Episode 4: Horikita's Decision

[Kiyotaka POV]

''I don't know if this place is a dream or not, but at least I know it's not real.''

Sakayanagi came toward me and Kei and sat down flat on the floor. It was a cute gesture.

''But why?" Kei asked.

''As you all know, I am physically weak. But that makes me even more astute when it comes to changes in my physical condition."

When Kei asked the question, Sakayanagi gave it some thought before answering.

"I got the impression that it had been a long time since I had awoken here, so I was beginning to wonder about the time of my medication. The prescription is supposed to be taken after meals, but I've found that I'm not hungry and don't need to go to the bathroom. I believed it was because I was nervous at first, but in any case, too much time has passed."

''If you ask me, yes. It should be time for me to start getting a bit hungry too."

When I agreed, Sakayanagi nodded in agreement. I see, she is sickly and had spent some time in a hospital before I met her at school, so she must be sensitive to that kind of sensation.

''Good, so this is a dream after all.'' Kei's expression changed from uneasy to relieved.

''But although I don't think this place is real, I also don't think it's just a dream.''

''What do you mean?"

Kei tilted her head.

''I overheard a conversation between the two of you, and I think Ayanokouji-kun said something like 'from the point of view of the Building Code, a completely closed room is impossible'. This was a new matter for me to learn, so it was refreshing."

''Hmm, you are giving me too much credit. It's just something I've heard about a long time ago."

Come to think of it, Sakayanagi seems to be quite a mystery lover. Apparently, she read a lot of books when she was in the hospital or recuperating at home.

''Still, it was an idea that never occurred to me. Fufufu, as expected of Ayanokouji-kun. So I've come to the conclusion that it would be unusual if this place was a dream."

''W-What do you mean? If it's a dream world, then anything is possible."

Kei was perplexed. She still had no idea what Sakayanagi was talking about.

''Certainly, I think anything can happen in a dream. But it is only within the limits of your imagination and knowledge. It's impossible for the characters in my dreams to tell me something I don't already know."

''...''

"Kei if you are still confused, if this is Sakayanagi's dream, it would be unusual for me to tell her something she doesn't already know. Let's see, in this current scenario, it would indicate that I, as Sakayanagi's fictional existence, spoke things she has no knowledge of."

''Precisely Ayanokouji-kun.''

Sakayanagi looked me in the eye and nodded. It feels strange. From my point of view, she should be the character in my dream, so what's the deal with this inception setup, and why in the heck am I having a conversation about existential dread.

''Ah, I don't know what's going on anymore. Well, this place isn't real, but it's too strange to be a dream, isn't it? But what should we do?"

Kei sighed. I'm beginning to realize that this place is extraordinarily deviant, but I have no idea how to deal with it.

Yet.

-

''Hey, what's going on?'

When I turned towards the voice, I saw Horikita and the rest of the girls coming this way. Perhaps they were curious about our conversation, or perhaps they were simply bored. Sakayanagi summarized the chat we had just held on our behalf.

''I knew this place was out of the ordinary. Have sex to get out, are you serious?''

Ibuki nodded in agreement with Sakayanagi. She had consistently insisted that this place is not just a dream.

''I don't know. I think Sakayanagi's story is interesting. But it could just be an assumption. I think it's possible that she could have subconsciously heard or read things that she didn't realize she knew.''

In contrast, Horikita does not lose her attitude that this is her dream. In response to her point, Sakayanagi made a gesture as if she was thinking about something before opening her mouth.

''Fufufu .... I think that is a possibility. As I recall, I watched an episode where the scientist who invented the benzene ring in chemistry got the idea from a dream. However, he was not inspired by a dream; rather, his knowledge from his everyday studies and experimentation was linked to his discoveries while sleeping. I may have incorrectly assumed that the facts I had vaguely remembered came from a dream."

''You know a lot of things, Sakayanagi. It's weird for this to be a dream, but it could just be a fantasy you're making up in your head."

Horikita said, impressed. I was almost convinced too, but Ichinose's mouth was agape with dissatisfaction.

''Hey, hey, it's all well and good to speculate, but in the end, we still don't know how to get out of here, do we? It's been half a day already, I'll go crazy if it keeps going on like this."

''What, has it been that long? Aren't you just overreacting?"

''No, Ayanokouji-kun was asleep, so you just didn't notice. I don't have my phone, so I don't know how long it's been, but it's definitely been hours."

When I looked at Horikita's face for confirmation, she nodded silently. If Horikita affirms it, then there is no doubt about it. On closer inspection, the girl's expressions show fatigue. Apparently, the situation is more serious than I thought.

I once saw a video of an experiment on the internet. It was the development of a drug for psychosis, in which rats were deliberately put under stress. The rats were locked in a small box and within a short time, they became listless and stopped moving.

Our situation is not very different from that experiment.

''This sucks, I wonder if there will be any more messages or anything. I'm going to die of boredom at this rate.''

Kei sighed and looked at the wall, but no matter how long we waited, nothing changed. A heavy silence fills the room between everyone.

Suddenly, an intriguing thought occurred to me. If this place is not real, there would be no physical damage. But what about the psyche? If I were to spend several days, or even dozens of days, in this white room, would I be in a normal state of mind when I woke up?

''What's wrong, Kiyotaka? You seem deep in thought."

''Yes, but nothing to worry about.''

Kei asked me curiously, but I deliberately misled her. Saying my thoughts would only make everyone uneasy. However, Ibuki did not let me off the hook.

''Hey, it's not a good idea to be so secretive. In this situation, the mysterious ones always turn out to be the main villain."

''Well, well, it often happens in movies, but Ayanokouji is no villain... That aside, if you have something on your mind, just tell me. It's all right though, because it's Ayanokouji-kun, so I'm sure he's being considerate of us."

Ichinose turned a gentle smile in my direction. This kind of attitude makes it difficult to refuse. After prefacing the conversation by saying not to take it too seriously, I told her what I had just thought of. However, as I spoke, the girls' expressions stiffened.

''Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you guys. It's only a possibility. Who knows you all might wake up at this very moment.''

I rushed to excuse myself, but the girls were visibly upset. While I dozed off they were awake, so they might have a greater sense of dread.

''Listen, everyone.''

Horikita said in a firm, clear voice. We look at the class D's leader, as she got and stood in front of me.

''I'm going to try that message. I'm going to have s-sex ...with Ayanokouji-kun, I mean, is that a problem?"