For some reason, the saint of our school drops her façade when she's with me (GL) - Chapter 7

I rarely remember my dreams.

When I was younger, most of them were nightmares.

Dreams of falling to my death, dreams of being killed, dreams where I was the one who ended it all.

Back then, when my uncle had just taken me in, he would often comfort me whenever I woke up screaming.

Now that I was older and living alone, the nightmares had lessened—but the dream I had that night was different.

I saw myself in my school uniform, sitting next to the Saint.

I couldn’t speak or interact—I was just an observer.

Yet, in the dream, the Saint and I were holding hands, fingers intertwined.

We were whispering sweet words of love to each other.

Wait—what?!

That’s not me! I didn’t do that!

And yet—

Why didn’t it feel bad?

“Yukie.”

She called my name.

My heart pounded.

Why?

It wasn’t the first time someone had said my name.

My uncle had. Mizuki had.

But it had never felt like this before.

Even though I knew this was just a dream, something inside me felt off.

“I love you.”

Love?

I didn’t know love.

At least, not that kind.

I knew familial love—the kind my uncle showed me.

I knew friendship—the kind Mizuki gave me.

But this—

This was something else entirely.

It made my chest feel strange—like something was squeezing it, but at the same time, it was comforting.

A warm, peaceful feeling that made no sense at all.

“I love you too.”

No! That wasn’t me!

The dream version of me had just said that on its own.

What the hell?!

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to deny it or accept it—

The feeling was too complex.

The warmth of her hand in mine was just an illusion.

And yet—

Why did it feel so real?

Why—

Why didn’t I hate it?

Suddenly, the dream shifted.

The Saint, who had been right beside me, disappeared.

And with her, the warmth vanished.

It felt like losing everything all at once.

Like a black hole had formed in my chest, swallowing everything inside me.

Panic surged through me.

I called out her name desperately.

In the distance, through the darkness—

I saw her back, growing smaller.

I ran.

I screamed.

I chased her with everything I had.

But no matter how fast I went—

I couldn’t reach her.

No matter how much I called out to her—

She only got further away.

For a brief moment, she turned her head—

And looked at me.

“Goodbye.”

No.

No, no, no!

Don’t go.

Don’t leave me.

Don’t abandon me.

Don’t—

Don’t leave me all alone.

“Karen!”

I screamed her name.

I reached out—

And then—

I woke up.

“…It was just a dream.”

My body was covered in sweat.

Even though I always tossed and turned in my sleep, tonight had been worse than usual.

I glanced at my pillow—it was completely out of place.

Sitting up, I checked the time.

Just before 5 AM.

A little early, but later than when I usually woke up to make bentos.

“That was a weird dream.”

Why the hell had I been whispering love confessions to the Saint—

Only for us to be torn apart like some tragic romance?

“I’m not even into tragic love stories.”

I was more of a pure romance fan.

Honestly, this felt like a nightmare.

Dreams could be cruel.

Even though it wasn’t real, my emotions had felt so real.

The details were already starting to fade, but one thing was clear—

“I should take a bath.”

I felt gross from sweating so much.

A shower would help, and afterward…

I still had time before I had to meet Mizuki.

Maybe I’d drink some cocoa and read for a while.

I considered coffee, but…

For some reason, I wanted something sweet.

Maybe because I was still left with a bitter feeling.

I could try going back to sleep—

But if I had to see the rest of that dream, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

“It was just a dream.”

But—

I’d had enough of nightmares.

I dragged myself up and headed for the bathroom.

The hot water washed away the sweat, and I felt refreshed.

Having semi-long hair made these moments easier.

I used to have longer hair, but that had been a hassle.

Back then, my uncle had even helped me take care of it.

Thinking about it now—

The Saint and Mizuki both had long hair.

I had to respect their patience—taking care of long hair was a lot of work.

After stepping out of the bath, I grabbed my towel and hairdryer.

That’s when I noticed something.

My phone screen was lit up with a new message.

“…Last night, huh.”

I must have fallen asleep quickly—I hadn’t even noticed the notification.

Opening my phone, I saw a message from the Saint.

“I hope you have sweet dreams.”

A cute sticker was attached.

Right… we had exchanged contact information after I started my part-time job.

Still, reading this now, after that dream, I had no idea how to react.

“Let’s just blame it on my unstable emotions.”

Yeah.

That seemed like the safest explanation.

I wasn’t particularly sensitive to changes in my environment.

But I wasn’t exactly emotionally solid either—just a low-energy introvert with slightly warped emotions, managing to get by without completely falling into despair.

It was what it was.

Then, suddenly—

I remembered something my uncle once told me.

“Dreams reflect a person’s desires… or sometimes, they show a glimpse of what’s to come.”

No.

No way.

I had no such desires, and that kind of future wasn’t happening.

Uncle could be so full of nonsense sometimes.

Shaking off the thought, I made myself a cup of cocoa and picked up an unread light novel to change the mood.

This was the perfect time to escape reality and dive into another world.

As I flipped through the pages, I slowly immersed myself in fiction.

Three hours later.

“Ugh… Helrn… uuhhh… snf… snff…!”

There I was—

Crying my eyes out over the story.

That was unfair.

Damn emotional narratives.

They really shouldn’t be allowed to stab right through an already fragile heart like that.

But that’s exactly why I loved tearjerkers.

Just like a good visual novel that makes you cry, these kinds of stories could bring emotions back to life, even in a burnt-out mind.

Fiction truly was a powerful thing.

That was what I thought as I wiped away my tears.

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering—

I did not get so absorbed that I forgot my plans with Mizuki.

I was the type to keep my promises, after all.