Oshi no Ko: The Maestro

Chapter 32: Dancing Shadows and Hidden Motives

Hiroshi found himself in a place that defied all logic and reason. It was as if he had been transported to a realm beyond reality, a dreamlike valley that stretched endlessly in all directions. The ground beneath his feet was soft, like a plush carpet, and it seemed to shift and ripple with every step he attempted to take. Panic welled up within him as he realized he couldn't move.

He stood in the centre of this surreal valley, and before him rose a colossal tree, its trunk a twisting mosaic of colours that shouldn't exist in nature—blues, purples, and iridescent greens. The leaves shimmered with an otherworldly glow, casting dancing shadows that played tricks on his senses. The tree was both beautiful and menacing, its branches reaching out like skeletal fingers into the hazy sky above.

Hiroshi's heart raced, and he tried to call out, but no sound emerged from his lips. He felt as if he were suspended in time and space, a mere observer in this bizarre dreamscape. The valley around him seemed to breathe, inhaling and exhaling in a slow, rhythmic motion as if it were a living entity.

Hiroshi, overwhelmed by the surreal surroundings, thought to himself, "This must be a dream." As he pondered this notion, his gaze shifted towards the colossal tree. There, by its gnarled roots, stood a girl, her eyes scanning the dreamlike valley as if she were waiting for someone, just like Hiroshi.

As Hiroshi continued to watch, a new figure emerged from the dreamlike haze, slowly coming into focus. It was a boy who appeared to be about the same age as the girl, and he approached the colossal tree with a curious but cautious expression. His eyes widened as he took in the surreal surroundings.

The girl, who had been waiting by the gnarled roots of the tree, noticed the boy's arrival. A radiant smile lit up her face, and she couldn't contain her excitement. With joyful anticipation, she rushed toward the boy, her flowing dress billowing behind her as she moved. They met under the iridescent leaves of the colossal tree, and without hesitation, she threw her arms around him in a warm and heartfelt embrace.

The boy looked into the girl's eyes, a mixture of curiosity and affection in his gaze. With a gentle smile, he asked, "Why did you wait so long for me, even though you didn't have to?"

The girl's smile remained, and she replied softly, "I knew you'd come. Time doesn't matter in this place, and I couldn't bear the thought of missing a moment with you."

The boy's expression turned thoughtful as he held the girl in his arms. He gently pulled away from the embrace, looking into her eyes with sincerity. "I knew I told you I would come," he began, "but what if I didn't? What if you were left here all alone in this strange place?"

The girl smiled gently, her eyes filled with unwavering trust, and she whispered softly, "I know you. You never lie."

As the girl's words hung in the air, Hiroshi watched, captivated by this mysterious encounter that had unfolded before him. It was a moment of connection and trust in a place that defied all logic and reason. But the enigma of the surreal valley and the relationship between the boy and the girl remained as perplexing as ever, leaving Hiroshi with more questions than answers.

Hiroshi awoke in his bed early in the morning, the vivid memories of the surreal dreamscape still fresh in his mind. For a moment, he lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of it all. The soft, shifting ground, the colossal tree, the girl, and the boy—all of it felt so real, yet utterly impossible.

As the morning light streamed in through his window, Hiroshi couldn't shake the feeling that he had witnessed something extraordinary, something beyond the boundaries of ordinary dreams. He sat up in bed, his thoughts racing.

Hiroshi couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that had been growing inside him for some time now. Those kids by the colossal tree in his dream, the girl and the boy, weren't strangers. They had appeared in his dreams before, in different surreal settings, always together.