Nakamori could feel her body being held tightly by the woman, then plunging freely downwards.
 
The girl knew that just closing her eyes would not solve the problem. But still, she closed her eyes and hoped that no pain would come to her. Even though it was impossible because it was clear that when she was about to fall down there would be tremendous pain waiting for her.
 
***
 
A woman extended her hand towards Nakamori. "Come here," the woman said, trying to pull Nakamori along.
 
As if hypnotized, Nakamori followed the woman into the flames.
 
The heat from the flames burned Nakamori's entire body, making his skin melt along with the hot flames.
 
If today you burn and make me lose your entire world. Will you stop fighting? Will your dreams and hopes just disappear? This blaze that is so hot, will one day be extinguished in the end.
 
There is no point in letting yourself and your dreams burn out. In the end all of this, is a story of how to maintain a dream so that it does not just disappear. That's what it means to hold on to the hope that everyone holds on to.
 
It's your dream ... it's your hope ... make an effort ....
 
***
 
 
 
Nakamori opened his eyes slowly. It felt like his whole body hurt. He even thought some of his bones might be broken.
 
"Are you awake?" asked a woman who suddenly appeared in front of Nakamori.
 
Nakamori frowned in surprise. For a moment he tried to remember who it was, but it wasn't long before he realized that the woman in front of him now was the one in the flames.
 
"You?!" Nakamori was so shocked that he automatically tried to grab the woman. But just when he thought he could reach her, he couldn't touch her at all. He only felt the wind passing over his skin.
 
The woman just stood still and looked at Nakamori flatly. "You won't be able to touch me. You stay still and let me explain a few important things," she said.
 
An incredulous Nakamori still tried to reach out to the woman. But to no avail. Seemingly giving up, he finally just shut up, and looked at the woman in front of him with an astonished look. His brain was still unable to digest all the events that happened to him today.
 
"You should have trusted my words from the start. Are you, yourself, unable to give yourself a sense of trust?"
 
Nakamori furrowed his brow. "I don't understand what you're saying."
 
"I'm talking about you. Before I tell you, I dragged you here. And yes... that woman you saw so many times in the flames was yourself," the woman said, telling Nakamori something that probably didn't make sense.
 
"Don't divert the conversation with strange topics. I honestly feel uncomfortable and strange around you," Nakamori refused. She felt like the woman was trying to deceive her.
 
The woman chuckled in annoyance. She knew very well that the person she was talking to would not just listen to her. And she knew that the person she was talking to had to have more patience.
 
Trying to be calm and wanting to tell everything well. So the woman tried to be patient.
 
"Can't you believe me? Can't you see how similar your face and mine are?"
 
Nakamori's eyebrows went up one side. Was this woman drunk? She was speaking as if she was babbling.
 
"So you want to tell me that you are my brother? Or my mother? Or the adult version of myself?"
 
"The last words you said are true. You can hold on to those words." The woman then showed her arm which had a unique red birthmark. "See you must have it too."
 
Nakamori then pulled up his sleeve, knowing full well that he did indeed have such a birthmark. But he still refused to believe the woman, who claimed that she was himself in adult form.
 
"I refuse to believe you!" Nakamori turned his face away from the strange woman.
 
"Tsk. How stubborn!" The strange woman was annoyed with Nakamori. She then pulled the girl's face to look into her eyes. "Listen to me! I don't have long, so stop messing with me!" she threatened.
 
"What do you want from me?" Nakamori, who could not help but continue to stare at the strange woman.
 
"You're going to trade places with me... ah no rather you, are going to experience something that has never happened in my life." The strange woman smiled wryly.
 
Nakamori herself could sense that the woman seemed to want to play games with her. "If you dare to say something like this. Does that mean it's clear that you won't just let me go?"
 
"Sure? Why should I let you go pretty?" The woman released the grip of her hand from Nakamori's face. "It's very important because of that, you have to get through it right. If not then you die, easy isn't it?"
 
"You intend to make me get hurt?" Nakamori couldn't accept that he would be harmed because of the strange woman's wishes.
 
The strange woman laughed. She then placed her palms in front of Nakamori's eyes. After that she whispered something like this in the girl's ear, "Nakamori... from now on you will know who Irene is and that will be your new identity for a while," she whispered.
 
Hearing the woman's whisper left Nakamori speechless. His body felt so weak and slowly his consciousness began to fade. Until finally he could not feel anything else from his surroundings.
 
***
 
There used to be a mischievous rabbit who liked to take small children out with him. The rabbit had black fur and looked very cute. Many children were tempted to follow him because of his appearance.
 
But the rabbit was actually a time demon who liked to tease the souls of curious children. The rabbit would take the children away to a place, and show unexpected things in front of the children. Until the children finally learned the harsh reality before their eyes.
 
Nakamori saw the strange woman constantly running away from him. Seeing the strange woman always running away from her, the girl realized that she was being tricked into going further and further away from where she came from.
 
Nakamori repeatedly called out to the strange woman, telling her to leave but she refused to stop. Instead, she ran further and further away, making it difficult for him to reach her.
 
Until finally when Nakamori's hand, almost touched the stranger's shoulder. The woman simply disappeared from before his eyes and... everything went dark. Nakamori again felt a strange sensation around him. He fell down and into a very dark hole.