I was in the middle of a dream—
In that dream, Rui was wearing a top that left her midriff completely exposed. As I lay with her thighs as my pillow, I found myself staring intently at her navel.
And all the while, Rui was whispering "Ryouta-kun, Ryouta-kun" in my ear... Wait, what?
"Ryouta-kun, Ryouta-kun."
See, just like—wait, huh?
"Whoa!"
The moment my eyes snapped open, the living room carpet filled my vision. I felt the cool, firm yet soft sensation of a pair of thighs against my cheek.
There was no mistaking it.
This was... Rui’s lap pillow!?
It wasn't just a dream; in reality, I was lying on the living room carpet with my head in Rui’s lap.
Wait, then that means—!
I immediately rolled over to face her stomach, hoping for a glimpse of her navel, but it was autumn—she wasn't wearing a crop top.
"Oh, you’re finally awake? Everyone just collapsed and fell asleep all of a sudden. I was so worried ♡"
"...Your navel... isn't showing?"
"Ryouta-kun? Whatever are you talking about?"
I could sense the underlying edge in her gentle tone. Realizing I'd overstepped, I rolled back over, quickly averting my gaze from her midriff.
"Were you dreaming about me, by any chance?"
There was no point in making excuses with Rui; she’d see right through any lie. I decided to give it to her straight.
"...Yeah. In the dream, you were wearing a super lewd, midriff-baring crop top while giving me a lap pillow. I was facing your stomach, so I was staring intently at your navel right in front of my nose... That was the dream."
"Ew... Even if I'm the type to pick up on everything, you really didn't need to tell me about such a creepy dream."
Apparently, even Rui had her limits; she looked genuinely repulsed.
The strange sense of victory I felt likely stemmed from the fact that she usually had the upper hand in our... more intimate dealings.
"Wait, more importantly! Why am I even getting a lap pillow... Oh, right. I blacked out the moment I ate that dark hot pot, didn't I?"
"Yes. But it seems everyone just lost consciousness from the shock of how bad it tasted. They're all still asleep."
"A-asleep... I've never heard of anyone actually passing out just because food tasted bad."
Well, at least I could rest easy knowing it wasn't actual poison. Not that I was exactly "at ease."
"Wait, I feel like I heard a camera shutter sound right before I passed out."
"Eh? What are you talking about? I didn't hear anything like that when I got back from my phone call."
"...I-I see."
Maybe that was just a fragment of the dream, too.
"Well then, it's about time I wake everyone up, right? Okay, everyone—"
Rui lowered me off her thighs, and I stood up, my lips pouted in slight disappointment.
That had been a top-tier lap pillow... I should have stayed under longer.
I felt like I wanted to spend the rest of my life sleeping on Rui’s lap while she provided for me.
"Anyway. I'll make my sister—the one responsible for this disaster—eat the rest of that pot later, but where's that notebook she brought...?"
I looked toward the table in front of the TV. The notebook was sitting right there.
However, a flicker of unease crossed my mind.
The notebook I'd placed by the TV before the meal was now lying open to a page right in the middle.
"...Well, whatever."
I closed the notebook and headed off to clean up the remains of the hot pot.