[BL Fanfiction] SOS from Line B (6)
Arakita dipped his fingertip into the water droplets on his glass and drew two vertical lines on the counter table, then one horizontal line intersecting them.
"Listen. The vertical lines are world lines. And the horizontal one is time."
"Yeah."
"Today is June 13, 2023. So, all the other world lines are on the same day, too."
"OK."
"Let's call the world line we're in right now Line A. And the dream world is Line B, right next to it."
"So that's what Line B meant."
"Line B definitely exists in parallel to this Line A. In other words, the events in the dream are facts that happened five years ago on Line B."
"...Wow, that's amazing. I'm starting to get excited."
Shinkai's heartbeat quickens.
"The me on Line B experienced a terrible heartbreak five years ago. And even now, five years later, I'm still dragging that pain around and suffering."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh."
"That painful feeling was so incredibly strong that, in the end, my thoughts jumped across world lines."
"Whoa!"
Shinkai leans forward.
"That's why the me on Line A caught those thoughts."
"So that's what those dreams were all about!"
Shinkai clenched his fist and shouted involuntarily.
"The me on Line C might already be married to someone else. The me on Line D might have a different girlfriend. I couldn't catch it in those kinds of normie timelines. The one I could catch is the me on a timeline where I'm lonely and have nothing to do. In other words, the me on this Line A."
"Lonely and have nothing to do..."
"The reason why the me on Line A was able to catch it is because my fated partner hasn't been determined yet."
"I see."
Arakita took a sip of his cocktail here, paused for a breath, and then said.
"What does the me on Line B want to convey to the me on Line A? There is only one answer."
"...Yeah."
Shinkai seemed to understand as well, and he nodded.
"I want you to meet and be together with your destined partner from Line B on Line A."
"…Yeah, that's right."
"Because of that, the me on Line B will be encouraged, and I'll gain the courage to go and meet my destined partner again, even though we're separated."
"Yeah."
"If it succeeds, I'm sure I won't have that dream ever again."
"I see!"
"I want to save the me on Line B."
"Ah!"
Shinkai clenched both his fists tightly.
"...That sounds cool, but honestly, I'm interested in it too. In who my fated partner is. Heh."
Arakita said with a laugh.
"If it's like this, it explains why I forget the person's appearance when I wake up. If I knew their face, it wouldn't be fate. It would just be a task. It's only a fated partner if you meet them without any prior information."
"That's certainly true!"
"So, I decided to sing about my dreams on that bridge every night. Since it's the busiest downtown area in this city. I'm hoping that my fated partner will react to my song."
"Yasutomo...!"
Gasp!
Shinkai threw his arms around Arakita.
"Whoa!"
Arakita was startled.
"Thank you! Thank you, Yasutomo! For solving the mystery of my dream! I've been struggling with this for so long, unable to tell anyone!"
"..."
Being held so tightly, Arakita couldn't help but feel flustered.
"H-hey, hey. If you cling to me like that, I might just fall for you, you know?"
"Haha."
Shinkai laughed and pulled his body away.
"But... I'm happy too. I'm glad you could understand such a manga-like explanation."
Shinkai insists excitedly to Arakita, who is smiling bashfully.
"No, reading novels is my hobby. My favorite is mystery novels, but I also love modern sci-fi like this."
"It certainly is sci-fi, isn't it?"
"It's far more realistic and scientific than my theory about past lives! I was moved!"
"Is that so? ...Heh."
Arakita blushes and scratches the back of his neck.
"Me too! I'll do my best to find my fated partner too! I'll save the me on Line B too!"
"Then let's have a competition to see who can meet their fated partner first."
"Yeah! Yasutomo! Will you meet with me like this again?"
"Of course, Shinkai. Let's exchange information again."
"I'm happy. I've made a friend like you."
Shinkai held out his right hand, seeking a handshake.
"A fri-friend...!"
Arakita, who usually stayed cooped up at home day trading, hadn't had much of a social life.
To be called a friend by a young man his own age made him feel incredibly shy.
Stiffening up, he timidly reached out his right hand.
Grip!
"!!"
Shinkai gripped Arakita's right hand with both of his.
He turned a beaming smile toward Arakita.
To Arakita, that smile looked unbearably dazzling—.