Chereads / Dreams of Fate / Chapter 5 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Chapter 5

My breath was ragged, and cold sweat trickled down my forehead. The morning sun streamed through my curtains, reminding me that it was just a dream. A dream that felt too real to ignore, but too vague to fully grasp.

I sat on the edge of my bed, my head bowed, trying to calm myself. My hands were still trembling slightly, and my heartbeat was far from steady.

What does all of this mean?

I thought to myself as I stared at the empty floor.

Frustration started to overwhelm me. Every time I woke up from that dream, I was left with a mix of confusion and anxiety. Who exactly was Aoi? Was she just a figment of my subconscious, or could she really exist somewhere in the real world?

Her words echoed in my mind.

"Every 'time'... What did she mean by that?"

What was she referring to with "that"? The words kept spinning around in my head, fueling my unease. It felt like there was something important I was supposed to remember... but what?

*****

At school, I couldn't focus at all. The dream kept haunting every corner of my thoughts. Even when Naoto, my best friend, tried to talk to me, I barely heard him.

"Haru, what's up with you? You've been daydreaming all morning," Naoto said, tapping me on the shoulder.

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to him with a tired expression.

"Sorry, I'm just..." I trailed off, my voice weak. "I had another weird dream."

Naoto's curiosity immediately piqued. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Weird dream? About what?"

I hesitated, unsure if I should tell him everything. But in the end, I decided to share. Naoto was the only person I could think of to confide in about this strange feeling.

"The girl from my previous dream... she appeared again last night. She told me her name—Aoi—but for some reason, I don't remember ever meeting her. She said we've met multiple times, but I always forget."

Naoto was silent for a moment before his expression became serious. He could tell this was more than just an ordinary dream.

"So... like déjà vu?" he asked slowly.

I shook my head, trying to find the right words. "It's more than that. It felt... real, but I can't remember it clearly. She said she's my girlfriend, but I don't recall anything."

Naoto narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

"What does she look like?" he asked finally.

I took a deep breath, trying to recall every detail that felt so vivid in the dream.

"She has short brown hair, and her eyes... they're blue. Not just any blue—they sparkle, like the ocean under the sun. She's beautiful, but it feels like more than that. Like I should know her..."

Naoto nodded slowly, then looked at me with a serious expression, as if he was trying to figure something out.

"Haru, maybe... this dream isn't just a dream. What if what you're experiencing are fragments of memories from... maybe another dimension? Or maybe a past life?" he said, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

I stared at him, unsure whether to laugh or be concerned. "Another dimension?" I asked, skeptical.

"Yeah, who knows? Or maybe it's something we don't fully understand yet," Naoto continued, more seriously than I expected. "There are a lot of things that can't be explained by normal logic. And this dream of yours... did you find anything about it in the books at the library?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. I've searched, but there's no clue at all. It seems like none of the books explain the kind of dream I've been having."

Naoto let out a long sigh, then looked at me with an empathetic expression.

"Alright, how about we go to the city library after school? I don't have any extracurricular activities today, so I can come with you."

I smiled a little, feeling grateful to have a friend like Naoto at times like this.

"Thanks, Naoto. Let's do that. Maybe we'll find something."

"No problem, buddy," Naoto replied, giving me a pat on the shoulder, lightening the mood a bit.

Right then, the school bell rang, signaling the start of class. All the students, including Naoto, returned to their seats. I glanced at the empty desk in front of me—the one that hadn't been occupied since a friend of ours moved away before the second semester began.

Our homeroom teacher, who was also our English teacher, walked into the classroom with a smile on his face.

"Alright, settle down, everyone. I've got some good news for you... Come on in, Igarashi," our teacher said, gesturing toward the door.

"Yes, sir," someone replied from the other side.

The door swung open, and a girl walked in. She looked so familiar. My breath caught in my throat as I watched her walk up to the front of the class.

An odd feeling filled my chest. Short brown hair, sparkling blue eyes—I knew this girl. She was the girl from my dream. Those eyes, that face... everything was exactly like in my dream. I felt frozen in place.

Naoto, sitting beside me, was just as shocked. "Haru... isn't that... her?"

The girl stood at the front, picked up a piece of chalk, and began writing her name on the board in neat, confident handwriting.

"Igarashi Aoi..." I whispered, my heart pounding.

This... couldn't be real. She's real? The girl from my dreams actually exists? I stared at her in disbelief, while the rest of the class seemed to see just a new student.

Aoi turned toward us, her face brightened by a warm smile. "Hello, everyone. My name is Igarashi Aoi. I just moved here from Tokyo because of my parents' work. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all!" she said in a gentle, calm voice.

I could feel my heart racing even faster. Dreams and reality, once separated by clear lines, now seemed to blur into one. I didn't know if this was just a coincidence or if something much bigger was about to unfold.

What's really going on? Is all of this part of some greater destiny, or is my mind just playing tricks on me?

My heart felt heavier, and that strange feeling wouldn't go away. It was as if there was an answer just within reach, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't quite grasp it.