Chapter 142: In Broad Daylight
Sure enough, the street was deserted.
But soon Hoshihara Ai discovered the existence of the boundary.
She stood right in the middle of the road, looking far ahead.
“This is a dream generated based on the memories of the two of us, so things that don’t exist in our memories don’t exist in this world either, and the less familiar they are, the more blurred they become.” Hoshihara Ai said.
Hearing Hoshihara Ai say this, Sakamoto Ken shook his head and said, “It’s not the memories of just the two of us.”
He walked to the side of the administrator’s room in the apartment building and looked inside; the entire room was blank.
“You’ve lived here for many years, so you must have been to the administrator’s room.” Sakamoto Ken pointed inside and said, “If there was an impression of the administrator’s room in the memory, it wouldn’t be completely blank.”
“Huh…”
Hoshihara Ai frowned in thought for a moment, then pulled Sakamoto Ken toward the civic park across from the apartment building.
It was called a park, but it was really just a small open area with some exercise equipment installed inside.
Hoshihara Ai headed straight for the toilet in the park and pulled Sakamoto Ken into the women’s toilet.
Just like what they had seen in the administrator’s room earlier, the inside was completely blank.
Then she pulled Sakamoto Ken to the men’s toilet next door; this time it was different, with all the facilities fully equipped.
“It’s your memory…” Hoshihara Ai looked at Sakamoto Ken and said, “So that means places you’ve been to will exist in this dream.”
“Good thing I haven’t been to the women’s toilet next door…” Sakamoto Ken said.
“Then you’d be a pervert.” Hoshihara Ai said.
“I think we’re pretty perverted right now…” Sakamoto Ken said, “Being together in the park men’s toilet like this, I’ve only seen that in manga.”
“What, you want some manga plot?” Hoshihara Ai raised an eyebrow and said.
“No, that kind of plot is fine just to look at; if you’re actually doing it, you have to pay attention to hygiene…”
“This is a dream, and it’s actually pretty clean.”
“Mainly, I can’t get past it psychologically…”
Sakamoto Ken pulled Hoshihara Ai out and came to a park bench not far away; with a turn, he unhesitatingly pulled her into his arms.
“Right here?” Hoshihara Ai gently bit Sakamoto Ken’s ear and said.
“In reality, there’s no such opportunity, out in broad daylight…”
Sakamoto Ken didn’t finish his words before his mouth was blocked, so he didn’t say anything more.
……
Taito Ward studio.
Several assistants in the room were rushing to meet deadlines; after receiving Sakamoto Ken’s message in the morning, Kaji Keiko had come here as early as possible to help check the assistants’ drawing.
Although she wasn’t a professional illustrator herself, as an editor, her appreciation skills were up to par, and she could point out some drawing issues in the works of the three manga newcomers.
When it was almost noon, the doorbell rang; Kaji Keiko thought it was Sakamoto Ken returning, but it turned out to be Natsume Mio.
Natsume Mio gave a slight bow to Kaji Keiko in greeting: “Kaji, good noon~”
“Mio, are you here to see Sakamoto Sensei?” Kaji Keiko asked.
“Yeah.” Natsume Mio nodded repeatedly.
“Well…” Kaji Keiko looked at Sakamoto Ken’s drawing table and said, “Sakamoto Sensei said he had something to do and went out; he’s not in the studio.”
“Eh? A Jian went out?”
“Anyway, Mio, come in first.”
After entering the room, Natsume Mio looked at the empty desk, feeling a little disappointed inside.
She had come specifically to see Sakamoto Ken, and she even brought a bento; actually, before coming, she had sent him a message, but there was no reply, and the message was still unread.
She only thought A Jian was focusing on drawing and had his mobile phone on silent without seeing the message, so she came directly, planning to give him a little surprise.
“Mio, did you bring a bento?” Kaji Keiko saw the bag in her hand and asked.
“Yeah.” Natsume Mio nodded and said, “I brought a bento for A Jian, but he’s not here…”
Kaji Keiko shook her head and said, “Sakamoto Sensei only told me he had to go out today and asked me to come to the studio early, but he didn’t say when he’d be back.”
“Kaji didn’t see him this morning either?” Natsume Mio asked.
Kaji Keiko shook her head again.
“I see…” Natsume Mio put the bento on Sakamoto Ken’s desk and checked her mobile phone.
The message was still unread.
“What could he be doing…” Natsume Mio frowned tightly, her mind racing with various possibilities.
She immediately opened the chat with Mikazuki Haruna, thought for a moment, and sent her a message.
Natsume Mio: 「I’m at A Jian’s studio again.」
Less than two minutes later, a reply came from the other side.
Mikazuki Haruna: 「A Jian has to draw; why are you bothering him again!」
Natsume Mio: 「/smile」
She exited the chat with her.
It was certain that A Jian wasn’t with her, and she didn’t know where A Jian was either.
That was reassuring.
Probably with classmates or friends or something; that was normal.
Natsume Mio stayed in the studio until the afternoon; since Sakamoto Ken still hadn’t returned by then, it meant he must be eating lunch outside.
And she had prepared a bento…
Natsume Mio said to Kaji Keiko, “Kaji, want some bento?”
Kaji Keiko covered her mouth and smiled, saying, “Sure, then I’ll try the bento Mio prepared for Sakamoto Sensei.”
“Since he’s not back for lunch anyway…”
Natsume Mio handed one portion to Kaji Keiko; as for the three assistants, they went to the convenience store next door to buy bentos, and Sakamoto Ken would reimburse them for lunch expenses based on the receipts later.
Since there was no rush to meet deadlines, there was plenty of time to rest after lunch; the three assistants took out their manga books to read, while Kaji Keiko laid her chair flat, planning to take a short nap.
Sitting in Sakamoto Ken’s chair, although there were quite a few people in the room, since he wasn’t there, Natsume Mio felt quite lonely.
She went upstairs to check and found that the whole building actually had five rooms, but four of them were completely empty; the only one with stuff was the third floor bedroom.
Though it was said to have stuff, it was really just bedding laid out on the tatami, plus a low cabinet and low table in the corner, which looked like they had been moved from the old apartment.
This was too spartan; A Jian really didn’t care about anything but manga.
But what was he going to do with those three rooms on the second floor? Leaving them empty like that seemed a bit wasteful…
Natsume Mio sat on Sakamoto Ken’s bedding, her mind filled with various thoughts.
From where A Jian had gone today, to when she would go back later, and then to her preparations for the animation voice acting audition…
Unknowingly, her position turned into lying down.
She hugged Sakamoto Ken’s pillow in her arms and buried her face in it, taking a deep breath.
At home, she would tightly hug the pillow, fantasizing that it had A Jian’s scent.
Now, the pillow in her arms really had A Jian’s scent.
A reassuring scent.
She took another deep breath, and the girl clung to it lovingly, just like hugging A Jian for real.
And then, she fell asleep just like that.
Last day of October, begging for monthly tickets!!!!
