Dream Infinite

[Day 2]

"You're stupid, irredeemably clumsy, and a spineless bimbo. You… You are the stupidest woman in the world. No, you're the stupidest human in history."

A young woman could be seen hurling insults. The target of her wrath was the busty brunette frowning at her from the other side of the restroom's mirror — herself.

The source for her frustration could be traced back to a failure.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, the painful memory replaying vividly in her mind...

…

Sitting nervously in Dean Hajime Kurosawa's office, a fidgety young woman adjusted her glasses, trying in vain to ignore how the buttons of her white shirt strained against her ample bosom. After silently cursing her ever-growing bust, she forced a polite smile onto her face as she greeted the stern, intimidating man across the table.

"Good morning, Kurosawa-san. Th-thank you for having me."

Hajime Kurosawa was a stern and imposing man, sharing some resemblance to her uncle Mochizuki. Being an introvert, she lacked the courage to look him in the eye for more than two seconds.

Dean Kurosawa curtly nodded in response. "A very good morning to you too, Sakurada-san."

Taking a deep breath, Nao Sakurada attempted to steady her nerves and posture. One another look at the man made her shoulders slump. He seemed to be the type of severe, humorless man that Nao feared most in this world.

"I hope you're prepared for the interview."

Nao nodded her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Y-Yes sir. Please proceed with your questions."

"Alright, first question. I can see here that you graduated from Amagi University three years ago. However, I do not see any previous employment listed on your resume. What have you been doing in the past few years?"

Nao visibly flinched, feeling a hot flush of shame color her cheeks. She was quite reluctant to share the unimpressive details of her everyday life with the dean. "I had to take care of my younger sister, Aiko… our parents were involved in a car accident. I'm her only family…"

Just thinking about the cursed day made her eyes teary.

Dean Kurosawa's stern expression softened a bit. "I'm deeply sorry to hear that. You have my condolences."

She shook her head. "I-I was lucky our parents had savings. Otherwise…"

A heavy silence descended into the room, even the stoic dean taking pity on the young woman.

Nao cleared her throat, eager to move on from the heavy topic. "Kurosawa-san, can we return to the interview?"

"Yes, of course. I'd like to ask some more questions about your perspectives. Look me directly in the eye and tell me — what is the most important aspect of a teacher's job?"

"The m-most important—"

"Maintain eye contact and speak to me."

"T-The most job important of aspect…"

Holding eye contact with Dean made her stutter horribly. Her mind blanked out, the question becoming a haze in her mind.

Everything crumbled from there. Even though Nao knew all the answers, her nerves completely overtook her, rendering her incapable of thinking straight.

"Sakurada-san, I'll be blunt with you. Can you handle a classroom of middle schoolers when you can barely handle this interview? In that classroom, you need to be certain of yourself. How can you inspire confidence in students when you can't even inspire it in yourself?"

"I-I'll try to create engaging lessons and—"

"I'm afraid trying isn't enough. Do you think these children will learn from someone who can't even assert themselves in a basic interview?"

Unable to meet his piercing, disappointed gaze for a second longer, Nao hung her head in defeat, hands clenched into tight fists on her lap. After coming so close to landing this position, she had fumbled this crucial opportunity. "Kurosawa-san, please give me a chance. I promise I will—"

The dean held up a hand. "I have heard enough, Sakurada-san. The students of this generation will eat you alive if you can't stand up for yourself. Perhaps you should consider a different career path, something more suited to your... demeanor."

Nao's eyes watered under the harsh assessment. She gave a nod of understanding, shoulders slumped in utter defeat. "I-I understand. Th-thank you for your time."

Without waiting for a response, Nao bolted out of her chair and practically ran for the door. Safely out in the hallway, she leaned heavily against the closed door, using her sleeves to hastily wipe away the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks.

From inside the office, she could just make out the muffled sound of Kurosawa's disappointed voice. "What an utter waste of my time."

Nao flinched at the words, shame and humiliation flooding through her. After a moment, she heard him continue. "I thought someone like Mochizuki-san would recommend a competent teacher… this one was a spineless bimbo."

Anger suddenly flared in her chest. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to storm back into his office and put the arrogant dean in his place, to tell him exactly where he could shove his condescending opinions.

But in the end, all she had was the courage to walk away in complete, defeated silence…

Splashing cool water on her face, Nao met her own determined gaze in the mirror. "I can't keep relying on Mochizuki-san."

Despite having a muscular body, her uncle had a head full of white hair and wrinkles. She couldn't put her younger sister's future on Mochizuki's back.

After all, old people died, just like her father did.

She closed the tap and wiped her face. "I'll start preparing right away."

Nao exited the restroom and strode quickly towards the reception area. There, she was greeted by the endearing sight of a young girl in a black sweatshirt and blue shorts, swinging her legs wildly, clearing bursting with excited energy as she waited for her older sister's return.

Her dark brown hair had been styled into short twintails, each tied with a bright red flower clip, making her the most adorable kid in the world.

Upon spotting Nao, Aiko leapt off the bench and struck a silly tiger claw pose. "You promised me a Tiger-Man burger, Onee-chan! No backing out!"

Nao felt her own expression instantly soften at the sight of her adorable cousin. "Only one meal today, got it?"

"Yay!" Aiko let out a cry of pure joy, bouncing on her toes. "Onee-chan is the best!"

Hand-in-hand, the two sisters made their way to their favorite local mall, blissfully unaware of the terrifying supernatural curse beginning to spread across the world.