Ch 10. The Bad Idea
The tallest building in the city, Hoshimi, stands on the rooftop water tower and waits with closed eyes.
sough--
A gentle breeze blew by, and Yukinoshita, dressed in Sobu High School's uniform, quietly appeared behind Hoshimi.
"..." Hoshimi opened his eyes, turned around, and stared at Yukinoshita. A meaningful smile gradually appeared on his plain face.
"Yukinoshita, you stayed up late tonight. Is there something bothering you?" Hoshimi asked with a smile.
"..." Yukinoshita didn't respond and stared at Hoshimi without saying a word.
Sure enough, it still failed...
She tries to avoid the dream by staying up late, but the end result is the same as before.
The drowsiness that came from nowhere kept disturbing her nerves. She was clearly conscious, but for some reason, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, Hoshimi was already in front of her.
"Yukinoshita, why aren't you speaking?" Hoshimi walked to within 30 centimeters in front of Yukinoshita and looked down at her.
The distance between them was so close that Yukinoshita had to raise her head slightly to ensure her gaze met Hoshimi's.
The close distance and backlight made Hoshimi's face blurry in her field of vision.
At the same time, Hoshimi, who was a head taller than her, blocked the sunlight, casting most of her body in shadow.
The warm sunlight no longer shone on her body, and the cold feeling added by the shadows made her vaguely uneasy.
She subconsciously wanted to retreat, but her determination not to admit defeat prompted her to remain motionless in place.
"Yukinoshita, do you know what I'm thinking?" Hoshimi spoke again.
But from Yukino's current angle and the lighting, it was impossible to clearly see Hoshimi's expression.
Yet, from Hoshimi's playful tone, she sensed a hint of danger.
She kept her head up, about to use her own words to severely taunt Hoshimi.
"Whoo~"
The next moment, Hoshimi raised his arms and embraced her completely with the sound of a howling wind.
"?!!"
Heat, touch, sun, breeze, scent...
Various sensations flashed through Yukinoshita's mind rapidly, and for a moment, Yukinoshita's brain shut down.
She forgot to struggle and was hugged by Hoshimi in a daze.
The embrace grew tighter and tighter, and the heat, touch, and scent multiplied exponentially. As Yukinoshita's senses absorbed a vast amount of pheromones, her brain awakened.
Yukinoshita, regaining her senses, raised her hands in a panic, pushing against Hoshimi's ribs.
"Hoshimi! What are you doing! Let me go!"
The sudden panic caused Yukinoshita's voice to visibly tremble, and her normally composed face was now adorned with a rare blush.
"Hoshimi! You bastard! Let me go!"
Yukinoshita, usually calm and quick-witted, found herself at a loss for words this time, repeating those few weak words over and over again.
"Hoshimi! What do you want to do! Let me go!"
"Hoshimi! You bastard! Release me! Otherwise, I'll block your door tomorrow morning!"
"I know you live on the 27th floor! How dare you mess around! I will make you pay the price tomorrow morning!"
Hoshimi's embrace tightened further, leaving the flustered Yukinoshita no choice but to resort to the trump card she had just thought of.
"..."
It wasn't clear whether Yukinoshita's threat had an effect or if Hoshimi had other plans.
He let go of Yukino, took two steps back, smoothed his hair, and calmly said, "Yukinoshita, you are truly inferior. I was merely conducting a small experiment to test the realism of the dream. I didn't expect your reaction to be so intense, but this also proves that the dream's reality mirrors reality as always."
"..."
Listening to Hoshimi's explanation, Yukinoshita crossed her arms over her chest, stepped back warily, and glared at Hoshimi.
She didn't believe Hoshimi's nonsense!
Things were definitely not as innocent as Hoshimi claimed! That scoundrel just now was definitely up to something!
"Why don't you believe me, Yukinoshita?" Hoshimi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This isn't your first time entering my dreams. Don't you know I always uphold moral boundaries?"
Hoshimi spread his hands and sighed dramatically. "Oh, Yukinoshita, why can't you trust me? How could you think so poorly of me? Trust is the most fundamental thing between people."
"..." Yukinoshita remained silent.
She continued to back away until she reached the edge of the tower, with nowhere left to go.
She was now more certain than ever that Hoshimi, that bastard, had some ill intentions earlier.
In the past, Hoshimi would never explain himself so seriously. At most, he'd just smile it off or give an evasive answer to divert attention.
But this serious, elaborate explanation showed Hoshimi's guilt, didn't it?!
What the hell is this bastard up to?! It's been confirmed that she exists in reality! Why is he acting more strangely than ever before?!
In the past, when Hoshimi considered her as just a dream character, there was never such a dangerous situation!
Could it be that now that this bastard knows she's real, he wants to do something in the dream to affect her in reality?
Probably not...
The more Yukinoshita thought about it, the worse she felt, and the seriousness in her eyes intensified.
"Yukinoshita, I believe there should be a little trust between us." Hoshimi extended his arms, looking genuinely puzzled.
"..." Yukinoshita remained silent.
After staring at Hoshimi for a while, she spoke slowly, "Hoshimi, what game are you playing tonight?"
"Game?" Hoshimi clasped his hands together, as though suddenly remembering something important.
He tilted his head slightly, a bright smile spreading across his face. "I almost forgot! Tonight, we're going to ride a roller coaster."
Crack--crack--
Hoshimi clapped his hands, and the cityscape began to change, revealing a row of colossal roller coasters that dominated the entire city.
The roller coaster tracks twisted and turned, disappearing into the distance.
And the starting point was at the very edge of the tower where they stood.
"Well then, let the game begin!"
Before Yukinoshita could react, Hoshimi transported both of them to the front row of seats on the roller coaster and started it immediately.
Kang--Ku -Ku--
As the roller coaster slowly advanced, Hoshimi quickly outlined the rules of the game.
"Yukinoshita, let's compete! Whoever can't handle it first loses."
"If I lose, tomorrow I'll clarify our relationship."
"If you lose, you have to hug me in reality for 3 minutes."
"Now, let the game begin!"
This time, Hoshimi didn't give Yukinoshita the option to refuse. Instead, he began the game straightforwardly.
Because...
He really did have some mischievous intentions earlier!!