I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

Then, all we have to do is continue.

Until, at some point, the recurring dreams completely disappeared.

Man Gazing into the Night

If I said something wrong, just pretend I didn't say it

I don't know when it started, but I gradually began to resist sleep.

If we skipped sleeping, how much could we actually accomplish? Well, even if we truly didn't need sleep, there are still plenty of ways to waste the time we'd free up.

When did it all start?

After I felt the urgency of not having enough time, my nerves never relaxed again.

I began to fear the dark.

It wasn't the natural darkness that came from the loss of light in nature. What I feared was the darkness that enveloped my eyes after I closed my breath, a darkness that seemed to dance. If it remained before my eyes forever... would it mean that I could never open my eyes again?

No way of knowing.

While thinking, I waited for the day to come.

Perhaps only when the sunlight can dispel the darkness in front of my eyes a little can I close my eyes with peace of mind.

...But I longed to be able to use dreams to escape the fear of darkness like others. But no matter how many times I tried, I still couldn't do it.

I don’t know how many times I would be awakened by inexplicable fear, turn on all the lights in the room, and then quietly wait for the day to come.

Maybe being able to dream well is also a kind of happiness.

Looking at the various lights outside the window that had long been extinguished, imagining that they had already entered their respective dreams...I inexplicably smiled.

If only... I could also obtain this happiness.

If I said something wrong, just pretend I didn't say it.

"Why is the door to the club unlocked? Did you give the key to someone else?"

Noticing something was wrong, Rinquanchuan suddenly turned around and asked me.

"..."

I was so focused on how to calm down the irritable Rinquanchuan that I seemed to have forgotten to tell her something equally important.

"Well..."

However, just as I was about to explain, she stepped into the club activity room before me. With no other explanation left, I followed her into the activity room, and then we both saw Ye Hui sitting on the sofa with a sketchpad.

"Oh, isn't this Yehui-san?... Why are you here? What happened?"

Surprisingly, I didn't react with hostility the moment I saw her. It seems Miss Rinsenkawa has improved a lot... I couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

"Eh? Didn't Sheji tell you?" However, Ye Hui seemed to be quite natural at this time. If he had taken the initiative to explain the situation instead of involving me...

"..."

I guess I wouldn't have broken out in a cold sweat for no reason.

"Oh, is that so? Then please wait a moment." She suddenly stepped hard on my foot while turning around, then grabbed my sleeve and pulled me out the door. "I'm going to listen to his explanation... Please do as you please in the meantime."

"Oh... Yeah."

Ye Hui waved at me a little worriedly.

"..." If you're worried, why don't you say that in the first place?

. . . . . .

"Anyway, after this happened, I wanted her to join our club... We're short of people anyway, right?"

After some effort, I finally explained to Rinquanchuan what had happened and the decision I had made without authorization.

"I see. I understand."

She nodded solemnly.

“…”

Seeing this expression, I couldn't help but get nervous, afraid that she would suddenly say, "But, I refuse."

"...The student union led by that girl seems really useless now. I really don't know how she is better than me, hehe." Rinquanchuan said with a little pride.

Although I have a lot to complain about this, I held back because the circumstances were special.

"Well, since she's so stupid that she can't protect a weak girl from being bullied, maybe it's not a bad idea for us to provide shelter."

She nodded to herself as she spoke.

"...You, do you mean to agree to her joining?" I confirmed again with some reassurance.

"Oh, what else can I do? Do you think I'm such a heartless person? Besides, I asked her for help before, so it's perfect to repay her kindness now. Even though I don't like my father very much, I still have to obey his admonition of "don't owe others"."

"Oh no..."

This is really surprising. This guy can actually listen to others.

"Hmm? What's with that distrustful look on your face... Could it be that you mistake me for that incompetent person who calls herself the student council president? She's nothing compared to me."

This is probably what arrogance looks like.

"Yes Yes..."

I don't deny that there is a big difference between the two of them, especially the difference in breasts.

"Okay, that's the end of this conversation."

Then she released her foot that had been on my instep and walked towards the activity room.

"..."

Is this guy angry?

..........

"I'll go talk to the teacher tomorrow to arrange for an easel, so let's just make do with this for today."

I stood behind the sofa where Yehui was sitting, watching her paint and talking to her.

"It doesn't matter. For me, I can draw it no matter what."

"Well...it's not a very troublesome thing."

I don't know why, but it seems like I've had some experience with the art club teacher before, and we have a pretty good relationship. It shouldn't be a big deal if I just negotiate to borrow an easel. If that doesn't work out, I can just use the club's funds...

I thought, turning my gaze to the display in front of me. It wouldn't cost more than this anyway, so Rinsenkawa would probably approve.

"By the way...Yehui, you really draw a lot of things..."

I couldn't help but sigh while holding the teacup.

"Maybe it's a habit... After seeing something I like, I tend to record it." At this point, she suddenly stopped what she was doing and turned sideways to look at me. "...Um, do you want to see it?"

"Well, if you don't mind... well..."

Rinquanchuan, who had come close to me at some point, seemed to squeeze me on purpose and almost knocked the teacup out of my hand.

"It's very dangerous, please be careful..."

"..."

So the instep was stepped on again.

"..hiss.."

This guy still doesn't listen...

"Ah, Rin-chan, do you want to see it too?"

"Hmm." She nodded.

"I see... Then let's start with the first one."

As she spoke, she turned the picture book over and immediately flipped to the beginning page.

“Ohhh…” “Wow.”

We couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"Don't be like that...it's a bit embarrassing."

Ye Hui doesn't seem to like others paying too much attention to him.

"...Sorry, I just thought the drawing was really good."

"Yeah, I can't help it..."

The usually calm Rinquanchuan couldn't help but express his opinion.

"This picture is taken from a dripping eaves... I feel like after seeing this, you feel a sense of loneliness, right?"

"...Uh-huh."

Lin Quanchuan nodded immediately.

Did she really understand it?

"What about the next one..."

"Well... it's a dead leaf about to fall. Doesn't it feel like the wind is about to blow?"

"...Oh, that's true."

Rinquanchuan nodded again.

This is just an agreement... I sipped the tea in the cup helplessly, and then looked at Rinquangawa's comments, not sure whether I understood them or not.

Thus, the painting gradually shifted from scenery to people.

Ye Hui explained that this was an attempt to draw during club practice, so most of the faces were from the club. So naturally, he quickly skipped over it.

"...This one feels a little different from the previous ones..."

I, who hadn't commented on it until now, suddenly couldn't help but point out one of the paintings. For some reason, the scene in that painting felt familiar to me.

"Oh... this one? It's definitely different from before, because she's not a member of the club. She was in the same class with me last year."

"I see... She is indeed very pretty."

Rinsenkawa nodded and trampled on me again.

“No wonder some people noticed.”

"You seem to have misunderstood something..."

"?"

Ye Hui, who didn't know the truth, showed a puzzled expression.

"No... I just feel that the scene in this painting is somewhat familiar."

He is lying sideways facing the sunlight outside the window, with a peaceful expression on his upright face, as if he is sleeping, but not just sleeping... In short, this painting gives me a very subtle feeling.

"You mean sleeping in class? Isn't that you?"

Linquanchuan's impatient expression finally woke me up.

"Yes."

I seem to be like this normally.

"Ah, now that you mention it... I noticed that too. I didn't know what Sajiki looked like during class back then, though... now that I see him, he's incredibly similar~"

"...Hey, it's better to just talk about this kind of thing."

I also have self-respect.

"Oh, maybe even the dreaming time period is the same?"

"Yes, yes, maybe we can have the same dream at the same time." For some reason, Ye Hui seemed to get involved.

“This seems a bit difficult…”