The Void of Darkness. I opened my eyes in a pitch-black world where I couldn’t see even an inch ahead. No, I even doubted if I had truly opened my eyes. It didn’t take long to realize that this situation was a dream.
Even the gentle glow of my halo, which should’ve been radiating softly, was swallowed by this darkness, failing to make its presence known. It was a world painted with ink, devoid of any light source.
Having only encountered this type of dream through Black Suit and Seiya, it was natural to suspect those two first. However, each of them had a distinctive location associated with their presence.
My meeting with the Black Suit took place in the unique Gematria Meeting Room, while my encounter with Seiya occurred in the mysterious atmopshere of the T-party terrace office. In that sense, this bizarre lucid dream set against an otherworldly darkness hinted at another possibility beyond those two.
“———”
The only guess I had was that the real Mika shared a body with me, but still, I couldn’t see anything in my field of view. I tried to call out for Mika, but no sound came out.
In this dark world where nothing was visible and nothing could be heard, the only thing I felt was that at least I was firmly standing on something.
Remaining still wouldn’t change a thing. I had no idea how to wake up from this lucid dream. I raised my hand and pinched where I presumed the ball might be, but no pain followed.
So, I walked forward. If there were an obstacle in front of me, I would hit it, and if the path ended in a cliff, I would fall. However, knowing this was all just a dream, there was no fear.
I walked. And walked some more, stumbling through the darkness. Despite the feeling of moving forward, the surrounding darkness didn’t seem to budge at all.
Then, for the first time, a change occurred in this alien space.
“You fool. Not that way, this way.”
“…Mika?”
I heard a voice, and when I opened my mouth, at last, a sound came out. It seemed that this situation perceived as Mika’s bad joke was slowly approaching its end.
But “this way”? I couldn’t even guess the direction because the sound echoed around. This was a bad joke of the highest order.
“Um, if you have something to say, can’t you at least end the jokes here?”
“Ahaha. It wouldn’t be easy to meet the imprisoned princess, would it? So just suffer a little longer. Now… well, you’ve barely made it halfway, so it’s like just starting, I guess? Yep.”
…Is this really my favorite?
But I can still accept Mika. If the princess wants to throw a tantrum, what can I do? It’s the fate of a Mika fanatic like me to comply.
But wait, has Mika ever directly referred to herself as a princess in the story…?
After burying that question, I walked forward again. At some point, I started running. It took me this long to realize that since I was in a dream, I wouldn’t tire. This was embarrassing.
But was saying “this way” and “you’ve made it halfway” all a joke?
Before long, when I hadn’t even walked halfway through the distance I’d come, something revealed itself from afar. It was the first light to appear from within the darkness.
I dashed toward the newly arisen light source, and as the distance closed, the source turned out to be a mirror.
“Hey, stop there!”
“…What now?”
As soon as Mika’s voice came through, my body stiffened and wouldn’t move. At least in this dream, I understood that Mika had more influence than I did.
“Ahaha! It’s not that serious, so you can relax your expression. It’s nothing special, just… um, let’s say a surprise quiz? Traditionally, a princess in stories has a knight or guard to protect her, so you could think of this as that… though I’m not exactly a princess here.”
“…Didn’t you just refer to yourself as the imprisoned princess a second ago?”
“Huh…? Right, I did. Um, just a slip of the tongue, so don’t worry about it. Let’s move on to the question, shall we?★”
The question Mika threw my way elicited a sigh of exasperation, making it hard to grasp any meaning behind it.
“So, do you prefer grapes or apples?”
“…I actually like peaches and pears more than either.”
“Oh? Really? Dodging the question by not choosing one of the options is a no-go. But, it doesn’t really matter. So, so! Out of peaches and pears, which one do you prefer more?”
“I’m not sure why you’re asking this, but if I had to choose, I guess I’d say peach…?”
“Great, pass! You can move forward again★”
“But what was the point of that question?”
“Well, let’s say it was just a simple survey? As I said, it’s not very important, so you don’t have to think too much about it.”
Biting back a sigh that nearly escaped, I started moving again, leading myself to the mirror that was not too far off.
Upon reaching the mirror, the darkness lifted. What emerged was a dazzling display of stars radiating light and chasing away the remnants of darkness. And at the center of all that light stood the mirror reflecting myself.
Was it because it was a dream? Even though my vision was suddenly filled with light, I was thankful that it didn’t blind me.
“…”
Yet, in stark contrast to this place tinged with blue light, the world beyond the mirror was dark and cold. The number of stars was few enough that I could almost count them, and a red aura lingered ominously.
In the center stood the real Mika, facing me, her lips curled in a chilly smirk. As I felt before, her gaze didn’t seem very friendly.
Without my halo or wings, her appearance seemed to signify her situation: one where everything had been taken from her.
As I gently placed my hand on the mirror, Mika followed the motion as if to assert that I was just an image beyond the glass.
But that doesn’t make the fake become the real. The Mika before me was the one and only genuine article, and she was someone who shouldn’t be in that kind of place.
“Mika… you’re trapped beyond this mirror, aren’t you?”
“Huh? It’s true that I’m trapped. This is essentially my home and sanctuary. However… it doesn’t necessarily mean it refers to what’s beyond the mirror. Among concepts you can comprehend and accept easily, a mirror is simply the most intuitive form. You can think of it that way.”
So, even if there were a birdcage or portrait instead of this mirror, or if Mika existed beyond a computer monitor or a smartphone screen, they all fundamentally meant the same situation.
Mika is trapped. The only influence she could exert from the outside would be through fleeting illusions or tricks she pulled occasionally.
…Perhaps, the reason she could display more power in this dream is simply that I wasn’t used to this situation.
“I was going to ask before… I’ve already thought of a way. So I will definitely get you out of there.”
“Really, saying things like ‘I won’t listen to you’… Didn’t I tell you not to trust Gematria? Huh. Whatever, if that’s your choice, then it can’t be helped. Yeah, I’m in a position where I can’t do anything at the moment.”
“…Kirihouji Nagisa misses you a lot. As for Seiya… I’m not so sure.”
“You fool, Seiya-chan doesn’t consider me that close a friend. And as for Nagisa-chan… ahaha. I don’t really know anymore. We’ve strayed far apart by now.”
“I see, you know that well.”
“Of course, I’ve heard and seen everything. Not a thing missed. That Kid made a choice, and so did I. Yeah. No matter what kind of resolution we reach, our relationship can never return to what it was before. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality.”
Mika, who showed signs of sadness and fatigue, exhaled deeply and then shot back with a stare.
“If believing Gematria is your choice, I’ll respect that. But know this: even if you offer back a body that’s been polluted by those horned beings in Gehenna, I will absolutely reject it. I’d rather die than accept it. So keep using that body for yourself.”
…So, Gehenna hatred was definitely within Mika.
“Well, that’s a bit harsh to say—it wasn’t like it was polluted…”
“…Honestly, I’ve never met a bigger fool than you. You didn’t even know what was happening to you—impressive. And regardless of the fact that the body belongs to me, I’m amazed at how you could charm those horned monsters. Sometimes, I’d even find myself surprised and thrilled, but…”
What in the world has happened to me…?
In any case, this trivial talk wasn’t what mattered right now. The truly important thing was something entirely different.
“Mika, do you really dislike me?”
“Oh really, was it that obvious? I thought I was hiding it fairly well… Ahaha! Just kidding, just kidding. The answer to your question is, of course, yes. I had no intention of hiding that from you, as it would be pretty foolish not to realize. Yeah. The reason is…”
“No need. I can guess, so I don’t need to hear it. Okay. After all, knowing won’t change what I have to do.”
Regardless of the circumstances, I would save Mika from here. So what if she’s a bit twisted? It’s the duty of an adult to guide such a child back onto the right path. More than anything, I want to see Mika genuinely happy. She must not be unhappy.
“Wow——O… how can you say such things so casually…? But just because you say that doesn’t mean I’ll be swayed, so how about you tone it down? I’m not a narcissistic patient like That Kid from Millennium.”
To be perfectly honest, if I said there wasn’t a part of me that wanted to charm her, that would be a lie. After all, Mika was my one and only favorite.
But it didn’t have to be exactly like that. As long as I could see Mika happy, that was enough for me.
“…I’m beginning to run out of steam here, so let’s call it a day for our meeting.”
“Wait——”
“I’ll call you again if I’m bored later. Bye-bye, fake.”
As soon as Mika’s words came to an end, I felt a sensation that engulfed my entire body as if I had fallen into water. My consciousness gradually awakened amidst the scattering of stars.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Kirihouji Nagisa‘s sleeping face. We still held hands.
I tried to close my eyes again to go back to sleep, but throughout the conversation, Mika’s voice, which had somehow remained submerged, and the sight of her still-dim eyes wouldn’t leave my mind.
One question lingered, tormenting me.
Could Mika have glimpsed memories from before I fell into Kivotos? If not, then Mika…
There was nothing certain, nothing solid to hold onto. It was just all speculation right now. However, the likelihood that this speculation might turn out to be true felt overwhelmingly high.
Misono Mika was hiding some kind of unusual secret.
