Minami no Hanashi : Yume - Adagio

Minami was deeply absorbed, as usual, in a lucid dream. She found herself in a place that was strangely familiar. This place was made up of nothing but an endless void.

"The last time I had a lucid dream, it was with that girl who scratched me. Now, this place is completely empty."

Minami looked around, and suddenly, a door appeared. At first, she was cautious and took a step back.

"In every book I've read and every dream I've had, you're never supposed to open the door. But the main character always gives in and opens it."

So, Minami carefully walked around the door, but of course, there was nothing behind it. She sat in front of it and started to think.

"I feel like nothing's going to happen if I don't open it. But at the same time..."

She clenched her fists and suddenly stood up.

"Anyway, what could happen to me?? I'm in a dream!"

Excited and scared at the same time, she kicked the door hard and jumped back when she realized her strength had multiplied. The door, on the other hand, was launched far away, crashing through the foliage.

"I–I'm dreaming? Well, of course..."

Before her astonished eyes, a surprising world appeared. The door opened to a forest of giant mushrooms, where the trees themselves looked like mushrooms.

"A world of mushrooms?!"

Minami had had many dreams before, but they all led to fairly fantastical worlds or ones similar to the real world. But this one was out of the ordinary. In disbelief, she rubbed her eyes reflexively and entered the world. As soon as she stepped in, what remained of the door vanished.

"Well, I guess I'll be staying in this mushroom world during my dreams."

Minami thoroughly enjoyed this new world. With her amplified strength, she easily climbed to the top of a giant mushroom and enjoyed the breeze offered by this illusory world.

"It's crazy how realistic this feels. I have no sense of time, yet I have class soon... I didn't set an alarm, but my mom should come wake me up anyway." She stretched and leaned forward to look down.

"It's really high up."

As she continued to observe, she noticed a mushroom that was unusually similar in size to hers, crushed. So, she descended to take a closer look.

"Wow! That's a mushroom? It's small compared to all the others but still way too big!"

She noticed tracks on the ground, as if something had been dragged. She decided to follow them, knowing that something awaited her at the end.

Abandoned among the leaves was the door she had forced open, dragged to this spot.

"Wasn't the door supposed to disappear along with the entrance?... Strange, but oh well."

She bent down to look at the door closely, and when she saw traces of the crushed mushroom, she stood up and retraced her steps, realizing that she had crushed that mushroom with the door.

Once back at the crushed mushroom, she easily pushed it aside to clear the path. After completing this task, a noise was heard in the foliage ahead. A strong smell filled the air, indicating the presence of another mushroom.

"I don't like this. If someone's there, show yourself! Wait... if it's humans, they can understand me. But what if it's a monster?"

Just as Minami was about to flee, she realized she was already surrounded by mushrooms even taller than her.

"I–I'm dreaming!? Yes, I'm dreaming! But I'm really being surrounded by mushrooms?!"

She tried to force her way through, but one of the mushrooms speared her with a lance. Minami fell, still conscious, her vision starting to fade. She saw only the mushroom that had killed her, getting angry and clearly expressing its fury over its crushed companion.

"Ah... I killed one of them, and now I'm paying the price?... I didn't mean to... I..."

Suddenly, she woke up with a start, clutching her chest to make sure she was unharmed. Narumi, who was just about to wake her up, was so startled that she slipped and fell backward.

"What's wrong with you!?" Narumi exclaimed.

Relieved, Minami lay back down, as if she were exhausted.

"Oh man... I knew it was a dream, but wow!! That really hurt!!"

"Did you have a nightmare?"

"Well... I don't know if it was a nightmare, but I got killed."

An awkward silence fell, with Narumi unsure how to react.

"Uh... You throw that word around a little too easily."

"But it's true, an angry mushroom stabbed me here!" she said, pointing to her heart.

"O-Okay, Minami... Now you need to get ready, or you'll be late."

"What, are you acting like mom now?" She got out of bed and sat at her desk. She pulled out a small book from her drawer.

"A diary?? Really?" her little sister asked.

"Not at all, it's a little book where I write down my dreams. I've been keeping it since I was a kid. I like keeping track of my dreams."

Curious, Narumi leaned in to inspect the book more closely.

"Wow! It's almost full!"

"Yeah, I dream a lot. Though it's true, I haven't been paying as much attention lately."

"Hmm... I never remember my dreams," Narumi said, sounding disappointed.

"Oh... That's really sad..."

In the distance, they heard footsteps climbing the stairs. Both sisters knew it was Azumi, so Minami quickly brushed her hair and made her bed.

A moment later, the door opened. "Good job, Minami. You're up. I forgot to mention it last night, but your father's sister gave me three tickets for a play at five o'clock. We could all go together, don't you think?"

Narumi jumped for joy and turned to her sister: "Oh, that's a great idea, right??"

Minami sighed. "Yes... But I really have to go to the club tonight. I've been skipping since the start of the term... Can we reschedule?"

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"Sweetie, these tickets are for a play, not a movie."

Narumi looked at Minami again, waiting for her decision. Minami sighed, "Sorry. I really can't skip tonight."

"Well! Too bad. Narumi? I'll give you the tickets, and you can go with your friends?"

"Can't we go with—"

"No, Shinsuke's working late today."

Minami felt awful for her sister. "I hope she won't be mad at me... If I skip again, I'll really be in trouble..."

Narumi took a deep breath and declared triumphantly, "I'll go with my friends then!" She took Minami's hands and said, "I'll tell you all about it!"

"Well! If everything's settled, I'll send you the tickets via text. Since they're digital, at least you won't lose them," she said, leaving the room.

"Yay!"

Minami looked at Narumi with fascination, as if she were seeing her for the first time. "You're not mad??"

"Huh? Why would I be mad?"

"B-Before, you would've said, 'You're the worst sister ever, you're never around!' or something like that."

"R-Really?! No way!"

"Yes, yes, really. I'm glad you understand. I'm really sorry again! I'll make it up to you."

"Make it up for what? It's nothing, I assure you!"

Minami just smiled.

Later, in front of the high school.

The eldest of the Katayama sisters was walking while clutching her chest, exactly where she had been pierced in her dream. "Why does it hurt so much now!?"

As Minami tried to fight the pain, a voice called out.

"Hey! Minami! Finally, I found you."

"Oh no."

It was Asayoshi, the sports fanatic.

"You're late!" he exclaimed.

"I never told you to wait for me." She looked him up and down, then said with surprise, "Wait...? You were really waiting for me?"

"Of course! Because this is serious."

"Let me guess? The club needs me?"

"Exactly!"

"Looking at him like this, he really does seem dumb. Yeah, yeah, I know." she said, walking toward the entrance.

"They asked me to bring you, since you're in my class. And if I fail—"

"Leave it, I'll be there, don't worry." she interrupted, sounding exhausted.

"Yeah, you better be. I'm not letting you run away anyway."

Upon hearing this, Minami stopped, stared at him, and gave a mischievous smile: "So, you think you could catch me?"

At these words, Takunomi Asayoshi turned red with rage. Seeing his reaction, Minami quickened her pace, smiling.

In the classroom

Minami sat down quietly at her desk, still struggling with the pain. Meanwhile, Sanae, already present, watched Minami without her noticing. Amused, she decided to see how long Minami would ignore her.

When Sanae had enough of waiting, she considered throwing a paper ball at her but stopped when she noticed her friend's discomfort. "Are you in pain?"

"Oh, Sanae? Sorry! I was completely zoned out."

"Talk to me when something's wrong."

They exchanged a knowing look, and Sanae continued with curiosity: "So? How did you hurt yourself?"

"Well... I'm not sure how to explain it."

"Go on, try."

"I got killed, stabbed right here in my dream. When I woke up, I was fine, but a few minutes ago, it started to hurt!"

"Hmm..." Sanae took the issue seriously and believed Minami without hesitation. "Maybe your dream is just reflecting some pain or injury you already had? That happened to me once! I hit my head hard in a dream, and when I woke up, the same spot hurt, but it was just because I had slept badly."

Minami wasn't entirely convinced. "It's not the first time I've had pain exactly where I was killed in a dream! But whatever. Too hard to explain, I don't know either. Oh well, it'll pass anyway."

Her voice was a mix of frustration and resignation.

"If it doesn't get better, don't push yourself and go to the nurse's office. Okay? I'll go with you if needed."

"Yeah, yeah, thanks, Sanae."

Minutes passed, and the teacher eventually entered. The lesson began.

At the end of the day, the classroom was now empty. The chairs were neatly placed back, and notebooks were tucked away in bags. The afternoon light filtered through the windows, filling the room with a golden glow. Minami and Sanae were still there, sitting by the window. Their faces were lit with joy as they shared stories and laughs, the weight of the school day lifted. Suddenly...

"MINAMI!"

It was Takunomi Asayoshi.

"Oh right. Well, Sanae, I've got to go. See you."

"And you're feeling better?" Sanae asked, concerned about her friend.

Minami seemed to have forgotten that she was supposed to be in pain. She checked herself over and concluded, "Nothing to report, I'm fine!"

And with a smile, they parted ways. But alas, that smile quickly faded from Minami's face. "When I'm with my friend, don't interrupt me like that!"

"Oh, I don't care. Sports first!"

"You're insane," she muttered.

Arriving at the track and field club's reserved area, Minami spotted her natural enemy, Akane Ayemi. The latter hadn't noticed her. "Go ahead, I'll catch up," Minami told her classmate.

"No tricks, I'm counting on you!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

Asayoshi left, while Minami approached Ayemi to chase her away. After all, this was the track and field club's time.

"Snakes aren't allowed here."

Ayemi, startled, quickly put away what she was holding. "You could at least start with a 'hello'!"

"No. Get out."

"Or what?"

Minami looked her up and down as if searching for an answer. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you really want to chat with me? No thanks." Ayemi walked away.

"If you're waiting for someone, you can stay. I just don't want her spreading bad rumors about the club!"

Minami's thoughts:

"What?? The track and field club is arrogant toward others?"

"They say one of the top members of the club kicked out someone who was just passing through!"

"Oh great... What an embarrassment for the school..."

The principal summons Minami: "You're expelled from the club. Not only do you not show up, but you're tarnishing its reputation!"

"I'm not waiting for anyone. I was just passing by. You know what I think of these people, including you," Ayemi replied with a haughty tone.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. We'll see tomorrow in PE. When it's time to run," Minami added with a hint of mockery.

"Ha-Ha. You know I hate you, right?"

"Wow, you taught me something!"

As the two approached, ready to confront each other, a classmate known for his sociability and loved by everyone stepped in.

"Whoa, calm down, girls!"

It was Zonomuba Tishiku, Minami's secret role model. His face showed surprise at the situation.

He quickly separated the girls, and Ayemi hurried away without looking back.

"You were really about to fight?" Tishiku asked, intrigued.

"Well... I'm not going to let her walk all over me," Minami replied with a slight smile. She then added, "What are you doing here? You come to run?"

"Yeah, yeah, a friend convinced me to sign up. But I know that once you're in, it's hard to quit."

"Yeah, very hard."

"That's why I'm just here to try it out. Don't tell him, but I haven't actually signed up," he confided with a hint of amusement.

"But you're allowed to try it out; the captain likes that," Minami replied with an encouraging smile.

"Haha, I hope so!"

The two then headed toward the club captain. Tishiku was quickly integrated and joined his friend. As for Minami...

"Well, well? Miss Katayama."

It was Hiroto Tanaka, the undisputed leader of the track and field club. He didn't become the captain because he was the best in his field—Takunomi Asayoshi, for example, was much stronger than him. His title came from being the son of a famous coach. Benefiting from his father's experience since childhood, he had the best analytical skills in the club and true leadership qualities. The principal had appointed him to this position, and his authority had never been questioned.

"We're almost the same age, there's no need to—"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"

"These people are crazy! I-I had some things going on. But I'm fine now, I'll be here."

"You scared me... I thought you were going to quit the club..." he said, his tone softening.

"No, why would I?"

"Especially after your performance last year!! I want the same thing this year! No! Even better! Go change and warm up! I want you in front of me in 25 minutes!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, walking toward the locker room, munching on a cereal bar.

Suddenly, Takunomi appeared out of nowhere: "HA! CAUGHT YOU! You're doping again!!!"

"Want some?"

"NEVER! You coward, you cheater!"

Faced with his denial, Minami couldn't help but sigh: "Fine, I'll propose something."

Asayoshi crossed his arms, ready to hear her out.

"I'll give you a cereal bar, you eat it, and we'll race to finally shut you up. And if I win, you'll drop this doping nonsense. Okay?"

"Hmm... If I find out it's a performance-enhancing drug—"

"Are you an idiot!? I'm literally offering it to you, if it was doping, I'd be hiding it, right!??"

"That does make sense..."

Minami watched him think, hoping he'd connect the dots.

"You just have to play with words. I'm in!"

He grabbed a cereal bar from Minami's pack and walked off.

"Haha! See you at the race, cheater!"

Minami quickly changed and started her warm-up. She also had to greet all the club members who hadn't seen her since the start of the school year, and welcome the newcomers. To them, Minami was somewhat of a legend, as she had won the trophy for Unmei High School the previous year.

While warming up, Minami seemed preoccupied. She was thinking about the dream she had. And more importantly, about what was happening to her now.

"I feel weird. This feels just like last time, during math class. This strange feeling that clouds my mind... Like I've forgotten something. What is it, in the end?"

Too distracted by her thoughts, she decided to sneak away to the stands, where she usually kept her bag. She pulled out the notebook where she recorded her dreams and tried to figure out if this feeling was connected to a dream she might have forgotten.

"I dream a lot. When I dream, I'm almost always fully aware. Of course, sometimes I have dreams that make no sense. But now, did I miss something?"

She pondered this while watching the club members warming up, running, and chatting... When suddenly, she heard the captain shouting her name: "KATAYAMA!! WHERE ARE YOU HIDING!?"

"Well, guess I'll think about it later. I'm right here!"

END OF CHAPTER