Tatsuya stared at the figure before him, his mind immediately cataloging the impossibility of the sight. Before him stood a person who should not—could not—exist in the present world.
"Why are you here?" he asked, his voice steady despite the anomaly.
"We haven't seen each other in years, and that's the first thing you have to say? No 'hello'?" the woman replied with a soft, knowing smile.
She looked slightly older than him, radiating a mature, gentle warmth. Tatsuya's gaze remained sharp, fixed on her. He knew her face; he knew her soul. She was his comrade, his mentor, and the woman who had lost her life three years ago during the invasion of Okinawa.
"Sakurai-san... you are dead. I watched you die."
"And yet, here I am," she said, taking a step forward. "How does a genius like you explain this, Tatsuya-kun? I am standing here on my own two feet, speaking to you of my own volition. How do you account for me?"
"…I can only conclude that this isn't reality," Tatsuya replied flatly.
Tatsuya did not dream. As Miyuki had often noted, his sleep was a deep, void-like state where the typical reorganization of memories known as "dreaming" never occurred. Yet, there was no other word for this. This was a dream.
"Whatever the reason for it, it's been a long time, Tatsuya-kun."
"It has," he conceded. "Three years."
"You seem to have navigated things well since then. Miya-sama has passed away as well... I suppose that's one less chain binding you to the Yotsuba."
"Mother was never a 'chain,'" Tatsuya corrected. "Though I will admit, things were slightly more... restrictive... while she was alive."
"And how are things with Miyuki-san? Are the two of you getting along?"
"Miyuki and I are brother and sister. There is no 'getting along' or not; we simply are."
Tatsuya found himself struggling to find his rhythm. Honami's presence had always had a way of bypassing his usual defenses, and even in this dream-state, he felt a lingering sense of awkwardness.
"And Minami-chan? How is she settling in?"
"She is... difficult to manage," Tatsuya admitted. "Mainly because she carries far too much of your shadow."
"We are from the same series of Modified Magicians," Honami said gently. "I suppose that's unavoidable."
The Yotsuba family had always known that Tatsuya and Honami shared a certain closeness. Whether it was because they were "colleagues" in a dangerous trade or because Honami viewed him like a younger brother, the family never hesitated to use that bond as a tool to keep Tatsuya in line. Honami had known that better than anyone.
"Speaking of which, Tatsuya-kun..."
"Yes?"
"I noticed you call her 'Minami,' yet you still call me 'Sakurai-san.'"
"There's nothing strange about that. Minami is my junior. You were my senior—and a Guardian who served far more honorably than I ever did."
"In terms of years of service, yours is actually longer, you know? You don't need to be so formal. You could call me by my name."
Tatsuya hesitated, caught off guard by the suggestion. Changing how he addressed a woman who had been dead for three years felt like a strange, pointless endeavor.
"This isn't reality, remember?" she teased, as if reading his hesitation. "What's the harm? Just pretend you're reuniting with your older sister—or perhaps, your first love."
"I don't possess such emotions..."
"Don't lie. You used to tell me your true feelings, didn't you? I know you held a special place for me. And the only 'special' emotion the Yotsuba left you with was—"
"Romantic love," Tatsuya finished for her.
He was aware of the singular emotional capacity left within him, but until this very moment, he had never consciously realized that those feelings had been directed at Honami. Looking back, he remembered telling her things he would never have shared with anyone else.
"If I had lived," Honami mused, "I wonder if we might have actually dated. Though, I suspect Maya-sama would never have allowed it."
"Aunt Maya? If you were still alive, you would have been Miyuki's Guardian. I likely would have been kept in semi-confinement within the Yotsuba estate."
"Appointment of Guardians is the Mistress's prerogative, after all."
"The family considers it a failure that Miyuki, the successor, doesn't have a female Guardian of your caliber. That's why they sent Minami—to gain experience at her side."
"See? There you go again. You called her 'Minami.'"
Tatsuya fell silent as she cut him off, but he didn't seem to mind. If this was a dream, he didn't want to waste a single second of it.
"Aunt Maya, Miyuki, Ayako, Fumiya... they've all come to acknowledge me in their own way," Tatsuya said quietly. "But the rest of the world has not. If you—the woman who guarded my mother—had been at Miyuki's side, the family would have accepted her position much more easily."
"I wonder. Would they really trust a 'fool' who disobeyed the Mistress to save your life to stand by Miyuki-san?"
"Mother authorized that action," Tatsuya insisted. "You did nothing wrong. In fact, if not for your help, I might have been the one to die that day."
"Is there a magician in existence who could actually kill you, Tatsuya-kun?"
"If the death is instantaneous, I cannot use Regrowth. I'm not invincible."
Since his self-restoration only triggered if he survived the initial impact, his statement wasn't an exaggeration. That day in Okinawa, death had been a hair's breadth away.
"By the way... why did you come to see me? Wouldn't it have made more sense to visit Minami? She is your genetic niece, after all."
"The one I wanted to see was you, Tatsuya-kun. Seeing Minami-chan wouldn't be the same."
"That's a bit harsh to say... but, I admit, I am glad to see you again, Sakur—"
"Ho-na-mi!"
"...Honami-san."
He was forced to yield. Satisfied with hearing him say her name, Honami stepped closer, a radiant, beautiful smile lighting up her face.
"Tatsuya-kun."
"Yes?"
"You haven't kissed anyone since then, have you? So... just one more time. Okay?"
It had been her final request as she lay dying in his arms. Since that day, Tatsuya had never touched another's lips. It was only natural, given his lack of emotional drive, but even to Honami, it seemed tragic that a boy surrounded by such beauty remained so untouched.
"Don't let yourself be bound to me forever," she whispered. "You should find a new love, Tatsuya-kun. But... don't you dare forget me."
"I won't," he promised. "You were my first love, after all."
With those words, Tatsuya leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He never would have imagined he would feel the touch of her lips again, even if only in the hollow space of a dream.
"Thank you," she whispered.
As the words left her lips, Tatsuya felt the heavy pull of the waking world. His consciousness began to rise, the dream-scape fracturing into light.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you... Honami-san."
The words were a faint murmur, escaping his lips the moment he opened his eyes. They vanished into the pre-dawn shadows of his room, unheard by anyone.
(Author's Note: This one left me feeling a bit melancholy...)
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