『Waystation Proper — Rest Zone』
My eyes twitched open as my consciousness gradually emerged from the endless darkness. A dull, nagging headache throbbed behind my temples long before I could even open my eyelids properly. In front of me... no, directly above me, was the girl with golden hair who had been calling out my name in my final moments of awareness.
It took a few lingering seconds for my vision to adjust, but she finally realized I had woken up. Her face flashed with sudden surprise before softening into a warm, relieved smile. Her lips twitched, shaping words I couldn't quite make out just yet. It was as if the surrounding sound had been completely muted, and someone was only now turning the master volume dial back up step by step.
"Mei? Meeeei? Hello?... Earth to Mei... Hmm, no good?"
