Minami no hanashi : Yume - Prelude

The day after the school reopening.

Minami had just woken up. Barely out of bed, she thought to quickly get ready to be prepared before her sister.

In the bathroom

The two girls met in the bathroom. They brushed their teeth together. Minami's thoughts were confused. "Goodness... Why is she up so early? This is not Narumi's style at all! Does she have something planned?!"

Instead of endlessly questioning without seeing the end, she decided, while brushing her teeth, to break the silence. "Narumi?"

-(Narumi) Hm...?

Her sister didn't seem to want to talk at all. She was still half asleep, brushing her teeth slowly, her eyes barely open.

-(Minami) Why are you up so early? I know you take time to get ready but not to this extent?

-(Narumi) Hm...? I have something planned... She replied, spitting into the sink.

-(Minami) I knew it! Quick, I have to hurry and let Jun know!

Minami spat as well and rushed out of the bathroom.

-(Narumi) She's so strange sometimes...

In Minami's room

While getting ready in a hurry, Minami called Jun on her phone.

-(Minami) Come on... don't disappoint me! Be awake!

-(Jun) Hm... Hello? He answered, yawning.

-(Minami) Narumi is already awake! Get ready and be in the car in 15 minutes!

-(Jun) Huh?! How is that sleepyhead already up? That's not like her at all!

You could hear through the phone that Jun seemed to be rushing too.

-(Minami) It surprised me too! Well, I'm hanging up. See you soon!

-(Jun) Lat--

Minami interrupted him. "Oops."

Outside Jun's house

Minami abruptly entered Jun's car, without any tact, and slammed the door violently.

-(Jun) THE DOOR, MINAMI!!

-(Minami) Oops. Let's focus!

Suddenly, Jun took on a detective aura.

-(Jun) So? What's the context?

-(Minami) We're going to tail Narumi, but staying a bit away from her. The goal is just to observe the people she's meeting and see what made her get up so early!

Jun wore a smirk and delved into his thoughts.

-(Jun) Hehe, I've always wanted to play detective! But I never dared to ask her for fear of looking ridiculous, but I guess Minami likes it too!

-(Minami) Hey, Jun... This isn't a joke. It's serious; we're not playing.

-(Jun) Oh, come on, can't we have some fun? Buckle up; I'm off!

Around the Katayama house

Minami stared unflinchingly at her house's door. And after a few minutes, Narumi finally came out.

-(Minami) There she is, coming out!

-(Narumi) I'm off! She said, closing the door.

Just outside the door, Narumi grabbed her bag, put on her headphones, and started walking.

-(Minami) Wait, she's completely going in the opposite direction!!

-(Jun) Uh, it sure looks like it... Goodness, where is she taking us?

-(Minami) Whatever. Tail her!

Jun started his car. It was a first mistake because the sound of his car was not inconspicuous.

In the Katayama house

Shinsuke's gaze suddenly turned toward the window. The noise of Jun's car had reached his ears.

-(Azumi) No, no! I know what you're thinking. There's nothing to worry about.

Faced with his wife's gentle words, Shinsuke relaxed his fist. His irritation vanished all of a sudden. Relieved, Azumi sighed.

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Back outside

Jun's body shivered. As if he had just dodged a huge danger.

-(Minami) Oh, you really need to avoid turning off the engine...

-(Jun) Yeah... I agree...

Meanwhile, Narumi smiled to herself. "Well then! Let's go to Sayana's~!"

A few hundred meters later...

Finally arriving at her friend's door, she knocked.

-(Minami) Ahh... Well... that explains her detour...

-(Jun) That's Sayana's place, right? Well, no big deal, she's just going to pick up her friend to go to school together.

Sayana suddenly came out of the door and greeted Narumi loudly. Narumi didn't hear her, so she took off her headphones and greeted her as if nothing had happened.

-(Narumi) Hiya Sayaaa~! Ready to go?

-(Sayana) Yep! Where to?

-(Narumi) Off to Haruka's place!

Narumi and Sayana then headed to Haruka's to go to school as real friends. Naturally, Jun and Minami hadn't forgotten their detective mission, but rather a fatal detail for the latter... Indeed, Jun and Minami found themselves following a young middle schooler in a car through the narrow streets of Kaizen. In other words, our dear detectives were absolutely not discreet; they had been lucky so far because Narumi was listening to music. But now that luck had run out, our tailing experts were left to their own devices.

Narumi turned around, a reflex. Then she saw part of Jun's car. Jun stopped the car and remained frozen, his eyes meeting Narumi's.

-(Jun) Darn... Uh... Minami?

Minami was lost in thought. She was only half there. Who knows what was going through her mind in this crucial moment?

-(Minami) Yes?

-(Jun) Isn't there something bothering you?

Her gaze directed at Jun, she was obviously confused.

-(Minami) Huh?

-(Jun) Um... I don't know, maybe the fact that Narumi completely spotted us and is heading straight for us?

Suddenly, Minami realized what was happening and regained her composure.

-(Minami) Ah! Jun, quick! Reverse!

Jun backed up at full speed. Given the speed of execution, the escape was going smoothly. Unfortunately, Narumi pulled out a weapon. Her phone. She threatened Jun to immediately call Shinsuke if he fled. Faced with this, Jun stopped and turned off the engine, looking down.

-(Jun) Minami, I think our adventure ends here.

Minami didn't understand why calling her father would be a threat.

-(Minami) Huh?! What's gotten into you, Jun! Come on, keep going, you can't just stop like that! Go!

After a few moments, Narumi reached Jun and Minami. The older sister, caught red-handed, smiled nervously.

-(Minami) Haha... Well, Narumi, what are you doing here--

-(Narumi) Isn't it more appropriate for me to ask that?

-(Jun) Actually, we...

-(Narumi) ...

-(Jun) Darn, I was hoping she'd interrupt me! I have no arguments!

-(Narumi) Stop following me. I'm already grown up, and I have the right to take a detour to pick up my friend before going to school.

-(Minami) I think you're--

-(Narumi) It's you who are overreacting! You're following a 14-year-old middle schooler in a car through the narrow streets of the city!

-(Minami) Uh... when you put it like that, it doesn't sound good...

Narumi didn't take her eyes off Jun anymore. "I wonder what Dad would do if he found out about all this."

At that moment, Jun's world collapsed suddenly. Indeed, this young man, comforted by the mother of the Katayama sisters, had completely lost touch with reality: Jun was 21 years old, and at the moment he was in his car with a 16-year-old girl following the sister of the latter, who, in turn, was 14 years old. A more than dubious situation, and Jun realized it much too late... He came back down to earth, and suddenly became much more serious and firm.

-(Jun) Minami, I think I'll accompany you to school.

-(Minami) But--

-(Jun) Let Sanae know. I'll drop both of you off.

-(Minami) ...

Despite this firm and distant tone, he smiled slightly.

-(Jun) Sorry, Narumi, for this inconvenience. I assure you it won't happen again!

-(Narumi) I hope so. Hmpf.

In the distance, Sayana seemed to be waiting for her friend.

-(Sayana) Come on, let's go get Haruka!

-(Minami) Huh?! Narumi–

Jun got angry and raised his voice against Minami.

-(Jun) Minami!

The two sisters were surprised to see Jun in this state.

-(Jun) You're overdoing it.

-(Narumi) Ouch... That hurts...

In this awkward silence, Narumi left them and went to join her friend.

-(Sayana) What's going on?

-(Narumi) Nothing at all! Come on, we can't be late!

Minami worriedly watched Jun, her face showing obvious confusion.

"Jun? What's gotten into you? You're not acting like yourself..." she stammered.

Jun decided to explain. "Yes, I just realized after all this time. I think you should calm down... No, it's me... I'm 21, I have to act like it, and as your father told me, I have to pull myself together. I can't continue to let myself be fooled by you, Minami. I have nothing against you. Once again, the problem comes from me."

Minami's face saddened, while Jun started the car again. "Come on, let's go."

This was the first time since they had known Jun that he behaved like this.

Later, in front of the high school...

The girls got out of the car.

-(Sanae) See you later, Jun!

-(Jun) Yeah, see you later!

Sanae hoped that with Jun's departure, the silence would disappear. But it was a mistake. The silence remained. So Sanae was worried about her friend.

-(Sanae) Are you okay, Minami?

She was lost in thought, and barely responded.

-(Minami) Yes... I'm fine.

-(Sanae) The atmosphere in the car... was quite tense, wasn't it...

"Oh, you think so?" she said in a gloomy tone as she walked towards the high school.

Sanae was confused. "Isn't it obvious!?" she thought.

-(Sanae) Well, yeah, pretty much... she replied, following Minami.

-(Minami) The fatigue... Maybe...

-(Tsuka, Taiya) Hi girls! How are youuu~?

-(Sanae) We're good, and you? Well, judging by your mood, I already know the answer haha!

-(Tsuka) Exactly! You're always so perceptive, Sanae!

As they talked, Taiya looked at Minami, while the latter stared into space.

-(Taiya) What's up? she asked Minami spontaneously

-(Minami) Huh? Nothing.

Perplexed, Tsuka looked at Minami insistently as she approached her face.

-(Tsuka) Hmm...

-(Minami) Stop, you're too close.

-(Tsuka) Ah, I know!

-(Taiya) Come on, tell us!

With her hands on her hips, she displayed a confident attitude, saying, "She's thinking about a boy!!"

Minami shot her a dark look. So Sanae stepped in between them.

-(Sanae) Easy girls, Minami's not in the mood today. She got up on the wrong side of the bed. I think...?

Taiya took out a packet of cereal bars from her bag. Minami looked at it, her eyes wide open. She didn't expect these wonders to come out of Taiya's bag.

-(Tsuka) Oh? That's why she left early!

Minami took the packet and pulled out a cereal bar, which she immediately ate.

-(Minami) Thanks.

-(Taiya) Hehe, I'm such a great friend, aren't I, girls?!!

Tsuka grabbed the hands of Sanae and her sister. "Correction! We're all great friends!"

-(Sanae) And the packaging... Those are your favorites! But wait. Isn't the store opposite your house?

-(Tsuka) Yeah!

-(Sanae) Ohh...

Sanae glanced at Minami from the corner of her eye, and the latter voluntarily distributed a cereal bar to each of them.

-(Sanae) Ooh, that's new!

The twins were both shocked.

-(Minami) What's wrong? Come on, let's go.

-(Tsuka, Taiya) WOOOW!

-(Tsuka) I'll never forget this moment! Thank you!

-(Taiya) I can't believe it, I feel like I'm dreaming!

The twins' reaction made Sanae laugh.

-(Sanae) Aww, calm down! What kind of monster do you think she is?

Good humor seemed to be returning little by little thanks to the twins' intervention.

END OF CHAPTER