Rei Leywin, 17 years old, had always been a boy devoid of dreams—at least, the kind that lingered in memory upon waking. But after his 17th birthday, something shifted. He began to experience peculiar dreams, where a girl spoke to him, her smile radiant and inviting. Yet, each time he awoke, her face remained an elusive blur.
"Rei, wake up!"
The familiar voice of his sister jolted him from his restless sleep. Their family of four—his sister, parents, and himself—had settled into a routine that often felt monotonous.
"Hmm, let me sleep. It's too early," he muttered, burying his face in the pillow.
"It's already 7 AM! Wake up or you'll be late again!"
The urgency in her voice finally registered, sending a jolt of panic through him.
"What? You should have woken me up earlier! Argh, I'm late!"
"Who told you to stay glued to your PC all night?" she teased.
"Okay, okay, I get it. Don't shout so loud," he groaned, reluctantly pulling himself out of bed.
"Wake up, or I'll call Mom and tell her you stayed up late playing games."
"Fine! I'm up!"
As he rushed through breakfast, Rei couldn't shake the feeling of dread that accompanied another day at school. His thoughts drifted to the girl from his dreams. He wondered if he would ever see her face clearly, if she even existed beyond the realm of his mind.
Once dressed, he stepped outside, the cool morning air hitting his face. As he made his way to school, the same feeling of unease lingered, amplified by the strange encounter he had yet to shake off.
Suddenly, he spotted a stunning girl, probably a college student, staring at him with an intensity that caught him off guard. For a brief moment, he was shocked into silence, unsure if he was imagining things. But just as they passed each other, he heard her voice softly say, "I have finally found you…"
"Huh? What's that?" he responded, bewildered.
But when he turned to look, she was gone, as if she had evaporated into thin air. A shiver ran down his spine. "What's happening today?" he muttered to himself. "I didn't have the dream I always have, and now this? Let's just leave it… maybe she turned somewhere else."
Rei shook off the feeling of confusion and continued on his way, but the thought of the girl lingered in his mind, a puzzle he couldn't piece together. Little did he know, the strange girl's words were only the beginning of a journey that would forever change his life.