“Loko, did you finish the sleeping potion I gave you last time?”

In the lab, Flora held a small bottle of sleeping potion and spoke slowly.

“Uh…”

Loko hesitated, recalling she’d passed all of Teacher Flora’s last potion to Miss Teresa.

Well… that should count as finished, right?

She gave a slight nod.

“I finished it.”

“Oh, good! I just developed an enhanced version. Here—take it home and try it.”

“But, Teacher… I haven’t been having trouble sleeping lately.”

Loko felt a little speechless.

“No worries! It also works as a calming tonic. Drink it, and you’ll feel refreshed all day tomorrow!”

Watching Flora insistently press the bottle into her hands, Loko sighed and accepted it.

…

That evening, seated on the edge of her bed, Loko stared at the potion Teacher Flora had practically forced on her, uncertain.

“Should I try it?”

She picked up the bottle.

*Enhanced version… probably calms nerves even better, right?*

Slowly, she drank half the bottle.

Lying back, she began wondering who might appear in tonight’s dream.

But when she closed her eyes and opened them again—she found herself in a strange room.

Portraits covered the walls. Up close, Loko saw the faces looked eerily like hers.

They spanned every age—from childhood to now—sending a chill down her spine.

*What kind of creep collects portraits of me?*

Her gaze shifted to the open wardrobe.

The clothes inside felt hauntingly familiar—styles she’d worn long ago.

As she stood frozen, the door creaked open.

She turned—and Teresa stood there.

The girl’s eyes burned with intensity. Yet after a long, silent stare, Teresa let out a soft, “Huh?”

Loko even caught her muttering:

“Why isn’t Loko rushing into my arms this time…?”

Confused, Loko watched as Teresa quickly decided: *If she won’t move… I will.*

She stepped forward and pulled Loko into a tight embrace.

Startled, Loko barely registered Teresa leaning down—

—and pressing a deep, tender kiss to her lips.

Her mind went completely blank.

Past dreams—nightmares or potion-induced—always placed her in “punishment.”

But this? Teresa walking straight to her, kissing her… felt less like punishment, more like reward.

Unrestrained, Loko instinctively wrapped her arms around Teresa’s back.

Teresa stiffened, surprised.

*No wonder Teacher Flora called it “enhanced.” Even Loko’s reaction feels real.*

When they finally parted, Teresa smiled at the flustered girl in her arms, cheeks flushed crimson.

“Teresa… is this your room?” Loko asked, voice barely a whisper.

Teresa nodded, heart racing at the dream’s uncanny realism.

Before, Loko would just cling to her without a word. Now? Shyness, confusion after the kiss—everything felt vividly *her*.

Teresa’s fingertip gently lifted Loko’s chin.

“Loko… since we were little, I’ve wanted to stay with you. Forever.”

“I cherish every memory. So I kept everything of yours—clothes, trinkets, your image—right here in this room.”

“I’ve waited for the day I could bring you here… and tell you how deeply I care. How much I love you.”

Loko’s pupils trembled. *The aloof Miss Teresa… likes me?*

Teresa’s pulse hammered. *Finally… I said it.*

Even knowing it was a dream, she believed she’d say it for real someday.

Loko gazed at Teresa’s face, so close, her head spinning.

This was too surreal. She’d never dared hope for Miss Teresa’s heart—yet in this dream, she felt utterly, sweetly content.

Gently, Teresa eased her onto the bed.

“Loko… I’ve always loved you. But when you said you’d leave after growing up… I used a small trick to keep you close.”

Loko’s breath hitched at the raw honesty.

“I thought time would make you understand… but I can’t watch you grow closer to others.”

“Just… pay attention to me. Stay with me. Care for me. Even if you abandon that undercover mission—I wouldn’t care.”

As she spoke, Teresa’s fingers gently slipped Loko’s clothes away.

Tears welled and spilled down Loko’s cheeks.

“Loko… why are you crying?” Teresa whispered, flustered, thumb brushing the tears away.

“I… back then…” Loko choked out.

“That sentence… was never finished.”

“Hm?”

“I wanted to say… I want to see the world—but *with you*, Teresa. By my side.”

Teresa froze.

A decade of misunderstanding, born from silence.

“I…”

Teresa’s composure shattered. She pulled Loko close, holding her tight.

In her arms—a bittersweet ache she’d never felt in any dream.

No real distance had ever existed. Only a chasm they built themselves.

This was likely the saddest Teresa had ever cried in a dream.

And for Loko? The gentlest dream she’d ever known.

Dawn broke. Loko woke groggily.

She glanced beside the bed—empty. A soft sigh escaped her.

“Of course… just a dream.”

*If only reality could be this kind…*

She rose, washed up, tidied herself, and headed downstairs.

Undercover life had to go on.