I Do Not Dream Of Eating Your Pancreas (IWTEYP x Seishun Buta Yarō)

Chapter 11: Am I Dreaming?

I had so many things I wanted to say, but I found myself speechless. I pinched myself, testing to see that this wasn't just another dream. But no, Sakura was really standing there, and I rubbed my arm as I stood up from the table.

"Were you just so eager to see me that you came all the way here? I'm sure this would cause quite the scandal." She smiled teasingly, and came down the stairs. She was wearing the same outfit I had seen from that terrible day, and I quickly tried to forget that memory before it caused me to lose momentum.

"It probably would, but I wouldn't have come if it wasn't important." Her face had a look of surprise, before slightly blushing. "That sounds rather mysterious, and a little embarrassing." She sat at the table, in the same spot her mother had sat before.

My poker face must have slipped, and she was quick enough to notice. "Hey, what's wrong? You don't seem like your usual self?" If anyone could have caught on that fast, it was her. I took a deep breath in, the last calm before the storm that I was about to unleash.

"There's some things I have to say, and it may sound crazy but please just listen to what I have to say first. Afterwards, if you want to call me crazy, you can." She tilted her head, thinking. "I could think of a lot of things to call you, but crazy would never be one of them."

"Let's see how you feel afterwards." I thought to myself. I prepared myself for her reaction, and finally said the words I had been dreading from the moment I saw her come down the stairs. "Please don't leave the house today, if you go to that date with the other me, you'll die."

The stunned look on her face made it clear that I had her attention, and I was ready for her to freak out and run away like I had seen before. But instead, she stayed seated, though still shocked. "Other you? I'll die? If this is some kind of joke, it's not very funny you know."

I shook my head. "I wish it was a joke, but I'm serious." I paused, finding the courage to keep going. Before I could continue, she got up from the table. I feared that it would be a repeat of that vision, merely a delayed reaction before everything went downhill.

Instead, she sat next me to, placing her hand on mine atop the table. "I don't understand, so please try to help me understand." The warmth of her hand touched the frozen tundra of my soul that I had endured these past few days, I could feel the ice inside my heart begin to thaw away.

"I've experienced today five times now. The first time, I waited at the cafe for you but you never make it, you..." I trailed off, unable to bring myself to tell her she had died. "I die?" She picked up the slack, squeezing my hand gently in a comforting manner. I nodded, unable to look her in the eyes as I confirmed it.

"I ended up splitting, for lack of a better term, and the other me goes about the day as usual with no knowledge that the day is repeating." I thought back to all the talks with Rio, about the syndrome and what was happening. "There's someone who could explain things a lot better than me, but that's the basics."

She leaned back, but her hand never left mine. She gave a small smile though. "It sounds like you made some new friends, I'm proud of you." I was taken aback, still sure that things would blow up and end badly. "But what about everything I said so far? Doesn't it sound insane? Don't you think I'm insane?"

She laughed. "Of course you are, you'd have to be to have put up with me and everything I've put you through all this time. But do I think you're crazy for what you're saying?" She paused for a moment, thinking it over. "No. I think I know you well enough by now. You wouldn't lie to me about something like this, as crazy as it sounds."

She squeezed my hand once again, before letting go. A worry flashed through my mind, that maybe she was just trying to get me to relax before she ran away. But instead, she leaned over and hugged me. "I don't understand everything, and I think we need to have a longer talk about this. But if it's all true, and you've suffered so much for me, how could I be anything except happy?"