Chapter 366 (Self Edited) – Gradually Understands the Present Situation
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Soma listened to Felicia say “I’m off” as if it was something that had nothing to do with him. Although he could hear with one ear the words “have a good day” coming from inside the house, his attention was focused on the scene before his eyes. What was there was a familiar sight. It was an ordinary corner of a residential area. However, it was also a scene that he should never have seen again… He let out a breath.
‘What exactly is this situation?’
Normally, one would think it was probably a dream. But there were some inexplicable aspects that prevented him from concluding that. What Soma found most puzzling was that he had no memory of what happened right before. Before waking up… or rather, he had no memory of falling asleep at all.
The most recent thing Soma remembers is leaving the royal capital of Veritas. Normally, one would think he fell asleep after that, and this dream was what he was seeing at the moment… but there was a lingering sense of discomfort. It felt like he was forgetting something. It was a feeling similar to impatience.
Well, if he considered that memory being vague was typical of dreams, it might not be that strange. But fundamentally, the question was whether this was really a dream. It’s one thing to be aware that it was a dream, but at the same time, there was an oddly strong sense of reality.
It was hard to explain, but he was convinced that it was both a dream and reality at the same time. Even saying it himself, he didn’t quite understand it, but it really felt that way.
Just then…
“Soma? Is something wrong?” (Felicia)
As he continued his thoughts while gazing at the scene before him, Felicia suddenly peeked at his face. There was a clear look of concern on her face… and she was also a point of doubt.
‘Why Felicia, of all people?’
He hadn’t seen Felicia at all recently. The person he had seen most often was probably Aina, and considering recent events, it would include Sheila and Cecilia. In other words, it didn’t make sense for Felicia, whom he hadn’t seen recently, to appear in his dream as his childhood friend. Well, maybe it was because he hadn’t seen her that she appeared… he thought so while shaking his head.
“No, it’s nothing. I was just zoning out a bit.” (Soma)
“Is that so…? It seems quite unusual for you, Soma. Could it be that you’re really tired? If so, you should take a rest…” (Felicia)
“No, there’s no need to worry that much. I’m just a little sleep-deprived.” (Soma)
Although Felicia still seemed somewhat unconvinced, Soma started walking, leading the way. To be honest, he still didn’t know where they were going, but given the situation, it wasn’t something to dwell on.
As mentioned earlier, both Felicia and Soma were wearing the uniforms of the high school Soma once attended. Therefore, they had no choice but to head to that high school. Fortunately, Soma remembered the way to the school… or rather, the route wasn’t complicated enough to require any effort to recall. Walking straight along the road in front of the house would get them there in about ten minutes.
If his memory was accurate, considering the situation inside the house and the surrounding area, this seemed highly likely. As they walked, Felicia followed without any apparent doubt. Walking to school with Felicia, Soma was once again struck by a strange sensation. It wasn’t just that he was walking to high school for the first time in decades, or that he was doing so with Felicia. It was more simply the fact that he was walking to school with someone.
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Going home together was one thing, but it was rare for Soma to go to school with anyone. There had been a few instances right after he started high school, but that was about it. Therefore, walking with someone felt quite strange.
Well, speaking of strange, the fact that Felicia was considered his childhood friend was puzzling… or rather, the very existence of a childhood friend was strange. Despite still not understanding many things, excluding the characters involved, the situation seemed to closely resemble Soma’s previous life, particularly his high school days. But to begin with, Soma didn’t have any childhood friends.
Due to moving every few years during his childhood, he never had the chance to form such relationships. Since moving here at the age of ten, they hadn’t moved again… Regardless, having a childhood friend was quite unusual for him. If he thought about this life, Aina might be considered a childhood friend… but what about Sheila? What age difference qualified someone as a childhood friend? If Sheila qualified, what about Felicia? As he pondered these questions, he suddenly felt a gaze from beside him.
When I turned my gaze to look at her, Felicia was tilting her head quizzically.
“Hmm, what is it?” (Soma)
“Well, Soma-san. You’re not usually very talkative, but today you’re even quieter than usual. Did something happen?” (Felicia)
If he was asked whether something had happened, the answer would be an unequivocal yes. There was something happening right at this moment. However, there was no way he could talk about it. If this truly were a dream, there would be no problem. But if it wasn’t, then it was a different matter entirely.
Recently, Soma had heard a similar story. The power to see dreams of ideals while living in reality. Whether this was an ideal was highly doubtful, but he couldn’t dismiss the possibility that it was something similar. That hallucination hadn’t worked on Soma before, but this time, it might have, and this could be the result. Soma wasn’t omnipotent, and the Devils still remained. As long as there was a possibility that this was caused by a Devil, he couldn’t say anything careless.
Normally, Soma might not be so cautious. But now, it was necessary. It was because–…
“Oh no…!? If this keeps up, we’ll be late…!” (Felicia)
“—Hmm?” (Soma)
“—Huh?” (??)
Indeed, the path to the high school was a straight one. However, it didn’t mean there were no side streets. And Soma had been so focused on his own thoughts that his attention to his surroundings had been scattered. What this meant was that he was completely unprepared for a person who suddenly burst out from a side street. He realized this at the same moment an impact struck his head.
“Ouch…” (Soma)
“Ouch…!” (??)
Pain followed immediately, but even before feeling the pain, Soma felt a sense of familiarity. The voice he just heard and the figure he saw right before the collision felt familiar. His vision darkened for a moment, but as soon as it returned, he turned to the source of the impact. A girl lay on the ground, her red hair flowing in the wind, and their eyes met.
“I’m sorry, I was in a hurry… Wait, the time!? I-I’m really sorry! If we meet again somewhere, I’ll definitely make it up to you!” (A???)
With that, the girl hurriedly ran off. Before Soma could call out to her, her figure quickly grew smaller as she dashed away, her twin-tails bouncing. Soma sighed as he watched her disappear.
“…Good grief, what on earth is going on?” (Soma)
The girl just now was undoubtedly Aina. Although she wasn’t wearing the same uniform as them, it was unmistakably a school uniform, and it seemed she didn’t recognize him. Soma really didn’t know what the situation was anymore. Moreover, this encounter confirmed the biggest problem in this situation.
While it was indeed strange that Felicia was considered his childhood friend and Aina seemed likely to transfer to his school in the future, the most pressing issue at the moment was that Soma had collided with Aina. Normally, this would never happen to Soma. No matter how distracted he might be, there was no way he couldn’t avoid something like that. However, the reason was simple. Right now, Soma was just an ordinary high school student with no special powers. He had vaguely felt this since waking up, but at the moment, he was completely certain.
This meant that even if this was the work of a Devil, there was nothing Soma could do about it. Knowing this, he had intended to act cautiously… but at this rate, n.o.body knew how things would turn out.
As he pondered this, Soma sighed while gazing in the direction Aina had disappeared.
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