Chapter 14: The Dream Conversation
[Scene: Class 1-A - Morning]
(Kenta's desk is empty. Again.)
Takahashi Kenji: (staring) "He's still not here?"
Sato Haruki: "Maybe he's still sick?"
Takahashi Kenji: "Kenta said he was recovering. He should be back today."
(His phone buzzes. Group chat.)
Sui: "Takahashi! Kenta-kun texted us!"
Yui: "He wants to meet us on the rooftop after school!"
Sui: "Just us! Alone!"
Yui: "What does that mean?!"
Takahashi Kenji: (eyes widening) "OH?!"
---
[Scene: School Rooftop - After School]
(Sui and Yui stand nervously by the fence. The wind blows. Their hearts pound.)
Sui: (panicking) "Why does he want to meet us here?! Alone?!"
Yui: (also panicking) "What if he remembers?! What if he knows what we did?!"
Sui: "He can't! He was asleep! Fever dreams!"
Yui: "But what if he figured it out?!"
Sui: "Oh god oh god oh god—"
(The door opens. Kenta walks out. He looks better. Healthy. But his expression is... thoughtful.)
Kenta: "Sui. Yui. Thanks for coming."
Sui: (nervous) "K-Kenta-kun! You're better!"
Yui: (also nervous) "So glad you're healthy!"
Kenta: (nodding) "Thanks to you. You took care of me."
Sui: (blushing) "I-It was nothing!"
Yui: (also blushing) "We wanted to!"
Kenta: (pause) "I need to ask you something."
Sui & Yui: (in unison, internally screaming) "OH NO!"
---
[Scene: The Conversation Begins]
Kenta: "When I was sick... I had dreams. Strange dreams."
Sui: (sweating) "D-dreams?"
Yui: (also sweating) "What kind of dreams?"
Kenta: (looking at them directly) "I dreamed someone kissed me. On the lips."
Sui: (face going red) "..."
Yui: (face also red) "..."
Kenta: "Multiple times. It felt real."
Sui: (voice cracking) "M-multiple times?!"
Yui: (also cracking) "On the LIPS?!"
Kenta: (nodding) "Yes. And there was more."
Sui & Yui: (leaning in despite themselves) "More?!"
Kenta: (looking at his hands) "My hands... they touched something. Soft. Round. Warm."
Sui: (face exploding) "SOFT?! ROUND?! WARM?!"
Yui: (also exploding) "YOUR HANDS?!"
Kenta: (confused by their reactions) "Yes. It felt like... I don't know how to describe it. Like I was holding something precious."
Sui: (grabbing Yui's arm for support) "..."
Yui: (grabbing Sui back) "..."
Kenta: "And I heard voices. Whispering. Saying... something about love."
Sui: (dying inside) "Love?!"
Yui: (also dying) "Whispering?!"
Kenta: (nodding) "I couldn't make out the words. But the feeling was... warm. Safe. Like I was exactly where I belonged."
---
[Scene: The Girls' Reactions]
(Sui and Yui are now the color of tomatoes. Steam might be coming from their ears.)
Sui: (thinking) "HE HEARD US! HE FELT US! HE KNOWS! HE DOESN'T KNOW! OH GOD!"
Yui: (thinking) "THE KISSES! THE HAND PLACEMENT! HE REMEMBERS! HE DOESN'T REMEMBER! I'M DYING!"
Kenta: (concerned) "Are you both okay? You're very red."
Sui: (waving hands frantically) "F-FINE! TOTALLY FINE!"
Yui: (also waving) "JUST WARM! FROM THE SUN!"
Kenta: (looking up) "It's cloudy."
Sui: "WELL—BLOOD CIRCULATION! FROM WALKING HERE!"
Yui: "YES! BLOOD CIRCULATION!"
Kenta: (staring at them) "You're acting strange."
Sui: (squeaking) "WE'RE NOT STRANGE! YOU'RE STRANGE!"
Yui: (nodding vigorously) "VERY STRANGE! WITH YOUR DREAMS!"
---
[Scene: Kenta Presses Further]
Kenta: "So you don't know anything about these dreams?"
Sui: (too fast) "NO! NOTHING! COMPLETELY UNKNOWN!"
Yui: (also too fast) "FEVER DREAMS! VERY COMMON! MEAN NOTHING!"
Kenta: (tilting his head) "But they felt so real."
Sui: (sweating) "DREAMS OFTEN DO!"
Yui: (also sweating) "YOUR BRAIN MAKES THINGS UP!"
Kenta: "Even the touching? The softness?"
Sui: (internally screaming) "HE KEEPS TALKING ABOUT THE SOFTNESS!"
Yui: (internally screaming) "I CAN'T TAKE THIS!"
Kenta: (looking at his hands again) "I keep thinking about it. The feeling won't go away."
Sui: (weakly) "M-maybe you should... think about something else?"
Yui: (also weakly) "Like math? You like math!"
Kenta: (shaking head) "Math doesn't feel like that. Math is logical. This is... different."
---
[Scene: The Almost Confession]
Sui: (taking a shaky breath) "Kenta-kun... what if... what if it wasn't a dream?"
Kenta: (looking at her) "What do you mean?"
Yui: (grabbing Sui's arm) "SUI!"
Sui: (ignoring Yui, voice trembling) "What if someone really kissed you? What if someone really... touched you?"
Kenta: (ears red) "That's impossible. I was alone. Only you two were there."
Sui: (eyes meeting his) "Exactly."
(Three seconds of silence. The wind blows. Kenta stares at her. Sui stares back. Yui watches, frozen.)
Kenta: (slowly) "You're saying... it was you?"
Sui: (opening mouth) "I—"
Yui: (grabbing her) "SUI! WE AGREED!"
Sui: (tearing up) "But Yui—look at him—he's suffering—he doesn't know—"
Yui: (also tearing up) "I know! But we can't! Not yet!"
Kenta: (confused) "What are you two whispering about?"
Sui: (wiping eyes) "Nothing! Just—girl stuff!"
Yui: (nodding) "VERY PRIVATE GIRL STUFF!"
Kenta: (suspicious) "You're both crying."
Sui: "ALLERGIES!"
Yui: "POLLEN! FROM THE ROOFTOP!"
Kenta: "There are no plants here."
Sui: "WIND-BORNE POLLEN! VERY POWERFUL!"
---
[Scene: The Tension Breaks]
Kenta: (sighing) "I don't understand you two."
Sui: (relieved but also sad) "That's okay."
Yui: (same feeling) "We don't understand ourselves sometimes."
Kenta: (looking at them both) "But I'm glad you were there. Even if it was just dreams... I felt safe. Warm. Like I wasn't alone."
Sui: (fresh tears) "Kenta-kun..."
Yui: (also fresh tears) "You're never alone."
Kenta: (almost smiling) "I'm starting to realize that."
Sui: (stepping forward) "Kenta-kun... can I...?"
Kenta: "Can you what?"
Sui: (kissing his cheek quickly) "That. For good measure."
Kenta: (touching cheek) "Another one."
Yui: (also stepping forward) "My turn."
(She kisses his other cheek.)
Yui: "There. Now you have more to dream about."
Kenta: (ears red) "My dream count is going to be very high tonight."
Sui: (giggling through tears) "Good!"
Yui: (also giggling) "Dream of us!"
Kenta: (looking at them) "I probably will."
---
[Scene: Walking Home Together]
(They leave the rooftop. Walk toward the gate. Side by side. Comfortable silence.)
Sui: (quietly) "Kenta-kun... about those dreams..."
Kenta: "What about them?"
Sui: "If they ever come true... would you be happy?"
Kenta: (thinking) "I don't know. I've never thought about things like that."
Yui: "But if someone loved you? Really loved you?"
Kenta: (pause) "I'd want to understand why."
Sui: "Because you're you. That's why."
Kenta: (ears red) "That's not a logical answer."
Yui: (smiling) "Love isn't logical."
Kenta: "Then I have a lot to learn."
Sui: (grabbing his hand) "We'll teach you."
Yui: (grabbing his other hand) "Slowly. Gently."
Kenta: (looking at their hands in his) "Okay."
---
[Scene: The Gate]
(They stop at the usual spot.)
Sui: "Kenta-kun... no matter what your dreams were... we're glad you're okay."
Yui: "And we're glad you told us."
Kenta: "You're both acting very strange today."
Sui: (grinning) "Strange is our brand!"
Yui: (also grinning) "Chaos agents!"
Kenta: (almost smiling) "I know."
Sui: (waving) "See you tomorrow!"
Yui: (also waving) "Sweet dreams!"
(They run off, laughing.)
Kenta: (standing there, touching his cheeks, looking at his hands) (thinking) "Dreams. Or not dreams?"
(He looks at where they disappeared.)
Kenta: (muttering) "I need to figure this out."
(But he's smiling.)
---
[Scene: Kenta's Room - Night]
(He lies in bed. His phone buzzes. Two messages.)
Sui: "Kenta-kun! Today was... intense! But good intense! Sleep well and dream of whatever makes you happy! (Hopefully us!) "
Yui: "My prince~ thanks for trusting us with your dreams! One day we'll tell you everything! But not yet! Goodnight!"
Kenta: (smiling) (typing back to both): "Goodnight. Thank you for listening. For being there. For being you. I'll dream of... something. Maybe you."
(Immediate replies:)
Sui: "HE SAID MAYBE US! "
Yui: "PROGRESS! SLOW BUT REAL! "
Sui: "SWEET DREAMS OUR KENTA-KUN!"
Yui: "DREAM HARD! "
Kenta: (putting down the phone) (looking at his hands again)
Kenta: (thinking) "Soft. Round. Warm. Their hands are small. But what I felt was..."
(He closes his eyes. The memory lingers.)
Kenta: "Dreams. Or not. Either way... I'm not alone."
(He smiles. Sleep comes easily.)
End of Chapter 14
Ready for Chapter 15?