{“A Dream the Two of Us Share” 2}

“Sorry for waking you up earlier, Atsushi.”

Miu looked apologetic, but it didn’t bother me at all. In fact, I was glad to have woken up with her. I’d rather be up together than have her be scared and alone while I couldn’t do anything.

“You can wake me up anytime,” I said, gently stroking her hair.

“We’re together, so I’d rather you rely on me when you need to.”

Her hair smelled of that nice shampoo, and her body, soft and warm in my arms, made me want to protect her.

No matter how much we live together or even sleep side by side, the one thing we can’t share is the same dream. No matter how terrifying Miu’s dreams are, I can’t go in and rescue her.

That’s why I want to be there for her when she wakes up.

She may not be able to forget the scary dream right away, but at least I’ll be beside her.

“Thank you…” Miu said in a slightly hoarse voice.

For a while, her two glowing eyes stared steadily at me. Even though I smiled to reassure her, she didn’t even blink.

Does she have something to say? I wondered, and then she moved slightly in my arms. At the same time, her face drew closer, and I felt something soft briefly brush my chin.

Before I could react, she buried her face into my chest.

“G-goodnight!”

She clung to me so firmly, as if she never intended to show her face again.

I realized that it wasn’t her lips that touched me, but when I tried to check, she wouldn’t let go. Soon, within minutes, she was fast asleep again. I couldn’t ask her to redo it, but even so, holding her warm body made me feel quite content.

I was glad Miu could sleep soundly this time without fear.

The next morning, as we sat across from each other at breakfast, she seemed a little embarrassed.

“Sorry again for waking you up over something silly last night.”

Even as she bit into toast topped with a fried egg, there was something about her serious demeanor that I found amusing.

I smiled in response. “It’s really fine. Actually, from now on, feel free to wake me whenever you need to.”

Since we live together, I want her to rely on me whenever she’s scared or struggling. I’m sure there will be times when I’ll need to depend on her too, so we should support each other when it’s necessary.

“But Atsushi, are you sure you didn’t lose any sleep?”

“Not at all. I fell back asleep pretty quickly after that.”

When I answered, Miu smiled in relief.

“Thanks. You’re always so kind, Atsushi.”

“This is the least I can do.”

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder about the dream that had scared her so much. What kind of nightmare did Miu have? Now that it was morning and everything felt brighter, maybe I could ask her.

“Hey, if you don’t mind, could you tell me… what kind of dream it was?”

When I cautiously brought it up, Miu blinked a few times and then gave me a shy smile.

“Um, it was a haunted house dream.”

“A haunted house?”

“Remember that time we went to the amusement park together? That haunted house was so scary. I think that’s why I dreamed about it.”

Ah, the amusement park from our overnight trip—what a nostalgic memory.

That haunted house was definitely intense. I remember Miu was really frightened. It makes sense now why the tough girls from Class C would rush through it like a human centipede.

“Was I in the dream? We ran through the exit together that time, remember?”

When I asked, Miu thought for several long seconds, then answered with a troubled expression.

“You weren’t there. I was all alone, and that made it so much scarier.”

That’s no good. If I had been there, I could have helped, even in the dream.

But since we can’t share the same dream, I’ll just stay by her side to hold her whenever she needs me.