Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 8 Chapter 13 (section)

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...What’s this????

I felt my mind go momentarily blank. I quickly pulled myself together and looked back behind me. No one was there anymore.

—This can’t be possible. Because that person was approaching me at a 15 degree angle to my front.

“Huh?”

I literally couldn’t believe what I was seeing. 

“What’s the matter with you?”

That person, who had approached me at a 15 degree angle to my front, stopped.

Jet black hair and jet black eyes. Dressed completely in black.

“...Naru?”

He looked puzzled.

“You’re really Naru, right?”

“What are you saying? Are you awake?”

“Um… I’m not sure.”

How? What happened?

“—Who was here until just now?”

Naru tilted his head slightly to the side at my murmured words.

“Who was here?”

I pointed behind me where there was no longer anyone present.

“You. I was talking to you until just now. I’m sure of it.”

Without a doubt. That wasn’t a dream. I’m not nimble enough to sleep while standing.

“You were right next to me. What was that?”

“You were half asleep.”

I flared up at his openly contemptuous voice.

“It was different! It was like my usual dream, but it absolutely wasn’t a dream!”

“...Usual dream?”

Ah, I messed up…!

Naru moved his feet and came just a step closer.

“What is that?”

Naru’s gameface. Now I won’t be able to deceive him. 

“It’s just a dream...”

Again, he stepped forward a distance of one step. Now, if I stretched out my hand, the remaining distance was close enough to touch him. I was against the thin tree trunk, which was still at my back, so I felt somewhat cornered.

“What kind, then?”

“Nothing that concerns you.”

“It didn’t sound all that unrelated to me.”

The color of his eyes was deep.

“I was here or something like that?”

“Or, it has nothing to do with you.”

“I think it may have something to do with me.”

“There’s no need to pry so much.”

“There’s no need to hide it so much, either, right?”

“I’m not hiding...”

...Fine! I’ll tell him already! After all, what’s the possible aftermath? He’ll laugh at me and I’ll slap his cheek, then I’ll feel relieved once it’s over.

“It’s a dream… about you!”

...I said it…

Even I could tell that my face had gone bright red. And yet, despite this, he, on the other hand, merely looked puzzled. This cold fish!

“—About me?”

“That’s right. About you. It’s my selfish dream. Perhaps it’s my wish. A dream about a gentle Naru.”

Actually, you’re not gentle at all, but this is implied irony to its fullest.

“Gentle—?”

“Yes. About you smiling gently and even speaking kindly to me.”

I’ll never accept that that’s your subconscious.

Naru stared at me wide-eyed.

“...You were talking to me until just now?”

“Yeah. Got a problem?”

I don’t know what I’m being so hostile for.

“—About what?”

“Insignificant trivialities. It was probably a daydream. —Of course it was a dream. A certain someone doesn’t smile and won’t even engage in idle chat with me. And you absolutely wouldn’t search for me unless you had a task to order me to do.”

This is the perfect confession. Ha-ha-ha.

Now you can laugh as much as you want. My right hand is already in position to slap you. Someone as cold-heartedly callous as you could never understand my maiden’s heart anyway.

“...What does that mean?”

Naru appeared dumbfounded.

Being questioned like that, I couldn’t help getting exasperated.

What does that mean? Isn’t that obvious? Why do you think I was keeping quiet about the fact that you were appearing in my dreams until today?

Are you stupid!? You don’t know!?”

“I don’t understand.”

Aaaah! I’ve had enough!

“That’s right, of course you wouldn’t. I knew you were an unfeeling, heartless person. Even so, isn’t it human nature to unconsciously hope for a little bit of kindness where it can’t be seen? You always smile whenever you appear in my dreams, and because of that, you seem gentle and concerned for me. —Of course, that’s just my wish. Still, when I see that kind of dream, I sort of think, at the bottom of your heart, you’re actually not such a cold-blooded human being. When that kept happening, my maiden’s heart thought it was just your soul popping out to come see me!”

Now does that dimwitted brain of yours finally understand?

“I can’t astral project.”

...huh!?

“I can’t do that. I wasn’t blessed with that talent.”

“I know. Obviously, I know that. That’s just my wish.”

“...that isn’t it.”

“If you’re going to laugh, then laugh… huh?”

When I suddenly calmed down, the already white face of the person I was shouting at was completely pale.

“When… did that start?”

Feeling oddly disheartened, I was dumbfounded.

“When did the dream start? From the beginning...”

“...It’s not me.”

...huh?

“That isn’t me. ...It’s Gene...”

Eh?

“Who?”

He placed his white hand to his forehead as if fighting off dizziness. 

“Eugene...”

“That… that isn’t so! I would definitely know even if you are brothers! It was absolutely you!”

“No. It’s Gene.”

“But!”

I’d never mistake him for someone else. It was about Naru.

“We’re twins.”

...What?

“If we were expressionless, no one could tell us apart. —He’s my twin brother.”

...Th...that…

“So… Gene was still wandering this world...”

Similarly, Naru’s eyes also seemed to be wandering somewhere in the distance.