Part 30: Hina's Nightmare

**Part 30: Hina's Nightmare**

The room was silent, save for the faint ticking of the clock on Hina's bedside table. The moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting long shadows across the room. Hina lay in bed, her eyes closed tightly, her face etched with discomfort as she tossed and turned under the covers. Her breathing was uneven, and sweat began to form on her forehead.

Inside her mind, the world twisted and shifted into a nightmare.

She was back in her childhood home, standing in the center of the living room. The air was thick with tension, the kind that made every sound—every breath—seem louder than it was. Her parents were sitting at the dining table, speaking in low, clipped tones. Their words were sharp, edged with disappointment.

"Hina, you need to try harder," her father said, his voice stern and cold. "Your grades aren't enough. You won't succeed if you keep slacking off."

Her mother nodded in agreement, her expression just as unforgiving. "You're not doing enough, Hina. You're going to fail if you don’t step up. Success doesn't come to those who wait."

The weight of their words pressed down on her, suffocating her. She tried to speak, to defend herself, but her voice wouldn’t come. It felt like her throat was closing, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the words out. Instead, she just stood there, feeling smaller and smaller under their disappointed gazes.

The scene shifted, and suddenly Hina was at school. She was standing in front of a large crowd of students, her hands shaking as she clutched a sheet of paper. It was a report card, filled with numbers that weren’t perfect. The crowd began to murmur, their voices filled with judgment.

"She’s not as smart as everyone thinks."

"I thought she was supposed to be hardworking. Guess not."

"She’s just average after all."

The whispers grew louder, swirling around her, suffocating her. She could feel the pressure mounting, the expectations she couldn’t seem to meet no matter how hard she worked. Her vision blurred as the world around her spun faster and faster. All she could hear were the voices, the disappointment, the crushing weight of failure.

Hina wanted to scream, to run, but her feet were rooted to the spot. She couldn’t escape. The walls were closing in, and all she could feel was the overwhelming fear of not being good enough.

In a flash, the nightmare shifted again. She was back at home, sitting at her desk, piles of books and papers surrounding her. The clock on the wall ticked louder and louder, marking every second that slipped by. The deadlines were looming, the pressure to succeed mounting with each passing moment. Her parents' voices echoed in her head.

"Work harder, Hina."

"Don’t stop until you’re the best."

"You can't afford to fail."

Her hands shook as she tried to write, but the words blurred on the page. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep up. The fear of failure consumed her, driving her to push herself harder, to work longer hours, to sacrifice sleep, fun, and everything else. But no matter what she did, it never seemed to be enough.

She wasn’t enough.

Hina gasped for breath, her chest tightening as the pressure built to unbearable levels. She couldn’t escape. She couldn’t breathe.

And then, just as the weight of the world was about to crush her, Hina woke up.

She shot up in bed, her heart racing, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Her eyes were wide with fear, her body trembling from the intensity of the nightmare. For a moment, she sat there in the darkness, trying to calm herself, to remind herself that it was just a dream.

But it didn’t feel like just a dream.

The nightmare was a reflection of her reality. It was the pressure she had lived with for so long, the constant need to succeed, to be perfect, to never fail. It was why she worked so hard, why she pushed herself to the brink. Because deep down, she was terrified of not being good enough. Of disappointing the people who expected so much from her.

Hina wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them to her chest as she tried to calm her racing heart. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as the lingering feelings from the nightmare washed over her. It was always like this—the pressure, the fear, the weight of expectations. It was why she had become so serious, so driven. She had to be the best. She couldn’t afford to fail.

But as the silence of the room settled around her, Hina’s thoughts drifted to Kyoshi.

Since meeting him, something had shifted inside her. He was different from the others. He didn’t judge her or expect anything from her. In fact, he seemed to see her as more than just the hardworking girl who always strove to be perfect. He saw her as a person—flaws and all—and accepted her for who she was.

A faint smile tugged at Hina’s lips as she thought about the time they had spent together. Their bond had grown stronger, and there was something about him that made her feel… lighter. When she was with Kyoshi, the weight of her responsibilities didn’t feel as crushing. He made her laugh, something she hadn’t done in a long time. He made her feel like it was okay to take a break, to breathe.

And maybe—just maybe—she was starting to feel something more for him. It was a strange, unfamiliar feeling, one that made her heart flutter in a way she hadn’t expected. She didn’t know if it was a crush or something deeper, but whatever it was, it was comforting. Kyoshi was her anchor in the storm of expectations, the one person who made her feel like she didn’t have to be perfect all the time.

Hina let out a soft sigh, her body relaxing as the remnants of the nightmare faded away. She glanced at the clock, knowing she should go back to sleep, but her mind was still buzzing with thoughts of Kyoshi and the bond they had formed.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad to let someone in. Maybe it was okay to lean on someone else for once.

With that thought, Hina lay back down, pulling the covers up to her chin. She closed her eyes, her heart a little lighter, and for the first time in a long time, she felt a sense of calm as she drifted back to sleep.

Chapter end