The Inevitable Moment Arrives
This pervert was definitely enjoying the current situation. The proof was right there in that twitching corner of his mouth. It was obvious he was barely holding back laughter, thoroughly delighted by the whole mess.
Just then, a scene flashed through my mind. Me, dressed like this, putting on a show in front of a crowd. The thought alone made me dizzy. Imagining it sent a chill down my spine and cold sweat trickling down my back. No way. Absolutely impossible. If something like that actually happened, I might just drop dead from sheer humiliation on the spot.
“…This is your last warning. Change me back before something ugly happens, got it?”
[Hmph! Go ahead and try if you think you can! After you ruined the noble image I worked so hard to create, why should I listen to anything you say? Besides, this is a dream world. It’s not like anything you do here really matters~]
Despite my final warning, Ulthar replied in a defiant tone. He was clearly still holding a grudge over me shattering that elegant image from earlier. The beautiful woman calmly lifted her teacup, watching the pale-faced girl before her with leisurely amusement. That relaxed attitude made it clear she had no intention of complying.
I ground my teeth, my face twisting with rage and embarrassment. Shame burned so hot that tears began to well in my eyes. The moment I noticed them, I flinched in horror. This wasn’t like me at all. Had I spent so long in this body that my mind was starting to follow its lead? They say a person’s spirit changes to match their appearance. Maybe this was exactly that. The fear of being swallowed and dyed by this form made me take a deep breath and focus my thoughts.
To escape this disgusting sensation, I needed to get out of this ridiculous outfit as fast as possible. But there was no easy way to do it. There were no other clothes nearby, and stripping everything off right now would only make things worse. The memory of my naked body from that cave sent a wave of vertigo crashing over me. This magical girl costume was bad enough, but being completely bare was just as damaging to my sanity.
The whole situation had started because this guy had invaded my dream without warning. Even though it was a dream, my mind felt strangely clear, almost like reality. The sensation of this revealing sailor uniform brushing against my skin was proof enough. Feeling that empty space between my legs, I instinctively pressed both hands there and my eyes flew wide open.
Of course. It was so obvious I’d forgotten. This was my dream. That meant this garden, this entire space, belonged to me. The overwhelming sense of reality had made me overlook it until now. Once I realized it, the mental block vanished and my thoughts cleared instantly.
Whether it would actually work or not, it was worth trying. If things went as planned, I could give that arrogant bastard a serious shock. Decision made, I stood up. My eyes had calmed and my expression hardened. The figure sitting across from me noticed the shift in my demeanor and watched me with interest.
[Hee~ So you’ve finally decided to embrace the look? Experience really is important, isn’t it? While we’re at it, let’s practice your introduction! “★ Magical Girl Seoa, appearing on the scene! ☆ All the nasty villains who put ordinary people in danger will be swallowed whole!” How’s that? I just made it up on the spot. Sounds pretty good, right?]
He seemed to think I’d accepted the situation and kept talking excitedly. His pupils even turned into sparkling stars. He was genuinely serious about this. I reached out toward him with a blank face.
The woman tilted her head in confusion at my sudden gesture. The next moment, something impossible happened.
Whoosh!
[Uwaaah?! Wh-what the—?! Why is water suddenly falling from the sky?!]
Without any warning, water poured down from empty air. Ulthar, caught directly beneath it, took the full force of the deluge. I smiled wickedly as I watched him flail in surprise. Just as I’d hoped. Dreams were shaped by the dreamer’s imagination. Even with his interference, ownership still belonged to me. I’d simply pictured a giant water droplet appearing right above his head. The gamble paid off. In an instant, he was soaked like a drowned rat.
Ulthar shivered from the cold and shot me a bewildered look. When he saw my grin, his eyes widened. He’d figured out what happened. I didn’t stop there. I changed the space itself. The bright garden was swallowed by deep darkness. The sun vanished, replaced by a full moon. The warm, cozy atmosphere shifted into something dreamy and mysterious, like a nighttime lake deep in the forest. The flowers, now bathed in moonlight, revealed a different kind of beauty.
[To think you’d reclaim control of the dream with your own power… Honestly, I didn’t expect that. You must have kept your wits about you even in that chaotic situation.]
“Humans are creatures of adaptation, right? I’ve built up some resistance to your weird antics by now. Though that outfit earlier was pushing it.”
The soaked woman had already returned to her black cat form. The magical girl costume was gone, replaced by the plain white patient gown I’d been wearing in the treatment room. Seeing the simple design and my original long hair, I finally let out a deep sigh of relief. This was much better. Even if the small bumps in my vision when I looked down were still annoying, anything was preferable to that embarrassing outfit. I never wanted to relive that moment again.
[What a shame… That outfit really suited you.]
“Enough nonsense. What now? The welcome ceremony or whatever it was is over. Are you still planning to drag this pointless dream world out?”
Ulthar licked his lips regretfully. I narrowed my eyes at him. I had a reason for asking. I wanted out of this bizarre dream space as soon as possible, but no matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn’t leave. I could reshape the space, but trying to escape felt like an invisible chain was holding my consciousness in place. It had to be his doing.
[Hehe, I see you’ve noticed the binding I placed. Don’t think too badly of me. It’s just a safety measure for emergencies.]
“What do you mean?”
Ulthar admitted it was his work but left the rest hanging. When I pressed him, he narrowed his eyes in that familiar way. The expression he wore whenever he was scheming. His next words were exactly what I feared.
[I haven’t mentioned it yet, but there’s another reason I invited you here besides the welcome. Something only possible in this dream world… and something you need most right now.]
Ulthar studied me with a strange glint in his eyes. Another purpose? I was already uneasy. Whatever he was leading up to, it wouldn’t be normal. A chill ran down my spine even before he explained.
He waved a paw lightly, as if reading my thoughts. [Don’t worry so much! You’ll understand once you hear it. …It’s just a little special training to prepare you for real combat.]
After saying that, he paused, then his eyes gleamed. A massive ripple spread through the entire space. The garden distorted slowly and gently, like ripples spreading across still water. The sight was so alien it made me dizzy. I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, the moonlit garden had vanished without a trace.
Before me stretched an endless void. A vast, empty space of deep indigo where nothing existed. Even the ground beneath my feet was indistinct, giving the feeling of standing in the middle of the universe. Only Ulthar and I remained in this space.
[I changed the location. We no longer need the garden.]
Ulthar spoke from not far away. I was so overwhelmed by the scenery that it took me a moment to register his words. Embarrassed by my own childish reaction, I cleared my throat and spoke carefully.
“Yeah… Well, this is a dream world, so something like this isn’t that surprising. So what exactly is this special training?”
[Exactly what it sounds like. But I’ll explain it simply so you understand.]
Ulthar began after a brief pause to organize his thoughts. [Let’s go back to the dungeon where we first met, the place where everything changed. Back then, despite your low skill level, you wiped out a well-organized party. So let me ask you this: Do you think that victory was achieved solely by your own power?]
“Strictly speaking… it wasn’t entirely my power.”
Ulthar’s serious tone made me think for a moment before shaking my head. I had carried out every action myself, but the strategy and detailed layout of the cave dungeon had come from the cat in front of me. Even setting aside his guidance on how to use this body, without those helps, I never would have succeeded so perfectly.
[Of course, I’ll continue to offer advice as your partner. But I won’t always know the internal layout of every dungeon we enter. And the real reason the plan went so smoothly was the ants’ pheromones. Think about it. If you hadn’t used those pheromones to break up the party in advance, what would have happened? You might have handled the warrior-types, but the female mage with fire magic would have wiped you out easily. What I’m trying to say is, things won’t always go this smoothly from now on.]
I nodded quietly as I listened. The explanation was long, but the point was clear. Back then, the conditions had heavily favored me. The odds of such favorable conditions appearing again were extremely low. I imagined charging alone into that solidly formed party like Ulthar described. I might take out a few in the confusion, but the hunters would quickly regroup and overpower me. Even if I could ambush the mage first, the tight security around her made that unrealistic. I quickly gave up on the idea.
[In such hopeless situations, the only thing you can rely on is your own combat ability… reflexes, quick thinking, fighting sense. I’ve looked through your life since entering this dream world. I was honestly shocked to find that someone over thirty has so little combat experience…]
“You peeked at my memories without permission… Isn’t it weirder to expect combat experience from someone who’s lived an ordinary life?”
I snapped at him for not only stealing my precious memories but also lecturing me. Combat experience? Normal people didn’t have that. At most, a few schoolyard fights and some half-forgotten military training. None of it would help against hunters and monsters. As someone who had worked as a laborer for years, I knew that better than anyone. Even my previous victories against the old man and the party leader had only happened because of surprise attacks and clear advantages in ability compatibility.
[Anyway! If you go into real combat like this, you’re going to run into serious trouble! So at the very least, you need to build basic combat skills in this dream world. You also need to get more used to that body. Since you can’t die here and don’t have to worry about time or location, it’s perfect for training.]
His argument made some sense, so I felt a small sense of relief. I’d worried he might demand something strange, but this reason was understandable. What the cat wanted from me was activity as a magical girl. I still didn’t fully grasp what that meant, but one thing was clear: unavoidable battles were coming. Since dying wasn’t an option, I had no objection to at least some training.
“…Fine, I get it. I’ll do the training. Let’s get it over with while I’m motivated.”
I immediately showed enthusiasm and started stretching on the spot. But soon I noticed something odd. Ulthar, who had been the one pushing for training, was just standing there staring at me blankly. I’d expected him to agree and move right away, but his reaction was the opposite. When I gave him a puzzled look, he narrowed his eyes.
[Hmm… It’s nice to see you so motivated. But aren’t you forgetting the most important thing?]
“…What did I forget?”
What else could possibly be needed for training besides this body? I had no idea what he meant. Seeing my confusion, Ulthar’s face broke into a sly grin. An indescribable sense of danger washed over me instinctively. Before I could speak, he cut me off with his cute little mouth.
[Hehehe, combat training as a magical girl… That means we’re simulating real battle, right? In that case, you know what the symbol of a magical girl is, don’t you?]
At the same time, he pointed at me with one front paw. I unconsciously followed his gesture and slowly lowered my head. There, in place of the patient gown I had reclaimed, was the magical girl outfit from earlier. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, the meaning was crystal clear. I forced myself to look up at Ulthar anyway. All I saw was a black cat with sparkling eyes, brimming with anticipation. In the end, I stared up at the deep indigo sky with a hollow expression. For a moment… dying didn’t seem like such a bad choice after all.