Waking Up From A Nightmare

"Yeah... The sofa seems soft... So I'll sleep." I slowly lay down on the sofa. "Please wake me up once the bell chimes in." And with that, I let my drowsiness take over, drifting into a peaceful slumber.

"Sweet dreams~" Aya whispered softly as I dozed off.

As I continued to sleep, memories from my childhood resurfaced, and I found myself reliving a moment with my father.

The memory was vivid and painful, bringing back emotions I had buried deep within.

"Get up, we're not done yet," my father's voice rang in my ears, stern and commanding.

"But Father... It's too hard...!" I pleaded, my young voice filled with frustration and exhaustion.

"It's not hard! I said get up!" His voice was unwavering, pushing me to my limits.

I tried to comply, struggling to rise, but my body ached so much that every movement was excruciating.

"Good, now we're retrying!"

And so the two of us continued to spar, though it felt more like a battle for survival. My father's bloodlust filled the air, and his eyes glared at me intensely.

He showed no mercy, no sign of a father's love or care. It was as if he was trying to crush my spirit, to make me stronger through pain and suffering.

"Aargh!" In my dream, I attempted to punch my father, but he swiftly countered by using his knee to knock me back down to the ground.

I fell back, gritting my teeth, determined to get back up.

"Get up," he commanded, and I obeyed, forcing myself to stand.

"Aaarghh!!!" I shouted in frustration and exertion, but the dream was relentless, repeating the same cycle of defeat and struggle.

Finally, I woke up with a start, my heart pounding, and my body covered in sweat. "Where... am I!?"

I looked around, disoriented, before my memory caught up with me. Right, I was in the student council room. But what time was it?

I glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was currently 3:53 PM.

"Aah, I'm so gonna get scolded now," I muttered to myself.

Sighing, I stood up and headed to the door, but as I opened it, I nearly collided with Aya, the vice president of the student council.

"Wah!" Her papers fell to the ground.

"S-Sorry..." I quickly bent down to help her pick them up.

"I-It's actually my fault for not waking you up... You were having a good sleep."

"I-It's okay, Aya-senpai... I had a good rest anyway."

"That's good then. I already told the teachers what happened, so I think you're all good... Though those two," she glanced at Momo and Mizuki, who were peeking from the corridor. "They were worried about you a lot."

"Ahh..." I bowed. "Thank you."

"No worries~ You should go to them now~"

I nodded and walked over to Momo and Mizuki. "Hello."

The two gave me a blank and disappointed stare.

"So what are you two doing there?" Momo asked.

"I fell asleep, and Aya-senpai let me sleep."

"Y-Y-You two were having indecent sex in the student council!? HOW LEWD!" Mizuki blurted out, her face blushing.

"I will tell this to Miss Suzume." Before she could take out her phone, I quickly grabbed her head.

"Oi... Did you forget about this morning?" I glared at her.

"A-Ah... Yeah, yeah, sure~" She slowly put her phone back in her pocket.

"Shall we go now?"

The two exchanged glances and nodded, and the three of us started walking back home.

Momo looked at me mischievously. "By the way, Ryo-sama~ You smell like lavender and sweat... are you sure you two didn't do...-"

"Nope!" I interrupted firmly, not wanting to entertain her teasing.

"Stingy."

"We're going home..."

As we continued to walk, Momo's phone suddenly rang. She grabbed her phone and answered it with a smile. "Yes?"

Since I didn't want to intrude on her call, I decided to give her some privacy.

"Momo, it's kinda rude for us to listen in, so let's continue on our way."

Momo nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Ryo-sama." She bowed and headed in the opposite direction to take her call.

Now it's just me and Mizuki walking together in silence. It felt a bit awkward, so I tried to find a topic to break the ice.

"By the way, Mizuki... Suzume said there are twenty maids working in the household, right?"

Mizuki looked at me and nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

"Then, how come there's only 5 or sometimes 10 maids in the household at a time?"

"Some of them are probably on a mission. You know how the maids handle various tasks and assignments."

"I see... It's just curious, considering the number of maids."

Mizuki smiled. "Maybe it's your father's way of showing loving care?"

I chuckled. "Ha? As if he's capable of that."

Mizuki laughed softly. "You never know... Anyway, I'm kinda jealous of you, Ryo-sama."

I stopped walking and met her gaze. "Why's that?"

"Because you have a family."

"Don't you have your family too?"

She hesitated for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't remember anything about my past."

"...Is that so?"

Mizuki nodded, her expression melancholic.

Maybe asking her about her background could help, but I didn't want to push her. Instead, I tried to comfort her. "Well, you're not alone now. You have us."

Mizuki looked at me and smiled. "Yeah, I'm not alone."

"Good attitude. Now then, let's head back home~"

"Pfft~ What's with the sudden English accent?"

"Argh, I was just trying to lighten the mood, okay!?"

As we continued our walk back home, my mind wandered, and another painful flashback surfaced – a memory of my father looking down at me with disdain.

Father's loving care, my ass... All he does is beat me to death... You never know what it's like to be forced to kill a person with your own hands. I get it... you're all assassins, but as someone who wants a normal life...

"Hm? Ryo-sama?" Mizuki noticed the change in my expression and looked at me with concern. "Is something wrong?"

I quickly masked my emotions with a smile. "Huh? Ah, it's nothing, Mizuki."

She gave me a knowing look. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hehe, well, you're probably going to need to review later, but don't worry! I'll give you my notes."

I nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Mizuki."

As a person who was turned into a weapon, I often find myself wondering if it's too late for me to ever become a normal person.

My childhood was robbed of innocence and carefree days. Trained to kill, I have seen and done things that no child should ever experience. But the scars of my past still haunt me, and I sometimes wonder... Can I ever be free of the bloodshed and violence that taints my hands?

One day, I wonder if I can understand him and forgive him.