The potted plant on the windowsill trembled in the downpour, its green leaves falling one by one into the curtain of rain. Until the lush branches were bare.
The girl's eyes flickered with tears, a deep plea welling within them. But Alain was determined to tear down all her defenses and force her to face reality.
"Didn't you say you could create as many players as you wanted?"
"!"
Hearing this, the girl, whose lips were covered, widened her eyes, letting the rain drench her beautiful hair.
"Then why didn't you? Tell me!" He released her mouth and gripped the girl's shoulders.
"Ugh, uh..."
Even though her lips were free, she still couldn't utter a single word.
"You won't say it? Then I'll say it for you!" He covered her mouth again, about to reveal the truth she dared not speak.
But Sleepy Mita bit Alain's hand, hard.
Feeling the pain, he instinctively glanced at the wound.
The next second, the balcony scene shattered completely. Shards of the dream, like broken glass, reflected all around him.
He could see the girl's silhouette fleeing into the distance. He brushed aside the fragments and gave chase.
"Don't come near me!" she cried, looking back in terror and clenching her fist in the air.
In the next blink of an eye, the dream reconstructed itself, and they found themselves on an empty street.
Alain grabbed Sleepy Mita's arm, cupping her face with his other hand to make her look at him.
"N-No..."
She pulled her hand away with all her might and fled.
The dream shattered again, fragments falling like a curtain of rain, imprinting the image of one chasing the other.
Alain glanced to the side, and the dream reconsolidated.
He was in a bustling gymnasium, and he immediately spotted her squeezing through the crowd, her fleeing figure. The vast sea of people made the dozen or so meters between them feel like an immense distance.
"Everyone!" Alain shouted without hesitation, making the Mitas in the audience look at him.
"Ah! Player—"
"Help me! Everyone, clear a path!" he called out.
"?" Although the Mitas didn't understand his intentions, they could all feel his earnestness.
They obediently parted to either side, forming a straight path.
"Go for it, Player! We're all supporting you!" one Mita cheered, and the others echoed her sentiment.
"We don't get it, but go get 'em!"
"You're amazing!!!"
And at the end of the path stood Sleepy Mita, her face a mask of disbelief. "What...?"
She stared in disbelief at the people she had created; they weren't on her side, but on Alain's.
The girl's eyes trembled. She turned to see Alain closing in.
"N-No..."
The moment the young man's hand touched the girl's arm, the dream shattered for a third time. This time, they were by a riverbank.
"Splat, splat, splat, splat!"
She ran along the muddy path, leaving a long trail of wet footprints, letting the flying mud and heavy rain spatter her clothes.
"Ah!"
But she stumbled and fell to the ground. Muddy water soaked her nightgown, and sharp blades of grass pricked her skin. But the feeling of her skin tearing on her knee was especially sharp.
She looked back to see the young man was already right behind her.
"No!"
He ignored Sleepy Mita's resistance, pulling her into a tight embrace, trapping her in his arms.
The girl struggled, biting his wrist, but this time Alain didn't pull away, letting the pain spread.
His arms were like chains, making it impossible for Sleepy Mita to move an inch.
When her struggles weakened, he continued their previous conversation, "It's because you believe all of this is an illusion: this city, the laughter and joy here, playing house with the Mitas... even this whole world. You think it's all fake. And that's why—"
The force of her biting lessened as he spoke. He pulled his hand free and cupped her face with both palms, "—you didn't create the one thing you consider the epitome of what is real and happy: a player!"
"Because deep down, you've long felt how ridiculous it is to deceive yourself, you don't want to lie to yourself anymore!"
She glared at Alain resentfully,
"What do you know?! I already told you, this is all just your imagination!"
"Then why did you let me catch you?!" he pointed out the glaring flaw in their ridiculous chase.
"Th-That was just..." Her voice grew weak.
"You understand, don't you?" Alain's tone softened, letting the rain pour down around them. "It's hard for you to escape the beauty of this dream on your own. You want to find real happiness, too."
"N-No... that's not it..." Her eyes were wide, her limbs gradually going limp and weak.
"So, you brought me here." Seeing her bleeding knee, Alain released his embrace, turned, and crouched down, offering her his back.
"..."
Sleepy Mita gazed at his rain-soaked hair and the sturdy muscles of his back. She bit her lip, took his offered hand, and leaned against Alain's back.
The two of them walked slowly toward a nearby bridge.
The squelching sound of muddy footsteps echoed as his feet sank into the mire.
"This is another reason why I was able to find you." Alain said, looking at the tracks on the ground left by his and Sleepy Mita's running.
Sleepy Mita was the creator of this dream world. If she truly didn't want to be found, it would have been simple. Just the repeated shattering of the dream alone could have easily overwhelmed Alain. What's more... she had allowed the three Mitas to pass him information right under her nose.
Reaching the space under the bridge, Alain gently set her down.
The girl sat in a corner with her knees drawn up, hiding her face between them.
Looking at her bleeding knee, Alain asked, "Does it hurt?"
She didn't answer, simply snapping her fingers. Her knee was instantly healed.
"I knew it... I shouldn't have come looking for you back then."
As they sat in silence, Alain was still thinking about what to say next when Sleepy Mita's voice broke the quiet.
He looked over. Her shoulders were trembling, and he could see the glint of tears on her hidden face.
"Tearing everything apart right in front of me like this... You're a cruel man."
"Because it really is fake."
"You're still saying that..."
She lifted her head slightly, revealing only her eyes. The whites were shot through with fine red veins, and a watery sheen blurred her vision.
Alain shook his head. "No matter how many times you want me to say it, fake is fake."
"You... you..."
Her voice was faint, as if she had a stone caught in her throat, unable to form any proper words.
After a moment, she hung her head again, dejected.
"I just want to sleep... I don't want to think about all this despair."
"Aren't you sleeping right now?" Alain asked back with a light chuckle.
"I guess I am..." she sighed, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the stormy, lightning-filled sky.
"You've torn it all apart. You've laid the true flesh and blood of the dream completely bare before my eyes. Now, even my dreams won't be happy anymore..."
Her tears became a blur, a downpour on her face.
But then, her eyes fell on Alain, she thought of something, and let out a "pfft," starting to laugh.
"You're pretty full of yourself, you know."
"Hm? Was I wrong about anything I just said?"
"Wrong, and not wrong." Her gaze was complex, a mixture of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy. When it landed on Alain, it all blended into a single flavor.
_____
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