The Day of Thunder

She scooted over, leaning over as she listened until her head rested on his shoulder. "... Despite everything, I don't regret it. There are people here who wouldn't be alive if they hadn't come, and if I hadn't been here. Their lives are real and the solace they found is real. But that means they de...

She nodded slowly. "He was originally an Isawa. They... didn't take him as seriously as a mind like his deserves."

She smiled a little at the touch and nodded. "You did."

"I suppose I should regret my choice back then."

Chouri takes a deep breath and lets it out. "It's hard to say. If he's warmed up to any of the newcomers, there's a chance. He actually took an apprentice, which is... it's a good sign."

She shook her head. "I wasn't at all. I was young and frightened. Even though I did what I could, I still went along with what she wanted."

"... I told you, I'm a coward. I just... couldn't tell you how much then."

She nodded quietly. "You made it easier to fight."

That brings a warm smile to her face toward him. "Yes... Please, I would like some."

After a long silence, she finally said. "Shiba Kumori-sama and Ryoshun Nao-sama came to speak with me today."

"I see," she said with a nod and a small frown. "Oh?"

Chouri steps out onto the veranda and settles down at the edge. She looked up at the roof and the soft plinking of the raindrops. "It's probably only going to get worse the next few days."

She nodded. "Indeed. Even people who can do it can't always do it every time. I've been exploring the research myself."

She nodded. "I see... Yes, the village is aware of the dreamstone mine. It's where we got the gifts for those who succeeded the other day. I suppose I can see how they could be used for ill, though."

She bowed her head. "Thank you. And... whatever needs to be done because of what's happened so far, I'll accept it."

She nodded. "I created a method for locking her and her 'beloved' away, as well as sealing this area away from Ningen-do, so the barrier between it and the Realm of Dreams solidifies. It's more complex than that, but that's the basic version. It takes a lot of will, so I planned to have everyone hel...

She shook her head. "The weight... it's already lifted. I've already worked against her, so it's hard to say how long her hold would have lasted anyway."

The scene shifts, but Nao doesn't sense the change in realms. Despite that, the mists of Meido surround them, and she can see a distant silhouetted figure of a man in a conical hat, holding a spear and looking out into the distant - Ryoshun. They were in Yume-do, but this was a dream of Meido by som...

She nodded. "A reasonable hypothesis."

Chouri shrugged. "It's a good question. It's possible they were intended to research the magic of the person they met and were stymied."

Chouri lifted her hand, showing a bracelet of jade beads. "I do, as well. Thank you, though, Hiruma-sama."

"Most of them were ignorant of it," she said. "My only co-conspirator was Enrou. He's... had it worse than I did. I was planning on talking to him in the morning. I need help suppressing my illness again now anyway."

The girl suddenly burst into tears, interspersed with coughing. "No, please...! I don't want to go!" Her coughing got worse. "I-I want to live! I hate this..." She's now doubled over, gasping.