Her originally clear, sharp gaze had momentarily clouded over. That was something unique to those who had been caught helplessly by ill fate, as if immersed in gloom.
Can’t be, right…?
Suimei shook his head fiercely to clear his thoughts. There wasn’t any point in losing himself in those kinds of thoughts here. No matter who, everyone had aspects to them that’d make you worry. That’s all it was.
Truth be told, in the eyes of others, he probably looked like that himself. Anyway, worrying about her like this was fruitless. After their farewell earlier, it was quite possible that they’d never meet again in this life. It had been sheer happenstance that they’d even met this once, after all.
…Suimei gazed out his window. It was currently that period of time when evening was indistinguishable from night. Speaking of which, “nightfall” – just who had come up with that word? The fading light of the setting sun cast a long shadow over the surroundings, throwing them into obscurity, filling him with an indescribable feeling.
“Haaah…”
Suimei yawned under the effects of the lethargy which had suddenly crept up on him.
What was going on? It wasn’t yet the time when he normally slept, and yet the Sandman had clearly begun to exert its influence over his body. He hadn’t done anything particularly tiring, and yet found himself unable to fend off this wave of sleepiness.
Why?
Oh… That’s why. Shit… This is…
—He’d thought of the reason. He knew this feeling. He knew why this overpowering sleepiness had crept upon him now that he was all alone.
Indeed. This was a phenomenon that would inevitably occur once he’d separated from “that type of person.”
So that’s why… of course…
This was a play of scenes from the future, something he was forced to watch due to Ludwig’s curse. It announced the crises that awaited him, only for memories of what he’d seen to vanish once he awoke. These visions would last only for the immediate moment, a clairvoyance without the least value.
So this thing happens even here, huh? Even somewhere like this, this would still happen? Even in a world like this, straight out of the pages of a fantasy book, a world without the least connection to the world he called home.
He’d been fairly certain that it wouldn’t happen here. If he were to successfully find a way home, this had been the one thing he hadn’t looked forward to returning to.
Not wanting to let go of his thoughts, as he thought things through, his body unconsciously tightened, and collapsed atop his bed. There was no way to fight the sleepiness that came upon him.
At some point during this process, the image of his mother, who he’d never before seen, appeared on the chair in his room. This woman, who he’d only ever heard about from his father, appeared now before his eyes under the effects of the curse.
♫ Ahhhh ♫