"In that case, I think I had a similar nightmare when I was a child."
The silent Miyuki deftly gathered the scattered cards, making them flutter like butterflies among flowers on her slightly trembling fingertips—she had been the dealer for the previous few games, because among the group, only her fingers were more dexterous, even I, who often had to rummage through my personal cracks to find the materials for specific spells, was ashamed of myself.
Gazing at the cards that fluttered like crows at her fingertips, Shen Xue's voice gradually deepened, and upon closer listening, it seemed to contain the hum of swords: "That was during my youth, when I had just come into contact with bladed weapons and embarked on the path of a swordsman."
"At the time, I was just an ordinary girl with a little talent. Although I was forced to take up a sword, it was very heavy and the training was exhausting, so I never understood why I had to suffer so much. Then one night, when I finally finished my arduous training and was walking home under the starlight, I was suddenly told that my elders had been murdered, and in an extremely cruel way, their limbs had been cut off..."
"Although I was kept away and didn't see it with my own eyes, I still had nightmares for a long time that night. When I woke up, I didn't dare to leave the room, worried that someone would hurt me. So I wrapped myself in a quilt and hid deep in the room all day."
The atmosphere inside the room instantly plummeted from warm to freezing.
Everyone looked at each other, exchanging glances, unsure how to respond to what was being said.
In the end, this important task still fell to me: "Ahem... So, in the end, how did you get out of there? From what I observed, you didn't seem to have any fear of bladed weapons."
"It's very simple."
[Frost Sword] suddenly raised his head, and as if he had thought of something, a captivating smile appeared on his lips: "I will diligently cultivate, and then kill all those bastards."
Damn it, we chose the wrong topic; the atmosphere in the room has become even colder.
Whether she understood the reason for the current situation or not, Miyuki resumed her usual cold expression, lowered her head again, and neatly bundled up the cards: "That was just a story I made up. Looks like it scared you."
"...This joke is not funny at all."
Annie, who had gotten up again, quietly moved behind Shenxue and gave her a brief hug. Hikari, who had finished serving the drinks, also knelt down in front of her and gently patted her back.
Just as Ai An and I, the only two men in the room, were wondering if we should also make a move, the three girls turned their attention to me.
"Mr. Yumi, have you ever had any memorable dreams?" Hikari asked with a curious look.
I shrank back, unable to bear such expectant gazes, and could only look away: "There's nothing good to hear, just some boring dreams."
"Haha, this reaction... could it be that you haven't had many memorable dreams, but you've done quite a few memorable things? Like, embarrassing things like accidentally drawing maps in your sleep?"
"How is that possible!"
I instinctively refuted Annie's mockery, but I really couldn't think of how to start: "They were really just some boring dreams, neither pleasant nor nightmares, and talking about them would only make people feel bored..."
"To put it simply, it's like walking in an infinitely long corridor, white above and black below, with no beginning and no end in sight, but you don't feel tired, and it just keeps going until you wake up."
Annie nodded repeatedly, her face becoming serious: "Hmm, that sounds just like you—full of dullness and boredom~"
"Stop nagging! I've already said I don't want to talk about it!"
Kind-hearted Hikari raised her hand, her eyes filled with sorrow: "Isn't Mr. Yumi accompanied by someone else?"
I pondered for a few seconds, then shook my head uncertainly: "I don't know. Maybe it's behind me? But I haven't tried to look back."
Do you feel lonely?
"No, because I already realized at the time that it was just a dream, so I just kept counting and waiting to wake up."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Hikari clutched her chest and put on a happy smile: "Then it's alright. But don't worry, Mr. Yumi. If you have a dream like this again, at least you won't be alone."
I nodded, feeling as if my tongue was stuck, unable to utter the sound I wanted to convey. I could only cough awkwardly and turn to the little boy who was curled up in the corner with his knees drawn up, seemingly lost in thought: "Aian, is there anything you want to say?"
As if suddenly awakened, Ai An was clearly stunned for a second before realizing what she had just been asked. She shook her head and said, "No, it's nothing. But if I really have to say what I'm thinking... I hope that I can at least eat delicious food in my dreams, preferably rare dishes that only exist in books."
"This really sounds like something a growing child would say."
Annie's words made the young boy blush instantly.
"If you just want to try those dishes, you might be able to ask Ms. Juliana for help directly."
I pointed out, "As far as I know, she's a VIP at the largest hotel in the Academy City. The main feature of that hotel, besides being extremely wealthy, is that its menu, reserved for VIPs, includes rare dishes that don't exist outside the hotel, especially replicas of specialties from countries that have disappeared."
“I understand…” Aian nodded, then asked, “But that’s quite expensive, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem like a price I can ask that respectable lady to pay so selflessly for me. What do I need to do?”
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