Magical Girl (5): The Maniac's Desperate Dream

The Bond Effect with Yeoul creates an "invitation to enter my dream." It can only activate once every 15 days—a super long cooldown compared to other Bond Effects. While the others are instant effects, Yeoul's generates an "item with an effect." In other words, I can stockpile these invitations steadily.

I pulled one out from the drawer where I'd stashed it.

The template for this invitation, created via the Bond Effect, is fixed. I can't change the content—only fill in the recipient's name as I wish. Once I do, it's sent to that person. If they tear the invitation, they enter my dream that night. Through a few experiments, I'd learned that discarding or burning it just makes it vanish.

I wrote "Magical Girl's Birth" in the recipient spot. Even without knowing their real name—or if it wasn't their real name—it seemed to transmit fine as long as it referred to them properly.

...This is the first time sending an invitation to a Muksi Saengmyeongche, though.

Honestly, I had no idea if this would work. Living people can't meet the dead. Even if there's an afterlife, it's a different dimension from Earth, right? Different coordinates, anyway. Beings on different coordinates can't touch, interfere, or meet. So if you really want to see the dead, you head to the underworld or the so-called "otherworld"—but ghost stories abound of people who go and never come back.

That's why I planned to drag it in via a dream. Ghosts appearing in dreams, hearing a god's voice, prophetic visions, meeting grim reapers—stories like that. Isn't the dream world the only place humans can somewhat meet transcendent beings? And there was that Dreamlands thing in Cthulhu mythos, where you encounter otherworldly entities through dreams. Worst case, no loss—maybe I could invite a monster into my dream?

And so, right now—

I'm dreaming.

I'm in the middle of a flower field. From the base to the top of the hill, it's packed with pink flowers. I'm no plant expert, so I have no clue what kind they are. Maybe they don't even exist ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in reality. Since this is a dream, fictional flowers could manifest here.

Or maybe "manifested" isn't the right word.

As I walked, I spotted a large table in the center of the hill. A girl was already there, sipping tea.

"You're here again."

"Happens every time, doesn't it? It'd be nice if our Mayuri got used to it already."

Yeoul giggled as she said that.

These days, I could tell right away if I was dreaming or not. Every dream of mine features Yeoul. Her presence is proof it's a dream.

"Or did you mean ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you'd prefer if I vanished?"

"Not that.... Well, a guest might visit my dream today."

"I know, that's why I prepared all this, right?"

She gestured for me to sit instead of standing around. I took a seat. Looks like she manifested this flower field and table. Ever since subjugating Yeoul, my lucid dreaming senses have been sharpening bit by bit. They say lucid dreamers can control their dreams freely, but I didn't have that level of power yet. So Yeoul sets the dream each day.

"Sets" might be off. More like she twists my dreams to her taste. No idea why, though. She shows up every time, but her goal still eludes me.

"Hm, looks like the guest is here."

Yeoul's fox ears twitched. She narrowed her eyes, set down her tea, and gazed into the distance.

"You can tell?"

"It's your dream, but I'm the manager. Of course I'd notice."

"I see.... Yeoul, I need to talk about something important. Mind giving us some space?"

"Nah."

She tilted her head.

Eh....

"Nah...?"

"Can't help it—it's a hassle. What if someone steals my prey?"

"You still planning to eat me?"

"Told you that from the start. Mayuri's got a bad memory~."

Or maybe bewitched by a fox~? She said it with playful, mischievous eyes.

"So relax? I'll keep you safe."

Not reassuring at all.... If it were Lisa or Nao next to me, I'd feel secure, but with Yeoul, who knows if she'd actually protect me. Still, better than facing "Magical Girl's Birth" alone.

——Then something approached.

A screech of chair legs scraping. Something sat in the opposite seat, but I couldn't focus on it properly. Like those "otherworld" ghost stories. We live on the front of a coin, but Earth has a back side. Can front-side beings clearly perceive back-side ones?

It wasn't from the otherworld, but definitely different coordinates. Something existed there in a form beyond my perception.

Not so much a voice in my head as sentences floating up. Different coordinates mean vocal communication's impossible. It was using some method to reach me.

"Th-thank you for accepting the invitation.... You're 'Magical Girl's Birth,' right...?"

"What exactly are you? ...An outer god, maybe?"

"Yeah, I do...."

Pretty famous ghost story. The monkey's paw grants wishes, but in twisted ways. Ask for a million won, and you get it from a family member's life insurance after they die. But what does that have to do with this?

"Kinda hard to follow.... So you're causing this with something like the 'Monkey's Paw'?"

"Devil.... Alien...."

Seems even it doesn't know what it is. In some famous magical girl works, aliens grant the protagonists their powers—but act just like medieval devils. Witches in the Middle Ages supposedly got immortality from devils, after all. Either way, I get why the "Deal with the Devil" quest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wanted this resolved. If it's a devil too, territory disputes make sense.

"You want to see magical girls, right? And no harm to civilians in the process...."

"B-but civilians are getting hurt too.... Could you hold back? I'd appreciate it...."

No deaths yet, but parts of cities were already wrecked. I explained, and it seemed to shake its head.

...Totally obsessed with magical girls. All that fancy talk, but it's just a brainbroken magical girl otaku....

Well, from a monster's view, no reason to listen to me. Like an ant telling a human: Don't build here! Your house will kill tons of ants! Human wouldn't care. How's an ant negotiating...? We'll give all our sugar! Just a laugh. Sitting at the same table's already a miracle.

This thing wasn't here to negotiate or talk. Just to notify. I'll do what I want; adapt. Even if Earth burns, it'd keep making magical girls.

...Maybe just leave it be. Even if Apocalypse monsters woke, it'd probably cheer and make more. Not on humanity's side—just does what it wants. If we go extinct, it'd find another planet for magical girls.... Simple creature obsessed with magical girls.... What do you even say to that? Can't negotiate, deter, or kill it.

Would "Cute Girl Punch" work? Any Bond Effect that could?

...Wait.

No way....

A solution flashed in my mind. Really? This ridiculous method? Even I doubted it, but yeah—it might work.

"...You said magical girls are the highest value, right?"

"But have you ever thought about... becoming one yourself?"

Silence. First time for silence.

Otaku deep into isekai wants to go isekai. Harem otaku wants a harem. So a magical girl otaku must've fantasized about becoming one. But it's just fantasy—no way to do it.

Except... I had the means. Unfortunately.

"Wanna be a magical girl...?"

I thrust out my fist on reflex. The Cute Girl Mod worked fine in Ryu Harin's nightmare. Weird that it activates in dreams, but this world's a game originally. Reality, nightmares, illusions—all just horror game maps in the system. Probably works anywhere I can land a punch.

And like it sensed my power the moment we met, this thing seemed to grasp it without explanation.

...Kinda creepy vibe. Wanna take it back?

"Eek...."

I jumped up from my chair and backed away. A blinding light erupted before me.

Something incomprehensible was happening.

Human senses have limits. Eyes miss infrared, ears low frequencies; exceed decibels, and it's not sound but overwhelming pressure. This exceeded my cognition, but not entirely unknowable.

One thing was clear: some body's death.

"Kuhaha!"

"I can become a magical girl! A magical girl! A magical girl!"

"This is the moment I was born for—existed for—lived for!"

Humans can't survive ocean depths. To become a mermaid? Dive in a sub or suit. You might die from pressure, but if you touch bottom even briefly....

That's its calc: touch my fist once. Pour all power into "diving." Solely to become—to be reborn as—a magical girl.

To birth a magical girl.

It's coming to get hit.

Cr....

"Crazy bastard...."

I don't swear much. As the universe's cutest girl, it'd waste my beauty. But this? Had to.