Tuesday Morning – Outside the City
Kazuki stares up at the gate.
It reads:
"Cognitive Regulation Camp – Entry by Court Order or Very Bad Luck"
He turns to Aya.
"Why are you smiling?"
She's wearing sunglasses, a sunhat, and a suspiciously expensive cara.
"Vacation," she says. "I brought snacks."
"You're not even in the program!"
She pats his shoulder.
"Emotional support. Plus, soone has to record your ntal collapse."
Inside the Camp – Orientation Hall
Kazuki sits on a folding chair, surrounded by teenagers who all look vaguely unhinged.
To his left:
A girl with bandages around her hands, muttering into a walkie-talkie.
To his right:
A boy trying to eat a Rubik's Cube.
Natsuki-sensei stands on stage in a lab coat and high heels like this is a TED Talk on psychic disasters.
"Welco to Camp Don't Think Weird Things," she says.
"That's not the official na," soone mutters.
"It is now," she replies.
Natsuki paces.
"You're all here because your minds don't follow the rules. So of you dream things that co true. So of you speak lies that beco facts. And one of you—"(she looks directly at Kazuki)"—accidentally turned their chemistry teacher into a swimsuit model for three hours."
Kazuki tries to sink into his seat.
Aya waves from the back.
"Hi, Sweetie!"
Natsuki sighs.
"And yes, the emotional support gremlin is authorized. Barely."
First Exercise – "Thought Filters"
The task: think about a cat.Only a cat.
If your thoughts create anything else... alarms go off.
Kazuki focuses.
Cat.
Soft fur.
Paws.
Whiskers.
Tail.
Big... human-like—
BZZT!
Sirens wail.
The screen flashes:
"THOUGHT BREACH: CATGIRL DETECTED"
Everyone turns.
Kazuki buries his head in his hands.
Aya claps politely.
"Wow, that was fast."
Break Ti – Cafeteria
Kazuki grabs a tray of vaguely edible food.
A girl plops down next to him. Short hair, cold eyes, military posture.
"Na's Hikari," she says. "Your brain's unstable. You'll fit right in."
"...Thanks?"
She points at the others.
"That guy can rewrite mories if he sneezes. That girl dreams alternate tilines. You? You're the wildcard. Reality warping based on stray thoughts? That's top-tier terrifying."
Kazuki mutters, "I prefer emotionally inconvenient."
Hikari smirks.
"You'll learn."
Later – Outside Training Field
Natsuki sets up targets.
"You will now think of sothing safe to summon. Sothing boring. Non-threatening."
Kazuki stares at the target.
"A toaster. Just a toaster."
A toaster appears.
So does a giant loaf of bread wearing sunglasses.
It flexes.
Aya starts laughing from the bleachers.
Natsuki marks a clipboard.
"Still emotionally unstable. But at least it's gluten-based."
Evening – Camp Dorms
Kazuki collapses onto his bunk.
Aya sits on his roommate's bed (he doesn't know where the roommate went—he's too afraid to ask).
"You did okay," she says, scrolling through the photos she took of his failures.
Kazuki groans.
"I summoned bread that posed. Bread shouldn't pose."
Aya shrugs.
"You only accidentally conjured one swimsuit model today. That's growth."
He looks at her.
"...I don't deserve you."
She smirks.
"Nope."
anwhile – Observation Room
Natsuki watches the camp feed.
Another figure enters.
A woman in a black coat, eyes sharp.
"So that's the boy," she says."The one whose fantasies bleed into the world."
Natsuki nods.
"And you think he can be controlled?"
Natsuki doesn't answer.
Just stares at the screen where Kazuki laughs with Aya under the sunset.
"...I think he's the only one who still cares enough not to destroy everything."
Reviews
All reviews (0)