Chapter 153: A Sweet Dream

“Is something wrong, Nadir? You’ve been looking around the school. You’re trying to find a way to skip classes, aren’t you?” Zenith asks me as I try every possible way to find an exit, but this school is perfect, and there’s an actual city outside, with people we “know.”

I saw allies who had already died, some of our superiors working ordinary jobs, and I even found Zenith’s students. They’re at another school outside, and they seem to be doing quite well despite looking much younger, maybe around fourteen years old? Obviously, Zenith didn’t notice that I’d snuck out of school for about two hours.

“No…” It seems like her perceptiveness is something that will never change. I already snuck out, so she was only partially wrong, but I really was looking for a way to escape this place. But after thinking about it for a while, is there anything I can actually do? If what Nemesis said is true, then leaving this place means we’ll die or turn into monsters.

“Haaa…”

“Are you okay? Seriously, Nadir, you’ve been acting strange since this morning! I’ve known you since we were kids, so I know something’s bothering you.”

“It’s nothing, Zenith… I’m just… do you like it here?”

“What? The school? Nah!! It’s way too boring!! Too many classes, too many tests!! And I’m sure the geography teacher hates me!! I’m not even that bad at geography!! She’s such an annoying old hag.” Zenith’s tone is playful, with genuine joy in her teasing, something I’ve never seen before.

‘She… seems happy…’ I understand what Nemesis meant by everything being fake except Zenith. I tried to kill someone, and two minutes later, that person appeared again, and nobody seemed to care that someone had died in the first place. It’s as if it had never really happened. The reactions are also somewhat artificial. They’re almost perfect, but they have mannerisms that repeat frequently without any real meaning behind them. It’s truly like a dream, with abstract flaws.

Only Zenith doesn’t have this little problem, probably because she’s a real person like me and not a projection or whatever the “people” in this place are. At least it’s proof that this is the real Zenith. After all, my body has also changed, becoming much younger and losing most of the muscles I’d built up through years of training.

“Hmmm! You’ve been staring at my boobs a lot! You pervert!” She covers her breasts with her arms, crossing them over her chest and giving me an annoyed look.

“Huh? O-Oh, sorry, I was just… lost in thought… I’m just… a little tired.” She lets out a murmur and glances at the clock. It’s lunchtime, so the classroom is pretty empty.

“You idiot, if something’s bothering you, you can talk to me!!”

“…Zenith, you still haven’t completely answered my question… Do you like this school? This… city? The people in this place?” From what I understand, Zenith has our childhood and teenage memories, except that, in her version, we never lived on the streets. We always had a home, and although we didn’t have parents, we were taken care of by a guardian until we were sixteen, when we gained our freedom and a home through assistance. Obviously, I don’t have those memories, so I’m having to improvise.

“Of course I do… You… don’t like this place, Nadir? W-Well, it’s a small city, and… i-if you want to leave, I’d understand, but if you do, you have to tell me where you’re going!! Maybe I could go with you?” I notice that she seems nervous, which makes me smile.

‘She’s still the same as always… That puts me at ease… I’m not quite so alone after all.’

“I’m not planning to leave. I just wanted to know if you’re happy.”

“Hahaha, don’t get all lovey-dovey at school!! The others will find out we’re dating! It’s embarrassing!!! I don’t want them teasing me!! And the school will get mad at us! Just be lovey-dovey outside of school, you dummy!”

‘How old are Zenith and I?’ I’m not sure, but we’re much younger. However, since we’re living better lives in this “world,” Zenith looks healthier than ever, and without her prosthetics, she’s almost exactly how I’d imagined she would look if she’d had a better life from childhood onward.

‘I guess I just got the proportions wrong. Her breasts, hips, and ass are much bigger, and she looks much more elegant… She’s also wearing a short skirt… It seems like she doesn’t care about hiding her body anymore…’ Zenith was never particularly fond of showing off her body for various reasons.

She didn’t like how weak she looked, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue anymore. It’s genuinely wonderful.

‘Should I really try to find a way out?…’ I don’t like that she doesn’t remember anything, and I don’t like that Nemesis trapped us here, but she seems so happy, and she’s already done so much for humanity.

‘She’s not just an illusion…’ This place is far too perfect, and I’ve already tried hurting myself. Even though it hurts, the wounds don’t last long. It seems impossible to actually die in this place.

“Don’t worry about that. I don’t plan on letting anyone find out just yet. It can be a surprise for when we graduate.” When I say that, her face turns completely red.

“T-That’s right!! That’s only a year away!! It’ll be so embarrassing when the other girls start asking questions!! I hope the teachers don’t try to investigate and punish us for dating in secret!!”

‘One year?… So this Zenith is around seventeen or eighteen… She seems so… mature… And her students look about fourteen… It seems like the chronological order here is a complete mess.’ I’m surprised. She looks a little older than that, which reminds me that at this age, Zenith was rather short and skinny, and her breasts were much smaller than they were when she was twenty-six.

This Zenith seems to be well before the age of twenty-six, but I’d thought she was around twenty-three because of her mature appearance.

‘…How much did hunger take away from her…’ I bite my lip. This image shows just how much our difficult life took away from her. She only started looking physically healthier when she was already twenty-six, showing how completely the life we led had stunted her normal development.

“What is it, Nadir? You’re giving me a weird look!”

“It’s nothing… I just realized how mature you look for your age.”

“Hahaha, you’re such an idiot sometimes, Nadir. Of course I’m mature. I’m the most mature girl in existence.”

“Judging by what I’ve seen, you’re also childish.” I tease her, and she simply gives me a smug smile.

“I’m not the one who climbed over the school wall and showed up covered in sand, you are! You’re lucky I decided to help you find a change of clothes! You would’ve gotten a whole day of detention for that stunt!!”

‘Still a stickler for the rules… I guess some things never change, no matter what kind of life you have…’

“Sure, sure. I love breaking rules, and you love following them. So, as a thank-you for helping me out, how about we go on a date today? I want to get some ice cream with you, enjoy the surroundings a little, and maybe watch the sunset?” The atmosphere feels a little strange to me. This city is on the ground.

There are no floating islands, no powers. It’s a normal society, the way things should have been if vector energy and the study of vector manipulation had never begun. I think the sunset will be beautiful when viewed from down here.

“Hmmm, you sure know how to get my attention!! Okay, we can go on a date!”

“You’re talking so loudly. Other people might hear you, you know?” She puts a hand over her mouth and gives me an annoyed look.

“You’re the one who said all that lovey-dovey stuff!! Anyway, we’re almost eighteen, so how about we go to the movies and watch those new horror movies when we’re eighteen? We’ll finally be old enough to get in!! It’s so annoying how the theater asks for our IDs, so they always know we’re not old enough.”

“But now that we’re almost eighteen, we’ll be able to do all that! I want to try everything, watch those R-rated movies, drink alcohol, and I also want to try renting a car and driving!! I saw on the internet how to drive. It can’t be that hard!!”

“…Drinking and watching movies are fine, but I’m not letting you try to drive a car after watching internet tutorials.” When I say that, she looks annoyed.

“I will!”

“No, you won’t.”

“I will!!”

“No, you really won’t be driving. If you want to drive, take proper lessons and get a driver’s license.”

“Nghghhh!! You’re so annoying sometimes. Then how about you get a license and teach me to drive?”

‘A driver’s license…’ I briefly look out the classroom window, still thinking hard about whether I should try to leave this place or just enjoy it and give Zenith a better life.

“Okay, whatever you want.”

“Huh? Huh!!? Really? You really mean it? You’re going to learn to drive just to teach me?”

“Of course. You’ve always wanted a car.” When I say that, she smiles.

‘Zenith wanted a car outside this place, too… I guess our desires, personalities, and other things are still the same. What changed were the things that mainly came from our difficult lives and bad memories…’ Maybe this really is a good opportunity?

A new life, a good life for both her and me. If this place is my “dream,” my hopes and everything I’ve ever wanted, wouldn’t it be perfect for getting Zenith out of a life full of pain and hardship?

‘We were already close to dying because of the Chips… And it’s not like Zenith ever received all the recognition she deserved… I think… I want to stay here.’ I get up, grab Zenith by the arm, and pull her into a kiss.

“H-Hmm?” She seems nervous and glances around before blushing and accepting my kiss almost shyly. When I pull away, she looks utterly embarrassed.

“W-What got into you! Idiot! Idiot!” She gives me a few weak punches in the chest, but she seems to have enjoyed it.

“Just being proactive. I can’t wait for our date today.”

“Y-You pervert!!!” She simply runs to the door to get away from me, making me laugh. It’s unexpected, but not too far from reality. Zenith has always been shy about new things involving relationships, something she only got over after she turned thirty.

‘This Zenith must still be a virgin… A second chance…’ A real first time, a relationship that won’t begin because we need to give each other energy to keep ourselves from merging, a relationship that can start off on the right track.

“…Maybe… this is what’s best for both of us…”