A void of darkness. I opened my eyes in a pitch-black world where I couldn't see an inch in front of me. I wasn't even sure if my eyes were open.
It didn't take long to realize that this situation was a dream.
My halo, which should have been glowing faintly, had been swallowed by the darkness, its presence completely erased.
It was a blackened world, devoid of any light source.
The only times I had experienced a dream like this were with Black Suit and Seia, so naturally, they were the first two I suspected.
But both of them had their characteristic locations.
My meetings with Black Suit took place in that unique Gematria meeting room, and my meetings with Seia were held on the mystical Tea Party terrace office.
In that sense, this lucid dream set against a backdrop of alien darkness suggested another possibility.
My only guess was the real Mika, who shared this body, but my vision was empty.
I opened my mouth to call her name, but no sound came out.
In this dark world where nothing could be seen and nothing could be heard, the only sensation was the feeling of standing on solid ground.
Standing still would change nothing. I didn't know how to wake up from a lucid dream. I raised a hand and pinched what I assumed was my cheek, but no pain came.
So, I walked forward. If there was an obstacle, I would hit it. If the path ended in a cliff, I would fall.
But knowing that this was all just a dream, I felt no fear.
I walked, and walked, and walked. I wandered through the darkness for a long time. Despite the sensation of moving forward, the darkness around me showed no signs of lifting.
Then, for the first time, a change occurred in this alien space.
"Idiot. Not that way, this way."
"…Mika?"
A voice. I opened my mouth, and finally, a sound came out. It seemed this situation, which appeared to be Mika's bad joke, was finally coming to an end.
But what did she mean by 'this way'? The voice echoed, making it impossible to guess the direction. What was I supposed to do? This was a prank in the worst possible taste.
"Hey, if you have something to say, could you stop with the games?".
"Ahaha. Meeting a secluded princess isn't supposed to be that easy, is it? So, you'll have to struggle a little longer. Let's see… you're about halfway there now, so I guess you've at least started? Yes.".
…This is my favorite character?.
But it was Mika, so it was fine. What was I to do if the princess wanted to be a little mischievous? Following her whims was the fate of a Mika-devotee like myself.
But wait, had Mika ever referred to herself as a princess in the original story…?.
Pushing the question aside, I started walking again, and then again. At some point, I broke into a run.
To think I had only just realized that I couldn't get tired in a dream. I really deserved to be called an idiot.
But was her saying 'this way' and 'halfway' also part of the prank?.
Because when I had covered less than half the distance I had before, something took shape in the distance. It was the first light in this world of darkness.
Using the newfound light source as a guide, I ran. As I grew closer, the source of the light was revealed to be a mirror.
"Okay, stop! Right there!".
"…What now?".
As Mika's voice rang out, my body froze, unable to move.
I understood now that, at least in this dream, Mika had more influence than I did.
"Ahaha! It's not that serious, so you can relax your face. It's nothing big, just, um. A pop quiz, let's say? Princesses in stories usually have a knight to protect them, so this can be a substitute for that… Of course, the me here isn't a princess or anything.".
"…Hey, didn't you just call yourself a secluded princess a minute ago?".
"Hmm…? You're right. I did, didn't I? Well, well, it was just a little slip of the tongue, so don't worry about it.
Let's move on. Time for the question!".
The question Mika threw at me was so meaningless that I let out a sigh of exasperation before it even registered.
"Hey. Grapes and apples. Which do you like more?".
"…I like peaches and pears more than either of those.".
"What? Seriously, how can you just dodge the question instead of picking one of the options? Not that it really matters. Then, then! Between peaches and pears, which do you like more?".
"I don't really know why you're asking this, but if I had to choose between the two, I guess it would be peaches…?".
"Good, you pass. You can move forward again.".
"No, seriously, what was the point of that question?".
"Who knows… a simple preliminary survey? Like I said, it's not that important.
so you don't need to worry about it so much.".
Swallowing the sigh that threatened to escape at her anticlimactic answer, I willed my newly freed body toward the mirror that was now not far away.
The moment I reached the mirror, the darkness lifted. In its place, a brilliant dance of stars was revealed, scattering light in all directions and chasing away the traces of black.
And at the center of all that light were me and the mirror before me.
Perhaps because it was a dream, my eyes didn't hurt despite being suddenly filled with light, which was a relief.
"..."
But unlike this world, which was completely dyed in blue light, the world beyond the mirror was dark and cold.
The stars were few enough to be counted, and a reddish hue seemed to hang in the air.
At its center stood the real Mika, facing me, a cold sneer on her lips.
As I had felt before, her gaze did not seem particularly friendly.
Her lack of a halo, and her wings—did it signify her situation, having had everything taken away by me?.
As I slowly brought a hand to the mirror, Mika mimicked the motion exactly, as if to insist that she was nothing more than a reflection.
But that did not make the real thing a fake. The Mika before me was the one and only original, and she was a person who did not belong in a place like this.
"Mika… are you trapped beyond this mirror?".
"Hmm? I am trapped, yes. This place is both my home and my sanctuary. But… that doesn't necessarily mean it's beyond the mirror. Among the concepts you can easily understand and accept, the form of a mirror was the most intuitive.
You can just think of it that way.".
So… even if there had been a birdcage or a portrait instead of this mirror, or if Mika had been beyond a computer monitor or a phone screen, it would all have signified the same situation.
Mika was trapped. And the extent of her influence on the outside world was to occasionally appear in a hallucinatory form, as if playing a prank.
…Perhaps the reason she held more influence than me in this dream.
was simply because I was not accustomed to this situation.
"I tried to ask you before, but… I'm already figuring out a way. So I will, I will definitely get you out of there.".
"Honestly, you say that without having listened to a word I said. I told you not to trust Gematria, I'm sure I did… sigh. Fine, if that's your choice, then I suppose there's nothing to be done.
I'm in a position where I can't do anything right now, after all.".
"…Nagisa misses you a lot. Seia… I'm not so sure.".
"Idiot, Seia-chan doesn't think of me as that close of a friend. And Nagisa-chan… ahaha. I don't know anymore.
We've already gone astray, far too far astray.".
"So, you do know.".
"Of course, I've heard and seen everything. Without missing a single thing. That girl made her choice, and so did I. Yes. No matter what end we meet, our relationship can never go back to the way it was.
It's a shame, but that's reality.".
Mika, who had seemed somewhat depressed and tired, let out a deep sigh. And then, she spoke, her words like a volley of shots.
"If trusting Gematria is your choice, then I'll respect it. But know this one thing. I will never, ever accept this body back if it's been tainted by those horned freaks from Gehenna. I would rather die than accept it. Yes, so you can just keep using that body from now on.".
…So this Gehenna-hate really was Mika's.
"W-well, I don't think 'tainted' is the right word…?".
"…Honestly, you're the biggest idiot I've ever seen. It's amazing you don't even know what was done to you. And even though the body is mine, it's a wonder how you've managed to seduce even those horned ones.
I have to admit, there were moments when even I was surprised by how heart-fluttering it was to watch…".
Wait, what does she mean, what was done to me…?.
In any case, what was important now wasn't this trivial talk. There was something else I truly needed to say.
"Mika, you do hate me, don't you?".
"Oh, was it that obvious? I thought I was hiding it pretty well… Aha! Just kidding, just kidding. As for your question, the answer is, of course, yes. I had no intention of hiding it, to the point where you'd have to be an idiot not to notice. Yes. As for the reason…".
"It's fine. I have plenty of guesses, so you don't have to tell me. Yes. Besides, it's not like hearing it will change what I have to do.".
No matter the backstory, I am going to get Mika out of here.
So what if she's a little warped?.
It's an adult's job to soothe a child like that and guide them back to the right path. More than anything, I truly want Mika to be happy.
She must not be unhappy.
"Whoa… how can you say things like that so easily…? B-but it's not like you can seduce me, so you should hold back a little.
I'm not a narcissist like that girl from Millennium.".
To be completely honest, it would be a lie to say I didn't want to seduce her.
After all, Mika was my one and only favorite character.
But it didn't have to be like that.
If I could just see Mika happy, that would be enough.
"…I'm getting tired, so let's end our meeting here for today.".
"Wait—"
"I'll call you again later if I get bored. Bye-bye, Miss Fakey.".
The moment Mika's words ended, a sensation like being submerged in water.
enveloped my entire body. My consciousness began to awaken amidst the scattering stardust.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Nagisa's peacefully sleeping face. We were still holding hands.
I closed my eyes to try and sleep again, but Mika's subdued voice as we spoke, and her eyes, which had still lost their light.
were unforgettable.
One question remained, tormenting me.
Could Mika have possibly seen my memories from before I fell into Kivotos?.
If not, then Mika….
Nothing was certain yet, not anywhere. It was all just my own speculation. But the possibility that my speculation was true was far too great.
Misono Mika was hiding a secret of no small significance.