Karuizawa Volume 7.5 SS 3

                                                           A New Experience



A large and expansive sea. The place I've been left behind on is this uninhabited island.
"Aaah......they're gone.......".
I stared at the passenger ship that's slowly becoming smaller and smaller like it's somebody else's problem. It appears the summer vacation has turned into something unbelievable.
To be honest, I don't know what I should do now. Because I have no idea how I'm going to escape from this uninhabited island, surrounded by 360 degrees of sea. Ships, planes and phones. I don't have anything convenient like that with me. On top of that, because of my swimsuit, it's likely that my body will be chilled once night falls.

But I was neither anxious nor panicking. On the contrary, I thought about how great it would be if this moment would last forever.

Why is that, you ask? That is because of the significance of the presence of the boy sitting next to me. If he's with me, he'll save me no matter what predicament I'm stuck in.
A new experience.
It's because I'm confident of this that I feel no anxiety.
"Hey, Kiyotaka. Where are we? As far as the eye can see, there are only mountains and the sea.......Could it be that we're stranded somewhere absurd? Like Tasmania?".

"Tasmania isn't an uninhabited island, you know? Besides, there's no way it'd be this small".
"I-I see".
"In the first place, we're in Japan. There's that mountain you see in the distance, right? That's Mount Fuji".
"Mount Fuji, you mean THAT Mount Fuji?".
"Then that means we might surprisingly be able to escape this island easily".
"That won't be the case. Because to escape on our own, there's only one way and that's to swim".

It's not an exaggeration, but I don't quite have the strength to swim away. At that moment, a hawk took flight from the island and swiftly flew in the direction of Mount Fuji.
In all likelihood, it'll reach land in no time.
"It must be great having wings, isn't it? Because you could simply fly away like that".

Saying that, I gazed at Kiyotaka.

Eyes looking straightforwardly in the direction of Mount Fuji. And so I decided to ask him a frank question.
"Could it be that.....you're capable of swimming all the way there, Kiyotaka?".
"To be honest with you, there's a high possibility that if I'm on my own, I'd be able to swim all the way to land. Taking into account the probability of survival, it would be a good idea if I were to start swimming now while the sun is still out".

"A-As I thought......you're amazing".
But, Kiyotaka is here right now and he's showing no sign of swimming away.
"Could it be that it's because I'm here?".
"When I think about leaving Kei alone here, it's no longer a viable plan. There may be wild animals in the forest and once night falls, you'd have no way of protecting yourself".

"Sorry, Kiyotaka. I'm always getting in your way".
"That's not true".
"I'm happy you'd say that. But......I want Kiyotaka to survive".
"A plan where I'd be the only survivor can't even be considered a plan. It'll only be worthy of being considered a survival plan if it means both Kei and I can survive".
The inside of my body started getting hotter and hotter.

"Why do you care about me that much?".
I was slightly afraid of hearing the answer, but I boldly tried asking him that.
And when I did, Kiyotaka looked me straight in the eye and answered without any hesitation at all.
"It's because to me, you're a precious partner. This is normal".
As my body grew colder, Kiyotaka hugged me.
A new experience.
Because we were both wearing our swimsuits, our bodies were in close contact with one another.
"N-No. We're not THAT kind of partners.......!".

I tried to get away from him but Kiyotaka wouldn't let me go.
"Then you and I just have to become that kind of partners. Am I wrong?".
".......b-but..........".
Gradually, my resistance weakens. If I could be swept away, then I'd like to be.
"Kei.........".
And when I realized it, Kiyotaka's face is already right there in front of my eyes.
"Kiyotaka.........".

The two of us gaze at one another. The distance between our bodies and our hearts began to shrink.

And then---guu~. Cruelly enough, in my state of starvation, my stomach growled.
"!".
A sound of ruin that seemed as though it could erase the romantic atmosphere in an instant.
But Kiyotaka calmly took in this absurd situation where it wouldn't be strange even if he were to show disgust.
"Eat this, Kei".
The thing he handed to me, I wonder where he procured it from.
"Is this.....an eggplant?".

"It's native to this uninhabited island. It'll help you recover from your hunger if you eat this".
"T-thank you. But why an eggplant......eggplant?".
Fuu~ I began to realize something.
The Mount Fuji I could see in the distance. The hawk that flew away earlier.
And the eggplant.

This is something you'd look forward to on New Year's Day, is what I've heard.
Furthermore, when I thought about the eggplant, the world underwent a massive change. Kiyotaka, who was sitting next to me, was also affected by that change and I could see him fading away.

"Have you noticed? This is your Hatsuyume. What an ideal Hatsuyume, congratulations Kei".
"Hatsuyume.........so, it was a dream after all?".
Kiyotaka beside me faded away even more. What a relief, being stranded on an uninhabited island was just my dream. But that means, that moment was also a dream.
In other words, this romantic atmosphere will also be gone in a while.
That kiss I almost had, all of it will disappear soon.
I reached out to grab Kiyotaka. But Kiyotaka was no longer there beside me.

I could see Kiyotaka swimming ferociously against the tide. I leaped up into the sky and in an instant, the uninhabited island disappeared.
"Aaaaah wait. Wait, my Hatsuyume! My first kiss!".
Even as I screamed out, it was already too late. My consciousness was swiftly pulled back into the real world.

The very next moment, a familiar ceiling appeared before my eyes. A morning no different than the usual, so peaceful that it's almost unbelievable I had been panicking in my dreams.
But, my heart was beating fast.
"No, no......hey dream me, why are you so desperate for a kiss..........!?".
In reality, I always make an effort to stay calm and I won't simply ask for a kiss that easily.
E-Even if it happens to be the boy I love, that's why, umm, I won't be clingy.

But even so, even if it's just in a dream, there are still things that are ok for me to fantasize about and things that aren't. I think this is the craziest dream I've ever had in my life.
How could I have ever imagined this would be what I'd see in my Hatsuyume.
"Hatsuyume, huh.......".
Could my Hatsuyume turn into a Masayume.........no way, right?

Either way, let's keep this super embarrassing dream to myself only.





N/T: Masayume is a 'dream that comes true' compared to Hatsuyume which is the first dream of the new year.