In that overly realistic and detailed dream she had during her afternoon nap, Lin Sanjiu remembered Kisaragi Station's banknote very clearly. It was made of a sort of plastic material so it was slightly translucent. It had a shade of blue between the color of the sky and the sea so it made a strong impression on her.
However, it should not appear here.
When Lin Sanjiu saw those blue notes, an "ah" slipped from her lips. She regretted her reaction the very next second. It was as if that had triggered something. The atmosphere at the table suddenly changed. Even though she quickly looked down, that had already attracted the attention of the other people sitting at the table. They looked at her for some time before turning away. Lin Sanjiu adjusted her expression and looked up again. This time, the money in Doctor Chen's hand had already changed back to the familiar pink notes with the picture of a president just like in her memory.
"Did I make a mistake?"
"What's the matter?" Doctor Chen looked at her a little puzzled while he handed over the money in his hands. The gentle background music in the restaurant was just as soothing as before.
"No, it's nothing," Lin Sanjiu tried her best to give an amiable smile as she felt a bead of cold sweat running down her back. Through her peripheral vision, she spotted another abnormality at their table. At this moment, her muscles were all tensed up, but she really wished that she wasn't showing any goosebumps, "I accidentally bumped my leg against the table. It's alright."
She hoped her own voice didn't sound that shaky to the others.
For dinner, Zhu Mei had ordered lamb chop with black pepper sauce. The restaurant served the dish with the steaming black pepper sauce in a small silver sauce boat. After Zhu Mei had finished her meal, she casually placed the small silver sauce boat beside her dinner plate.
Right now, Lin Sanjiu could see the reflection of Zhu Mei's abnormal face on the curved surface of that silverware.
Zhu Mei was sitting beside Lin Sanjiu and was looking in Doctor Chen's direction. Even though she didn't turn her head to face Lin Sanjiu, she was staring firmly at Lin Sanjiu sideways. Her black pupils were so far to the sides of her eyes that they were almost completely hidden, her eyes were almost just white.
The silver sauce boat reflected a pair of snow-white eyeballs which were fixated on Lin Sanjiu. "Normal people shouldn't be able to do this, right? Why isn't Doctor Chen noticing this?"
Lin Sanjiu felt as if she was near a bed of needles just sitting beside Zhu Mei.
"Alright, we should leave now." Lin Sanjiu forced a smile when she said this. As a quick thought flashed in her mind, she turned to look at the side-view of Zhu Mei's face and said, "I was under the impression that the money he was holding was blue. Isn't that strange?"
As soon as Lin Sanjiu said those words, Zhu Mei's pupils shot back to the middle of her eyes.
"Blue? It must be the light. Your eyes were probably playing tricks on you," Zhu Mei laughed turning her fair, moisturized and slightly plump face to Lin Sanjiu. "Do you want to have a sleepover at my place tonight?" she asked Lin Sanjiu with that same familiar face.
Lin Sanjiu forced herself to swallow the immediate "no" that she was about to blurt out. After hesitating for a few seconds, she shook her hand rejectingly and laughed, "If I go back with you, we won't stop chatting. I will be too tired at work tomorrow. I won't go!"
Zhu Mei looked at her for a second and slowly responded with a smile. She didn't say anything else.
When they were walking out of the restaurant, Lin Sanjiu felt the cold breeze from the air-conditioner at the entrance. She couldn't help shivering a little as her body was covered with cold sweat. Even though Doctor Chen had kindly offered to drive both of them home, Lin Sanjiu couldn't maintain her fake composure much longer. She gave the excuse that she was tired and bid both of them farewell hurriedly. She slipped into a cab, almost as if escaping. It was only then that she felt slightly relieved after taking a few quick breaths.
"Where do you want to go?" the driver asked her after a few seconds. She could only see the black shadow of his frame.
Just when Lin Sanjiu was about to utter "Fortune", she suddenly paused.
"Where? Shouldn't I be going home?"
She almost saying "Fortune Westerns". That was the name of an estate in the most expensive and luxurious part of town. In her dream, Lin Sanjiu had moved there because of a person named Ren Nan.
Obviously, she couldn't afford to live in such an upscale estate. The dream was certainly too realistic. Lin Sanjiu held her forehead and suddenly found herself at a loss.
"If that's the case, what is my address again?"
Lin Sanjiu felt as if someone was hammering her left skull. Tolerating the intense headache, she tried to remember her own address.
"There is something very wrong…"
"Miss, what's wrong? Where do you want to go?" the driver asked again, probably because the passenger in the back seat wasn't responding.
"Wait. Give me a minute…" Lin Sanjiu massaged her left temple. Due to her headache, her breathing grew heavy, "Let me think…"
There was total silence in the car for one second.
Suddenly, without any warning, the driver's voice became very gentle. He turned his head slightly and lowered the volume of his voice. "Do you want to go home?" he asked softly as if to show his patience and understanding.
That gentle tone of voice somehow came as a sudden jolt to Lin Sanjiu. She suddenly felt goosebumps all over her body. Her head was still throbbing badly but Lin Sanjiu couldn't care less. She gulped and stared at the driver's silhouette. Her fingers were already on the handle of the car door.
The door was locked. She couldn't open it.
She didn't know why but she had a very strong intuition that she should not give a confirmatory reply. It was as if there was something in her mind warning her. Unfortunately, the warning came too late.
"Did you forget your own address?" the driver asked in a gentler tone. His voice was like a muscle relaxant. Hearing it made Lin Sanjiu feel like she just wanted to sink into a sofa and sigh.
"But, how can a person forget their own address?" the driver answered his own question.
Though her head hurt badly and she was feeling very flustered and anxious, she suddenly felt a wave of ease and security. Lin Sanjiu knew that she shouldn't trust those feelings but she couldn't help closing her eyes. Her shoulders relaxed and her fingers slipped from the door handle.
"There must be something very wrong here. Don't you think so, miss?" the driver's voice dissipated in the tranquil atmosphere in the cab like a mist, making Lin Sanjiu feel more relaxed.
As the driver turned his head to look at her, Lin Sanjiu lifted her heavy eyes.
He was wearing a baseball cap and a tan jacket. However, the space between the cap and his collar was just a patch of black nothingness. There wasn't anything. There wasn't a face. There wasn't a neck. Lin Sanjiu stared blankly as the driver raised his empty sleeve and reached for her.
Lin Sanjiu felt a sharp pain in her head as if something had pierced through her brain.
"Move! Quick!" an extremely furious voice yelled at her from an unknown location.