I was notified of Yukino's attempt at life. While by some miracle she managed to survive - the prolonged asphyxiation period means that recovery might be not as smooth as the last time.
It would be a lie to say I'm surprised. I've seen her wilt in real time. The person she had treasured hurt her deeply and I couldn't be there to comfort her. We're not compatible after all.
The merger was called off on account of this incident and in an event that Minamoto does wake up from the coma, our family will refuse any attempts at cooperation, stating that a woman of such weak mental fortitude is unfit to be my wife and is an unpleasant blight on the society.
Still... I pity her. I drove her to the edge the moment I tried to be her half. My mindless intervention had cost a relationship that was more than likely keeping Yukino sane in those trying times.
Not to say I feel much pity for Taira. What kept her sane had ultimately drove her to the edge of insanity in the first place. However with Taira being the first to discover and arguably made her rescue even feasible, I had to break the news since the Rindoh Pharmaceutical Company won't.
Using the number extracted from her device, I call Mr. Taira. It took a while until he responded back.
"............. Hello?..."
"Greetings, Taira-san. It's Hoshiki Fujiwara speaking."
"....... What do you want?"
The voice sounded weak and almost dry, as if I had interrupted a mourning session.
"I'm here to deliver the news that Ms. Minamoto is currently in a comatose state. We cannot tell if or when she'll be able to wake up - however it is miracle that she managed to survive, as it was stated that her body was found in a grievous state."
"...
Why are you telling me this?........."
"Just wanted to let you know as a person who had rescued her in a nick of time.
...
I presume that in days when her family are not able to visit her - you would be able to see her just fine."
Have I gone soft? Perhaps... I'm just doing what she would've wanted. Her heart belonged to him after all.
I end the call and look back at the door to her hospital room. All alone, adorned with bouqettes, resting - no longer hurting from the outside world crashing in onto her.
Looking at the diary scans that Minamoto family provided, I get curious about her fixation of dreams. To be able to recount such vibrant sceneries full of fantasy...
I've never cared for dreams. For the most part, I do not even see dreams. And yet, just to understand her ailing heart a little closer...
...
...
...
"So! You're interested in investing into my little project, young man?"
"Indeed. At first I wasn't particularly interested in them, but well - I suppose I gotta pick a hobby at last."
"You may not believe this, but dreams in this world are far more complicated than every average man could imagine! I believe we can traverse dreams quite freely if we put our mind to it. What I am developing is merely a gateway to understand dreams on a more thorough level, inducing a state of lucidity."
"Traverse? Isn't what you can do it by default?"
"No-no-no! What your average man understands as traversing is merely a change of scenery inside of their little bubble. Traversing dreams would be more akin to breaking the fourth wall."
"Huh??? Isn't that... Idiotic? Breaking the fourth wall??? Really???"
"It's not the fourth wall break you're thinking about - I won't be addressing the audience, rather - beings that may reside in that realm of dreams. I believe THEY'RE observing us. Do you believe in existence of deities?"
"... Not really."
"Well, man's belief in god had slowly but surely began to decline. Not saying that you should start believing now, I'm moreso curious about if they truly existed at some point in time. It's strange that so many cultures had a myriad of objects of their belief, with some even homogenising with each other - only to be trampled by "science"."
"..."
"What was his name was... Carl, yeah. He suggested that we share a collective unconsciousness. All the ideas, motifs, instincts. We were all born from a single progenitor of life, before scattering away, forging our own paths - just as described like in a Tower of Babel in the bible. Tiger and the fish could not be any more different... BUT! They still have an instinct to survive, hunt their prey. While we do not know what's truly in the heads of these creatures, I think the point is clear: we are so different - yet so the same. And I want to know why are we the same - especially in a more esoteric aspects since those are not supposed to be driven by nature of our existence as living beings; rather esoterica comes from us as a thinking beings."
"Uh..."
"It's a lot to take in, but I see great potential in uncovering dreams as a way to further understand the world surrounding us. Or, perhaps - discover a brand new world that was hidden from us.
We'll explore the unexplorable, chart the unchartable. We'll be the pioneers of a land of eternity (Tokoyo-no-kuni)!
With my research, investigations and inventions - I believe we'll be the first to reach this land!"
"But what if others beat you to it? There's plenty of fish in the sea, and like you said, some people might have the same idea completely independently from you."
"Well, Japanese technology was always at the top of the world, so we'll just crush the competition!"
"Hmph..."
"You're my first major investor, and judging from your attitude - despite your skepticisms, you are willing to give me a genuine shot. I promise you, Mr. Tachibana that you won't be disappointed. Whatever your motives are, I'll put in effort to fulfill your wish, and in turn I ask for your assistance and support as well."
The man before me hands his business card.
"Feel free to call me for further inquiries. We'll make sure to turn this pipedream into reality."
On it it said: Tatae Tachibana (立花・多妙) - and it had a swallowtail butterfly depicted in the background.