Ch 146. Who is That Woman? [Bonus]
In the twilight, the two, draped in a layer of rose-colored gauze, had their shadows stretching long and merging together behind them. They sat in silence, sharing the tranquility of their long-awaited reunion.
In the blink of an eye, over half an hour had passed. Hoshimi estimated that there were probably less than twenty minutes left before the morning classes ended. He pondered what to say in those final twenty minutes.
However, before he could decide, Kasumigaoka spoke first. "Hoshimi, where do you live?" she asked in a calm tone, as if asking, "What did you have for breakfast?"
Hoshimi's right eyelid twitched. He used his usual tactic of answering a question with a question. "Utaha, why do you want to know?"
"Why do you think I want to know?" Kasumigaoka leaned forward, looking down at Hoshimi's eyes. Their gazes met, and both saw each other's reflections in each other's eyes.
Looking at the picturesque Kasumigaoka, Hoshimi asked with a deep gaze, "If I tell you, will you come looking for me?"
"Hmm…" Kasumigaoka nodded calmly.
"In that case, I won't tell you my address."
"Why not?" Kasumigaoka asked, not really puzzled but calmly seeking an answer.
Hoshimi looked at the distant setting sun and replied calmly, "Utaha, I can tell you clearly that I live alone. We both know the consequences if you come to visit me under these circumstances."
"I see…" Kasumigaoka straightened up and rested her head back on Hoshimi's shoulder. She followed Hoshimi's gaze toward the setting sun and casually said, "Hoshimi, I'm in my third year of high school, about to go to university and turn 18 soon. What about you?"
"Second year of high school…" Hoshimi did not answer his age.
"Really? Second year, that's coming up soon. By the way, weren't you not attending school before? Why the sudden change?"
"Requirement from my guardian."
"Guardian?" Kasumigaoka's emotions stirred upon catching the keyword.
"Yeah, guardian."
"..."
Hoshimi's confirmation made Kasumigaoka fall silent for a moment. The term "guardian" was not something ordinary people would mention casually. Once mentioned, it implied certain things, such as the death of parents...
This was just one of the most common situations, and if it wasn't this "common" situation, the matter would be even more complicated...
Kasumigaoka silently avoided any discussion about family matters and continued, "Hoshimi, where do you go to school?"
A strange look flashed in Hoshimi's eyes, but he calmly answered, "The school arranged by my guardian."
You crafty guy.
Kasumigaoka thought to herself with a hint of disdain. She knew Hoshimi was deliberately using his special circumstances to evade the question, but there was no way to press further—after all, she couldn't really poke at his wounds, could she?
Unable to do anything about it, Kasumigaoka tightened her grip on Hoshimi's arm and asked with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Hoshimi, can you really freely control your dreams now?"
"Yeah, I can. In the future, I'll bring you into my dreams during the day."
"Hmm…" Kasumigaoka's eyes lit up with a hint of joy.
After all the talk, Hoshimi finally gave a concrete assurance. If Hoshimi continued to be vague about the dream issue, she really wanted to smack this heartless scoundrel.
But there was one problem…
"Why during the day?" Kasumigaoka squinted and asked.
Hoshimi maintained his calm demeanor and explained logically, "Utaha, aren't you used to staying up all night writing and catching up on sleep during the day at school? If I bring you into my dreams at night, it would interrupt your writing."
"Additionally, if you enter my dreams during the day, it ensures your sleep quality, achieving the 'golden sleep' effect even if you're napping at your desk."
"Also, if you enter my dreams during the day, you can study and work on the outline of your book, so you can directly start working on it when you get home in the evening, saving you from having to spend time on that."
"See, doesn't this fit your preference better?"
Kasumigaoka, with her eyes narrowed, held Hoshimi's arm tighter and looked at his profile. "Hoshimi, I can also enter your dreams at night."
"Hmm? Are you sure, Utaha?" Hoshimi turned his head to look at Kasumigaoka. "Utaha, didn't you complain before about how entering dreams at night and attending classes during the day greatly reduced your writing time, nearly causing you to miss deadlines? Wouldn't entering dreams during the day and saving the night for writing suit you better?"
Kasumigaoka gave a meaningful smile. "It's fine. I'm not under much pressure with my writing now; two to three hours a day is enough. Entering dreams at night and attending classes during the day leaves me plenty of time."
"I see…" Hoshimi's gaze shifted. "By the way, Utaha, don't you also have the game club's text work? Are you sure you won't have time issues?"
"..." Kasumigaoka's expression stiffened.
With just her own writing work, entering dreams at night and attending classes during the day while leaving some time in the afternoon to write is feasible. But with the additional game club's text work, it definitely won't be enough! After all, game text work is quite substantial!
She can't possibly write on her computer in class. That's unrealistic.
Tsk~ That troublesome club again, Eriri the golden retriever really got her into a big… trouble!
"And Utaha, entering dreams at night, are you sure you have the time and energy to think about issues? During the day, we might be able to restrain ourselves, but at night…"
Hoshimi struck again.
Kasumigaoka's pretty face flushed, and she turned her neck stiffly away. Indeed, during the day, she can still restrain herself a bit since her body is still in the classroom. Some things she can't do too excessively, or she might get caught...
But at night, there's no such restraint. The time available for thinking about the outline is definitely limited, or even nonexistent.
Considering all this, entering dreams during the day does seem more suitable for her. But agreeing to enter dreams during the day, she felt a bit unwilling!
She knew Hoshimi's eagerness to convince her to enter dreams during the day must have an ulterior motive! Maybe Hoshimi's nighttime dreams involve another woman!
No! Not maybe! It's definitely true!
Who is that woman?!
Kasumigaoka bit her lower lip and thought for a moment, then turned to Hoshimi and said seriously, "Hoshimi, I want to enter dreams both during the day and at night! I can enter dreams during the day normally, but when I have specific requests, I want to enter dreams at night too!"
"Okay, no problem." Hoshimi agreed without a second thought.
"Hmm?" Kasumigaoka looked at Hoshimi with confusion.
Such a quick and straightforward agreement—did her guess turn out to be wrong? Or is there another situation?
"Utaha, the morning classes are ending soon. Let's exit the dream now and meet again in the afternoon."
Kasumigaoka furrowed her brows slightly and nodded, "Okay…"
"Alright~ See you in the afternoon."
The next moment, the dream shattered, and the two returned to reality.
===
A/N:
I'm in a good mood, so here it is - a bonus chapter.