“Hehe, looks like someone had a terrible nightmare yesterday.” The bald guy pokes me.

I was already at school, and as it seemed, my tiredness was clearly visible. After I woke up at dawn today, sleeping again became impossible.

Phew, that was really bad luck... The dream had started out so well! Why did things end up like that?

Taichi asked me what was my dream about and I answered him. Hansuke was also with us.

He sighed.

“You were very wild Kazuki, going immediately for the boobs. Your nightmare was surely a divine punishment.” Hansuke was disappointed.

“A divine punishment?! I know I skipped some parts, but how the hell would I know how long the lucidity would last??”

“You had to have started with the kiss, had to have created the perfect mood! The sudden invasion was no doubt the result of your savage attack.”

And there I was, listening to Hansuke's sermon again. Meanwhile, Taichi couldn't believe I had dreamed of such a realistic Loveta. Haha, die in envy!

“Here.” Hansuke hands me a book.

Hm? “First Steps to a Forbidden Adventure”. What the heck? What's with these titles...? And wait, does he happen to keep an encyclopedia in his backpack??

“After you read this one, I'll hand you the second volume of Daddy”.

“You must be kidding me you have the second volume of “Daddy…”

“Pfft! Who do you think I am? I have all the five volumes of “Daddy”!”

Hansuke is indeed a genius, not in the way that everyone thinks, but the other way around.

“Shh, look there who's coming.”

“Huh? Why the need to whisper like that, Taichi?”

“Just do it!”

I turn my head to where he was pointing his finger and then—

“Ryouzen, could I talk to you for a moment?”

——?! What the heck!

There she was. Murakami in person was the one calling me. She had come over to my desk, and by the looks of it, she was quite serious.

“Hey, hey, did the Iron Heart just started talking to that guy over there?”

“What was his name again?”

“I think it’s Zac.”

“Lol, to speak to someone like him, did he blackmail her?”

What the hell is going on here?! The whole class is now paying attention to us!

A chill takes over my spine.

“Me? You sure?”

Seeing the amount of attention we were drawing, Murakami decides to approach her lips close to my ear.

“Meet me in the courtyard after class. I have something important to tell you.”

As soon as she whispers this, she goes back to her seat.

...What? Is this really happening?? What does the Iron Heart want to tell me?! Is this a declaration? This can only be a declaration! Oh man, I'm happy, I’m so happy!

“Hey, my good friend Kazuki, is there anything you want to tell us?” Taichi punched both his fists, and stared at me in a not very pleasure way.

Fuck it, don’t you have Hana already!?

“And to think that you would be one of those false friends who hide secrets from your fellows... What a disappointment, give me back the books!”

“Not the books!”

As expected, this whole scene became strange! Everyone started creating their own ideas…! Ah, but what can I do? It seems like the lucky here is me, hehe.

* * *

It's already late afternoon, and I'm sitting on the bench in the courtyard, awaiting Murakami's long-awaited arrival. Due to the schedule, most students had already left school.

Today was definitely a pain in the ass. In addition to the bad sleep at night, I still had to put up with the oppressive aura of the mates. Though Taichi and Hansuke insisted, I just couldn't reveal them what she has told me. After all, she wanted this to be dealt with in private.

It turned out I had to change the subject several times, in addition to making excuses to calm them both down. If it worked? Of course not.

But as if it matters anyways. I’m about to receive the declaration of the most gorgeous girl in school, and no one will interfere with that! I don’t care if the whole world became against me. I’ll be happy forever with her, and this is all I care about.

Fufu! If my nightmare before had been a divine punishment, now it could only be a divine gift!

Oh, she's coming!

“Sorry for the delay, but I really wanted to make sure all the curious had already left to their homes.” Says her, sitting next to me and putting her handbag on her laps.

“Oh, don’t worry... I really even notice the time passing, haha.”

As if, any time longer and I would think she was playing with my heart.

“That's great. Mind to stare this for a while?” She takes a pendant watch from her bag.

“Wait, what…? Why?”

Isn’t it kind of random? Where’s the declaration?!

She puts a sad smile on her face.

“It’s just for a moment… I understand if you don’t really want… It’s just that, to tell you the thing I wanted to tell, I need you to cooperate.”

“Oh, now it makes sense! Sure, go ahead, I don’t really mind!”

As long as the declaration is on the line…

“Awesome! It will just take a few minutes.” She rises the pendant in her fingers and starts swinging it to the sides.

Gulp, why is she coming so close to me…? Her boobs are really touching my arm!

“Yes… You are doing great Ryouzen, just keep going like that, and relax.” Says her in my ears, with her soft voice and fragrant breath.

Strange… Why am I feeling this good? This is so, so comfortable…!

It was as if all my muscles were becoming soft, and my eyes were wanting to drop any time soon. The more she talked, the more her voice reached deep in my mind.

“Now, when I count till 3, you will close your eyes, ok?”

I slowly shake positive my head.

“1, 2…”

Oh, I can feel it! This is the peak of cozy! It’s so good! I haven’t felt this good in ages! This is just…! Wait.

I notice something strange and slowly open my eyes again.

What the heck…?

I get up shocked and look around.

Where is everybody?! Why is the sky red like this?!

“Murakami...? Where are you?!”

Everything was completely deserted. The blocks, the sidewalks, there was just nobody. The air was frigid, and the sky reddened, with the sun completely obscured. Yes, it was as if the eclipse were happening.

“Tell me” A terrifying deadly voice echoes from the sky. “Why were you with that soul-linked?” The dark sun opens on the sides, giving light to a huge and macabre alien eye.

What the fuck!!

I quickly run from there, immediately heading into the school hallways.

An alien eye in the sky?! No... This can't be happening...! Did I hit my head somewhere?! Is it another dream...? Yea! Can only be another one! There is just no other explanation!

“You are wrong, this is not a dream. It's the reality, your reality.” A masked girl in shining armor emerges from one of the hallway doors, and looks at me. She held a huge katana with her.

Wait a minute... Isn't that the one that almost killed me yesterday?!

My heart races more than anything and I right away climb the side stairs, heading upstairs the school.

I hide in one of the classrooms.

It's a dream... it's a dream! I need to wake up!

TIC.

The door handle turns, and again the psychopath appears.

“Getting out of here is impossible. Only I have the power to do so.”

Shit, shit, SHIT!!

I get up and starts running again, knocking over all the desks in front of me and jumping over one of the classroom windows. I briefly take a look at the ground bellow. It was high, really high. Looking at the other side, the psycho was still approaching me.

I have no other choice...! It’s jump and break a leg or die horrible by her hands!!

I gather all the remaining courage I had left, and prepare myself to jump, but then, just a second before my ultimate decision, a monstrous, black, bubbling mouth appears in the middle of the grass downstairs.

——!!!

“Your time is almost over, tell me, why were you with that impure soul?”

“I…I don't know what you're talking about!! I swear, I swear I have no idea!!!”

“Lier. You were in the delirium tower clinging to her.

“What?!! Delirium tower?!”

I stare once more at the mouth on the ground, it had sharp teeth like a shark.

“Okay, okay, okay!! You're talking about Loveta, right?! Yes, I was with her! But seriously, I don't know what she is, what was that place, or how I got there! I do not know anything! Absolutely nothing!!”

She gets even closer to me.

Is this the end of me? No... Not yet! There is still so much I would like to do before I die!

I quickly get to my feet at the window and grab hold of the rocks on the wall outside the school. I was now climbing towards the third floor. Looking over to the side, there was the damn eye staring at me.

“Yesterday's place is called Aether” says the voice to me. “The world where the impossible is possible. The world where the imagination devours the reason. The world in which gods do not enter, and which gods do not leave. The world where only the summoned can step foot.”

Ignoring the voice, I continue climbing the wall. I could see an open window right there.

“If you tell me accurately how you got there, maybe I'll spare your life.”

“I already told you I have no idea! The only thing I remember is some fire angel appearing to me in some kind of abyss!”

“What…? A fire angel?! Impossible...! Are you by chance the work of the moonstrucks?!”

What the heck! Shit!! I will fall!! Why is everything shaking?!

It seemed like an earthquake had taken over the city.

But wait a minute... I know that voice!

Amidst the surprise, the tone of the deadly voice had changed to one I knew well enough.

“Murakami? ...Is that you?!”

As soon as I say her name, the earthquake stops, and I'm teleported to the courtyard.

The girl with the katana was there.

“It's you, I'm sure of it, it’s you Murakami!”

She was silent, staring at me, but then she removes her mask, thus revealing my correctness. Murakami was in armor, looking at me with her completely sharp eyes.

“Why? Why did you do that?! How did you make all of this happen to begin with?!”

She takes just a few steps towards me.

“I'll ask you one last question; do you know who are the moonstrucks?”

I shake negatively my head.

“If you're thinking I'm guilty of something, then you're wrong! I swear yesterday was the first time I appeared in that place! I don't know what are dreamians, soul-linkeds, let alone moonstrucks!”

She looks at me deep in the eyes, to check the seriousness of what I was saying.

“Okay, I think I got everything I wanted.”

She then raises her hand and,

SNAP!

With a snap of her fingers, everything blacks out, making me wake up with my head in her lap.

Wait... how?

“What just happened??”

“It was just hypnosis.” She sighs.

“What?? You are kidding me! How?! I swear it felt real!”

“Hm? Never been hypnotized before?”

“Uh...”

“Anyway, could you lift your head now? This situation we are in is a little embarrassing...”

——!!

As soon as I consciously realize that I was with my head in her lap, precisely her lap, I hurriedly stand up, totally blushing.

What the?! Why am I turning red like this?! She was the one who almost killed me just a moment before!

She smooths her hair while closing one of her eyes, as if everything that happened a minute ago was trivial.

“Okay, I guess I owe you some explanations, don't I? First, about hypnosis. What I did was just to make sure you were telling the truth, since it's nearly impossible to lie when you're in a trance. And second, I laid you on my lap so that I wouldn't draw too much attention with you passed out beside my side.

Yeah… okay, I get it, but no. The only thing I really got is that I was outsmarted and instead of a declaration I almost received my final sentence. Phew, I really should’ve suspected all this craziness to begin with...

“And of course I wouldn't kill you either, unless I doubted your words, obviously.” Again, the way she spoke made it sound it was nothing more than ordinary.

Yes, sure… Wait!

“So would you really kill me if you didn’t like my answers?!”

“Speaking like that, it sounds like I'm bad.”

“And are you not?!”

Murakami sighs, getting up from her seat and cleaning the dirt off her skirt.

“Anyway, don't worry, now I'm sure you're innocent and not involved in Aether's evil… Wait for me in the delirium tower. There I will explain everything to you.”

“Calm down again! That place from yesterday... does it really exist?!”

“Yes... Aether is the parallel world that devours human dreams. Look, I know you must have a bunch of questions than that right now, but for now all I ask you is to believe me and wait for me in that tower when you arrive.”

Kind of tricky to believe in someone that made me go through all that shit minutes ago, but I don’t think she’s lying right now... I'm really curious honestly. I really want to know what this is all about.

“The delirium tower is that medieval tower, isn't it? How will I know how to find it when I get there?”

“Oh, that’s true. This would be your second time there, wouldn't it? Don't worry, the last place you leave is the first place you appear. Once you gain access to Aether, whenever you sleep, you automatically go there.”

Like a checkpoint, huh?

“But since your soul isn't stabilized yet, you're likely to appear somewhere nearby.”

“But won’t there be any danger for me if those guys in armor show up again?”

I definitely don't want to go through all yesterday’s chaos again…

“The armored dreamians are part of the Empire, just like I—was.” She stays silent for a moment. “Well, they just hunt soul-linkeds anyways, which is not your case.”

“Huh? Then why was I attacked last time?”

“Because you were accompanied by one. Don’t worry, the soul-linked from before has fled, and before I left the imperial army, I asked them to protect that tower until my return.”

Well... At least some few things have been explained now.

“Anyway, when you get there, don't do anything stupid. Since your soul is not stabilized yet, any bullshit can kick you out of Aether. Try to remain calm as much as possible until my return.”

Stupid things, right? Tch, I still can't believe I acted so vulgar with Loveta yesterday... I really thought it was all a dream—A normal dream, you know? A dream in which you wake up and it just doesn't matter what happened! But now, with Murakami telling me all this face to face... How can I not believe in her existence? Unless she could read minds, it would be an impossible thing.

Okay, I've already realized that this is all about madness... If that's the case, then be it! It was already time for an abnormal excitement to end all this monotonous life on Earth. Fufu, looks like it's time for a new start!