Chapter 105: Entering the Dream
It was 10:30 p.m.
Isshiki Iroha, already changed into her pajamas, sat on the edge of her bed, holding her phone with a heavy heart, quietly waiting for Hachiman Hikigaya's arrival.
Although since agreeing to Hachiman's method, she had been trying very hard to appear calm. She even had the presence of mind to continue improving the impression she made on Hayama Hayato in his mind.
But she was fully aware that all these behaviors were just deliberate attempts to divert her own attention.
She liked Hayama Hayato, but it was the usual reason any ordinary girl would: she liked his handsome appearance and his fame.
If she became Hayama Hayato's girlfriend, she would become the focus of all the students at Sobu High School…
This was quite a big temptation for a girl in the throes of adolescence, craving more attention. Other girls around her thought this way too, and Isshiki Iroha was no exception.
After all, dating is dating—if she was going to date someone, why not try the most handsome one first? At worst, if her confession failed, she would only be teased a bit with comments like, "Ah, that girl got rejected by Hayama too, even though she's quite cute."
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Just as Isshiki Iroha was lost in these random thoughts, suddenly a noise came from the window behind her.
"Ah!"
Startled by the sudden sound, Isshiki Iroha jumped.
But she quickly turned to look at the window and saw Hachiman Hikigaya squatting on the windowsill with a helpless look on his face.
She stuck her tongue out instinctively, then hurried over to open the window and let him inside.
"I thought I told you this afternoon not to close the window?"
Looking down at Isshiki, who stood in front of him with a 'my bad' expression, Hachiman questioned why she had shut the window.
Thanks to a secret skill he had previously exchanged, Hachiman was able to climb through the window just now without being noticed as a pervert by the neighbors or passersby.
"Well, the wind kept blowing in and I was a bit scared…"
Isshiki Iroha stammered her explanation. After parting from Hachiman earlier today, she had prepared in advance.
First, she told her parents she was tired and would rest early to prevent them from unexpectedly coming to check on her at night.
Then she stuffed fabric into the gaps of her door to prevent light from leaking out.
But during all this, while waiting quietly for Hachiman's arrival with the window open as instructed, an inexplicable fear had grown inside her.
At the same time, a voice appeared in her mind telling her that she must close the window, or something very scary would happen.
At first, Isshiki Iroha ignored it and tried to distract herself with her phone. But as time passed, the cold wind coming through the window intensified her fear.
Before she knew it, she had shut the window again.
If Hachiman hadn't come to knock on the window, she might still think she had opened it.
"Is that so? Your subconscious is already affecting your mind?"
After hearing Isshiki's explanation, Hachiman didn't say anything but silently raised his guard.
"Senpai?"
After explaining why she closed the window, Isshiki lowered her head and obediently awaited Hachiman's reply.
Ten seconds passed…
Half a minute passed…
One minute…
Finally, Isshiki couldn't help but raise her head quietly to observe Hachiman, only to find him standing in front of her, frowning and lost in thought.
"Am I distracting you with my pajamas?"
She instinctively glanced down at her tightly covered sleepwear.
She quickly dismissed that idea.
After so many encounters, she fully understood Hachiman was like a monk.
The chance of him being tempted by her sleepwear was probably even lower than Hayama accepting her confession.
"Sorry, I was just spacing out…"
While Isshiki was lost in her own thoughts, Hachiman had already come back to his senses.
He looked down at Isshiki standing quietly before him, sincerely apologized, then sat down on the chair by the desk.
"Let's begin."
Saying this, Hachiman summoned his demon-slaying sword, his eyes fixed intently on Isshiki.
"Huh?"
Lost in thought, Isshiki raised her head and immediately saw the large sword in Hachiman's hand.
Seeing the sword emitting a blue glow, her body instinctively shrank back.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Seeing the tense expression on Isshiki's face, Hachiman softened his voice, almost like he was coaxing a child.
But surprisingly, upon hearing Hachiman speak like this, Isshiki suddenly burst out laughing.
"Senpai, do you often coax children like that?"
Smiling, Isshiki suddenly felt that the sword in Hachiman's hand wasn't so scary after all.
With Hachiman's permission, Isshiki turned off the light in her room, then crawled into her blanket, exposing only her head.
She closed her eyes, heart pounding slightly, ready to face that terrifying evil spirit.
…
Time passed second by second.
From the moment Isshiki closed her eyes, Hachiman had been carefully watching her without a moment's negligence.
However, half an hour passed with nothing happening.
"That guy hasn't fallen asleep at all…"
Seeing Isshiki's slightly trembling eyebrows, Hachiman felt a trace of helplessness.
But then again, a stranger suddenly appearing in the room, plus knowing that once she fell asleep she would be hunted by the evil spirit—no normal person could easily fall asleep under those circumstances.
Therefore, Hachiman chose to keep waiting.
He believed that the evil spirit, which could already somewhat influence Isshiki, would not make him wait too long.
Sure enough!
Silently, another half hour passed. The previously resting Hachiman suddenly opened his eyes.
Looking up at the bed, he found Isshiki, who had been pretending to sleep, had actually fallen asleep sometime ago, now sleeping sprawled out.
Has it begun?
Seeing the fleeting fear in Isshiki's sleeping face, Hachiman closed his eyes again and linked his spirit to hers according to the system's instructions.
Suddenly, a huge suction force appeared behind him, pulling him backward.
Then, colorful sparkling lights appeared in his vision.
In an instant, it felt as though a very long time had passed.
When Hachiman opened his eyes again, he found himself inside a huge shopping mall.
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