Chapter 398

Even from the Demon King's perspective, Tachibana thought Sakaki Chika was a strange child.

When she is Magic girl named Star Flower, she seems to be omnipotent and dazzling, but when she reverts to her magical form, she becomes clumsy and incompetent.

As Magic girl, she has many ways to escape suffering when facing her father.

But she always responded in the most clumsy and numb way.

Although he is not a child who is not afraid of being alone, he does not make a special effort to make friends with anyone.

In other words, this child lacks desire.

Even when faced with something they want, they won't say "I want it".

Even if they feel pain, they won't confide in anyone.

Even if the things you care about are drifting further and further away from you, you still don't know what to do.

Why is that?

Perhaps no one has ever taught this child the correct way to cry.

Tachibana was planning to teach this child.

Because she herself was once a child who didn't know what to do after crying.

In the dream, scene after scene flashed by, and time passed quickly, but for Sakaki Chika, who had this dream, it was as if she had personally experienced each moment.

How have you been doing at school lately?

Before Sakaki Chika, the woman exuding a captivating floral fragrance spoke in a gentle and calm tone, noting that it was dusk and snowflakes were falling heavily from the sky, landing on the Christmas tree whose decorations had not yet been removed.

Many colorful plaques were hung on the Christmas tree.

These are, of course, wishing plaques.

"... Um."

Sakaki Chika wanted to say that it didn't feel very real.

At first, it was fine, but as she stayed in this world longer and longer, she sometimes forgot that this was a dream.

"Don't worry, don't be afraid, nothing scary will happen next."

The woman patted Sakaki Chika's head.

Although they were not the same, Tachibana's gentle touch reminded Sakaki Chika of her grandmother from the past.

Then, Tachibana turned around and began to examine the wishing plaques on the Christmas tree with great interest.

She casually picked up a sign:

"Speaking of which, what wishes did you and they all make?"

Upon hearing this, perhaps because she had nothing else to do, Sakaki Chika also picked up the sign hanging on the tree.

This is just a dream.

Of course, it's different from reality.

"Hoping everyone can be happy... or something like that?"

Sakaki Chika said.

However, after flipping through several, she still couldn't find the brand she was looking for.

She wanted to find her teacher's and her own name tags.

Because she had told the teacher that she hoped their signs would be hung together.

"You can't find it."

Tachibana said with a light laugh.

Sakaki Chika looked at Tachibana with a puzzled expression.

Then she saw that Tachibana was holding a sign hanging in the corner, sitting there all alone.

Sakaki Chika moved closer to take a look.

She could recognize the handwriting; it was her teacher's.

Because the teacher taught Chinese, she saw the teacher's handwriting every day, so it was very easy for her to recognize it.

However, she wasn't there.

"Because you've been busy with idol performances and haven't been to class for a long time, you naturally haven't written your own wishing plaque."

"The wishes on this tree have nothing to do with you."

The woman tilted her snow-white neck back and gazed leisurely at the bright little light bulb at the top of the tree.

Bright specks of light.

It illuminated countless small moments of happiness.

"So, how do you feel now?"

Tachibana asked calmly.

Sakaki Chika's expression didn't change much as a result.

Her gaze was much calmer than before.

She wasn't particularly upset about the question, since it wasn't real. So, after thinking for a moment, she answered blankly:

"A little... lonely."

It's only a little bit.

Is that so?

Sakaki Chika's reaction did not displease Tachibana. It was as if she had just brought Sakaki Chika for a stroll. She naturally extended her adult hand and took Sakaki Chika's hand.

Before Sakaki Chika, something changed in the path leading to this dream.

A scene from another time period appeared in front of them.

The woman raised her hand and pointed in that direction.

"Let's go take a look over there next."

The figures of the girl and the woman gradually faded into the distance, heading towards the other side of the dream, and this memory of the Christmas tree also gradually began to dissipate and fade.

What the two of them didn't notice was that, just before this scene was about to end, a rather inconspicuous girl quietly walked up to the Christmas tree covered with signs.

The girl seemed to be searching for something.

Until they found the sign that Tachibana had just picked up...

A corridor that looks very long.

But in reality, it is very short compared to the girl's life so far.

Every distance is a footprint separated by time and memory.

The woman and the girl strolled along the corridor, initially just glancing at it, but when they reached an unfamiliar section, Sakaki Chika suddenly stopped.

She paused before that unfamiliar scene.

It still feels like high school.

After school, it was already dark. Students walked out of the school gate into the night and under the lights. Some students were in groups, some were planning where to go after school, and some looked a little lonely, but they went straight to their parents.

Compared to the noisy crowd, there was a short figure among the students, with his head down.

The child's figure was really strange.

There was no one with me, and I didn't know where to go.

Even Sakaki Chika didn't know where that child went after school.

Just as Sakaki Chika just said.

She felt a little lonely.

But it's only a little bit.

Strictly speaking, it's not something that would make one burst into tears, nor would one complain too much about it.

"After your idol graduates, you'll eventually go from first grade to second grade too."

"When all the familiar faces have left you, all that's left are strangers who have nothing to do with you."

"Actually, we're more than just friends."

Tachibana felt Sakaki Chika's hand, which was holding hers, tighten slightly for a moment.

She smiled and didn't continue.

In fact, in this dream, the child didn't possess anything.

Family, friends, people who care about her, her own home, even happy memories of the past all seem too far-fetched.

How do you feel now?

She asked again.

Sakaki Chika's answer changed somewhat this time:

"I feel very envious."

Envious... right?

Tachibana didn't stay there for long either.

She looked to one side, and the long corridor from her dream reappeared.

Behind them, during the evening after school, the sounds of students laughing and chatting could still be faintly heard.

Just before leaving, Sakaki Chika suddenly paused for a moment.

Her expression changed slightly.

The light in Sakaki Chika's eyes flickered for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

The dreamlike scene continued shortly after they left.

When school ended, in her dream, Sakaki Chika walked out of the crowd alone, not knowing where she was going.

However, behind her, a girl emerged from the crowd without her noticing, as if searching for something.

Until I saw Sakaki Chika gradually disappearing into the distance.

The girl ran towards Sakaki Chika's direction...

This time, Sakaki Chika was not present in the dream.

Sakaki Chika also has no memory of these scenes.

Because she couldn't possibly have known.

To be honest, when Sakaki Chika stood before this fragment of the dream, she had no idea whether the scene before her was real or not. Perhaps, this scene was just Tachibana made up.

But that doesn't seem to matter.

Before her was a Sakaki Chika of unfamiliar houses, probably some kind of rental apartment, and the space wasn't very large.

Aside from her hotel room, Sakaki Chika's only residence is her old home where she lives with her parents.

She actually wanted to sell that old home where they used to live together, if it weren't for the memories she had with her grandmother.

Because there's nothing there worth remembering.

But it's not like that here.

Although the conditions aren't great, many places here exude a sense of life.

There are family photos, dolls and cartoon mugs that the family bought together, schedules and homework sheets that the two of them wrote together, and many other things that have nothing to do with Sakaki Chika's childhood.

Why would she see families that have nothing to do with her?

Because...