“Sometimes, it feels like I don’t really have any options either.”
CHAIN-LINK EVENT
WARNING: this Event is part of an Event Chain! You've lost all control over your own actions and must now sit back while
someone else takes the wheel. Enjoy the ride while it lasts, and hope that you did things right before taking the plunge!
Sensei rises from his bed, reeling from the intensity of his dream. As he catches his breath and takes in his surroundings, AUTO-PILOT chimes in to inform the listener that their duties are over and Sensei is in control once more.
Now narrating once more, Sensei ruminates on his strange dreams – Recurring dreams of his bed amid a vast ocean, where his only company were incomplete copies of Maya. These moments together are short, shorter than the moments they spent together in reality, and just as empty. Those times are over now, though, leaving his dreams as the last place he can see his version of Maya. He tries to move on from this, pondering how long he's been trapped in his room, only aware of the fact that Ami has been taking care of him thanks to brief moments of lucidity where her perfume leaks into his dreams. It's a scent he remembers, but not one he likes anymore.
In fact, he's not sure he likes anything anymore, lost on how to feel about his prolonged confinement to his bedroom. He wonders if this is how he felt the last time he became comatose and is racked with guilt knowing that he's left Ami to take care of him when he doesn't deserve an ounce of her pampering. Regardless, he decides to stay in his room forever, feeling it'll be easy now that he's lost the one thing that meant everything to him. This resolve is squashed once he remembers Ayane, who he believes has probably never given up trying to speak to him after all this time. It makes him wonder who else might've tried, though settles on the fact none would have succeeded with how fiercely protective Ami is; No one besides him would be able to break her stubbornness and even he's unsure if he wants to, a fact not helped by how unstable his mental state seems to be.
He recalls the words of Gossamer and their urging he rises from his bed, finding himself unable to completely disregard them like he'd usually do. He knows he alone cannot bring the original Maya back and he's feeling desperate, something he hasn't for a long time.
It's at this moment that Ami walks into his room, having prepared him breakfast. Upon seeing him fully conscious though, she's shocked, dropping the food and falling into silence. When she does find her voice again, she tries to keep up the motherly persona she's adopted since Sensei first went nonverbal. She quickly discards this calm demeanor though and rushes to his bedside, frantically demanding he lay back down to sleep and insisting this sudden bout of consciousness must be due to Uta and Io's interference. He tries to get her to calm down, but she refuses to hear him out, claiming that all he'd do is ridicule her again for being clingy.
He waits out her manic rant, asking her how long he's been unresponsive once she's calmed down. She fills him in on how long it's been and a few of the details of his confinement. While he doesn't want to hear the more disgusting details, Sensei thanks her for taking care of him for so long, though she feels as if it wasn't long enough; Now that he's awake once more, Ami's sure he'll continue to drift further and further away from her, something she refuses to accept.
Sensei fills Ami in on the details of his awakening, specifically noting his visit from Gossamer. Ami's somewhat hurt that all her efforts weren't what "saved" him and offers to do anything for him in return for her supposed inadequacy. He turns her down, citing his only idea as a conflict of interest. She quickly assumes he's referring to Maya, which he denies and whom he doesn't want to see for the foreseeable future. Instead, he asks to see Ayane. Ami is confused by this request, unable to understand what she could do for him. He clarifies that he doesn't need Ayane to do anything and just wants to speak to her so he can alleviate the worry he's sure she has. Ami tries to argue that Ayane's only pretending to be worried but Sensei's pressure forces her to accept this isn't true.
With a bit more pressure, Ami relents and grabs Sensei's phone to call over Ayane.
