Homare Arisugawa/Encounter with the Unknown

With Dinosaurs Inside My Dream

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2

	*phone rings*
Homare	Yes.
Editor 1	Ah, Homare-kun. I'd like to make sure that the web column that's due this week is on time...
Homare	—Yes, of course I can make it on time. Everything is all right, trust me!
	*phone rings*
	Yes, hello.
Editor 2	Arisugawa-sensei! Is the deadline for this week okay?!
Homare	Oh, it's you...I know, there is no problem. Trust me!
	*phone rings*
	Again?!
	Yes, hello!
Nakamura	Arisugawa-sensei, thank you for your continuous support.
Homare	Oh, it's Nakamura-kun. Is something the matter?
Nakamura	Since the deadline for the column is this week, I will be counting on you.
Homare	You don't have to worry. Everything is all right, trust me!
	Well then, what shall I do...
	I was too caught up in my poem, I didn't realize it was this late already.
Hisoka	...Arisu, you're still up?
Homare	Oh my, did I wake you?
Hisoka	No. It wasn't because of you.
Homare	That's fine, then...
	Lack of sleep reduces my inspiration, so let us continue tomorrow.
	Good night, Hisoka-kun.
Hisoka	Good night...zzz.
Homare	...Hm?
	Where am I...?
	*rumbling sound*
	What is that earth-shaking sound—
Dinosaurs	Grrr!
Homare	GYAAA! D-Dinosaurs!!
	Moreover, there are 3 of them! Why are you all chasing after me?!
Dinosaurs	Roarrr!!
Homare	GYAAA!!
	Hah!
	...It's just a dream. That was a really bizzare dream.
	I haven't slept much yet. I should go back to sleep.
	...Snore.
	Oh, this place is? By any chance, is it—
	*rumbling sound*
	GYAAA, as I thought!
Dinosaur A	Homare-kun!
Dinosaur B	Sensei, please finish your writing as soon as possible!
Dinosaur C	Arisugawa-sensei!
Homare	Why are they calling out my name?! It's really interesting that the dinosaurs can speak human language.
	However, that's not what's important right now! The first thing I must do is escape...oh?
	I can hide inside that cave. Ei!
	Hah!
	Another dream of being chased by dinosaurs... Why were they calling out my name this time?
	...Hisoka-kun, Hisoka-kun.
Hisoka	Zzz...
Homare	Hmm, of course he's not going to wake up without marshmallows. ...It's just a dream, I shouldn't wake him up just because of that.
	I shall go back to sleep without worrying about it.
	...And before I know it, it's already morning.
	In the end, I couldn't sleep at all because I kept waking up from being chased by the dinosaurs in my dream...
	I won't be able to sleep even if I stay here. I should get up.
	Good morning, Director-kun.
Izumi	Ah, Homare-san, good morning. You're up earlier than usual.
Homare	To tell you the truth, I kept waking up because I had a really bizzare dream. My eyes became wide awake because of what happened in that dream.
Izumi	Eh, so it's not that you woke up early, but you didn't sleep at all?
Homare	Indeed, I could hardly sleep.
Izumi	(He does look a bit sleepy, and he has dark circles under his eyes...)
	What kind of dream did you have?
Homare	There were 3 dinosaurs chasing after me and calling out my name.
Izumi	Dinosaurs, huh... Shall we find out its meaning?
Homare	Its meaning?
Izumi	Yes. They say dreams have meanings, such as a suggestion of something or an expression of deep psychology.
	Let's look up dinosaur dreams... —Found it, "chased by dinosaurs"!
	It says, "You're in a situation where you're stuck. Maybe you have a lot of things to do and are in a hurry."
Homare	I'm stuck...and in a hurry...hmm. By the way, does the dream of hiding from dinosaurs have any meaning?
Izumi	It says, "It means that you're confronted by a difficult situation and you're having troubles. However, hiding doesn't seem to be the fundamental solution".
Homare	I see, so that's what it means.

Izumi	Do they ring any bells to you?
Homare	To tell you the truth, I have jobs from 3 editorial departments on my plate right now. All of them are close to their deadlines, but I can't come up with a good poem.
Izumi	Oh right, you said that there were 3 dinosaurs.
Homare	That's right. So I think it matches perfectly with the meaning that you looked up, Director-kun.
Izumi	Then maybe if you come up with a good poem, you'll stop dreaming about dinosaurs.
	Right, how about doing something different for a change of pace? Going somewhere you don't normally go, or walking on a road you don't normally take...
	Maybe you'll discover something new and something will come to mind.
Homare	That sounds perfect. I shall take your advice and head out right away.
	The morning air is refreshing, isn't it? ...Oh, there's a road here.
	It seems that I always pass by without noticing because it's so narrow. Hmm, I shall go down this road today.
	Although I have been taking care of this town on a daily basis, there are still things I do not know about—
	Oh my, what is this place?
	Oh! It's a glassware shop. How delicate and beautiful.
	Surely it is a fateful encounter that I was able to see such a wonderful thing by chance—ha! My poetic inspiration is welling up!
	Glittering glass, blazing sunshine, and silvery rice glistening in the sunrise!
	Oh, they are still welling up! I have to get home and complete the manuscripts pronto!
	Shining mornings, clothes shiny from cleaning, body loose from reclining, la la la~♪
Izumi	Ah, Homare-kun, welcome back. Did you discover anything new?
Homare	Yes, thanks to you, I was able to experience a wonderful encounter. I can't stop overflowing with poetic inspiration!
Izumi	I'm glad to hear that! That means you don't have to dream about dinosaurs tonight.
Homare	Indeed. Thank you, Director-kun.
	It looks like I was able to write all 3 with no problems. There should be no more dinosaurs in my dreams...
	I should get to sleep soon.
	Hello there, dinosaurs, how are you today? Now, let's get you fed.
Dinosaur A	Roar.
Dinosaur B	Roar roar~♪
Homare	You weren't this playful before. ...Oh my, are you going to carry me on your back?
Dinosaur C	Roar~
Homare	Oh, it's very scenic and enjoyable, thank you. Rendezvous on the back of a dinosaur, shish kebab, tall bamboos...
	I sincerely hope you all grow up big and healthy.
	...I feel great. It seems that I slept soundly until morning.
	Still, I thought I wouldn't dream about dinosaurs anymore, so I didn't expect them to show up again...
	But it was a really enjoyable dream. Living in harmony with dinosaurs like that—ha, a poetic inspiration just hit me!
	Tired of the mundane life, jumped into the Cretaceous period, Jurassic, homesick, LASIK, to open my eyes!
Hisoka	Nn...Arisu, you're noisy.
Homare	Oh, Hisoka-kun, I apologize. You should go back to sleep.
Hisoka	You're so weird first thing in the morning, Arisu...zzz.
Homare	Good morning, Director-kun.
Izumi	Homare-san, you look very refreshed this morning. How was your dream?
Homare	I dreamed about dinosaurs again, but this time I was enjoying life with them, feeding them and riding on their backs.
Izumi	It doesn't sound like a bad dream. Let's find out its meaning again.
Homare	I'm counting on you.
Izumi	It says, "Your mind is balanced and you are able to show off your abilities and talents to the fullest"!
Homare	I have been getting poetic inspirations since yesterday so the manuscripts are going well, I think the meaning fits perfectly once again.
CHOICE 1: I'm glad you were able to write the poems. [+] Izumi I'm so glad that you were able to write the poems! Speaking of which, I forgot to ask, what was that wonderful encounter you had? Homare Oh, that. I found a beautiful glassware shop on a street I'd never walked down before. I was very impressed, but at the same time I was very pleased to see that there's still so much more to discover in this town. Izumi So there was a glassware shop around here! I didn't know that either. Homare It was very beautiful. I want to show it to you, Director-kun, so why don't you come with me next time? Izumi Yes, absolutely!
CHOICE 2: The meaning of the dream is accurate. [+] Izumi The meaning of the dream turned out to be accurate. Homare I'm also pleasantly surprised. Dreams are indeed very interesting. I knew there were strange things in this world, but it seems there are still many strange things that I have no idea about. Izumi If you have another interesting dream, please let me know. Homare I will. When that time comes, can you find out the meaning for me again? Izumi Of course!
Homare	Even so, it was thanks to your advice that I was able to get out of this slump. Thank you.
Izumi	No, I didn't really do anything, I just looked up the meaning of your dream.
Homare	No such thing. It was also thanks to you that I experienced a new wonderful encounter.
	I would like to do something for you as thanks. Please think about what you'd like.

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