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Chapter 29 — Wisteria Dreamscape
🕑 Added 2025-05-05 04:12:36 +0000 UTC"Tomori, what are you looking for?"
Her mother's voice came from outside the room, but Takamatsu Tomori was completely lost in her own world and didn't register a word.
Her usually well-organized room was now a complete mess, books scattered everywhere, rare notebooks and penguin-themed bandages she had collected were all over the floor.
It was the first time Takamatsu Hikari had seen her daughter acting so out of character.
Tomori had always been like a little squirrel who neatly stashed her treasures away, endearing and meticulous.
But today, she was the opposite.
Her strange behavior made her mother worried. Was something wrong with her daughter?
After all, she just came back to sleep, it had all seemed fine before.
"I can't find it. Why can't I find it?"
"The notebook with 'Wisteria Bird' written in it—"
Tomori flipped open the last notebook only to find it blank. She slumped onto the bed in a daze, a heartbroken and pitiful figure.
The empty notebook was like untouched snow—pure, white, and untainted.
There was no trace of her or him on its pages.
"Wisteria bird? Is there even such a bird in the world?"
Her mother's puzzled question made the dazed little penguin-like girl suddenly freeze.
She realized something, hurried to her desk, grabbed a pen, and scribbled down a few words as if afraid that her thoughts would vanish if she didn't.
Terrified of forgetting, she began frantically writing down scattered fragments of thoughts.
"Tomori, are you okay?"
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"You've got tear stains on your face… Did you cry? What happened? Can you tell Mom?"
Her mother's concerned voice slowly pulled Tomori out of her stupor. She rushed to the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the polished mirror.
Her slightly swollen eyes weren't an illusion. There were faint traces of dried tears on her pale, delicate face. Evidence of tears she hadn't even realized had fallen.
Takamatsu Tomori looked down at her hands, as if suddenly waking from a dream.
There was no such thing as a "Wisteria Bird" in her room.
And the thing she spoke of didn't even exist.
It felt like she was still caught in some dreamlike illusion.
What exactly was going on?
It was as if she had just awoken from an extremely vivid dream.
A long, long dream—so long that it felt like she had lived an entire lifetime within it.
From meeting the "him" she relied on, to being invited by him with a smile to form a band, then step by step following him onto the stage, so many fragments of memories rushed through her mind, leaving it in chaos.
Even though the memories were so chaotic, the emotions they brought her were absolutely real.
As if everything truly happened in a parallel world!
…
Takamatsu Tomori and Kazami Haru had only met once.
Even if it was just a casual conversation, for her, it became an irreplaceable memory.
Especially after the emotionally intense and sorrowful "dream" she experienced last night, her perception of him had changed significantly. Countless thoughts she wanted to ask him were bubbling inside her.
But expressing her inner feelings had always been one of her biggest difficulties.
After all, it was just a fleeting, fantastical dream. Maybe it was all just Tomori's own imagination.
If she recklessly told him about these scattered and nonsensical things, she might only end up troubling him.
Tomori didn't want him to dislike her.
"..."
The girl sat in the classroom, hugging a notebook tightly to her chest, as if protecting a precious treasure.
It was an ordinary notebook—plain horizontal lines on white paper, the kind you'd find in any supermarket.
The cover simply had a cluster of pretty wisteria flowers and the neatly written characters "Takamatsu Tomori."
Though it seemed plain and unremarkable, it contained many fragmented memories she had written down. These were thoughts and emotions born from the dream the night before.
Although the sentences were disorganized and made little sense, to Tomori they were like puzzle pieces. Once put together, they might recreate the picture from her dream.
She was convinced it all had meaning. That it must make sense.
"Ah~ Tomori-chan! Good morning, you're super cute today too!"
"Good morning."
The red-haired girl who burst into the classroom radiated boundless energy, beaming brightly as she greeted Tomori.
Her shoulder-length red side-ponytail looked like a lively flame, naturally likable and full of warmth.
Tomori felt, maybe it was an illusion, that she could see rays of light radiating like sunlight from this girl.
Her name was Kita Ikuyo, and she was currently the person Tomori admired most in class.
With her super cute looks, her brilliant red hair, and her dazzling smile, she was like a miniature sun surrounded by planets, always lighting up the room.
Whether in academics or sports, she excelled, and her kind, cheerful personality made her popular with everyone, girls and boys alike.
Tomori genuinely admired her. Kita was, in her eyes, the strongest "ordinary" person.
She could effortlessly befriend everyone, as if she had been born with powerful social skills.
If someone like this "little sun" had taken her place in the dream. Replacing her weak, passive self. The ending might've been completely different, right?
That thought made Tomori bow her head in disappointment, her nose tingling with a sudden wave of sadness.
A sorrow she couldn't put into words surged up from within, and she nearly burst into tears right then and there.
But if she cried here, it would only cause trouble for others. With that thought, the girl clutched her notebook tighter and forced the emotions back inside.
"Um, Tomori-chan?"
"Ah—yes?"
Kita Ikuyo had suddenly leaned in to speak, catching Tomori off guard. She noticed Kita looked a little conflicted and nervous.
It was the first time she'd ever seen the class's "little sun" wearing such an uncharacteristic expression.
"Well... I actually wanted to ask you... how did you manage to talk to Kazami-kun yesterday?"
PIC: Ryo
