Lily’s crying continued for quite a long time.
I kept holding her as she had done for me.
After crying for a long time and calming down, Lily peeked her head out from my embrace.
Her nose and the corners of her eyes were red and swollen.
What are you trying to say by being this beautiful even with a face like this…?
No matter how many times I look, her surreal beauty is astonishing.
“Have you calmed down a bit?”
“Hic… Sorry for dirtying your clothes…”
“No. Since this is a dream, it doesn’t matter. You, on the other hand, held me when I was crying in reality.”
Thinking about it, Lily was always the one who comforted me whenever I was sad or scared. Now that we’ve promised to deepen our relationship, I wanted to hold Lily too.
“Ugh… Do you want to go back to reality?”
The way Lily spoke while hiccuping was adorable.
“Yes, I’ll hold you like this in reality too.”
“…Okay.”
Lily reached out her hand and placed it on my chest.
“Let’s meet in reality, Arthur.”
Right at the moment I was about to respond,
My vision wavered, and the surrounding scenery started to fade away.
Then came a dizzying sensation of being jerked around.
It felt similar to when I transitioned into the Dreamland.
‘…Dying and coming back to life, huh? I lead quite a dramatic life.’
Well, ever since I became involved with Lily, it was almost certain my life would become chaotic. However, I have no regrets. Thanks to her, I’ve been able to experience these emotions.
I closed my eyes, surrendered to the whirlwind, and waited for a moment.
The movement suddenly stopped.
Surprisingly, it ended earlier than I expected, and as I opened my eyes in confusion…
“…Huh?”
There were two familiar faces in front of me.
“Huh, it worked.”
“Luckily so. I was worried about what to do if it failed.”
A young man with a long beard,
“And a blond-haired young man with slender eyes.
Neither of them was who I had expected.
‘Hypnos… and the Chancellor…?’
What were these two doing here…
When I looked around, it was the same monochrome space where I first met Hypnos.
“Alright, you might wonder why you’re here—”
“Do you know what you’ve done wrong?”
Interrupting Hypnos’s words, the Chancellor appeared. His usually polite demeanor toward students was nowhere to be found, replaced by a chilling coldness that made him seem like an entirely different person.
“Hey, don’t interrogate him like that. He probably didn’t know what he was doing.”
“This is not something we can simply overlook. The situation is serious.”
“Hehe. It’s not confirmed yet, so just observe him.”
Pushing the Chancellor aside, Hypnos asked me,
“Hey, young fellow, do you remember me?”
“…Hypnos.”
“That’s right. We met in Dreamland, didn’t we? It’s good to see that you remember. Anyway, you are… no, let’s start with the situation first. Do you know how long you’ve been asleep?”
I couldn’t calculate the time with just Lily’s appearances.
“No.”
“A month. A full month.”
“…What?!”
An entire month asleep?!
“Although, considering your heart was pierced, waking up after only a month is actually pretty early. Still, it’s quite a long time by any stretch. Where have you been during that time?”
Surely not the dormitory…
“Surprisingly, it was the dormitory.”
…Really?
“The problem is the state of that dormitory. A black protective barrier was surrounding exactly your room. My friend over there—(he’s a colleague, by the way)—tried to break through it, but couldn’t even scratch it.”
If Lily’s barrier was in full power, it would have survived a steam explosion.
“That’s part of the problem…”
Hypnos scratched his head then turned his glowing eyes toward me.
“The Necronomicon. Do you have it with you?”
Had I nearly forgotten the name due to it being too long since I’d last encountered it?
I tried not to show it on my face, but it must have been obvious because Hypnos sighed deeply.
“Huh… I see. It must be you since you’re the only one who can access that shelf… Where is the book now?”
The Necronomicon was in my pocket.
But…
‘There’s still more to read…’
This book was my chance to catch up with Lily’s experiences. I couldn’t give it up easily.
“That book is far more dangerous than you think. Reading it alone could drive you mad! Even if you’ve managed to summon something successfully, that was pure luck. Hoping for that kind of luck to strike again is gambling!”
‘…Summon? Did he mean Lily?’
I realized it.
These two must be assuming I summoned Lily using the Necronomicon.
“And that cat is also problematic. At first, I thought it was just a cat from another galaxy, but after seeing that protective barrier, my opinion changed. That cat is dangerous—more than you could imagine.”
Hypnos is doubting not only the Necronomicon but Lily as well. From what he’s saying, he hasn’t quite decided whether she’s an outsider, but he’s suspicious.
I need to lie. A clever lie to deceive these two.
“…The Necronomicon is no longer in my possession right now.”
“‘Right now’ isn’t there? So you did have it, didn’t you? Where is it now?”
“…I believe it no longer exists in this world.”
At that, the Chancellor stepped forward.
“Don’t play word games and just answer. This is a very important matter. If we’re not careful, our entire galaxy could be destroyed—”
“Lily ate it.”
“…What did you say?”
I stared directly at the Chancellor.
“Lily ate the book.”
“…”
“…”
Both Hypnos and the Chancellor stood with their mouths agape, completely baffled.
“Wait, you mean… ate the Necronomicon?”
“Yes. She swallowed it whole immediately after the summoning. I was shocked and asked her to spit it out, but all she did was spit out a few bits of paper.”
Once again, the two were at a loss for words.
After a moment, the Chancellor slowly raised a hand and grabbed the back of his neck.
“…I put so much effort into translating that…and she ate it all? Ugh…my neck…”
“Hey! Snap out of it!”
Judging from his reaction, the Chancellor must have been the one who translated the Necronomicon.
The shock must have been immense, as the Chancellor collapsed with rolling eyes.
“Calm down! Carter!!”
With the Chancellor out of it, Hypnos turned his attention back to me.
“Hmm… Let’s say the Necronomicon is gone. Still, that cat is dangerous. A creature that shouldn’t belong to you—”
“Belong? Lily and I are family.”
“You might think that, but the creature could be different. There’s even a possibility it isn’t a cat—”
“Have you heard of ‘belly-blows’?”
“…What is that?”
“It’s when you blow air into your belly to make a sound.”
“And what’s that got to do with anything?”
“It’s Lily’s favorite thing to do.”
…Sorry, Lily.
“It’s a real cat. Just a strong one, that’s all.”
“Not ‘just.’ It could be very dangerous.”
“If you force her away from me, it might make things even more dangerous.”
It really would. Lily might start the Academy’s destruction scenario.
“Still, that’s a concern…”
Hmm, I’d guess the combined IQ of these two is about 2.5 times Luke’s.
“I’ll let you know if I sense any danger. For now, could you just watch and see?”
Hypnos considered it, rolling his eyes back and forth, conflicted.
The decision was already made, though.
“…Alright, I’ll let it be for now. But if the cat shows any strange behavior, you must activate this.”
Hypnos handed me a small medal.
“If you press the center of this medal three times, I’ll come immediately.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Alright, I’ll leave now. I need to take care of this guy first.”
As Hypnos waved his hand, the transition resumed.
Hypnos shook the unconscious Chancellor and quickly disappeared into the vortex.
Finally, it’s time to return.
When I wake up, the first person I’ll see will be…
—
The moment I opened my eyes, the bright light made me close them again immediately.
“Ah, sorry. It’s been a while since you woke up, so it’s a bit bright, huh? My bad.”
I could feel the light dimming through my eyelids.
“It’s good now. You can open your eyes if you want.”
Opening my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling of my dormitory.
When I turned my head toward the source of the voice,
“Good morning, Arthur. Did you have a nice dream?”
“Of course, I kissed Lily in my dream and even confessed my feelings.”
“Hehe, want to try it in reality?”
I immediately kissed Lily.
The vividness of it was surely not just my imagination—it felt more real than in the dream.
Pulling away, I rested my forehead against Lily’s and whispered.
“I love you, Lily.”
“I love you, Arthur.”
We kissed again.
And again.
“I love you, Lily.”
“I love you, Arthur.”
For a while, we rolled around in bed, kissing and whispering our love.
Even though our feelings were out in the open, my heart was racing more than ever. Sharing our emotions was the happiest time of all.
“Ah… I’m completely mad with happiness.”
The me from the past who made a wish to Lily.
You’re the best!
—
After tumbling around and getting tired, we snuggled under the covers, looking at each other.
“Hehe, I’ve definitely made up for the kisses I missed during the month.”
Honesty speaking, I wanted to continue, but my lips were already puffy and wouldn’t take much more.
Still, I wanted to stay connected somehow, so we held hands. Lily was tracing my fingers.
As she pressed my fingerprints against hers, she asked,
“Are we getting married after graduation?”
“Yes, but I’m still a student.”
“Then what are we right now?”
“Hmm… I haven’t thought about it…”
After pondering for a moment, I found an appropriate word.
“We’re engaged.”
“No, we’re more than that.”
Lily entwined our pinkies.
“We’re engaged lovers.”
“And…”
I pressed my thumb against Lily’s.
“And family.”
“Phuhh… Yes, that’s right.”
Lovers and family.
The relationship that defines Lily and me.
Though these two haven’t merged yet, we’ll have to wait just a little longer…
“Just one thing. I was asleep for a month, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
Practical tests are held at the end of each semester.
If a month had passed since those practical tests ended…
I immediately sat up and looked at the calendar stuck on the dormitory wall.
“…Huh?”
Red marked days stretched across the calendar.
A time when the leaves and temperatures drop to the ground together.
The closing stages of the year where seasons change.
Our winter break had begun.
