sorry, but it’s time you learn the truth about your dream.”

Yuko spoke those words in as gentle a voice as she could muster. Currently, she stood inside a cheerful family living room; the colorful location in which Tsukiko’s dream was taking place. Yuko had met up with Haruto in this space where their dreams connected, and together they’d gone to see Tsukiko. When they arrived, Tsukiko had eagerly introduced Yuko to her parents, the ones brought out from the depths of her memories and given form in this dream where Tsukiko could happily spend time with them.

Yet, upon meeting them, Yuko’s demeanor changed, as if she’d realized something.

“The truth of my dream…?” Tsukiko tilted her head, before letting out a small laugh. “Heehee, you’re funny, big sis. I’m the one who made this dream space, so I think I know more about it than you do.”

“Yeah, what are you even talking about?” asked a confused Haruto. Before they’d entered the room, Yuko and Haruto had a heart-to-heart discussion about the negative effects this dreaming power had on Tsukiko’s health, and had planned to try convincing her to stop using it. Needless to say, Yuko’s sudden words had thrown the boy for a loop.

“Tsukiko…” Yuko approached the young girl, and kneeled down to face her eye-to-eye. “You must have some memories of your parents, right? Why don’t you tell me about them? Your parents from the real world, and not the pair in this dream, okay?”

“Huh…?” Tsukiko narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean? These ones here in the dream are the same as the ones in real life!”

“Even so, you’ve spent a lot of nights with these two here in your dreams, right?” Yuko said, glancing at the two dream adults who were standing still. “I’m asking what you knew of your parents before you could dream them up like this.”

“Wh-why, though?” Tsukiko was starting to get a little annoyed by the questioning. “I-it doesn’t matter, okay?”

“Tsukiko…” Yuko frowned.

“She didn’t really remember them all that clearly.” Haruto suddenly spoke up.

“Haruto!!” Tsukiko shouted, clearly upset.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? Anything this dumb girl says won’t change anything, anyway.” Haruto said, wincing at Tsukiko having raised her voice at him. “Let’s just hear what she has to say.”

“… Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Tsukiko furrowed her eyebrows before sighing. “Sorry, big sis…”

“No, no, it’s all fine, Tsukiko.” Yuko smiled apologetically. “So, you really didn’t remember much about them beforehand?”

“Well…” Tsukiko sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “I really didn’t want to forget, but a lot of memories from when I was really little started to get fuzzy before I even realized it. I knew I had a mama and a papa before I came to this school, but I can’t remember being with them very long…”

“Right…” Yuko nodded. “I think a lot of us here at Starlight Academy go through something like that when we’re young. I’ve talked about it with some friends before.”

“Yeah.” Haruto nodded. “I also once had the feeling that I’d seen the face of some kinda parent at some point, but since I couldn’t remember it very clearly, and it had nothing to do with my life here, I just stopped thinking about it after a while.”

“Yes, I remember you telling me about that…” Tsukiko sighed. “Anyway, that doesn’t matter now, because thanks to my dreaming, my memories became really clear, and I finally remembered their faces!”

Tsukiko brought a smile to her face and turned to direct Yuko and Haruto’s attention to the two adults who still stood still behind her. As if showing off the parents she was proud to have remembered after so long.

“I see…” Yuko could only smile sadly, as she once more rose to her feet and looked at the two adults.

“Tsukiko…” Yuko paused, before breathing in and letting out a deep breath. “These two people here aren’t your parents.”

“… Huh?” Tsukiko was stunned by what had just been said to her.

“H-hey, what the hell are you saying, stupid?!” Haruto shouted after a brief pause. Yuko’s words had totally thrown him for a loop.

“Those two standing there…” Yuko pointed to the two adults. “That man is Hiroshi Sakurai, and that woman is Sumire Sakurai. The two of them are the parents of Momoka Sakurai, the main character of a children’s TV drama called ‘Silly Momoka-chan’ that used to air on TV here in Central.”

“…” both Tsukiko and Haruto were speechless after hearing Yuko’s words.

“It’s a pretty old series…” Yuko continued. “I believe Central regularly imports new content from the outside, and decides what to put on the air here after review. So with new programs regularly coming in, old shows get cycled out and taken off the air.”

“… You’re lying.” Tsukiko’s head hung low.

“… Sorry, I’m telling the truth.” Yuko frowned. “I distinctly remember watching it on TV back when I was stuck in the hospital here. There was a marathon sending off the show when it was ending its run. I remember feeling a bit sad that I wouldn’t get to see it anymore.”

“Now that you mention it…” Haruto glanced back at the adults and looked really closely at them, squinting.

“You two must’ve been very young at the time, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you saw the show on air at least once or twice.” Yuko hung her head. “And let’s just say it wouldn’t be uncommon to become envious of the peaceful family life depicted in that show… After all, it’s something no one living in this school would have gotten to experience.”

“You’re lying!!!” Tsukiko screamed in frustration. Yuko and Haruto both remained silent after her outburst.

“Mama… Papa… please make her leave.” Tsukiko clenched her trembling fist.

As if snapping out of a prolonged daze, the two adults both blinked, and unnaturally turned their gazes toward Yuko.

“My, it’s already so late out, you should be heading home now.” the adult woman spoke, approaching Yuko.

“You all have school tomorrow, so you’d best be getting home too.” the adult man nodded.

“…” Yuko sighed, before lifting her head and facing the woman directly. “But I wanna play with Momoka some more~!” Yuko spoke in the most child-like voice she could muster.

“Oh dear, you’ll see little Momoka at school tomorrow.” the woman replied with a gentle smiled.

“… Huh?” Tsukiko stepped back and fell to her knees after hearing those words. “I-I’m… I’m Tsukiko… Why would you say a name like that…?”

The woman merely turned and faced Tsukiko, a look of confusion on her face. Just a moment later, her body began to flicker. As if seeing a distorted image on a faulty TV, the bodies of both parents began to distort and flicker. As they did so, they started to fade away slowly, as if they could pop out of existence at any moment.

“…!” Tsukiko suddenly gasped, and then desperately crawled forward, reaching out to the two fading adults with tears in her eyes. “Mama! Papa! No! Don’t go! I need you…! You’re all I have left…! Please…!”

Not only the two adults, but the entire room they were in soon began to distort. Yuko started to realize what was happening. Deep down, Tsukiko must’ve known the truth, and after being reminded of said truth, her heart began to waver. As soon as she started becoming unable to view them as her parents anymore, the entire foundation keeping this dream alive began to break down…

“No…! No…!” Tsukiko was down on her hands and knees, crying, as the space around them faded away.

“Tsukiko…!” Haruto rushed over to her side.

Yuko could only watch silently. She simply stood by, hanging her head. She couldn’t help but feel guilty for how she went about things. Still, she knew deep down that Tsukiko had to learn the truth. The moment she saw and recognized that the ‘parents’ Tsikiko had grown so attached to were just vague memories from a TV show she’d seen before, instead of memories of her actual parents, Yuko felt she had no choice by to reveal that information, despite knowing how much it would hurt Tsukiko. After all, it was one thing to continue to hurt oneself in order to live a fantasy where you could be with people who were no longer here… But it’s another to be living said fantasy built on such a fundamental misunderstanding of one’s own memories.

Yuko glanced around at her surroundings. The dream had ended, so the living room was nowhere to be seen. The three were now in the middle of a dreary, colorless classroom at Central Elementary School B. Outside the window, Yuko could see that the lack of color was much the same outside. Yuko had always felt this place was a bit eerie, especially when contrasted with the bright colorful worlds of the ‘dreams’ that could materialize here.

“Gh…!” Haruto, who held the trembling Tsukiko close, couldn’t contain his frustration. “Hey! You went too far! Look at what you’ve done to Tsukiko!” he shouted, glaring at Yuko.

“Maybe so, but I think it was important for her to learn the truth, don’t you?” Yuko answered, trying not to look Haruto in the eyes.

“I-I guess so, but still… this was too cruel!” despite his objections, Haruto couldn’t retort.

“… What’s this stupid talk about truth?” Tsukiko whispered under her breath.

“Tsukiko? Don’t worry, I’m here…” Haruto tried to reassure her, but…

“I don’t need your stupid truth!! I hate you!!” Tsukiko screamed, pushing Haruto away as she rose to her feet.

“T-Tsukiko…?” Haruto was taken aback.

“I don’t need either of you… I don’t need the real world…!” slowly, Tsukiko began to float into the air. Sure enough, this wasn’t reality, but still… Yuko had a bad feeling about what was coming.

“Tsukiko, calm down!” Yuko tried to plead with her. “Listen, I know I may have sounded harsh, but I had to tell you the truth because I do care about your wellbeing…!”

“Shut up!!” Tsukiko screamed, and with that scream, the entire space around them distorted, shattering apart.

The three of them were no longer in the colorless classroom; the space around them had vanished entirely and was replaced by an endless black void. Yuko turned around, glancing back and forth at her surroundings, but there was nothing to see in any direction. It was a completely empty dark space.

“You don’t know anything!” Tsukiko screamed. “I didn’t need the truth! I didn’t need to remember any of that! I just wanted to keep living my happy life! For the first time in my life… I got to be happy! I got to have parents who cared about me! Don’t you dare tell me it was all a lie!”

“But Tsukiko, it wasn’t real, it was…!” Yuko tried to reason with her, but…

“I don’t care!! Go away!!” Tsukiko screamed, shoving her palm out toward Yuko.

“Ahh…!” Yuko was suddenly blown far away. And just like that, she began to fall, plunging deep into the endless abyss.

“Yuko!” Haruto shouted, shaken after seeing her fall out of sight so quickly.

“If you’re gonna be like that, big sis… I’ll make you pay…!” Tsukiko clenched her fist. “You’re never going to wake up, ever again!!”

“N-no way… But Tsukiko…” Haruto muttered, glancing up at the enraged girl. He was shocked to see his cherished friend break down like this. He turned his attention back to the spot where Yuko had fallen, but she was still no longer in sight.

“Tsukiko…!” Haruto gathered up all of his courage and faced her directly once more. “You said you’d never use this power to hurt anyone, no matter what! You said everyone would wake up peacefully the next day!”

Tsukiko didn’t respond, and simply hovered in the air, making a point to face away from Haruto, avoiding eye contact.

“So c’mon… Bring her back and let’s work things out! I’m sure we can all make up and think of something else…” Haruto pleaded with her.

Tsukiko slowly turned to face Haruto, who suddenly gasped.

“T-Tsukiko, you…!” he stuttered.

“I’m done playing nice with any of you.” Tsukiko spoke in a low voice. The right half of her face covered with a gray lack of color, as her right eye glowed a deep red.

“Wh-what’s happened to you… Tsukiko…?” the frightened boy fell to his knees.

---

Everything began around the middle of April. At that time, all of the young students in Central were settling into the routines of their new year of school. Among them was a girl beginning her final year in Central Elementary School B: a young girl named Tsukiko Matsuura.

She’d been spending her days the same way as usual. She was a very quiet, reserved girl, who didn’t interact much with her fellow classmates. Her general demeanor gave her a rather unapproachable vibe, with some even thinking she looked a bit spooky. Still, there was one person who stayed by her side: a boy named Haruto Kawashima.

The two had known each other for a few years by this point, and spent time together regularly. During school hours at least, it was rare to see them apart. This is basically what their everyday lives were like. But one day, things suddenly began to change.

“*cough* *cough*”

During class that day, a noticeable cough echoed throughout the room.

“Tsukiko… Are you feeling ill?” asked the teacher, Eiko Shinohara, glancing at the coughing girl.

“I… I’m fine, I think…” Tsukiko whispered in a voice barely audible.

“Is that so? Well, alright then…” Shinohara remained unconvinced, but let it slide, opting to continue her lecture.

From his seat on the other side of the classroom, Haruto could only glance toward Tsukiko with a hint of worry on his face.

Although Tsukiko claimed she’d been fine, as the morning classes continued there were more and more instances of her coughing. When it came time for everyone to leave for lunch…

“Tsukiko!” shouted Haruto, rushing to her side.

Tsukiko had staggered and collapsed to the ground when she tried to get up from her seat. Haruto rushed over, took hold of her, and placed his hand on her forehead.

“Dummy! You’re burning up! Why’d you even come to school today?!” Haruto scolded in a voice that also made his worry apparent.

“S-sorry… I didn’t think I was… that sick… *cough*” Tsukiko whispered.

“Haruto, let’s get her to the hospital.” Ms. Shinohara spoke, approaching the two. “If she’s in this condition, she’ll likely need medical attention.”

“R-right!” Haruto nodded.

The two swiftly got Tsukiko to the hospital. Upon arrival, they’d gotten her temporarily admitted to a certain hospital room. There, the doctor examined her and determined she was merely sick with a particularly bad cold. They’d given her medicine and decided to have her spend the night in the hospital. They predicted she’d likely recover within a day or two.

“I’ll make sure to come see you tomorrow first thing after school!” declared Haruto.

The sun was already setting, and it was about time for him to be heading back for dinner at the dorms. He’d rather not leave Tsukiko alone here in the hospital, but he had no choice.

“Thanks… I’ll see you tomorrow then…” Tsukiko spoke as she lay in the hospital bed.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” Haruto said, as he slowly made his way out of the room.

“…”

Tsukiko merely stared up at the ceiling. It felt bizarre to be lying in a bed that she wasn’t used to, especially here in the hospital.

I caused a lot of trouble for everyone today…

Tsukiko had felt ashamed ever since she collapsed in class earlier. She’d always done her best trying not to stand out or cause anyone any trouble. Perhaps that’s also part of why she ended up so estranged from the other kids. For a time, she was even bullied, but that slowly died down after having Haruto stay by her side. Though she still realized that neither of them were very popular among their peers.

This place… is just too cold…

Tsukiko wasn’t talking about her temperature, or the air in the hospital room. For a long time, Tsukiko had felt that Starlight Academy, or at least its Central district, was a very cold place, emotionally. Whether such coldness was from her own inability to reach out to others, or because most others showed no interest in reaching out to her, Tsukiko had at one point given up on finding the ‘warmth’ she sought.

However, eventually she’d gained a bit of warmth in the form of her friendship with Haruto, and spending time with him tended to be the highlight of her day. But even so, there was one specific kind of warmth she sought.

Everyone is supposed to have them… Parents… But those of us here don’t have anything like that… Yet, if I try hard, I can remember… At one point, I definitely knew that warmth…!

Most children in Starlight Academy have very little memories of the parents who brought them into this world. After all, this institution was a place that takes in children from an extremely young age with nowhere else to go, and raises them through their curriculum. Memories of any parents they may have known tended to fade quickly.

But every now and then, there’ll be children who do have vague recollections of the parents they once knew. Tsukiko was one of those children. Though she couldn’t remember their faces, she knew they existed. After all, the primary feeling that wells up inside her upon trying to recall those memories…

This warmth, this comfort… It’d be nice… if I got to see them again…

With these random thoughts spinning through her mind, Tsukiko began to doze off. Eventually, she was sound asleep, and time passed idly by.

A few hours later, a doctor came to check in on her. Tsukiko was given a meal, and her temperature was checked again. With that taken care of, the doctor left for the night, leaving only the instruction for Tsukiko to get a good night’s sleep.

Thus, Tsukiko laid in bed that night, and tried her best to sleep. However, because she’d already slept throughout the evening, she was having a tough time falling asleep. Her head was starting to ache as well from her fever, and the excess sweat was getting uncomfortable. Needless to say, falling asleep like this was difficult.

Still, after a few more hours, she did eventually manage to doze off. As she slept through the night, a certain dream began to surface in her mind…

“This place… It seems familiar…?”

In her dream, Tsukiko glanced back and forth. She was in what looked to be some kind of living room. For a dream, she was feeling unusually lucid, and couldn’t quite tell whether she was really dreaming or not. Regardless, at the moment all she knew was that she stood in a strange but familiar living room.

“Dinner’s ready! Who’s ready for her favorite food?” a woman’s voice suddenly called from the nearby kitchen.

“Huh…? Who…?” Tsukiko blinked at the sudden presence of another person.

“Oh boy, don’t forget about me! Let’s all eat together, okay?” a cheerful man’s voice suddenly came from a nearby couch.

“Wha…?!” Tsukiko turned around and glanced at the man. “W-wait… don’t I know this person…?”

A vague memory in the back of Tsukiko’s mind was nagging at her.

“Let’s all get to the table now.” the woman said, entering the room.

“Her too…” Tsukiko couldn’t help feeling like she’d seen the woman before too. “No way… could it be…?”

“C’mon, it’s time to eat!” smiled the man as he took his seat.

“Papa… Mama…?” Tsukiko squeaked out, tears forming in her eyes, as she slowly approached the two adults.

“Hurry up now, dear, or your food will get cold!” the woman chuckled.

“Y-yeah…!” Tsukiko exclaimed with more excitement than she ever had, and dashed toward the table, eagerly anticipating their dinner together.

And then she woke up.

“Ah… ahh….!” Tsukiko’s voice could barely make any sound.

Tsukiko was extremely disoriented. One second she was having a warm happy moment in a living room, and the next thing she knew she was in a hospital bed… But things weren’t right.

Tsukiko’s body was paralyzed. The bed was soaked with her sweat. All around the room, Tsukiko could make out abnormal black, jagged lines scribbled all over the place. She had no idea what they were, but they weren’t there before. At first it seemed like a bunch of weird graffiti, until she realized some of the lines seemed to wriggle around just a bit.

They were all over the walls of the hospital room. What are they? Where did they come from? Tsukiko could barely process anything she was seeing.

A moment later, she noticed the lines all seemed to converge upwards toward the ceiling. Following their trail, Tsukiko’s limited view was naturally drawn towards the center point where the lines all met.

And there… on the ceiling…

A giant eye was staring directly at Tsukiko.

“…!!!”

Tsukiko tried to scream, but there was no sound to her voice. Her body still refused to move. The giant eye’s glowing red pupil was frightening as it fixedly stared straight at her. After a moment, Tsukiko realized that the reason she couldn’t move was because those black ‘lines’ had wrapped around her body as well. She couldn’t physically feel them, but she could see them there by turning her eyes enough. It was too much. Tsukiko began to panic and breath heavily, but she couldn’t do anything at all but lay paralyzed in the bed, taking in this bizarre situation.

Eventually, as her initial panic and fear began to settle… Tsukiko started to feel something. She wasn’t sure what it was, but as she watched the eye on the ceiling she began to understand.

This thing… is trying to communicate with me…?

Once she realized this, Tsukiko started to regain her calm demeanor. And soon, she began to understand. A certain concept started to form within Tsukiko’s mind, as if it were something she’d just thought up.

The concept wasn’t communicated to her through words. She simply felt that she had gained new knowledge: Knowledge on how to materialize dreams. Knowledge on how to enhance the depth of those dreams to feel as close to real as possible. And of course, knowledge of how to share this sensation with others.

As she gazed deep into the eye’s glowing, red pupil, Tsukiko simply understood…

Morning came, and as Tsukiko opened her eyes, it was as if the bizarre experience she’d had that night were just a dream. But no, she knew the truth. She knew how to make use of the truth. Although she’d only seen it briefly, Tsukiko couldn’t help but feel a bit grateful to that ‘eye’ she encountered that night. After all, not only had she finally become able to remember the faces of her loving parents, but she gained the ability to interact with them on some level as well.

Later that day, the doctors confirmed that Tsukiko’s fever broke. Although they considered sending her home, they had her stay one more night just to be on the safe side. However, Tsukiko’s fever unexpectedly returned the next morning. After all, she’d spent plenty of time with her parents again in her dreams that night. It was at this point that Tsukiko started to realize that the dream abilities she’d gained affected her health in the real world. Regardless, she continued using them anyway. Tsukiko’s determination to get back the ‘warmth’ of those lost days with her loving parents drove her to keep going, no matter what.

Over the next few days, the doctors were at a complete loss, and eventually it was decided that Tsukiko would stay in the hospital indefinitely. During this period, Haruto couldn’t help but worry over Tsukiko, and felt powerless at being unable to do anything to help her get better. But Tsukiko took notice of this. Rather than leaving her close friend in the dark, she felt it best to share her secret, so one evening during golden week…

“Haruto, here…” Tsukiko said, reaching her hand out.

“Hm?” after pausing for a moment, Haruto slowly took hold of Tsukiko’s hand. “What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. I just have a feeling you’ll have a good dream tonight.”

At the time, Haruto didn’t know what she meant. But looking closely at Tsukiko’s smiling face, he couldn’t help but get the feeling that something had changed about her. It was a smile filled with powerful emotion, the likes of which he’d never seen on her face before.

That night, Haruto would be the first one welcomed into Tsukiko’s new dream world.

---

It was late at night in Central Hospital. The date had just recently changed to Sunday, May 21st considering midnight had passed by not long prior. Earlier during the day, Yuko had a fairly hectic time running around getting all kinds of medical checkups and tests. However, that had all wrapped up by the evening, and now that night had come, many people were fast asleep, currently adrift in the world of dreams. But, in a certain guest room… someone began to fidget in their sleep.

“…”

Without a sound, Yuko Maeda rose from her bed.

Mere moments earlier, in the world of dreams, an enraged Tsukiko had banished Yuko deep into the realm of sleep, where no thoughts or dreams would reach her. So, how had she risen from the bed just now? Did she manage to awaken before her consciousness fell too far?

No, that’s not it. The expression on the face of this girl was cold, exuding a somewhat chilling aura. It was a face that contrasted sharply with the pink bunny pajamas the girl wore. Sure enough, this was not the usual Yuko Maeda.

It was the Guardian: Yuko’s alter ego who seemingly had the ability to use magic powers from another world. This persona within Yuko had first appeared a few weeks prior during a certain incident at the end of April.

“… Hmph.” the Guardian looked herself over, as if put off by her appearance.

After glancing around and noting Yuko’s folded school uniform nearby, she stripped off the pajamas and put on the uniform. Apparently, she felt more comfortable in clothing like that.

Without a sound, the Guardian slowly made her way out of the guest room and began quietly walking down the hospital hallway. It was the middle of the night, so everything was dimly lit and no one was around. Soon, she made it to the main lobby and approached the elevator. After pressing the button, she boarded the elevator and rode it to a higher floor. Once it arrived at the designated floor, she stepped off the elevator and began making her way down some hallways. After a few moments, the Guardian had arrived.

Naturally, her destination was Tsukiko’s hospital room.

“… Fate is ironic.” the Guardian spoke, with a voice similar to Yuko’s but much deeper. “Alas, even when faced with such a situation, no mercy shall be afforded.”

With her hand on the handle, she slowly opened the door to the hospital room.

“In order to live, I will do what I must.” she muttered, as the door opened.

The moment the inside of the room came into view, it was like the world froze. For a split second, the imagery on the other side of the doorway was that of a simple hospital room, with Tsukiko sound asleep in the bed. But in an instant, that image had distorted: thin wriggly lines had spread out all over the room, all concentrating at one spot on the ceiling.

As if expecting such a sight, the Guardian simply looked up, and glared directly at the large eyeball above.

The eyeball’s glowing red pupil immediately darted toward the doorway, glaring straight at the sudden intruder.

“… Heh.”

The Guardian merely smirked.

[Chapter 6 END]