Chapter 387

Her voice was a little hoarse from crying.

In fact, she was still very scared.

But unlike before, they were not defeated by this despair.

"The ostracism I suffered is over; I've forgotten those people's faces."

"I don't have to face my father anymore."

"I've been studying hard, and if I can wake up from this nightmare, I'll improve in the next exam."

Time seemed to stand still once again.

What are you saying?

During the time that the conversation had just taken place, the girl's tears were slowly wiped away and dried.

Her eyes were still red, but she had regained some of her composure.

The girl whispered:

"In reality, I've already been saved; I've become very lucky, luckier than many people."

"Teacher Haihara taught me that what I once thought was a nightmare actually has a way to end."

"My friends will definitely come to save me."

"So... at least, I don't want to be like before, a coward who just waits for nightmares to defeat me, making everything I've experienced before meaningless."

So, she was indeed very scared at first.

Terrified and at a loss, terrified and wanting to run away, terrified and slowly feeling panic and despair.

But slowly.

She will muster up a little courage again.

Slowly, Sakaki Chika rubbed her red eyes and raised her head---

"Ms. Tachibana, I don't mind if you keep showing me this."

I will rebel against you.

"Until I have the chance to leave here."

After mustering her courage, Sakaki Chika said this to Tachibana.

At that moment, the pitch-black Pendulum fell into a deathly silence.

[...]

This is truly surprising.

Surprisingly, despite having been paying close attention to everything about Sakaki Chika, he hadn't expected the Sakaki Chika in his dream to change in this way.

It was completely different from what she had imagined.

But... it doesn't matter.

Although the past has been turned over a new leaf, deep within Sakaki Chika's heart lies a new and even more vulnerable part.

How will this clumsy yet innocent child react this time?

If it was because a mature and reliable adult made the right choice for Sakaki Chika, she was able to escape the nightmare of the past.

But this time—it's up to the child to make the choice.

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Chapter 153 Questions

Realizing that the nightmares of the past could not defeat the present Sakaki Chika, Tachibana lost interest in tormenting the child with those memories and directly punctured the bubble surrounding Sakaki Chika's past.

When the bubble bursts, the new dream that emerges is much brighter.

This is still the firm.

However, in her dream, Sakaki Chika had already officially become an idol.

Although she hasn't become a huge star like in real life, she still enjoys a small following and popularity due to her cute face and style.

Moreover, what made Sakaki Chika feel especially redeemed was that, at this time, her homeroom Teacher Haihara she had only met a few times, had rescued her from her dark and hopeless life.

Everything seems to be slowly getting better.

But if that's the case, what is this child thinking right now that he's sitting in front of me?

"Miss Tachibana... where is this?"

Looking around, she saw that everything had transformed into her familiar office, the one where Tachibana worked as a director and which she occasionally visited.

She had been here in real life some time ago.

That was...

"Do you remember what you came to talk to me about a while ago? At that time, I agreed to it without asking any questions, but now, I want to ask you about it properly."

Tachibana acted as if nothing had happened about what she had done as the Demon King not long ago.

Now, things have returned to how they were before, when she, as a director of Star Flower Agency, discussed work with the agency's most popular idols.

Although Sakaki Chika was confused, she unconsciously became immersed in the atmosphere.

"But before that, let's talk about something lighter."

The female director always had a relaxed smile on her face, as if nothing could make her lose her composure; perhaps this was the leisure that adults possess.

Then, Tachibana's next words left Sakaki Chika speechless for a moment.

"As Tachibana Aeruru, as Sakaki Chika, what are your desires?"

Desire is the word that Monster like the most.

Tachibana, of course, also adored it.

"Or perhaps the word 'dream' would be better?"

The office was indeed very brightly lit.

To be honest, Sakaki Chika prefers natural sunlight to artificial light; seeing artificial light always makes her feel lonely.

At first, Sakaki Chika was confused when she suddenly heard this question.

However, she soon realized that she had no choice but to answer this question seriously now.

"..."

She blinked silently, then closed her eyes slightly, until no more light shone through them.

After a while, Sakaki Chika tried to state her thoughts in a disjointed manner:

"My dream is to bring smiles to others, just like my grandma said."

She clasped her hands together gently, and on her fingers, she wore beautiful nail polish that seemed out of place for her age.

Unlike her usual cheerful and enthusiastic way of describing her dreams, this time she spoke with a calm expression.

"It's like becoming an idol. If someone is willing to watch my performance and feels happy because of it, I will be very happy."

"Being Magic girl is good, because I can protect others and prevent people from being sad because of Monster."

"That's what I think."

This time, Sakaki Chika finished speaking without stumbling.

Tachibana listened quietly to these words, then gazed at Sakaki Chika with a smile, lost in thought.

Sakaki Chika has mentioned this dream many times.

Empty and confusing.

However, when it comes to this sentence, Sakaki Chika always seems to imagine it with the most innocent mindset.

Seeing Tachibana's meaningful smile, Sakaki Chika answered the next question at the same time:

"If it's about personal desires... Tachibana should be well aware of that as well."

"I like Teacher Haihara, that's all."

A rare melancholy expression appeared on the girl's face.

It lacked both the clumsiness of the past and that naive enthusiasm and longing.

Only the most sincere... disappointment.

Tachibana was very curious about Sakaki Chika's expression.

This child actually made that expression.

She wore an expression that was hard to tell whether it was helplessness or pleasure.

"You really are a contradictory child."

At that moment, she opened the envelope that had been sitting on her desk, and began to open it in front of Sakaki Chika, then read it as if she were reading a letter she had already read.

This was written to her by Sakaki Chika.

The content above is also very simple.

"If bringing smiles to others as an idol is your dream and something you find meaningful, then why did you apply to graduate from idol training?"

"My life had just begun to emerge from the shadows and start to improve."

In fact, the final performance of the recent shows in Maple Plain City and other places was the moment when Sakaki Chika was about to announce her graduation from idolhood.

For Star Flower Agency, this was something no one could understand, but it still received approval from the Tachibana board.

In response, Sakaki Chika opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.

"..."

However, in the end, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

This reaction left Tachibana somewhat bored.

But this was expected.

She didn't press the matter immediately, but instead asked another question:

"If you really like Teacher Haihara, then after she becomes younger, it's a great opportunity for everyone to start from scratch, and for her to truly like you."

"Then why have you never tried to get to know her now?"

For the first time, Tachibana's tone revealed her own dissatisfaction.

In her view, this is clearly a good opportunity.

But Sakaki Chika, whom she regarded as a vessel, never tried to get close to Haihara.

"I... it's because of work."

She lowered her head and began to explain.

However, she herself may have gradually realized that all her words were meaningless.

Sakaki Chika whispered to herself:

"... No, it's not because of that."

A woman knows most of her thoughts.

Everything I'm doing now is just to get her to say it herself.

Finally, she bit her lip and said nothing.

This side of me, perhaps, would never be seen by anyone unless it happened in a dream.

The girl was still very nervous.

Because she didn't know if Ms. Tachibana would continue asking until she had to say it herself.

Fortunately, the woman quickly broke into a cheerful smile and said something that relieved Sakaki Chika, but also left her speechless—

"In that case, let's leave the questions here for now."

"I've approved your application to graduate as an idol."