I am currently facing a troubling situation.
I woke up at dawn to see a pale-haired woman, and I instinctively counterattacked. However, the “ghost” turned out to be Daphne!
For so reason, she had been hanging from the second bunk of the bed, and when I pushed her, she toppled backward.
By the ti I understood the situation, I was sitting like a criminal, being scolded by a sulking Daphne.
“Why would you suddenly push like that!”
“I’m sorry! I thought you were a ghost and attacked!”
“A ghost? ?”
Fortunately, Daphne is also an Awakened. Falling from the height of a second bunk bed hadn’t resulted in any injuries or fractures.
However, her emotional wound seed significant.
My usually easygoing roommate, who would laugh off anything even while snacking, was sulking for the first ti.
“I was checking if you seed unwell, and you just shoved . Does that make sense? That’s so an.”
“But you suddenly popped your head out in the middle of the night; it really looked like a ghost. Especially since your hair is silver.”
My clumsy excuse only made things worse. Daphne opened her mouth as if to say sothing, then closed it, lowering her head with a dejected expression.
“I guess I was wrong, too. I’m sorry for startling you. I just wanted to help…”
Her voice trailed off, and she looked like she felt wronged. Her beautiful blue eyes, glowing faintly, held a touch of sorrow.
-What do I do? She seems disappointed!-
-This is our fault. Let’s apologize.-
“I was wrong. I’m sorry. I won’t push you next ti!”
I spent the next five minutes earnestly apologizing to Daphne and managed to earn her forgiveness.
“I apologize again. If I see anything that looks like you, I’ll talk first next ti!”
“No, it’s okay. Thinking about it, it makes sense. If soone unknown touched my head at night, I’d probably freak out too.”
She laughed awkwardly, seeming a little embarrassed.
I should be more careful next ti. If I had reacted more recklessly, I might’ve drawn my weapon.
By the way, there was one thing I was curious about.
“But Daphne, why were you on the top bunk?”
She calmly began to explain.
“Actually…”
She told that I often groaned and tossed around in bed at night. In the first week, it was occasional, but it had beco more frequent after the second week. RÀNＯ𝐛Ę𝓢
“At first, I thought it was just sleep talking.”
She opened her palm, and a gentle greenish light of magic glowed from it.
“One day, you looked so distressed lying in bed that I decided to use my unique ability. I thought I’d tell you directly about your condition later, but things turned out like this.”
“Every night? Was it really that bad?”
“You wouldn’t know since you were asleep. Does anything co to mind? Just earlier, you were crying out in pain in your sleep.”
Her unique ability, she explained, included a healing power that could provide psychological stability.
By carefully adjusting it, it emitted specific waves that cald the brain, reducing pain and inducing a sense of peace.
This was news to .
Was I really causing such a ruckus at night?
-Do any of you recall anything?-
-No clue. We’re asleep, so what could we notice?-
Even after discussing with my other selves, all I received were doubtful reactions.
I thought back.
What had happened before I slept, while I was asleep?
“I rember. I had a bad dream.”
The situation beca clear.
I must have been having seizures in my sleep, and Daphne used her unique ability to calm down.
Wait, judging by how she spoke, it seed like this wasn’t just a one-ti thing.
“Wait a minute, have you been checking on and healing every night? Don’t tell you lost sleep because of ?”
“Don’t worry about that. The tis when your condition worsens overlap with my waking hours anyway. It’s not a big strain.”
She shrugged her shoulders. Watching her smile as if it were nothing made feel ashad.
To think I mistook such a kind person for a ghost and knocked her off the bed.
Could I be any more selfish?
“Thanks for forgiving earlier. Daphne, you really are a kind person!”
“A kind… person?”
She seed to hesitate for a mont at the last part of my sentence.
“I’m not that kind of person…”
“What do you an? You lost sleep because of .”
“Well, I just can’t stand seeing people around suffer or in pain.”
Her sudden self-deprecating comnt left unsure of what to say, and I sat there awkwardly.
Perhaps sensing my discomfort, Daphne changed the subject.
“Did I say sothing strange? I must’ve been reminded of the past for a mont… Anyway, may I ask you a sensitive question?”
“As long as it’s not too strange, I’ll try to answer.”
“Alright, then. Rugilinn, have you ever experienced sothing bad in the past?”
“Sothing bad? What do you an?”
She began explaining with a serious expression.
Caught off guard by her use of psychological and dical jargon, I struggled to keep up.
In summary, this was what she ant:
“I’m not a professional doctor, but I’ve seen similar cases before. What you’re experiencing resembles symptoms of PTSD.”
“PTSD? Isn’t that sothing war veterans suffer from?”
At my question, she shook her head.
“PTSD can affect anyone. Anyone who has experienced sothing traumatic can suffer from it.”
“Sothing traumatic from the past? I don’t think so. Let think about it.”
I fell deep into thought.
Like flipping through an old elentary school diary, I sorted through my mories.
There was the ti I spent at the research institute.
mories of being harassed by that an ponytail researcher or electrocuted by that slicked-back bastard ca to mind.
More recently, I had experiences in the dungeon where my head exploded or limbs were severed.
But were those events really that hard to endure?
Now, they’ve faded into a “that happened” level of insignificance.
Besides, I dealt with the culprits myself.
So, what could the problem be? Could it be sothing from even earlier?
The mont I tried to think, a headache began to build.
I couldn’t rember.
It felt like soone had deliberately cut off parts of my mory.
A bright light, a mask… I was lying down, unable to move, and then… soone approached…
My head.
It hurt.
“Ugh… Ugh!”
“Are you okay?”
I clutched my head and shook it side to side.
The world spun around .
When I stood, my body staggered, and I suddenly found myself short of breath, cold sweat pouring from .
As I nearly collapsed, Daphne caught and held close.
Enveloped in her soft, warm embrace, my breathing began to calm.
Once again, a healing wave enveloped my head.
Only when a gentle hand stroked my hair did I manage to catch my breath.
“H-heuk… Heuk…”
“I’m sorry, it’s all because of .”
“It’s not Daphne’s fault…”
Once again, a healing wave wrapped around my head.
Only when a tender touch brushed my hair was I able to calm my breathing.
“Just stay with a little longer…”
Daphne silently patted on the back.
I didn’t want to think anymore.
I just closed my eyes and leaned into her embrace for a mont.
When my emotions settled, I was finally able to sit back down with her support.
“How about going to the hospital, just once?”
“The hospital? No way!”
The word “hospital” triggered an automatic and intense reaction in my body.
For so reason, the re ntion of it felt unsettling.
“Alright. If you don’t want to, I can’t force you. But if it gets worse, you have to promise to seek help. Okay?”
She kept emphasizing the severity of the situation with a serious expression.
Maybe I should actually schedule a session with a therapist soday.
I’d never gone even before this possession; it might be worth trying now.
My head throbbed again.
“Could you use the healing wave on again? My head hurts…”
“Alright. Then lie down here for a mont.”
I lay down with Daphne’s lap serving as my pillow.
Once more, her soft hand covered my forehead, and a warm wave enveloped my head.
It was as refreshing as a spring breeze and as soothing as sunlight.
When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a large, soft curve blocking my view.
As always, I noticed that Daphne’s chest was larger than mine.
How her slim, delicate body managed to coexist with such fullness was beyond .
As my pain and anxiety faded, a random thought crossed my mind.
With a figure like hers, wouldn’t it feel warr and cozier to cuddle with her while sleeping?
I wondered what it would feel like to hold Daphne tightly as I drifted off.
Would it be incredibly comfortable?
Sensing sothing amiss, Daphne’s gaze shifted toward .
“You seem to be having an amusing thought. Can I hear it?”
“Huh? It’s nothing!”
“It’s not sothing weird, is it?”
“Ehehe…”
I decided not to tell her.
Enough strange thoughts for now.
When the central district began gleaming under the early morning sun, No. 58 sought out Kalia.
“Oh, Violet. Which number are you… Ah, never mind. There are so many of you. Is that subrged cart issue still unresolved?”
“No, I ca to check on sothing else.”
“Ask quickly. I’m busy.”
Before heading to school, No. 58 asked Kalia if anything unusual had happened while staying at the Brotherhood’s quarters.
“Unusual? No, nothing like that… Oh. There was one thing.”
“What was it?”
“I didn’t ntion it because I thought it might embarrass you, but during the first few nights after you escaped the lab, we often heard crying from your bedroom. It was odd, but it gradually stopped after a few weeks. Everyone was worried back then. Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
“Uh, it’s nothing. Thanks for telling !”
I gave a vague reply.
Kalia scrutinized for a mont before making a blunt remark.
“Hey, Violet. Are you doing okay lately?”
“There’s nothing wrong. Why?”
She bent slightly to et at eye level.
Her calm erald eyes studied closely.
“Are you really sure? It’s good that you’ve been keeping busy with deliveries and searches, but you don’t look well.”
“I’m just tired. A good rest will fix everything!”
“It’s not that kind of thing. Even the others… Never mind. If you say you’re fine, I’ll drop it.”
As she turned to leave, Kalia looked back, her tone laced with concern.
“Later, if things get tough or overwhelming, co find . Don’t make co to you. Got it?”
“Got it!”
No. 58 walked off briskly, disappearing into the alleyways.
That afternoon, during a brief mont of free ti, we discussed our condition.
-Kalia is right. Except for the first few days, I haven’t had any nightmares. But they seem to be increasing lately.-
-The second week? What happened back then?-
-That’s when we started increasing the number of clones and actively engaging in activities.-
Could the rising number of clones be connected to the frequency of nightmares?
Soone suggested that our bad mories might amplify with the number of clones, but nothing was certain.
However, we identified one common thread.
We realized there was sothing we didn’t know.
We had forgotten sothing important.
Every ti we tried to recall it, enduring headaches and dizziness, an empty sensation filled our minds.
-It feels like we forgot sothing.-
-Yeah. Sothing really important. It’s like forgetting the password to a door.-
What could it be?
It felt as though soone had carved out a part of our mory, leaving a blank space.
-Well, maybe we’ll rember soday!-
I brushed it off lightly and headed to the eting place.
Sitting on a secluded bench, I waited until Irene appeared.
“You’re early. I heard you won your duel.”
“Yeah, it was no big deal. So, what is it you wanted to say?”
Today, Irene seed even more confident than usual.
“I’m going to challenge the freshman council soon. I finished preparing faster than I expected.”
I knew it.
Irene was bound to take action.
Maybe this ridiculous control could end sooner than expected.
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