Chapter Text
Are you all right? Is something wrong?"
The girl who stood before him asked. Her right hand was carrying an old-fashioned leather bound novel, which she later folded shut to reach for her pocket. He intently studied her features in the hopes of identifying the young woman who suddenly appeared in his dream. However, only disappointment greeted him once he realized that her shape was clouded and hazy.
Everything else in its setting was vivid. It was easy to identify that he was inside a library or bookstore with an outdated interior considering the shelves that surrounded them. By then, he believed he found himself inside a lucid dream.
She extended her hand towards him, offering her dainty, floral embroidered hanky. Chifuyu looked down at it, his eyes widening in recognition. Though he cannot recall where had seen it before.
Unconsciously, tears escaped from his eyes. He did not quite understand why, but he could feel his chest drawing tight the more she was in his presence. Then his moist, slender hands stroked his wet cheek.
Suddenly, he blurted out dull excuses, saying that the protagonist reminded him of someone who he used to talk to. It was almost like he was a soul dwelling inside another person's body. He had this separate consciousness, yet there were times he thought that his and this person's soul was one.
The discomfort inflicted from the ache grew overwhelming, causing him to shed heavy tears. She reached for his hand and places her handkerchief on top of his palm, telling him to use it for wiping his tears.
"Thank you, I'll take care of this." He thanked her as he received it. Chifuyu raised his head to meet her eyes. As he did, he discovered his vision had become a blur. He experienced an unbearable, throbbing pain in his head, as well as rapid, shallow breathing.
Then everything went black.
Chifuyu awoke, desperately gasping for air. He sat up on the mattress, his chest heaving with breathlessness as he tightly clutched it, struggling to breathe steadily.
"What the fuck was that?!" He uttered in between breaths before staring deadpan at the wall.
His dream remained unusually vivid and longer than an average dream would linger in one's mind upon waking up.
As he recalled the rich details, a wave of inexplicable coldness washed over him. Such an uncanny sensation was foreign to him.
Déjà vu. That occurrence had a strong sense of déjà vu to it, entirely different with every other dream that he had. It took a while for Chifuyu to mentally grasp all these.
Chifuyu was half conscious of his surroundings, and half aware that he was running late on the first day of senior high school. However, his mind was too occupied to think of other things. Later, Peke J—his black cat—leaps over his free window from the outside, allowing him to return to his senses from being lost deep in his thoughts.
"... And then I collapsed. Like, I just went blind. And this nasty headache just occurred out of the blue. It was fucking scary, you have to believe me."
Baji had a bewildered look on his face the entire time Chifuyu narrated about his dream. "Damn, that's weirdly specific." He commented. The two dragged their pace as the school gate entered their field of vision. "It makes me wonder how you remembered every single detail but the girl's face. Are you sure you're not making shit up? Do you want me to congratulate you on getting a hint about your soulmate or something?"
"Baji-san, I'm not kidding." Chifuyu stopped in his tracks. "Her face was really blurry, and I couldn't bring my hand to rub my eyes. I had no control of my body, and it didn't feel like the usual dreams I had."
Chifuyu had figured from the beginning that there was a possibility Baji wouldn't take his story seriously. But he just felt the need to share it. It frustrated him that he had no proof to share because that would be impossible in the first place.
They reached the school premises a couple of minutes later and parted ways to proceed to each of their respective year levels: Chifuyu in his first year, and Baji in his second year.
Chifuyu's first day wasn't bad. In fact, it went smoothly. He hadn't done anything to humiliate himself and he had made a few friends in class.
After the last subject, he made his way to Baji's classroom. Along the corridors he takes sight of Takemichi and Hina walking shoulder to shoulder in the opposite way he was going. He greeted them and had a quick chat while they were at it.
The couple bid their goodbyes to Chifuyu afterwards. He continued heading to his friend's classroom until he finally arrived. He leaned his angular shoulder against the room's door frame while he waited for Baji to finish his cleaning duty. Fortunately, it did not take so long.
"Baji-san, would it be fine if you arrange the last two rows of the seats? I just received a message from my mom, says she needs me to run some errands." The girl asked Baji as she wore her bag's strap over her shoulder.
"Sure, leave this to me. Take care on your way."
Chifuyu glanced at her and thought she was pretty. She excused herself to exit from the room, and as she passed by him, time froze amidst the busy hour.
In the minimum time he was in a position alongside her, Chifuyu sensed a peculiarly familiar presence. He could not seem to remember when and where he had first encountered it, but one thing was for sure—he longed for it.
Time resumed in a flash, and she walked past him. Chifuyu turned his head right to where he could see her figure shrinking in the distance.
"Baji-san, what's your classmate's name?"
"She's Hirano Y/N."
Chifuyu did not answer.
"Why're you asking? Did Hirano-san caught your eye?" Baji teased, but he did not answer, because once again he felt that odd sense of déjà vu that has been bothering him all day.
Instead, he remained his eyes on her. And just as she was about to head down the stairs, he could have sworn that he met her eyes as she took one last look at him before leaving.