The screen goes dark?

I swallowed, suddenly feeling the weight of her question. "I... don't know," I admitted. "Maybe I just don't want to face what’s real sometimes."

A silence stretched between us, the light breeze rustling the leaves. She didn’t push me further, but her gaze lingered on me as if waiting for me to say more.

“Hey, Mikan,” she finally said, breaking the silence. Her tone suddenly became serious, “Do you ever judge people?”

I blinked, the question catching me off guard. I thought about it for a moment before answering, unsure of myself. “Probably?”

Her silver eyes softened, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. “Then, do you think it’s wrong to lie?”

I paused, taking the time to really think about it. “I guess it depends on the situation. Some lies are small, harmless even. But... others can be dangerous.” My voice trailed off, my uncertainty mirrored in her gaze.

“Others can change everything,” she finished, her smile bittersweet.

A soft breeze swept past, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms and the rustle of petals overhead. One landed in her hair, but she didn’t seem to notice. Her expression was far away, as if she were lost in her thoughts, yet still tethered to the present by the weight of her words.

“You know,” she began, tilting her head up to the sky, “when I was younger, I thought lies could protect people. That if you just hid the ugly parts, the world could stay beautiful.”

I frowned, processing her words. “And now?”

She exhaled a soft, almost melancholic sigh. “Now, I think... maybe I was just afraid.”

Her confession hung in the air, heavy and unspoken. I didn’t fully understand it, but the weight of it pressed on me, making my chest tighten. I wanted to ask more, to learn the story behind those words, but before I could, she suddenly reached out and flicked my forehead.

“Hey!” I yelped, rubbing the spot where she’d poked me.

“You’re overthinking it,” she grinned, clearly amused by my reaction. “I was just reminiscing. You don’t need to take everything so seriously, Mikan.”

I huffed, rubbing my forehead. “You’re the one who started with all this philosophical stuff.”

“True,” she laughed softly. “But I’m still right about you being addicted to gacha games.”

I crossed my arms. "That has nothing to do with this!"

She simply giggled, and for the first time since our conversation started, the strange weight in the air seemed to lift, carried away by the wind and the falling petals. My touch senses suddenly activated as I felt a gentle push.

The moment I felt the soft push against my back, my senses sharpened in an instant. A gust of wind carried the faint scent of cherry blossoms, and for the first time since our conversation began, the heavy tension in the air seemed to dissolve—only to be replaced by a sudden, terrifying realization.

“I will reach you. Wait for me.”

Her voice was light, almost teasing, but before I could fully register her words, my body tipped forward.

The world shifted violently as I lost my balance, the edge of the roof slipping away beneath my feet. My breath caught in my throat as gravity took hold, yanking me downward. Wind roared past my ears, my stomach flipping wildly as I plummeted.

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"Wha—!?" The panic in my voice was swallowed by the rush of air. My arms flailed instinctively, grasping for anything—anything—to stop my fall, but there was nothing but empty space.

And then I heard it.

A quiet, almost amused chuckle drifting down from above.

"Thanks for being my wings, Mikan."

Heart hammering, I twisted my head upward. For a brief second, I saw her—Furukawa Shiro—standing against the blue sky, her silver hair glowing faintly under the sun. But I had no time to process what was happening because something else tore through the sky.

Monsters.

Grotesque, nightmarish creatures descended upon her—an abominable fusion of features that had no right to exist. Fish-like eyes bulging from reptilian heads, bodies covered in slick, scale-like textures, tails resembling those of komodo dragons. Some had the elongated fangs of serpents, others bore twisted insectoid wings—bat-like, wasp-like, or even feathered in patches where feathers shouldn’t be. They moved in erratic, unsettling patterns, their shrill cries piercing the air.

Shiro remained unbothered.

Without hesitation, she summoned a scythe, its sleek silver blade catching the light as she gripped it with effortless ease. The first monster lunged—she cut it down in a single, fluid motion. The next followed, only to meet the same fate. She moved like a dancer, each swing of her scythe precise, deadly, and terrifyingly graceful.

But I had no time to admire her.

The ground was approaching too fast, my vision blurring as panic surged through my veins. My instincts screamed at me to do something, anything—

"Furukawa Shiro!" I managed to shout, my voice barely carrying over the wind.

But it was too late.

----------------------------------------

"Aaaaah!" I screamed as my body jolted awake, my chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

The falling sensation that had gripped me moments ago vanished, replaced by the warm glow of morning light filtering through the trees. My heart still pounded from the nightmare, the rush of wind and the terrifying drop lingering in my mind.

Above me, Yuzu's concerned face came into view, her fox ears twitching slightly as she leaned over me. Her black hair framed her face, the golden sunlight catching faint highlights in the strands.

"Are Mashiro okay?" she asked, her voice softer than usual.

I didn’t move at first, still adjusting to the fact that I was no longer plummeting to my doom. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly, forcing my muscles to relax. Then, finally, I mustered a small smile.

"I'm fine. I just had a nightmare about falling."

Yuzu blinked, considering my words. "Is so? Yuzu also bery fall sometimes in dream, but Yuzu not scream like Mashiro when waking up."

I let out a weak chuckle, rubbing my eyes to shake off the last remnants of sleep. As I shifted, I became acutely aware of something soft beneath me—not the cool, dew-kissed grass I remembered lying on the night before, but something far warmer.

Something that moved. My eyes widened as realization dawned.

I wasn't lying on the ground at all. I was sprawled across Yuzu's lap.

Heat rushed to my face. "W-Wait, I—!"

Yuzu tilted her head, staring at me with pure curiosity. "Mashiro comfy?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it, struggling to find the right words. Yes, her lap was incredibly comfortable, but saying that out loud felt like stepping into dangerous territory.

"I—I didn’t mean to sleep like this," I muttered, sitting up a little too quickly.

Yuzu gave a small pout, crossing her arms. "But Mashiro look bery peaceful. Yuzu think, ‘Oh, Mashiro tired. Must protect!’"

Her words sent another wave of embarrassment through me, though there was an undeniable warmth to them.

I blinked at her, caught between amusement and exasperation. "You don't have to treat me like a sleepy kitten, Yuzu…"

At that, her eyes widened with a sparkle of delight. Then, with dramatic enthusiasm, she gasped. "But Mashiro is cat!"

“I'm not a cat!” A groan escaped me as I covered my face with both hands. "That's not what I meant…"

Yuzu giggled, her tail swishing excitedly behind her, brushing against the grass. "Hehehe. Mashiro funny."

Despite my embarrassment, I couldn’t help but smile. The dream had left my heart pounding, a lingering unease pressing at the back of my mind, but Yuzu’s presence was grounding. Warm. Familiar. Like a lantern glowing softly in the dark.

I let out a small sigh, finally allowing my shoulders to relax.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Yuzu."

Her ears perked up, and she beamed with unmistakable pride. "Of course! Yuzu bery best at protecting Mashiro!"

I shook my head with a quiet laugh. "Yeah… I guess you are."

"Oh, look at you two, practically newlyweds or something," a familiar, teasing voice rang out from the distance.

I turned my head just in time to see Catherine approaching, her signature witch hat slightly askew as she adjusted it with one hand. In the other, she held a steaming cup, lazily sipping from it as she walked.

"Code Nine," she sighed, eyeing Yuzu with mild exasperation. "I told you to let Mashiro sleep somewhere comfortable."

Yuzu tilted her head, her fox ears twitching as she looked down at me. "Is Mashiro not comfy? What else witch mean?"

I couldn't help but blink at her innocence, but before I could respond, I swore I saw a vein practically pop on Catherine’s forehead.

"A bed, obviously!" Catherine huffed, throwing up her free hand as if the answer should've been obvious.