In this crossover anime, I've been bound to two systems.

Then, when Sawamura's mother, who was at home, didn't see her beloved daughter come home for a long time, she called to question her, which led to the scene just now.

"Just wait, you won't escape this either."

Eriri Sawamura gloated.

Kasumigaoka Utaha returned the gaze with disdain.

"Don't compare me to you. I'm always ranked first in my grade. Even if I stayed home all day and didn't go to school, my family wouldn't say anything."

She picked up her phone and showed Eriri Sawamura her chat history with her mother.

[Kasumigaoka Utaha: Mom, I had to ask for leave from school this afternoon, so I'll be home a little late tonight.]

[Mom: Be careful. Dad will be working a little later today too. I'll wait for you both to come home so we can have dinner together.]

Eriri Sawamura slowly clutched her heart.

This situation can be described using the idiom "to bring shame upon oneself."

With the persecution over, Kasumigaoka Utaha put away her phone with satisfaction, took off her mask, and took a small sip of the milk tea in front of her.

“I said, we really have to sit here, it’s so hot.”

After sitting blankly for another ten minutes, Eriri Sawamura pulled out a tissue for the third time to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead.

"We already confirmed it before, right? This shop has the best view of the school gate. School is about to let out. If everything goes smoothly, we might see the person who appeared in our dreams soon."

“Standing under the shade of the trees at the school gate is also fine, and you can see more clearly since you're closer.”

“Okay, go ahead, if you don’t mind being seen by him at the same time as you see the target.”

Eriri crossed her arms over her chest, pretending to be indifferent.

"If I see it, I see it. It's a good opportunity for me to go up and ask him what's going on."

"You can only vent your frustrations in front of me."

"I was serious!"

"Yes, yes... get out of class is over. Now start keeping a close eye on the school gate."

As the school bell rang, the once quiet school grounds gradually became lively, and students began to walk out of the gate.

The two began to focus intently on the direction of the gate, and stopped communicating to avoid distraction.

However, twenty minutes passed, the number of people at the school gate gradually decreased, and the two of them did not see the figure they remembered.

Eriri Sawamura relaxed slightly, pulling her mask down a bit to expose her nose and mouth.

Kasumigaoka Utaha reminded her,

"Don't let your guard down. The teacher might go overtime, or they might be attending club activities. We need to be prepared for a long battle."

"Of course I know."

Eriri Sawamura turned her gaze back to the school gate, but her emotions were no longer as tense as before.

"Speaking of which, have you thought about what you'll do if you actually meet that person?"

"No, that's not what I'm concerned about."

Kasumigaoka Utaha shook her head.

"After telling you all that at noon, I've been thinking about why this happened and trying to analyze and explain the cause of this inexplicable event from a scientific perspective."

"And then? What conclusion did you draw?"

"If only it were that simple."

Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed, somewhat speechless.

"However, a certain conjecture has indeed arisen, which you should be quite familiar with."

"I know you well?"

"Yes, when you draw those humiliation-themed doujinshi, you often use a kind of ability: hypnosis."

"...Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not kidding you, hypnosis really does exist in this world. Professionals use certain special methods to put people into a state that is completely different from their original state."

To illustrate with a common example in daily life, psychologists often use hypnosis to treat patients with mental health issues. They use eye contact, sound, gestures, or medication to subtly suggest emotions to help them release negative feelings, and then re-introduce them with positive emotions to achieve therapeutic goals.

"Are you saying that we were hypnotized? That we had those kinds of dreams because of psychological suggestion?"

"It's just a hypothesis, a guess based on the available information..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly stopped speaking, which puzzled Sawamura Eriri. Just as she was about to turn her head to look at her, Kasumigaoka suddenly spoke again.

"The one walking side by side with a girl on the left side of the school gate, towards the inside."

Upon hearing this, Eriri Sawamura immediately turned her gaze in that direction, and she froze the next moment, her azure pupils widening.

Even though she had prepared herself mentally before coming, the shock she felt upon seeing the person who had appeared in her dreams still left her momentarily stunned.

"Is the person in your dream him?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha was the first to come to her senses and asked the question in a flat tone.

Eriri Sawamura's gaze followed that person's steps, and she slowly nodded.

"It's him...it's definitely him..."

Body shape, appearance, walking posture.

Their decades-long relationship in the dream was crystal clear; they had supported each other through thick and thin.

Neither of them noticed that after seeing the man and discovering that there was a strange woman beside him, their originally calm expressions were turning into anger.

"He's going far away, what should we do?"

Eriri Sawamura was somewhat anxious.

Kasumigaoka Utaha gave a cold snort with an ambiguous meaning.

"We've come this far, of course we should follow suit."

…………

Chapter Fifty: Things She Didn't Understand

Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't understand why this feeling of unease suddenly welled up in her chest, but it was definitely there.

The person who appeared in her dream and whom she married was slowly walking away. Just then, Eriri Sawamura asked a question, so without thinking, she suggested getting up and chasing after them.

But why did she give such an answer subconsciously?

As he walked out of the bubble tea shop, Kasumigaoka, who was mechanically taking steps on the street, fell into deep thought.

Before coming, she had clearly decided that she would only come to confirm from afar. After all, no matter how you look at it, whether it was a realistic dream or the man in the dream actually appearing in reality, it was a rather unbelievable thing.

She needs to maintain distance to gather intelligence and needs time to consider things, instead of hiding behind the mailbox tree and sneaking around from a great distance like this. Such a reckless and easily detectable action is completely out of character for her.

She could have easily hired a detective to investigate afterwards; she could have simply stayed home and waited for the results.

Knowing full well that this was possible, why did you still follow along without hesitation just now?

Hey! What are you daydreaming about?! They've gone into the family restaurant!

Eriri Sawamura peeked out from the street corner, then quickly withdrew, annoyed to see Kasumigaoka Utaha looking somewhat distracted.

"At this point, don't think about anything else! Focus!"

Coming to her senses, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Sawamura Eriri. Although this blonde idiot was wearing a mask, her wide eyes and anxious tone revealed that she was extremely agitated.

Just like myself now.

“Sawamura…”

"What are we doing! Are we going to wait here for them to come out, or are we going to go straight in?"

Eriri Sawamura turned around again, peeking towards the restaurant.

"I think it's better to just go in. The restaurant is big, and we can easily find an inconspicuous spot. Maybe we can even hear what they're saying... Yes, that's right! We definitely have to go in. Let's hurry!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha quickly grabbed her wrist.

"No, Sawamura, listen to me."

"You can tell me what it is later!"

"Very important!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha emphasized her words.

Eriri Sawamura, however, remained extremely anxious.

"No matter how important it is, we have to go in first. Who knows what Qianli is doing with that woman in the restaurant right now!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't say anything more, but looked at Eriri meaningfully and slowly released her wrist.

The anxiety in Eriri Sawamura's eyes quickly subsided, and she belatedly realized that her anger and agitation had come from nowhere.

The source of this emotion was undoubtedly the sight of Suzumiya Chisato and the discovery of a remarkably beautiful young woman accompanying him.

"I……"

Eriri Sawamura lowered her head, her slightly trembling fingertips touching her forehead, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion and unease.

"You've lost your composure."

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked over her shoulder at the restaurant on the street.

"Of course, so am I, otherwise I wouldn't have said something like 'Just follow me' just now."

"Hypnosis..."

Eriri Sawamura muttered to herself, recalling the topic they had discussed earlier at the bubble tea shop.

"Emotions drive my thoughts, rationality is weakened, and physical behavior is out of control. I guess I'm... already in a hypnotic state."

The words she uttered were not directed at Kasumigaoka Utaha, but rather a question she was asking of herself.

The events that occurred in her dreams, the moments she and her beloved spent their lives together, and the scenes they experienced—all these things could be vividly and realistically recalled, allowing her to savor and reflect upon them.

Zhouzhuang Dream of Butterflies, Butterflies Dream of Zhouzhuang.