A3! Oneshots

Gamer Does Not Dream of Unromantic Senpai - Chikage x Itaru (Angst)

A/N: Yeah, that's really a Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai reference.

Itaru tosses and turns in his bed, unable to find that one comfortable position to finally drift off to sleep. His drained 3DS charges by the wall, the indicator assuring him that it was plugged in correctly being the only light in the room. On some whim, he sits up on his bed, knees folded against himself. It doesn't bother him despite his lack of flexibility.

Tired eyes drift over to the other side of the room to see only a tidy and empty bunk bed. The office worker sighs in defeat – he finally acknowledges the real reason why he couldn't fall asleep. Or rather, why he doesn't want to.

Finally, his gaze shifts to the open window, and he softly curses under his breath... not that there would have been anyone to disturb in the room if he'd done so louder. Man, now that he's seen that bright full moon high up in the sky, he knows for sure it's coming again. That stupid dream of his.

Still grumbling to himself, he feels around his pillow to grab his mobile phone. Maybe he'll just play some FPS games... or wait, that wouldn't be too relaxing before bed, now would it? Oh, that's right. He should check on his best girls!

But strangely, his fingers move sluggishly across the screen as he enters his passcode. Ah, didn't he used to always be in a rush to log in no matter the game? Strange.

Eventually, he gets to the loading screen and one of his favourite characters greets him. He imagines someone else saying her words... and he closes the application whilst fuming.

Maybe he was overthinking stuff. He just had too much soda and energy drinks earlier, yeah... that was definitely it. There's no way he can have the same dream three nights in a row, right? Whatever, he just needs to get to sleep now.

He flops over on his stomach with a small, dissatisfied, "Mmph."

"Senka High School," the signage above the entrance gate proudly proclaims, and Itaru immediately wants to scream in frustration.

But he's long known that he can't really do anything in dreams like these. He sees it in the first person, yeah, but it was like being stuck in a story character's body. Like a hyper-realistic otome game without choices, maybe. He actually wishes it was an otome game instead... He could study how to avoid the bad end, then.

"Itaru-kun, hurry up!" a familiar voice calls from up ahead, and dream Itaru's head turns to look at her with an unamused expression on his face.

"So energetic in the morning, Tachibana-senpai... it's the last day of class, y'know," he sighs, but a hint of amusement is evident in his tone.

"Exactly! This is the second to the last time we'll see Chikage-senpai in school before he leaves to study abroad!"

Time seems to stop even within the dream. Itaru knew this was going to happen, and he felt for a fact that his dream self had known it too. Yet he still froze, as if one wrong move and those words would shatter him like glass.

"...Itaru-kun?"

"Yeah, was just thinkin' about what I'll do with the hot sauce packets that come with the pizza our club orders after practice now."

Izumi laughs brightly, too brightly, "Silly! I can use them in my curry."

Itaru sighs again, his breath trailing softly in the cold spring morning air.

"So... how should we celebrate after his graduation ceremony?" she thoughtfully asks as they walk up the school entrance's stairs.

A singular shrug is his only reply, but it isn't as if he doesn't have any ideas.