School Arc – Chapter 16

That night, I saw a dream.

With Gift’s words — the words,『I curse you』, lingering in my ears, there’s no way I’d see something like a pleasant feel-good dream. What I saw was a bad dream.

In that dream, 『Lycoris Radiata』 was a repulsive woman who had gone mad with jealousy.

Even though Wolf had repeated the words ‘I want you to trust me’.

Even though Lily shed tears and said ‘I would never betray you’.

Even when those earnest words were enough to make my chest hurt as I observed the scene, 『Lycoris』did not give them her trust.

『Cruel! Even though I loved you! Even though I trusted you!』

With such words filled with betrayal, she did nothing but blame the pair.

In order to blame the two, 『Lycoris』 did whatever she could think of. She didn’t care, not even when it hurt her, not even when it hurt not just those two, but those around her.

If she couldn’t have it, she wanted to destroy it as viciously as she could. The only thing she wouldn’t allow was a future where the two became happy instead of her.

Even though everyone left her side soon after that, 『Lycoris』 still didn’t admit it. That in the end, she never loved anyone. Never trusted anyone.

Even after I woke up, for some time, I was overcome with surprise.

「That’s not it. I… wouldn’t do that. I definitely won’t. I’m telling the truth, really…」

Setting my body upright on my bed, I continued to explain, not knowing who I was trying to address my explanation to.

I’ve heard theories that you see dreams to feel relieved. Good dreams to think, 『it’s great that I saw a good dream』. And bad dreams to think,『it’s great that a frightful thing like that isn’t real』.

Such a thing was a lie, I thought. At least, regarding this bad dream in particular.

I saw a dream again.

In that dream, I was playing the actual game. Wolf’s route.

I played with the aim of getting the true end. The degree of difficulty was hard enough that I always had to prevent myself from making a mistake in the choices, but, since it was a comparatively happy story even in the game, it was my favorite.

Since he hated women, he had a perpetual dour look in the beginning. The speech and conduct of the Wolf in-game and the current Wolf was quite different. Maybe it was because he seemed to be overexerting himself, or that he seemed to be putting up a bold front, I felt I couldn’t leave him alone.

But, by deepening the relationship with him little by little, his naturally earnest disposition gradually came into view.

The trauma that he was inflicted with would be overcome together. When I watched him talking about his deceased father, it felt as if my heart would be wrenched out.

And so, the story approached the happy ending. In the other side of my terminal screen, the lovers — Lily and Wolf– smiled happily at each other and exchanged a kiss.

When I came to, I muttered「I feel like an idiot」. I feel like my heart would tear if I hadn’t treated it as a wild, idiotic delusion.

So, I decided, this time for sure, I wouldn’t fall asleep again.

Even though my resolution was supposed to be firm, nearing the break of dawn, I saw yet another dream.

That was the shortest and the most frightening dream I had.

A single woman was standing there.

Long black hair. Black eyes. Though beautiful, her expression, in some way, was cold.

I didn’t remember her, but I did know her.

「Poor girl」

Her voice, a voice I shouldn’t have had any way of hearing, resounded. A voice quite similar to mine.

「You’ll never be able to truly love someone. You’re my daughter, you’re really just like me. Broken. We’re a bloodline that goes mad with jealousy」

She reached out a hand to my cheeks. That hand that was viciously cold made me certain she wasn’t of the living.

「You mustn’t fall in love with anyone. After all, that will end up leading to their misfortune… and to yours」

Stop it, I cried out.

Mother, stop it!

With the sound of that cry, I came to.

Covered in heavy sweat, the night dress clinging to my skin felt uncomfortable.

More than that, it was terrifying since it felt as if the black fog was clinging to my body. Considering the cause of the bad dreams, wasn’t this evidently the『curse』?

Even though I received the doctor’s diagnosis yesterday, it didn’t necessarily give me peace of mind. That’s because Gift was a rare genius, and the true nature of the black fog was never discovered in the end.

I gasped, springing up from the bed.

（Wolf!）

I’m worried that Wolf had exposed himself to the black fog when he shielded me.

I went to the male dormitory in hot haste, but, I wasn’t able to meet with Wolf in the end. He, himself, firmly refused to meet with me, after all