Minami no Hanashi : Yume - Prelude

In Front of the High School

After dropping off Narumi, the Katayama family and their protégé got out of the car. Despite everything that had been said so far, Sanae couldn't help but feel stressed, but she trusted Minami's father and decided not to add to the tension.

Minami checked the time on her phone and sighed.

-(Minami) Argh! If Narumi had woken up earlier, we could have come with you.

-(Sanae) Well, it worked out for you since you got to prepare her, she said with a smile.

Minami ignored Sanae, which made her laugh.

-(Minami) You’ve been quite confident since this morning, but you shouldn’t be.

Minami raised her arms and spread her hands wide as if mimicking a wild beast and continued: “My dad could lose control at any moment!”

Sanae seemed not to worry at all anymore.

-(Sanae) Yes, yes, sure! she said, laughing.

-(Azumi) Come on, girls! We’ll handle the principal!

Sanae found Azumi way too enthusiastic.

Minami and Sanae waved and headed towards the entrance. Minami turned around while walking and saw her mother talking to her father. Azumi was gesturing wildly with her hands, looking even more expressive than usual.

In the Hallways

Minami and Sanae were near the classroom by one of the many corridor windows.

-(Sanae) Your mom seemed different... I don't know how to explain it, but for ex-

Minami cut her off: “It’s because she’s angry.”

Sanae was surprised and perplexed by this response: “But she seemed rather enthusiastic, don’t you think?”

-(Minami) She’s often like that when she’s angry.

-(Sanae) Hmm… I see.

Satisfied with her friend's response, Sanae suddenly straightened up and turned to Minami with wide eyes: “W-Wait! W-Why is she angry?! Don’t tell me it’s because of m-”

Minami, exasperated by her friend, put a hand to her face and interrupted her: “Argh! Yes! For heaven’s sake! Are you telling me you didn’t notice that?!”

Sanae, embarrassed, didn't know what to say and stammered while looking away: “B-But I don't see why she would get angry for m-”

Minami grabbed her shoulders brusquely and turned her to face her. She took a deep breath and continued with a menacing look: “Sanae, stop. You need to stop being so modest. Have more confidence in yourself, or your beauty will be wasted.”

Sanae, flustered, didn't know what to say. Minami let go of her shoulders and spoke with a tone of obviousness: “Oh, come on, you see how my mom treats you, right?” she said, leaning her face closer to Sanae’s.

-(Sanae) Uh… Yes?

Minami made grand gestures with her hands and exclaimed: “As she loves to say, you’re her ‘little one!’ Her ‘third daughter!’ It’s normal for her to get angry for you!”

Sanae was embarrassed because Minami was speaking loudly, and she didn’t want to attract attention: “Uh… Okay, ‘little one,’ but I’ve never heard her call me her third d-”

Minami interrupted her again: “Sanae, you’re starting to annoy me. You know Narumi prefers you to me even though I’m her sister!”

Sanae, who had seemed uncertain until then, responded sharply: “No way, that's impossible.”

-(Minami) What do you mean, no? We’re talking about Narumi here. You know how she is with me.

-(Sanae)*Hesitant* Well, um… How do I put this?

-(Minami) What is it?

Sanae clapped her hands and continued: “Okay, I’ll tell you something, but you can't tell Narumi, alright?”

Minami simply replied: “Okay.”

-(Sanae) Well, you know when you asked me about Narumi’s reaction last night?

-(Minami) Yes.

-(Sanae) She cried.

The two friends stared into each other's eyes without saying a word, as if time had stopped.

-(Minami) Huh? You mean she cried with joy?

-(Sanae) No.

Seeing that Minami was completely lost, Sanae continued: “It was the first time I saw her like that. She was inconsolable. She even got angry at your mom, yelling that we needed to take you to the hospital or you were going to die.”

Sanae couldn't help but laugh, remembering Narumi's naivety.

-(Sanae) You have to admit, your face was really something to see. she said, laughing.

Minami’s eyes were wide open as she scratched her head. After a few moments, she lowered her head and closed her eyes: “W-Wait. What?”

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She seemed to be pondering, like trying to solve a math problem. Seeing her friend completely shaken by this news, Sanae decided to take matters into her own hands.

She placed her hand on Minami's shoulder and gave a big smile.

-(Sanae) Alright, let me tell you everything you missed last night so you can see just how much Narumi adores you!

Last night, Minami's room

Sanae, who had just shouted for help from Minami’s room, was yelling her friend’s name: “Minami! Hey, wake up!” Seeing that she didn’t respond, she placed her hand under Minami’s head and turned it to the side to prevent her from swallowing her tongue.

Azumi opened the door and was met with a shocking scene: her daughter unconscious on the floor, her pupils absent, making her eyes white as snow.

She rushed to check her daughter’s pulse but found nothing alarming. Shinsuke entered the room and asked: “What’s going on?”

Sanae, still panicked, was about to tell Shinsuke everything but stopped abruptly when she looked behind him. Narumi, eyes wide open, dropped her lollipop in shock. From her obstructed view by her mother, she could only see her sister's lifeless legs on the floor.

She approached her sister slowly, trembling, tears gradually streaming down her cheeks.

Panic surged through Narumi; she wanted to see her sister’s face to check her condition but was simultaneously afraid of seeing something she couldn't bear.

Narumi screamed in terror upon seeing her sister’s lifeless face and could no longer stand. Shinsuke caught her just in time.

She still hadn’t calmed down and bombarded her mother with questions: “M-Mom! Why is she like this?! Mom?!”

Azumi, ignoring her daughter, asked Sanae questions, to which she responded, and seemed to be examining Minami.

Seeing that her mother ignored her, Narumi stopped asking questions, wiped her tears, and sniffled.

Five minutes later

Azumi was still talking with Sanae; Narumi, who seemed depressed, had her head resting on her father’s thigh as he sat on the floor.

Sanae watched Narumi’s face out of the corner of her eye, finding it unrecognizable.

Azumi suddenly stood up and exclaimed joyfully: “Well, it’s nothing serious! It will pass! Honey, put her in bed, please.”

Narumi, lost in her thoughts until then, was shocked by her mother’s words: “Huh?! What do you mean it’s nothing serious?! She suddenly fainted! Why?!”

Azumi thought briefly and then smiled at her daughter: “Well~ let’s just say she’s tired! She’s just sleeping, don’t worr-”

Her tone greatly annoyed Narumi, who cut her off: “She’s going to die if we don’t take her to the hospital!” She stood up and continued: “If that’s the case, I’ll call Jun and he’ll take her-”

-(Shinsuke) Narumi.

-(Narumi) ...

-(Shinsuke) If your mother says there’s nothing to worry about, there’s nothing to worry about.

Azumi tried to lighten the mood; she spoke with a smile: “Oh~ come on, dear, don’t be too harsh, I could be wrong too. Narumi is just worried.”

Shinsuke patted his daughter’s head: “Stay by her side if you’re worried.” He gently carried Minami to her bed, then left the room.

-(Azumi) Alright! You heard your father? You’ll stay with Sanae and let me know if there’s any change. she said as she left.

Narumi replied weakly: “Okay.”

Back to Minami and Sanae in the hallway

-(Sanae) So I think she didn’t sleep well last night. she said, laughing.

Minami was holding her chin, seemingly deep in thought, staring into space with wide eyes.

-(Minami) That’s why she was so adorable this morning!

-(Sanae)*embarrassed* Uh yeah, you could say that...

-(Minami) I never thought she could react like that… hmm~

Minami squinted, searching for a more reasonable explanation for her sister’s reaction.

-(Sanae) So what are you going to do? she asked, leaning in.

-(Minami) About what?

-(Sanae) Well, you need to react!

Sanae, passionate, took a theatrical tone: “Narumi, your little sister, finally realized the love she has for you after so many years. The thought of losing you made her realize how important you are in her life!”

She got closer to Minami and continued: “You need to respond! You can't leave her like that!”

-(Sanae) You know very well how hard it is for her to show her feelings. Now that she’s taken the first step, you need to accompany her too. she said, nodding.

-(Minami) Yes, but you also know she’s hyperactive and changes mood in two seconds.

Minami wasn’t wrong about that.

-(Minami) If I suddenly go hug her when she’s back to normal, I’ll get rejected. she said, chuckling.

-(Sanae) We can only wait to see if Narumi will embrace her feelings this time or if she’ll act as usual.

Sanae grabbed Minami’s hands and continued: “But listen to me, Minami! Even if she decides not to show her feelings, you need to go to her-”

Minami interrupted Sanae with an exaggerated sigh, seeming to have heard this speech a thousand times: “Well, don't count on me for that. Even my mom stopped asking me to do it. I’ve had enough, I’ll pass on this one.”

-(Sanae) Yes, I know it must be annoying, but I think we’ll never have another chance like this! We need to take advantage of it; she’s let her guard down.

Minami replied with a neutral look: “Uh, why are you talking about it like it’s a war?”

-(Sanae) Yes, well, you get where I’m coming from, right?

Sanae saw Minami was ignoring her and took a calmer tone: “Think about it because I know it made you feel good this morning.”

Minami replied nonchalantly: “Yeah, yeah... I’m not in the mood for this; I’m just waiting for the debrief from the meeting with the principal.”

This little discussion had made Sanae forget her worries about the cooking club: “Hahaha… Oops.”

A subtle smile appeared on Minami’s face.

-(Minami) It’s been so long that I wouldn’t know how to react, it would probably be awkward, so yeah...

Sanae was surprised; Minami had just confided in her, but she didn’t let it show to avoid ruining the moment.

-(Minami) I was in my element this morning because she was a zombie, but now she’ll be awake.

-(Sanae) Yes, and honestly, she’s too unpredictable. I wonder how she’ll reac-

Bell rings

The two friends entered the classroom animated by their classmates.

-(Minami) Well, I’ll just do as usual!

-(Sanae) Uh, that wasn’t the conclusion I was expecting...

In the evening, at the Katayama residence

Minami and Sanae were watching TV in silence, while Narumi was drawing in her corner. The two Katayama spokespeople were eagerly awaited in the castle.

The knight Minami, impatient, exclaimed: “AAH! I’M TIRED OF THIS!” then stood up, stomping her feet. Princess Sanae took her knight’s hand: “C-Come on, Minami, b-be a little more patient.”

The princess’s attempt was ineffective as she was also a victim of the impatience disease, making her hands tremble intensely.

Her knight noticed she was afflicted and leaned in as if to ask for her hand, declaring: “Don’t worry, Sanae! They won’t be long!”

The painter seemed annoyed by the behavior of the two protagonists and broke his pencil in anger, interrupting the scene.

“Take the opportunity to apologize and get closer to her!” murmured Sanae.

“Huh? What? Just like that?”

Minami swallowed, perplexed.

-(Minami) Naru-

The door opened, and Shinsuke and Azumi finally arrived. The three girls rushed to the entrance and shouted: “SO?”

Shinsuke didn’t waste a second and replied while taking off his shoes: “It’s settled. Nothing to report.” Sanae, relieved, leaned against the wall and eventually sat on the floor.

Minami and Narumi shouted simultaneously: “YEAH!”

Everything seemed to be under control, however, Sanae suddenly stood up and exclaimed: “Wait! What do you mean ‘It’s settled’?”

Silence.

“Well, your father grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against his desk!” Azumi said.

-(Narumi) Wow, I didn’t expect-

-(Shinsuke) I just talked with him, and the matter was quickly resolved. It seems it was all part of the evaluation.

He moved forward, placed his hand on Sanae’s head, and continued: “You won’t be penalized for your teammates’ mistakes. The purpose of this test was to assess your reaction to an improbable situation and provide a suitable dish. You’ll get your answer soon.”

-(Narumi) But what took you so long if it was quickly resolved?

Azumi blushed slightly, and a smile appeared on her face.

-(Minami) What’s up, Mom?

-(Shinsuke) We spent the whole day together.

-(Narumi) AAH! YOU WORRIED US WHILE YOU WERE KISSING!

Azumi held her cheeks, which were tomato red: “W-Well, Narumi, don’t say it like that~”

-(Narumi) And why not? That’s exactly what happened!

-(Azumi) He’s always busy! I have the right to enjoy him for once, right? she said, leaning in.

END OF CHAPTER