Part 13: Dreams Eating Away
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BGM: Lion House Cafe
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05/14 (MON), Evening
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Naomi drops her things off at the counter before donning the apron she's brought from home. I fill in the regulars about the culture festival and tell them not to worry about Naomi's presence. In exchange for my teaching her, she's offered to help out with dish-washing and other simple tasks for around an hour or so. I've told her not to bother, but she insists on it. It's gotten to the point where it'd feel rude to keep turning her down, so we've decided on a time for her to help me out.
Here's how things typically go when Naomi's around: We open at 4 p.m. on weekdays, and the hour or so after that, it's either completely dead or we have very few customers inside. That's when we either brew some coffee together, or she reads up on different types of coffee beans. The latter is more out of personal interest than anything else, since it won't come in handy for the culture festival.
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Around 6 p.m., the regulars who are just finishing up work start dropping by, so that's when I have her help out for an hour. Afterwards, she kills some time either studying or reading books. Sometimes we chat when I've got the time, too. That's how things went last week, anyway.
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She takes something out of her bag after I nod. It's a transparent plastic bag. Inside are a number of cookies, made in the shapes of stars and hearts.
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I untie the red ribbon after she hands me the bag. A sweet smell wafts through the room as soon as I do.
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I tie the bag back up to prevent the cookies from getting splashed with water while we're brewing.
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Leaving the cookies somewhere visible, I start the brewing process.
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She can act as humble as she wants, but it's a fact that she's improving. I'm rather impressed by how well she manages it when she's properly focused. I wouldn't be surprised if she shot right ahead of me, if it were my gran teaching her.
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We have no customers right now, so it's the perfect moment to take a break. Can't say for sure if that's a good or bad thing, though.
It's hard to see with the text box in the way, but...
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...Naomi's cookies are on the saucer for the rest of this scene now.
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I place the cookies onto a plate and carry them over to our usual seats, along with some coffee. After appreciating how great they look, I finally take a bite.
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Someone hits Naomi's panic button as she awaits my reaction.
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I'm not good at making dramatic reactions, so this is the best I can do. Naomi's eyes shimmer with an excitement that matches her beaming smile.
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I have a sip of my coffee before taking another bite.
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She lets out another sigh of relief, brushing her hand down her chest.
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There are a few too many for me to eat alone, so we end up eating them together. Baking sweets is apparently one of her favorite pastimes. She can bake a whole bunch of things, but cookies seem to be her specialty. It reminds me that my gran used to bake cookies as well. Granted, the taste was completely different from these. These are simple and mellow, much like Naomi. But at the same time,t hey don't feel as if they were made by someone not used to baking.
An idea hits me once we're about halfway through the plate.
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Our customers would probably be thrilled to see more sweets on the menu. Learning directly from Naomi rather than trying to do so on my own is a much more realistic approach, too. And most importantly, I want our regulars to taste just how good these are. However... I can't help but remember Divine Selection when Naomi stares at me in utter amazement. Even if she does teach me, it'll all be for nothing if I get eliminated.
BGM: Silence
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There's no way I can tell her about the possibility of me dying, but I am awfully close to doing so. There's definitely a part of me that figures I could lift some of the weight off my shoulders if I told someone about all this.
BGM: A Dot on a Piece of Paper
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Her overjoyed expression quickly clouds over as she draws her face close to mine. I must look like I am mulling something over, so I rush to find a way to respond.
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She struggles a bit before continuing.
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BGM: Silence
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Her eyes immediately shoot to the floor, almost as if she's let the words fall out by accident.
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She takes a small breath, raises her head back up, and looks me dead in the eyes. Her expression is almost oppressive.
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BGM: WARNING
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She pauses a number of times while she talks. Her voice gradually gets more and more agitated.
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BGM: A Dot on a Piece of Paper
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She shakes her head, which has turned to face the floor again, and then answers.
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Her voice falters on her final word. I can see the tears welling up in her eyes.
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That's not a dream. There's no doubt that what she's seeing is the cause of my death. A number of questions pop up in my head, but most of all, I'm flat-out shocked. I never would have guessed that she's been having a dream like that, based on her attitude. Especially when my own memory of the event is fuzzy, at best.
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I can't force myself to nod in response. After all, I'd already be dead if it weren't for Divine Selection. What she's dreaming about actually took place. It's just been undone for the time being. It makes me wonder... When Parca said our deaths had been undone, did she mean that the world's memories of the events themselves had been undone? I can't wrap my mind around how such a thing could even be possible.
However, the fact of the matter is that Naomi's memory of my death is so deeply ingrained in her being that she's reliving it over and over in her dreams.
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I desperately hold myself back from saying something I'll regret. I'm far worse at lying than I thought, judging by how I keep apologizing and evade the question. Her head is cast downward, but her eyes are glancing up at me. The tears in her eyes are a lot more obvious than before.
And it's my fault that she's crying.
BGM: Silence
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She says this with a resolute voice, despite her eyes being filled with tears. It just makes my heart ache all the more, though. She's likely to be haunted by that dream for a long time, assuming I keep the truth from her. And yet, telling her won't change the fact that I'm a participant. What's worse, I may even get her caught up in something dangerous if she decides she wants to try and help me out.
I can't say for sure how dangerous this whole situation is, but at the very least, I want to make sure she never comes in contact with those people from the dream world. Most of all, I'd have to reveal the fact that Miharu's also a participant, and that only one of us will make it through the whole thing alive. Keeping her in the dark would mean I don't burden her with my situation.
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She answers without hesitation. Just as I'm about to start my explanation, the chime on the door rings.
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She nods enthusiastically, and then helps put the tableware away. She leaves as I get back to work. Meanwhile, I try to focus on my work as much as possible to distract myself from my own uneasiness.