Pain,Pain,Go Away

007

Chapter 7: A Wise Choice

The sound of crashing thunder woke me up. As I sat up to look at the time, my body ached all over.

I had terrible shakes and a headache. A sense of languidness, like even moving my fingertips took a cheer squad, covered my body.

I couldn't remember it much at all, but I felt like I'd had that dream about the amusement park again. Maybe I was just one to soak in childish nostalgia after severe shock.

In my dream, again, someone was holding my hand. And for whatever reason, as we walked along, lots of the people we passed by glanced our way.

Was there something on our faces? Or was our very presence not suited for this place? Either way, I just shook my head to say "Go ahead; you think I care?", and ostentatiously pulled the other person's hand.

That's where the dream stopped. The sound of the photoplayer lingered in my mind.

Suddenly, I had a thought. Maybe this wasn't the second, or even third time I'd had this dream. The deja vu was just too much. I must have been visiting this place in my dreams again and again, and simply forgetting about it.

Did I have that strong of an inclination toward amusement parks? Or maybe it simply represented an unfulfilled youth, just happening to manifest as an amusement park?

The clock indicated that it was around 2. Thick clouds covered the

sky, making it dim enough to make you think it was night, but it was in fact 2 PM, not AM.

"Looks like we slept a pretty long time."

The girl, looking at me with her elbows on the table and chin resting on her hands, nodded in response. Her kindness from last night was all gone, and she was back to her sharp-edged self.

After washing my hands and face, I returned to the living room and asked "Who are you taking revenge on today?" But then, the girl quickly stood up and put her hand on my forehead.

"Do you have a fever?"

"Yeah, a little bit. Maybe I caught a cold too."

She shook her head. "Being severely beaten can get you a fever. It's happened to me."

"Huh," I remarked, feeling my forehead for myself. "Well, don't worry, it's not like I'm immobilized. Now, where should I be heading today?"

"To bed."

The girl thrust me backward. With unsteady feet, I easily fell over and landed bottom-first on the bed.

"Please, rest until your fever withdraws. You're not going to be any use like that."

"I can still drive, at least..." "Drive what, exactly?"

I at last remembered that we'd lost the car yesterday.

"With this temperature, in this downpour, you'll collapse walking

around in your condition. And you can't make proper use of public transportation, either. For today, it's best to stay put here."

"Are you okay with that?"

"I can't say I am. But I don't think there's any better choice."

She was right. The best plan at the moment was to rest.

I lied down sideways and let all the energy leave me, and the girl pulled up the neatly-folded sheets at my feet.

"Sorry to make you fuss over me. But thanks, Akazuki," I casually told her.