The table was filled with warm dishes carefully prepared by Mio. Steam rose gently into the air, carrying the comforting scent of home-cooked food.
Kazuki took the first bite.
Silence fell.
Then suddenly—
Tears streamed down his face.
"This… this is terrible!" he cried dramatically.
Mio froze.
"Whaaaat?!"
Kazuki wiped his tears, shaking his head quickly.
"No! I mean—it's terrible because it's too good! It's unbelievably delicious!"
He kept eating as if he hadn't tasted food in an entire year.
Mio crossed her arms, suspicious.
"…You scared me."
She then turned toward Mitsu.
"And you? What do you think?"
Mitsu calmly took another bite.
"Hmm… It's average."
The temperature in the room dropped.
"…What did you say?" Mio asked, her voice dangerously quiet.
Mitsu stiffened.
"I-I mean! It's delicious. Yes. Very delicious."
Kazuki burst into laughter while Mio sighed, half-annoyed, half-embarrassed.
After dinner, they prepared to sleep.
Kazuki insisted that Mio take his room.
"You'll sleep in my room. Mitsu and I will stay in the living room."
Mitsu nodded without complaint, already unfolding a blanket near one of the sofas.
Soon, the lights were turned off.
Silence settled over the house.
Hours later—
Mio slowly opened her eyes.
Her throat felt dry.
She quietly stepped out of the room, poured herself a glass of water, and returned to bed.
As she lay down, staring at the ceiling, a soft smile appeared on her face.
I'm lucky…
To have friends like them.
Her eyelids grew heavy.
Sleep claimed her once more.
That night—
All three of them dreamed.
Kazuki found himself walking in an endless space. No walls. No sky.
Only a faint, distant light ahead.
He didn't know what it was.
But he felt compelled to follow it.
Step after step.
Closer.
The same dream unfolded for Mitsu.
For Mio.
Each of them walking alone—yet somehow connected—chasing the same dim light.
It flickered weakly.
As if calling them.
And just when they felt they were about to reach it—
The ground beneath their feet vanished.
They fell.
Into absolute darkness.
Not darkness of night—
But a suffocating void with no end.
They tried to scream—
But no sound came out.
Kazuki jolted awake, gasping for air.
His heart pounded violently in his chest.
Beside him, Mitsu sat up abruptly, breathing heavily.
"…I had a nightmare," Mitsu said quietly.
Kazuki stared at him.
"…Me too."
A tense silence lingered.
"What did you see?" Kazuki asked.
Mitsu hesitated.
"I was walking toward something… a strange light. Then I fell. Into endless darkness."
Kazuki's eyes widened slightly.
"That's exactly what I saw."
The room felt colder.
They both turned toward the hallway.
"Mio," Kazuki muttered.
They stood up immediately and walked quickly toward his room.
"Mio?" Kazuki called softly.
No response.
He knocked gently.
Still nothing.
"Mio?" Mitsu added.
Silence.
Kazuki's heartbeat accelerated.
He opened the door.
The room was dark.
The window curtains swayed slightly from a faint breeze.
The bed—
Was empty.
Both of them froze.
"…Mio?"
No answer.
Only silence.
And the lingering feeling—
That the dream had not truly ended.