-Chapter 3-

            “Alright, if you two need anything else, be sure to call me. Each room has a phone that connects right to the main office.” Dr. Miyamori explained to both Yuko and Yamagata, as they stood in the hall by the doorways to each of their guest rooms. It seems that in order to accommodate anyone wanting to spend the night in the hospital without being a patient, a selection of guest rooms are made available in the hospital staff’s residency wing. Each room was small and only housed one person, however, so Yuko and Yamagata each had to have their own room. Luckily no one else was making use of them, so they simply chose two rooms that were across the hall from one another.

            “Yes, thank you very much! We’ll see you in the morning.” Yamagata bowed to the doctor, who turned and left with a wave.

            “Well then…” Yamagata sighed and stretched. “What shall we do now, Ms. Maeda?”

            “Oh, um… I’m feeling pretty hungry, honestly.” Yuko said, rubbing her stomach. “Dr. Miyamori said we’re free to eat in the residency wing’s cafeteria, right?”

            “Yes, that’s right.” Yamagata nodded, looking in that direction down the hall. “I’m quite famished myself. Shall we go eat together?”

            “Yeah, of course!” Yuko smiled.

            Following that decision, the two made a quick stop into each of their guest rooms to drop off their luggage. Afterwards, the two got back together and headed down the hall toward the residency wing. As they entered, the two noticed how the walls and décor looked to resemble something much more like a hotel than a hospital, and a set of double-doors lead into a sizable cafeteria, comparable to the ones they knew from the eastern district.

            “Oh wow, to think there was a place like this in the hospital…” Yuko muttered.

            “Central has pretty limited independent residency space.” Yamagata remarked. “Many of the adults working here live in the same building they work, so making sure most places have residency sections is important. It’s convenient since it saves the time one would take to make a commute.”

            “I never realized that…” Yuko spoke, feeling impressed. “I guess back when I lived here, I never really thought about where all the adults working here actually lived, haha.”

            “I feel that’s common for anyone at that age.” Yamagata smiled. “When I returned to Central to train to be a teacher, my classmates and I all stayed in a dormitory in the same building our workshops and training were held.”

            “Wow…” Yuko found it a fascinating prospect; the idea of staying in Starlight Academy after graduation and training in Central to become part of the staff.

            “Anyway, it looks like the food is being served over there.” Yamagata pointed toward a counter with various dishes all lined up. A handful of other people, likely off-duty hospital staff, were already seated at various tables enjoying their meals.

            “Yeah, let’s go!” Yuko and Yamagata made their way over to get their food.

            Despite how extravagant the cafeteria may have appeared, the actual selection of food was relatively ordinary. Yuko was unsure what to get at first, but ended up going with a simple meal of curry rice with vegetables. Yamagata on the other hand decided to go for a hearty beef bowl, deciding she could share some of the meat with Yuko. The two both shared a table together and enjoyed their meal.

            “So Ms. Maeda, how have you felt about the trip so far?” Yamagata asked kindly.

            “Honestly, it still feels weird.” Yuko answered, with a wry smile. “It’s been so long since I’ve been outside of the east district… Everything is familiar, but it’s also not quite the same, you know?”

            “I’ve been feeling pretty nostalgic myself since our arrival.” Yamagata related. “Especially after meeting my old friend, Eiko…”

            “You two grew up in the east district, right?” Yuko asked, curious.

            “We sure did.” Yamagata nodded. “Ah, those were the days… We had a lot of fun. We weren’t too different from you and Ms. Ando.”

            “Ah, you can tell we’re that close?” Yuko blinked.

            “Ahaha, of course I can. I’m your teacher!” Yamagata chuckled. “She’s always looking back to your seat, and I see you two leaving class together all the time. We teachers notice these things, you know. It’s fun to watch your students carefully and see who’s getting along with who.”

            “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, haha.” Yuko laughed. “You know, everyone really likes your classes. Chisa talks about it all the time too. As a teacher it feels like you really ‘get’ us.”

            “Oh, you really flatter me too much.” Yamagata blushed, taking a big bite of her beef bowl.

            “What were you and Ms. Shinohara like in high school?” Yuko asked, before taking a bite of her meal as well.

            “Hmm…” Yamagata thought hard as she finished chewing. “We were both in the library club together. Neither of us really had any drive to work any of the student jobs, and we weren’t really suited to sports or specialized fields like the theater or broadcast clubs either.”

            “Oh, the library club!” Yuko perked up. “I have a friend in that club too!”

            “Oh really? That’s wonderful.” Yamagata smiled. “I peek in on the club every now and then. It’s changed a lot since my day, but I’m glad to see it’s still being managed well. All the books I read back in those days are still in such good condition. The current students in the club must really care for the books.”

            “What kind of club was it when you were a student?” Yuko asked, between bites of her curry.

            “Let’s see…” Yamagata took a moment to think, taking another bite of her meat as she did so. “I was a little shy back then, so I never dealt with the reception desk or working with the library’s visitors. Eiko handled that a lot. These days, the club has a lot of book fairs and events to try and get more students into reading, but back in my day the library club members mostly all kept to themselves. We sometimes had meetings about books we read lately, to give suggestions on which ones to display more prominently. A few of the more social members would try to gauge what kind of stories would appeal to the rest of the students.”

            “Wow…” Yuko listened attentively.

            “Eiko and I would often be in our own little world. We were both into fairy tales and fantasy novels. We had lots of in-depth conversations that the other members couldn’t follow at all, haha.”

            “It sounds like a very peaceful club.” Yuko chuckled.

            “Yeah…” Yamagata looked up at the ceiling. “Honestly, I really miss those days. Even though it may not always seem like it, you students really do have it good.”

            “Maybe so…” Yuko felt she’d become a little closer to the kind teacher she’d always looked up to.

            The two continued to engage in various bits of small talk as they finished up their meals. After finishing up dinner, the pair left the residency wing and returned to their guest rooms in the nearby hall.

            “Well, Ms. Maeda. I’ll see you in the morning.” Yamagata spoke.

            “Yeah, you too.” Yuko bowed lightly, and the two of them each entered their own guest room.

---

            While the guest room was rather small, it was unlike similar rooms you might find in places around the eastern district in that it contained its own shower room. With only a bed, desk, and chair in the main room, alongside a separate restroom and shower, this was more like a very compact hotel room than anything else Yuko’d been familiar with. But in the end, it was still a part of the hospital in terms of architecture. Yuko felt this more strongly when she decided to take a shower.

            “This shower room…” Yuko whispered as the droplets of water trailed down her body. “Yeah, I’m definitely feeling some déjà vu…”

            Taking hold of the shower’s bar of soap, Yuko began to scrub and clean her body. All the while, a small discomfort arose from within. It was a sensation she’d been feeling since arriving in Central, but in a small yet familiar space like this, it became more pronounced.

             “I guess all of the shower rooms in this building must be designed pretty similarly…” Yuko muttered to herself, as the fluffy soap across her body got rinsed away by the steamy flow of water from the showerhead. Yuko lowered her head, bringing her hand to her chest.

            “It feels like… these showers are so much smaller now. Though, perhaps I’ve just gotten larger.” Yuko smiled to herself, filled with an awkward sense of amusement.

            Yuko finished up her shower in no time, and returned to the main room still in a towel, before plopping down on the bed. Letting out a yawn, Yuko stretched out her aching joints.

            “Hahh… Today has been so bizarre.” although the day was coming to a close, Yuko was still thinking about how weird it was to be back in this place.

            “Hmm…” Yuko glanced around the room.

            Sure enough, no TV or computer in sight. Well, it’s to be expected of a small guest room only meant for sleeping in. Still, Yuko was a bit saddened by the lack of anything around to keep her attention. Back in her dorm room, she’d usually have the TV on or would be skimming stuff from the school’s internet to wind down before bed.

            “Oh well…” Yuko sighed. “I wish I’d brought a book or something… I’ll have to go see Yukina sometime and ask if she has any recent recommendations.”

            The thought of reading books caused Yuko’s thoughts to drift to her friend from the library club, Yukina Watanabe.  They didn’t see each other much lately since they aren’t in the same class, but the two of them had gotten fairly close in middle school.

            “Now that I think about…” Yuko closed her eyes and thought hard. “Right… she also liked reading…”

            Yuko wasn’t thinking of Yukina anymore. Her thoughts turned back even farther, once more to her days in Central. Back in those days, Yuko had two close friends. One was Chisa, and the other was…

            “Aoi… I wonder if she’s still reading books.” Yuko stared at the ceiling, a look of forlorn nostalgia shaping her expression. “I can’t believe I almost forgot… that she also liked to read.”

            Just then, a small drop of water slid slowly down Yuko’s cheek.

            “Oh jeez, I wish my hair would hurry up and dry…” Yuko laughed at herself, rustling her hair with her towel. “Man, this place… It’s got me in such a strange headspace.”

            After shaking her head and drying off some more, Yuko changed into her pink bunny pajamas she’d brought along in her bag. To keep her mind off of things, she decided to review some schoolwork she brought on a whim.

            Before long though, the monotonous material she chose to review soon sapped her of all energy and motivation to continue, so she found herself hopping into bed for the night. Even in her tired state, she couldn’t help but feel strange going to sleep in a bed other than her own. But still, stuck in bed with nothing but her own thoughts Yuko slowly but surely drifted off to sleep.

---

            Sinking.

            This is the word that first became apparent in Yuko’s mind.

            Sinking. At this moment, Yuko could only explain this sensation as sinking.

            Falling slowly, drifting lower, deeper and deeper into an endless expanse of dark water.

            The only illumination was a light from above, glistening across the surface of the water. And yet, no matter how much Yuko struggled to move her limbs, she made it no closer to that light. Rather, it drifted further and further away.

            Her surroundings grew darker. A suffocating feeling filled her throat. Her body felt a paralyzing pressure. Yuko couldn’t do anything.

            She was totally helpless, and all she could do was sink.

            Sink deeper and deeper. Until finally…

            The sensation of sinking vanished without a trace.

            There, in that void, for just a moment… she saw it. In this infinite space where there existed nothing, she saw one thing.

            It was herself.

---

            “Ahh…!” Yuko shot up in bed, gasping.

            She was still in the small guest room in the Central hospital. It only took her a few seconds to acknowledge this. Her body was covered in sweat.

            “Was that… a nightmare?” Yuko brought her hand to her forehead, which suffered from a faint aching.

            Yuko took a few deep breaths and regained her composure. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she could tell she’d been asleep for a few hours. Something about it bothered her, but she couldn’t quite place it. Still, she had calmed down from her panicked awakening.

            “What the heck was that all about…?” Yuko sighed. “Jeez, this isn’t like me at all…”

            Yuko sat up in the bed for a little while, letting her slight headache slowly fade away. She glanced around the dark room. Sure enough, just looking around gave her an unsettling feeling.

            “What’s wrong with me…?” Yuko shook her head, feeling as though she was being too sensitive. And yet, she still couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling.

            Yuko continued to glance around the room. The desk and table were just like she left them, as was the phone atop the desk. Her bag was on the floor right beside the desk. The doors to the restroom and shower were the same as well, as was the front door. Nothing had changed since she’d gone to bed, so why did she feel so uncomfortable?

            “Am I crazy? Why does something feel so different…?” Yuko furrowed her brow, unable to understand the weird feeling she’d gotten.

            A moment later, Yuko was starting to feel notably parched. Unfortunately, the only water in this room was the tap water from the sink in the restroom. Yuko thought back to when she and Yamagata ate dinner in the residency wing’s cafeteria. There was a machine that dispensed free filtered water with some paper cups. Yuko wasn’t sure if something like that would be freely accessible at this time of night, but figured she could go check anyway. It was just down the hall, after all.

            “Guess I’ll go get a drink…” she muttered, rising from the bed.

            Going out into the hospital in her bunny pajamas would’ve been a little embarrassing, so Yuko changed back into her uniform and exited the room.

            The hallway outside was dark as well, unusually so. Yuko felt a disorienting feeling of strangeness once she stepped out into the hall, but she didn’t actually notice anything weird, so she ignored her intuition and just tiptoed down the hallway into the residency wing. It didn’t take long to arrive at the big double-doors that lead into the cafeteria. Hoping they were unlocked, Yuko slowly took hold of the knob and began to turn it. Sure enough, the door was unlocked and Yuko was able to enter the room. The interior was totally deserted.

            “Of course no one would be here this late at night…” Yuko whispered, as she quietly made her way over to the water dispenser she remembered.

            Without giving it much thought, she took one of the paper cups, poured in some water, and took a drink.

            “Ahhh…” Yuko gave a relaxed sigh after enjoying the cool water. “That hits the spot.”

            Taking another sip, Yuko took a good look at the dispenser again.

            “… Hm?”

            The unsettling feeling creeping inside of Yuko began to flare up, as if crawling up her spine. Yuko stood still, staring at the dispenser as a frightening realization slowly overcame her. Her body began to tense up.

            “Wh-when I was here earlier… I remember the sticker on this thing… it was a bright blue.” Yuko spoke aloud to no one in particular.

            In that moment, it dawned on her.

            “Huh? … Wha-?” Yuko turned around, looking at the entire cafeteria all around her. “Huh? No way…. What?”

            Yuko could barely even form the words, but as her eyes darted back and forth across the familiar cafeteria, the one thing that’d been bothering her since she awoke started to sink in.

            “There’s no… color.” Yuko couldn’t help putting it into words once she realized why things have felt ‘off’ since she woke up.

            Sure enough, everywhere she looked, nothing around her had any color other than a dull gray. In fact, the only thing Yuko could see that had any color at all… was herself.

            “… Kh!” Yuko shook her head and dashed out of the cafeteria.

            Bolting down the hallway, Yuko ran out of the residency wing and back to the hallway with her guest room. One she made it back, rather than turning toward her own door, she turned to the door across the hall; the room Mariko Yamagata was staying in.

            “E-excuse me, Ms. Yamagata! S-something weird’s going on!” Yuko spoke somewhat loudly and began knocking on the door hoping to wake her teacher.

            However, there was no answer.

            Yuko waited a moment, before calling out and knocking some more, but there was no response at all.

            “Ms. Yamagata…!” Yuko fruitlessly continued knocking.

            Realizing it was futile, Yuko tried the doorknob and, surprisingly, it was unlocked.

            “…! I’m coming in!” Yuko spoke on instinct as she opened the door and dashed inside.

            “Ms. Yamagat- … Huh?” Yuko cut herself short.

            Before her was nothing but an empty bed. Yamagata was nowhere to be seen.

            “No way, did she go somewhere on her own…?” Yuko turned to leave, but then stopped herself. “Wait…”

            Yuko slowly turned around, taking another look at the empty bed in the dark room. And there, on that bed… were pink bunny pajamas.

            “… Huh? Wait, this is my room?!” Yuko was in disbelief.

            She could’ve sworn she turned toward the correct door in the hallway, but she must not have been paying attention and gotten turned around.

            “Ngh…!” Yuko let out a grunt, and couldn’t help but feel like a bit of an idiot for the mix-up. She quickly closed the door and turned to the door across the hall and began knocking once more.

            “Ms. Yamagata? Are you there?” Yuko asked with a loud voice.

            She gave the door a few more knocks and called out again, but just like before, there was no response. Yuko immediately realized something was wrong, and opened the door. She didn’t even take a moment to think about it being unlocked.

            “… Huh?” Yuko stared into the room, baffled.

            On the bed were the same pink bunny pajamas. Over by the desk was her bag as well. This was also Yuko’s room.

            “Wh-what’s going on?!” Yuko shouted in frustration, turning around and dashing back to the opposite room only to be greeted with the same sight.

            For some reason, both rooms at either end of the hall lead to the same room: Yuko’s room. Yamagata’s room, seemingly, didn’t exist.

            “Th-this is… impossible… I must be dreaming.” Yuko muttered in a shaking voice.

            Between the lack of color around her, and the bizarre duplicating room, Yuko had gone from feeling mildly unsettled to full-on frightened. Desperately in need of another person, she dashed down the hall back towards the main hospital lobby.

            Someone… anyone… Please, tell me what’s going on…!!

            Yuko dashed down the hall in desperation, turning the corners she remembered turning earlier in the day, following the same path, until she finally made out into the lobby, only to find…

            “Here too… There’s no color…” Yuko whispered upon setting eyes on the lobby. “And also… no people.”

            Indeed, there was not a single person around. Yuko stumbled into the lobby, before sitting down in the nearest seat, holding her head in her hands.

            What is going on…? Where is everyone?! Why does everything look so colorless and bleak…?!

            Yuko could only feel like she was going crazy. She’d already experienced her fair share of unreal phenomenon and situations, but in those cases she typically had someone there to explain things for her. So in a situation like this, what Yuko wanted most of all… was another person.

            Someone… please…!

            Yuko prayed from the bottom of her heart to see another person, and then…

            “Hehehe…” a giggle could be heard from nearby.

            “Huh?” Yuko lifted her head at the noise. “Is someone there…?”

            Yuko listened hard, and soon realized someone was nearby. The sound was coming from… the entryway! Yuko rose from her seat and walked toward the center of the lobby, looking toward the entryway, and there… a small girl stood.

            “But… you can’t be… here…” Yuko froze in place.

            “What do you mean? I’ve just come to visit you like normal, silly.” the girl with glasses gave Yuko a warm smile.

            “Aoi… you’re… here…?” Yuko was confused at the sight of her friend, Aoi Kosugi, who looked as though she hadn’t aged a single day since they last saw each other.

            “Of course.” the child Aoi nodded. “You’d get lonely if no one came to visit after all.”

            “Ah… right…” Yuko looked at her own palm.

            It was the palm of a child.

            Yuko looked around the lobby. Color had returned, and it was now midday. Nurses were moving to and fro, busy with whatever work.

            “But really, I’m surprised to see you down here.” a concerned Aoi approached Yuko and patted her shoulder. “Should you really be out of bed?”

            “Oh, uh… I guess not, haha.” Yuko could only laugh at herself.

            “Let’s go back to you room.” Aoi smiled, adjusting her glasses.

            “Sure!” Yuko smiled.

            The two children approached the elevator, planning to head back to Yuko’s hospital room.

---

            “Nnn… what was I doing?”

            Feeling a bit disoriented, Mariko Yamagata rubbed her eyes. After blinking a few times, she looked around, trying to remember where she was.

            “Ah, this is…” she paused for a moment, thinking it over carefully. “The lecture hall for those training to become teachers… Right, I’m in the academics building in Central.”

            Mariko managed to arrive at that conclusion after looking around at the other prospective teachers nearby. It was a pretty small group, and currently most of them were getting ready to leave. The instructor was already gone.

            “I guess I should get going too…” Mariko whispered to herself, gathering all her notes together.

            “Mari! You’re still here?” a voice echoed from the doorway.

            “Hm? Oh, Eiko!” Mariko turned and saw her good friend Eiko Shinohara waiting for her.

            “Lectures are over for today. You don’t have any plans, do you?” Eiko asked.

            “No, I’m free today!” Mariko answered, rising from her seat. “I just let my mind wander for a bit, haha.”

            “Of course.” Eiko gave a gentle smile. “So where should we go?”

            “Well, I’m kind of hungry, so let’s stop by my place. I can make something!” Mariko pumped her fist. She’d been getting pretty good at cooking and wanted to show off to her friend.

            “Sounds good to me.” Eiko stepped aside, letting Mariko take the lead.

            The two young women both left the academics building and made their way to a nearby dorm for temporary residents. Mariko had a pretty good room with its own small kitchen, and there she’d often share meals with Eiko. The two entered the room and took off their shoes.

            “Ahh… it feels good to be back…” Mariko smiled at the familiar scent of the room. “I’ve missed this room.”

            “Missed it? Weren’t you just here this morning?” Eiko chuckled.

            “Oh, right. I guess I was!” Mariko stuck out her tongue. “I must still be out of it.”

            “Hahaha, good thing I’m here to keep an eye on you, then.” Eiko gave Mariko a wry smile before going and sitting on the couch.

            Mariko went and put her bag and things away before pulling out an apron from the closet.

            “I’ll get started right away!” Mariko said walking back out into the kitchen. “I got some great fresh fish at the market this morning. I wanted to try frying it!”

            “So you’re getting into frying now, are you? Need any help?” Eiko asked from the couch.

            “No, I’ve got this!” Mariko gave a confident smirk.

            It was a slow evening. This casual get-together of two close friends was a common event for both women. They were, after all, both here studying for the same goal: to become a teacher. Time passed, and Mariko continued to progress in her cooking. Eiko was flipping through programming on the TV for a while, but seemed to have given up and started reading a book. With a variety of things on her mind, Mariko decided to strike up a conversation as she cooked.

            “Hey, Eiko?” she asked in a somewhat hesitant voice.

            “What is it?” Eiko asked, lifting her head from her book.

            “Did we really make the right choice…?” Mariko’s voice contained a hint of sorrow. “The more we go through this program, the more I feel like I’m not very suited to being a teacher… I’m not super smart and analytical like you are…”

            “Nonsense…” Eiko rebuked. “You’re far more suited to this than I am. There’s more to being a teacher than being intelligent.”

            “Yeah, I guess…” Mariko appreciated her friend sharing her honest thoughts. “Still, though… Sometimes I wonder if it was right to stay here… in Starlight Academy.”

            “What makes you say that?” Eiko cocked her head.

            “I mean, this is true for you too, but… This school is all we know. We’ve spent our whole lives here.” Mariko thought back through the many memories she’s made growing up here. “When we graduated, we had the chance to go see what lies beyond the school with our own eyes, but… We chose to stay. I sometimes wonder if perhaps I was just running away.”

            Eiko didn’t respond right away. Only the sound of the fish sizzling resounded throughout the dorm room. It was a tough topic. In the end, all graduates of Starlight Academy had to make an important decision that would have a drastic effect on their future: either become a working adult in Starlight Academy, or leave the school forever, and never be able to return. Naturally, with the two here in Central learning to become a teacher, they had chosen to stay.

            “Maybe you’re right…” Eiko let out a small sigh. “This ridiculous institution… It’s just a giant birdcage. The two of us are but simple birds who live day by day within the cage, unable to slip through the iron bars.”

            “Birds, huh…” Mariko whispered.

            “Indeed. It’s because we are tamed birds who can only live in the cage that we realized that living outside the cage is too frightening.” Eiko was staring at the ceiling. “But perhaps, it would’ve been better to try and fly free…”

            “Yeah…” Mariko muttered in response, her eyes locked on the food she was preparing.

            Maybe Eiko’s right… Either way, it’s too late now… All I have is myself and my students…

            A spark snapped in the air from the sizzling fish. Mariko blinked, realizing she’d thought something strange.

            My... students? I haven’t taught anyone yet, have I…?

            Snap. Crackle. The frying fish sizzled with an intensifying ferocity.

            Wait… I… I’m already a teacher, aren’t I? Huh? Huh?

            Before Mariko’s eyes, the color from the world around her started to fade. Everything around her other than herself and Eiko began to take on the color of a drab gray. Mariko’s mind was stuck in a memory, but her awareness was slowly beginning to return, and suddenly she realized the bizarre situation she was in.

            “Mari?” Eiko looked toward her friend who’d suddenly gotten quiet.

            “Huh? Oh, uh… E-Eiko…” Mariko stuttered as she tried to maintain her composure.

            “You okay?” Eiko gave a worried expression.

            “O-oh, I’m fine!” Mariko waved her hands at her friend. “I just realized I was out of a special spice I wanted to season this fish with! H-hey, I think I can make it to the market and pick up some more, so could you watch the fish in the meantime?”

            “Uh, sure, I suppose so…” Eiko blinked. “It’s been a while since you’ve made a blunder like this.”

            “W-well you know, haha.” Mariko quickly removed her apron and passed it to Eiko before making a swift exit from the room.

            Sweat pouring from her face, Mariko ran down the colorless stairwell in a hurry and dashed outside of the building. Outside, the world was more of the same; nothing had any color whatsoever. It was all just an oppressive gray. The sky above didn’t even seem like it existed, it was more like some kind of gray dome stretched across the whole sky, as if you would hit a wall if you went up high enough.

            “Wh-what the hell is going on?! Am I dreaming?!” Mariko was still breathing heavily after her desperate dash down the stairs.

            The fear welling up in Mariko wasn’t limited just to her bizarre gray surroundings, but the entire situation she’d been in just now. She had a vague memory of a similar series of events occurring at some point during the time she was studying teaching at Central, but the fact that she had just found herself reliving that experience without even questioning it at first scared her. It felt like a dream, but far too vivid and realistic; almost like she was being consumed by her own memory.

            “I’ve got to get it together!” Mariko slapped her cheeks. “Now, think… What should I do?”

            Mariko closed her eyes. She thought hard to herself. The only reason she was in Central again was to accompany her dear student Yuko Maeda for some important clinical tests at Central hospital. In which case…

            “I should make my way back to the hospital…” Mariko thought, before looking around. “But… where…?”

            It’d been quite a long time since Mariko had last been to Central before today, so she wasn’t too sure how to make her way around anymore. Every direction she looked from the dorm had only met her with one unfamiliar street after another. Still, Central wasn’t too large, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find the hospital again.

            “Well, I’m sure I’ll find it before long…” Mariko muttered as she walked off in a random direction.

            After walking down the street for a while, Mariko arrived at a certain building…

            “This is… the academics building.” Mariko sighed. She was never the best with directions, but the idea that she’d accidently walked back in a direction she already came from just depressed her.

            Still, not letting this stop her, Mariko continued past the building and walked down another unfamiliar street. After a few minutes of walking…

            “… What?”

            Mariko once more stood in front of the dorm for temporary residents.

            “… That’s impossible.”

            Mariko never turned around and made her way back the way she came. There’s no way she should have made it back to this building.

            “What’s with this place…?” Mariko grimaced. “I wanted to go to the hospital!”

            Mariko’s shout echoed down the halls.

            “… Huh?” Mariko blinked.

            For some reason… she was in one of the hallways at the hospital. Naturally, everything was gray and bleak. But still, she’d made it to her destination… somehow…

            “This is…” Mariko slowly began to understand.

            The disorientation of reliving a memory and then being confronted with this colorless world caused her to fixate on the wrong thing. Even if the vividness was on another level, Mariko began to realize that what she’d suspected the whole time was most likely the case.

            “I see.” Mariko’s usual serene smile returned to her face. “This is just a dream.”

---

            “No way, you win again!”

            Yuko Maeda, the young girl sick in the Central hospital pouted as she lost another round of the board game she was playing with her friend, Aoi Kosugi.

            “Hey, don’t blame me. Those last few dice rolls of yours were pretty unlucky.” Aoi chuckled as she held some dice between her fingers.

            “Well, even if I did have better rolls, I think you were too far ahead anyway.” Yuko smiled wryly.

            The two girls began picking up all the pieces from across the board and getting everything all organized once again. As they did, Yuko couldn’t help but give her friend a few glances before nervously speaking up.

            “Are you sure we can’t play one more round…?” Yuko asked, a pleading look in her eyes.

            “Sorry… I really should be getting back. Besides, I think visiting hours are winding down.” Aoi gave her friend a gentle smile.

            “Okay… it just gets lonely sitting in here alone all the time.” Yuko sighed.

            “Hmm…” Aoi thought carefully. “Oh, I know!”

            “Hm?” Yuko looked over curiously as Aoi rustled through her bag to find something.

            “Here.” Aoi said, handing a book over to Yuko.

            “Oh, a new book?” Yuko perked up.

            “It’s the sequel to the one I lent you a few weeks ago.” Aoi smiled. “It seems the library got in a new shipment, and this was among them.”

            “Wow, I can’t wait to read it!” Yuko smiled, flipping through the pages.

            “You really are such a bookworm, Aoi.” spoke a third voice.

            “… Huh?” Yuko looked up, startled to hear another person.

            “What’s the matter?” asked Aoi.

            Yuko looked at Aoi, and then looked all around her hospital room. Sure enough, the two of them were the only ones there. Yuko furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding what she’d just heard.

            “It’s nothing… must be my imagination.” she finally answered Aoi.

            “Okay, if you say so…” Aoi tilted her head.

            Just as Yuko was about to turn her attention back to the book in her hands, she glanced at the doorway.

            Chisa Ando was standing right there.

            Rather, it was supposed to be Chisa Ando, but this girl… she looked much taller. She was wearing a black school uniform with a red skirt unfamiliar to Yuko. In Yuko’s mind, Chisa Ando was a young girl the same age as her, so… who was this?

            “Chi… sa…?” Yuko asked with a trembling voice.

            The Chisa in the doorway stared back with blank eyes. For some reason, Yuko couldn’t look away from those eyes. It felt as though her body was paralyzed.

            “H-hey, Aoi… help… something weird’s… happening… That girl there…” Yuko barely managed to speak.

            Despite this, Aoi simply remained in her seat as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Everyone in the room remained still for several minutes. A deep anxiety took root within Yuko.

            “What… is this…?” is all Yuko could mutter with the little strength she had.

            For some reason, familiar memories with this taller Chisa began to surface in Yuko’s mind. She began to realize something about this situation was very wrong.

            “Here.” Aoi said, suddenly breaking her silence, as she handed a book over to Yuko.

            “Huh?” Yuko was baffled as she suddenly felt just fine, and casually took hold of the book.

            Wait a minute; didn’t she already give this to me?

            “It’s the sequel to the one I lent you a few weeks ago.” Aoi smiled. “It seems the library got in a new shipment, and this was among them.”

            “O-oh, yeah, I can’t wait to read it…” Yuko could only smile halfheartedly.

            It was in that moment, when Yuko was looking at her friend Aoi, that an odd emotion suddenly overtook her, and she began crying.

            “Oh, Aoi… Sorry… I’m sorry…” Yuko didn’t understand why she was apologizing.

            Beside her, Aoi could only tilt her head in confusion.

            “I didn’t… forget you.” Yuko cried, as she tried desperately to wipe the tears from her eyes.

            “Of course not. We’re here right now after all, aren’t we?” Aoi smiled, trying to comfort her friend.

            “Yeah, you’re right…” Yuko sniffled. “You’re absolutely right… Waah…!”

            Yuko leaned over and gave Aoi a hug. Aoi, in turn, wrapped her arms around Yuko. Even now, Yuko only had a vague sense of the emotions she was processing.

            After all, this time and place… was nothing but a dream.

---

            “…” Yuko opened her eyes.

            Currently, Yuko was lying down in a bed. Yes, it was the bed of the small guest room she’d been given in the Central hospital. Above her was an unfamiliar ceiling. Slowly sitting up, Yuko quietly glanced around the room, checking her surroundings.

            “Right… I’m in Central on a visit…” she muttered. “Today I’ve got those tests to do, for that girl Tsukiko…”

            For some reason, Yuko found herself needing to sort out her thoughts, to regain a grasp on what time and place she was in. As the vague sensations of a dream slowly faded from the forefront of her mind, Yuko was only left with a strange sensation.

            A nostalgic sensation; as though she’d met a dear friend for the first time in a long time.

            Yuko then remembered her interactions with Aoi and began to clutch her chest.

            These vague visions in her mind… Were they memories? Or were they a dream?

            As she tried to understand her jumbled feelings, Yuko suddenly realized something, and brought a finger to her cheek.

            “I’m… crying…?”

            Yuko began to realize that she had a shockingly realistic dream. Though, unlike a dream, it felt more like she was reliving a memory of some kind. The memory of a past event and the memory of the dream she’d just had blended together, and it was like she couldn’t untangle what she’d just gone through in her sleep.

            “That dream… felt too real…” Yuko wiped her eyes with her arm.

            As she slowly began to calm down, Yuko took a deep breath and then got out of the bed. As she slowly began her morning routine, heading into the restroom to brush her teeth, a simple thought floated through her mind.

            I think… despite these tears, I dreamt a happy dream.

[Chapter 3 END]