Veridis Quo

Chapter 21 - I Regret Nothing

"...come in! Come in...!"

"...how are..."

"...and you...?"

"...let's not..."

"...listen..."

"...and then..."

"...so..."

"..."

"...doesn't..."

"...okay...!"

"...no, I..."

"...compromise..."

"...but..."

"...mmh..."

"..."

"..."

"...ngh..."

"..."

"..."

"...mwa...~"

"..."

"..."

"...stop..."

"...it's..."

"...n-no...!"

"...okay... okay... okay..."

"...yeah...?"

"..."

"..."

"...Johnny..."

"..."

"...Johnny..."

"...?"

"...Johnny..."

"H-huh?"

"JOHNNY-SAN!"

I yelped, jolting in my seat and nearly falling over. Rubbing my shut eyes, my dazed mood dampened at the giggling and whispers of the other students. Where was I? At a desk, an open notebook, a sweat spot on paper-

"Johnny-san, are you even listening?" Looking at the front of the room, the teacher was tapping his foot impatiently, the blackboard the old schooler insisted upon using full of gibberish.

"Uh... yeah?"

"I am glad. Then, would you like to translate this sentence?" The teacher stepped aside, pointing at one of the incomprehensible lines of bubbles and straws.

Sucking in my cheeks, I thought short and hard, drawing a decent answer, "Sir, the only words I know in Seaspeak are curses!"

The gossip stopped. Absolute silence reigned supreme for that moment. Then, many burst out in laughter.

"Alright! Quiet, you rascals!" The teacher regained control over the class, sending me a knowing glare. He could dream all he wanted; I was never, ever, ever, going to dedicate a single brain cell to the study of fish tongue. They had parasites on that organ!

Once the noise died down and regular programming resumed, I crossed my arms, resting my head on the improvised cushion. Indeed, I was the class I loathed most, though it was the fourth hour so lunch was just around the corner. Drawing circles on the table with an index, I frowned at the... lucid dream?

It was so strange. For the past week, today was Wednesday, I kept experiencing the same dream over and over. Whether I napped during boring periods or clocked in the night, that meeting remained as fresh as reheated pizza, Papa's brand. And...