Chapter 9: IF Route Extra: Once Upon a Dream Now/Invention

TL Note:

Shout Out to "nguuuquaaa" from previous chapter that mentioned about the continuation of this novel. I really missed it.

Thank you nguuu--, your name is hard, Thank you, Nguqua-san! Here we go~

Author Note:

Before I knew it, the number of users had exceeded 200k, so thank you very much.

So, here's a little sequel. A sequel to the happy ending IF Route.

IF Route Extra

Once Upon a Dream Now/Invention

Hello, it's been a while!

A beautiful, lively high school girl! It's Nina here! ...Though it's a bit sound like an old-man-like.

Well, even if the exterior is cute, the inside is what it is, it can't be helped.

It's now been six months since I started high school, and I've completely gotten used to high school life. I really enjoy every day. I wake up in the morning, eat breakfast with Lena, go to school, talk with my friends, attend classes, and then go home and spend time with Lena.

Such ordinary everyday life is irreplaceable to me now.

"Wow, today's lunch looks delicious too, Nina!"　

"Thank you, Miyo-chan!"

During lunch break, I ate my lunch with Miyo-chan, full name Takatsuki Miya-chan, in the classroom as usual. Today's lunch was an omelet rice bento. I made a heart shape out of ham and put it on top.

"Nina, you're a good cook. Who taught you?"　

"Hmm, maybe self-taught? Cookbooks and videos."

I studied hard because I wanted Lena to eat delicious food, and now cooking has become my hobby.

Recently, Lena has been telling me that "Nina's cooking is the best", so I've been having a lot of fun cooking. I get up early in the morning to make lunch bento, and I make some for Lena too.

Lena looks very happy when she receives the bento she can bring to work.

"That's amazing, all I can do is just burn a fried egg..."

"You'll get it if you practice. It's fun!"　

"I guess so."

As we were having this conversation, a voice came from the seat next to us.

"...Um, Nina-chan. Are you free on Saturday?"

When I turned around, Hibari-chan was smiling, looking a little nervous.

Like Miyo-chan, Hibari-chan, full name Matsuno Hibari-chan, is also my friend in class. She is a quiet and well-behaved girl with long black hair that she wears in a braid. She loves reading and often reads books during breaks.

Miyo-chan is a bright and sociable girl, while Hibari-chan is reserved and sensitive. Both of them are my precious friends.

"Saturday?"

"Yes. This Saturday. If you don't mind, I'd like you to come stay at my house..."

"...A sleepover?! That's great! I want to go!"

"Yes... Well, I'll tell you the details later."

"Yay!"

"...What about me? You're not inviting me?!"

"Miya-chan, you're in a club, right...?"

Mufufu, this is my first time staying over at a friend's house.

...But I wonder what would happen if I told Lena.

Recently, Lena has been as overprotective as ever, and whenever I say I'm going out with friends she looks worried.

...Well, it's normal to stay over at a friend's house, so I'm sure she'll understand.

"Nina, are you thinking about something again?"

"Oh, sorry."

"Are you worried that Reina-san might get mad at you?"

"Uh... you found out."

Miyo-chan has met Lena many times. We'd bump into each other by chance after school and say hello...

According to Miyo-chan, "Reina-san's really beautiful, but the way she looked at me was intimidating."

Lena definitely had a piercing gaze at Miyo-chan back then...

"Reina-san is so overprotective..."　

"Yeah... but I'm glad she is worried about me."　

"Well, I understand that she is worried because Nina-chan is so cute..."

When I think about Lena, I get a little worried about what will happen later, but I feel more strongly that I want to go and hang out at my friend's house.

If I explain it properly, Lena will probably understand... Maybe.

─────

After school.

As I was waiting for Lena at the school gate as usual, Miyo-chan and Hibari-chan came running towards me.

"Nina! Let's go home together!"

"Umm... but Lena..."

"Reina-san, she haven't arrived yet, right? So, just come halfway!"

"Hmm, then halfway then."　

The three of us leave the school gates.　

"By the way, Nina. Reina-san comes to pick you up every day, it's so nice to be able to go home with car."

"Yeah, she is really a worrier. She always pick me up whenever she can."

"So envious. My house is far away..."

The three of us walked for a while before splitting up at an intersection.

"See you later! Nina!"

"See you soon... I'm looking forward to this weekend."

"Yup! Bye! See you on weekend!"

After seeing them off, I head back to the school gate.

Just then, Lena was about to arrive.

"Ah, Lena!"

"Nina, sorry. I'm a little late."

"No, it's okay."

I ran over to Lena and held her hand. Lena looked a little tired.

"Was your job difficult?"　

"Well, yeah. But meeting Nina cheered me up."　

"Fufu, that's good."

After getting into the car, I sit in the passenger seat and tell her what happened today.

About the classes, eating lunch with Miyo-chan and the other, and...

"You see, Lena...."

"Yeah?"　

"Can I come and stay at Hibari-chan's house this weekend?"

The car stopped at the intersection.

"...Staying overnight?"

"With Hibari-chan. You see, her name is Matsuno Hibari-chan, and she's my classmate..."

"Just the two of you?"

"Yeah"

Lena looked a little thoughtful.

"...Okay, but please let me know exactly where you will be and what time."

"Yes, I understand!"

"And if anything happens, call me right away."　

"It's okay, Lena. I'm just going to Hibari-chan's house to hang out."　

"...I know. But I'm worried."

Lena holds my hand tightly.

She's really overprotective, but I'm glad she worries about me.

"Thank you, Lena. I'll be careful."

"Yeah……"　

─────

That night, while I was making dinner, I was thinking.

I was thinking about Saturday while making Lena's favorite hamburger steak.　

Going to a friend's house for a sleepover is a normal thing for a normal high school student, right?　

But it was my first time and I was really looking forward to it.

"Nina, what are you making?"

Lena popped her head into the kitchen and peered in with interest.

"Hamburg steak! It's Lena's favorite."　

"Happy."

Lena hugged me from behind.

"Nina's cooking is really delicious."

"Thank you. It's fun to make it because it makes Rena happy."

"...Nina."

"Yeah?"

"Let's stay together forever."

"Of course. We'll always be together."

Lena's arms are warm.

When she does this, I feel like I don't have to worry about anything.

─────

After finishing dinner and taking a bath, another day comes to an end.

School tomorrow, and then a sleepover at Hibari-chan's house on Saturday.

I really love this kind of ordinary everyday life.

─────

And then Saturday.

The long-awaited day has come to stay at Hibari-chan's house!

"I'm off!"

"Be careful. Call me once you get to that house."

"I know. Well, I'll be off then."

Lena sees me off as I leave the house.　

I'm meeting Hibari-chan at the station and we plan to take the train together from there.　

"Nina-chan, good morning."　

"Good morning, Hibari-chan!"

When we met up in front of the station, Hibari-chan smiled happily.

"I was looking forward to today. I wanted to have a long chat with Nina-chan."

"I was looking forward to it too!"

I take the train and head to Hibari-chan's house.

We talked about a lot of things in the car: our favorite books, school, and dreams for the future.

"What do you want to be in the future, Nina-chan?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure yet. But I would like to be able to help people."

"That's nice."

"What about Hibari-chan?"

"I'd like to work in a library. A place where I can be surrounded by books and spend some quiet time."

"Oh, that sounds very Hibari-chan-like!"

While we were talking, we arrived at our destination station.

"It's just a short walk home, let's walk."　

"Hm!"

From the station, head towards the residential area.

There are few people around and it's a quiet place.

"Hibari-chan's house is around here?"　

"Yeah, almost there..."

That was when it happened.

Suddenly, I heard multiple footsteps behind me.

I turned around and saw several men in black suits running towards me.

"Eh……?"

Suddenly, a man grabbed my arm.

"Sorry, be quiet."　

"Kyaaa?!"

The other man picks up Hibari-chan.

"Stop! Let go!"

Hibari-chan shouted.

Oh, this is kidnapping.

Yeah, that's for sure.

My mind went blank for a moment... but I didn't panic 

In fact, I was strangely calm.　

We were forced into a nearby van.　

Two men are holding us down.　　

"Don't act violently."　

"Wha-who!? No!?"

"Shut up."

One of the men put a gag in Hibari-chan's mouth.　

"Mmh! Mmh!"　

Hibari-chan desperately resists, but she is soon blindfolded and her hands and feet are tied with rope.

"Hibari-chan, it's okay..."

A cloth was also forced into my mouth and my hands were tied behind my back.　

I was blindfolded and my vision went dark.

"……hmmm~"

...Well, I guess it'll be okay.

I have a supernatural power. I can escape at any time.

I was restrained almost every day at the facility, so I'm used to this kind of situation...

Rather, the problem is Hibari-chan.

She must be feeling very scared.

...It's okay, I'll help you once you've calmed down.　

For now, let's wait and see and find out what the perpetrators' motives are.

And then the car started moving.

Where will they take us?

...Lena, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you worry again.

But it's okay, I'll be back soon!

─────

I wonder how much time has passed.　

Maybe about 30 minutes?

The car stopped and we were dragged out.

"Hmm..."

Cold floor.

The feel of concrete.　

It's inside the building.

I was dragged up the stairs and thrown into a room.

The sound of a door closing. The sound of a lock being locked.

"...Hmm, hmm"

I can hear Hibari-chan's voice.

It's like she's right next to me.

Okay, time to use my supernatural powers.

Even while blindfolded, I can still see my surroundings in the observation area.

This room... has concrete walls and floors, no windows, and is lit by a single fluorescent light.

There is one door and a hallway outside.

The number of people was...five, no, six.

They're armed. They have guns.

Wow, that's pretty authentic.

But it still doesn't compare to the security at the facility.

I focus on the ropes binding my wrists.

Using my supernatural power, I shift the rope by a few centimeters and teleports it away.

Ok, my hands are free.

Well.

The blindfold and gag are removed, and the restraints on my feet are also removed.

And I released Hibari-chan from her restraints.

"Phew! Nina-chan?!"

Hibari-chan yelled in surprise.

"Shh, be quiet."

I put my index finger to my lips.

"How..."

"I'll explain later."

I also remove Hibari-chan's blindfold and gag.

In the dark room, my eyes met Hibari-chan's.

"Nina-chan..."　

"It's okay, it was scary huh."

I hug Hibari-chan.

Hibari-chan's body is trembling.

"It was scary...very scary..."

"Yeah, I was scared too, but it's okay."

...Well, to be honest, it wasn't that scary...　

But I have to sympathize with Hibari-chan.

Once I had calmed down a bit, I moved away from Hibari-chan and looked around.

"Where... are we?"

"I don't know. But it looks like a room in a building."

"What should we do..."

I turned to Hibari.　

"Hey Hibari-chan, actually..."　

"Yeah?"

"I'm someone with supernatural power."

"……Eh?"　

Hibari-chan rolled her eyes.

"Nina-chan too?"

"Yeah. It's a spatial teleportation type ability. So, I think we can escape from here."

"Really!?"

Hibari-chan's expression brightens.

But soon it got dark again.

"Um... well..."

"Hm?"

"Actually, I... I'm also a person with supernatural abilities..."

Oh, I see.

I see, I thought they were after me, but if that's the case then the reason why I was kidnapped seems to change.

"My ability is a mental information interference type. I can read the memories of people I touch, and even rewrite them a little."

"Wow, that's amazing..."

Mental information interference system.

Well, I'm pretty sure I remember asking Mad.　

Was it an extremely rare supernatural power, with only a few confirmed cases in history?

"I think they were probably targeting you because of your supernatural powers."　

"I see."

Hibari-chan looked down.

"I'm sorry, Nina-chan. I got you all involved because of me..."

"No, Hibari-chan isn't bad."

I held Hibari-chan's hand.

"Don't worry. I'll definitely help you."

"But how... there are armed people outside..."　

"I know that too. I can observe my surroundings with my supernatural powers."

Hibari-chan looks surprised.

"Amazing... Nina-chan's supernatural powers can even do that?"

"Yeah. So it's okay!"

I puffed out my chest with confidence.

Isn't that amazing? I haven't been a test subject for five years for nothing!

"...Um...But Nina-chan, how are we going to escape?"

"Well, you see..."

I thought for a moment.

First of all, my supernatural powers don't allow me to transport myself.　

So I'll just send Hibari-chan outside and then I'll find another way to escape later...

Hm no, that would make people worry.

To both Lena and Hibari-chan.

Besides, there's no guarantee that the kidnappers' accomplices aren't outside my observation area...

"For now, let's gather some more information."

"Information?"

"Yes. The perpetrators' purpose, number of people, etc."

I widen my observation area and check outside the building.

This place... seems to be an industrial area a little ways from the city center.

There are several old buildings lined up.

And in this building... there were six men.

Everyone's armed, with handguns and flash bangs... live ammunition and tranquilizer darts, I guess? Probably....

Two near the stairs, two in the hallway, and two on the first floor.

"Hmm."

As I was checking the layout, I heard footsteps coming from the other side of the door.

Two people.　

Come this way.

"...They're coming."

I whispered to Hibari-chan.

"What should we do?"

"It's okay, leave it to me."

We quickly return to our original positions and pretend to be detained.

We were blindfolded and the ropes were only loosely wrapped around our hands and feet so that we could move at any time.

The door opens with a rusty sound.

Two men in black suits entered the room.

"..."

A man approaches with a blank expression.

Oh, it's obvious that the gag has been removed.

Well, that's fine.

"Hey, you guys, what's your purpose?"　

Hibari-chan mustered up her courage and asked.

The man doesn't answer.

He just stares at Hibari.

"Matsuno Hibari."

"..."

"It's our job to deliver you to our employer."

"Employer……?"　

"You don't need to know any more than that."

The man approaches Hibari-chan.

Hibari-chan retreat back.

"Wait...!"

Without thinking, I leaned forward in front of Hibari-chan.

"Stop it! Don't do anything to Hibari-chan!"

The man looks at me.

"...It's none of your business."

The other man also looked at me and spoke.　

"If you behave obediently, We have no intention of harming you. Once this is done, we will release you in a suitable location."

"……Really?"

"This is just work, nothing extraneous."

I see.

These guys are professional kidnappers.

They're just employed and doing their job.

That's easy then.

"...Okay. I'll just be quiet."

"Smart kid."

The men nodded in satisfaction and left the room.

The door closes and locks.

"...Phew."

As I released my restraints once again, I sighed softly.

"Nina-chan, are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. At least I got the information."

I turned to Hibari-chan.

"Hibari-chan, we're going to escape now!"

"...Uh, yeah."

"It's okay"

I held Hibari-chan's anxious-looking hands as gently as possible with both of my hands and said with a smile.

"I still have experience escaping from confinement! Leave it to me!"

"...What does that mean?"

[Sannomiya Nina/Nina]

Enjoying the happy everyday life she once dreamed of. Couldn't be happier. Member of the library committee. Reading has been her hobby since her previous life.

Total number of confessions: 27.

•

[Takatsuki Miya/Miyo-chan]

Nina's first friend in high school. Despite appearances, she excels in both academics and sports. Member of the basketball club, and ranked first in her grade in the last exam.

For some reason, Hibari tends to treat her roughly.

•

[Matsuno Hibari/Hibari-chan]

A reading buddy who also belongs to the library committee as Nina. Possesses a mental information interference type of paranormal power, of which only three cases have been confirmed in history. Her power has been reported to the government, and it's a miracle she hasn't been used as a test subject.

Nina Fan Club No. 003.

•

[Sannomiya Reina/Lena]

She is reaching her limit.