“Who are you?!”
Staring at the unfamiliar young man skulking around her doorstep, Katsura Nanae was filled with vigilance.
These days, Yono had been constantly telling her about terrifying nightmares, but when asked about the content, she would clam up. Could it be that these nightmares were related to the young man in front of her?!
Thinking about her daughter, who had been confined to her bedroom for days, Katsura Nanae felt a pang of heartache.
If this young man was merely a petty thief driven to desperation, Katsura Nanae would have let him go, even giving him some money. But if this guy was truly the culprit behind Yono's current state!
Katsura Nanae vowed that she would use all her connections to have this guy thrown into Tokyo Bay!
Seeing that he was caught red-handed as soon as he arrived, Nakano Yuu scratched his head, thinking that he didn't need to climb over the wall after all. He smiled calmly and introduced himself:
“You are... Katsura-san's mother, right? I am a classmate of Katsura-san's at Sōbu High. My name is Nakano Yuu.”
“Classmate? Nakano Yuu....”
Katsura Nanae furrowed her brow slightly. Nakano Yuu? Nakano... that name sounds familiar.
“Is Nakano Maruo of the Nakano Corporation related to you?”
After a moment's thought, Katsura Nanae continued to inquire.
Seeing that Katsura Nanae actually knew Nakano Maruo, Nakano Yuu was taken aback. He remembered that Nakano Maruo's company specialized in medical technology, so how could he have any connection to Katsura Nanae?
However, it was also possible that she had simply heard of him. Nakano Yuu didn't think too much about it and readily admitted his relationship with Nakano Maruo:
“I am the youngest son of the Nakano family, and I am also Maruo-san's adopted son.”
Having received the answer, Katsura Nanae was half-believing. She had never heard of Nakano Maruo having an adopted son. But... looking at the young man in front of her, he didn't seem like a liar.
After years of navigating the business world and Tokyo's elite circles, Katsura Nanae had developed a sharp eye for judging people. She might not be one hundred percent accurate, but she wouldn't be fooled by a young lad who looked barely twenty.
“Nakano-kun, why are you at my house so late? If it's to visit Yono, please come back tomorrow.”
Even after learning that the young man was her daughter's classmate, Katsura Nanae still didn't intend to let him in. It was already nearly eleven at night. Besides the fact that this kid didn't come to visit during the day and instead chose to come at night.
Considering Yono's current state, Katsura Nanae wouldn't let anyone in, let alone a man. Besides, for Katsura Nanae, men were no good, and she would never let a man get close to her daughter so easily.
“Come back tomorrow? If you come back tomorrow, Yono-san will probably be dead in her dreams before tonight is over.”
Seeing that Katsura Nanae was still reluctant to let him in, Nakano Yuu's face turned cold as he said.
He remembered correctly that Katsura Yono had suddenly stopped coming to school three days ago. If he was calculating based on the system's mission description, tonight would be Katsura Yono's third dream!
Tonight, when she woke from the dream, Katsura Yono would sleep eternally in her dream!
Hearing this, Katsura Nanae's face changed. How did this kid know about the dream?
Gritting her teeth, Katsura Nanae still didn't choose to believe Nakano Yuu. She just snorted coldly and used her upper-class businesswoman aura to pressure the young man:
“Nonsense! I've never heard of anyone dying in their dreams! Yono is perfectly fine, don't worry about her. Leave! Otherwise, I'll call the police!”
The woman's tough attitude made Nakano Yuu let out a sigh of relief. He could understand Katsura Nanae's feelings. For her, hearing that her daughter would die in her dreams sounded like a fairy tale.
Even Nakano Yuu, if someone suddenly told him this, wouldn't believe it at first.
But, this was the truth. He couldn't delay any longer. He didn't know about Katsura Yono's situation, and the longer he delayed, the more dangerous she would be!
“I know this sounds unbelievable, but please believe me, I’m here to save Katsura-san.”
Nakano Yuu spoke calmly, his words possessing a captivating charm that even calmed Katsura Nanae's agitated heart.
Seeing that Katsura Nanae had gradually calmed down, Nakano Yuu pressed his advantage:
“Has Katsura-san been having a strange nightmare recently? In that dream, there's a monkey sightseeing train, and she keeps having the same dream every night when she goes to sleep?”
Hearing the information in Nakano Yuu's words, Katsura Nanae suddenly looked up, her face filled with shock.
That's right, what Nakano Yuu said was correct. Yono had been having a recurring nightmare for the past two days. Although Yono had never told her about the content of the dream, Katsura Nanae had heard the words monkey and train in Yono's sleep talk.
This kind of thing was supposed to be known only to her! Could it be that what this young man said was true?
Biting her lip, Katsura Nanae looked complex. She had divorced her husband long ago and had raised Yono and her other daughter, Kokoro, alone. For this, she had been constantly running between work and home to ensure their family wouldn't fall apart.
But now, Nakano Yuu said that her beloved daughter would die in her dreams. This was something Katsura Nanae couldn't accept!
Should she really believe this young man and let him save her daughter?
After a moment of contemplation, Katsura Nanae nodded, her voice filled with both dejection and helplessness:
“Yes, Yono has been having that kind of nightmare for the past few days. It started the night before yesterday. Since then, Yono has been locking herself in her room, and I can only sneak in to check on her at night.
If... if Yono really dies... I... I... I don't know what to do...”
As she spoke, Katsura Nanae slumped to the ground, covering her face with her hands, and began to sob.
“Katsura-san is my friend. Let me try. I will bring Katsura-san back!”
Nakano Yuu understood the powerlessness that ordinary people feel when faced with these strange tales. He stepped forward and comforted Katsura Nanae.
“Really?! I... please come with me. Yono should be asleep. I'll take you to her now!”
As the young man's words fell on her ears, Katsura Nanae seemed to have found a pillar of support. She grabbed the young man's arm, her tear-filled eyes looking at him with helplessness.
The young man smiled softly and nodded gently:
“Don't worry, I'm here.”
......
“Click, click...”
Inside the station, a black-haired girl stood in front of the station platform.
The girl was wearing pajamas, her black hair was scattered messily over her shoulders, and her head was lowered. Her delicate, fair face was numb with emotion, and her eyes were devoid of any life.
The girl was none other than Katsura Yono, Nakano Yuu's mission target!
As the sound of the train rolling over the tracks echoed continuously, Katsura Yono's gaze was drawn to it.
In the distance, a monkey-headed train, resembling a theme park sightseeing train, was slowly entering the station, billowing black smoke.
The monkey-headed train gradually slowed down until it finally stopped in front of Katsura Yono.
There were already several people sitting on the train, both men and women, but they all had numb expressions, completely lacking any human quality.
Katsura Yono raised her leg and, as if controlled by a puppet, boarded the train.
The moment Katsura Yono sat down, her eyes suddenly regained their life. When she saw the familiar surroundings and the nightmare-like monkey train, her face turned pale, and fear instantly crawled over her body!
She was back!
......