I loved to sleep. Though, most people felt the same way. Lying down on some fresh sheets, enveloped in a warm futon, and breathing in a peaceful, rhythmic pattern—although I loved playing in the dream world, those moments before drifting off into unconsciousness comforted me. Lately, waking up had been just as blissful. I would see Mariabelle’s beautiful face, and she would ask, “Are you awake?” Then she would tell me how the weather was beyond the half-open curtain. Those moments made my heart flutter in a way that I couldn’t describe.
It was like how I was with the others. Waking up with Wridra could be awkward sometimes because of her complete lack of modesty, but seeing her yawn wide made me look forward to the rest of the day. I had some strange friends like an Arkdragon, a dark elf, and a former floor master. New life had been breathed into the second floor of the labyrinth with the recent renovations.
My day had ended, marking the start of my dream. I had been relieved of paperwork duties and stepped into an exciting world of swords, magic, and fantasy. But here I was in the dream world, sweating profusely, with a sinking feeling in my stomach.
“This is a dream, right? How did I get younger? And why am I naked?” asked the boy, surprised. I couldn’t believe it, but it was my neighbor Toru. I had gotten drunk last night and carelessly fallen in an alley, bringing him into this world with me. Despite having sworn that I would never drink heavily like that again, that wouldn’t get me out of this mess, nor would it ease the intense regret tormenting me.
My wish to be in a dream was a rather pointless prayer since we were literally in a dream world. Toru wore nothing under the futon. The same thing had happened to Marie and Wridra, showing that something prevented people from bringing anything with them when visiting the other side for the first time. He looked around my age, at least in this world. I was twenty-five in Japan but woke up looking like a child in this world. He looked rather young, and his overweight body and face had changed dramatically.
The situation felt daunting until a realization hit me. If I played this right, I might convince him none of this really happened. With a faint hope in sight, I finally felt calm enough to speak.
“Yes, this is definitely a dream,” I said. “Do you remember drinking too much last night?”
“Hm? Oh, right. That makes sense. I was just surprised because it all feels so real. And I got a lot younger for some reason. By the way, who are you?” he asked. I had forgotten that I looked different. Yet he put two and two together because my transformation wasn’t as dramatic. “Wait, I recognize that sleepy-looking face. You’re Kitase, aren’t you? Ha ha ha, you look so young. You look a little bit androgynous, but maybe that’s how you looked when you were a kid. It is just my dream, of course.”
“Uh-huh. Anyway, wake up now. You fell asleep in an alley, so I don’t know where you’ll be when you do.”
He looked at me as if he had no idea what I was talking about. Thinking about it, I didn’t do a very good job explaining myself because I was in a bit of a panic. If we were to go about our day and wake up at my usual time, we could end up in a crowded shopping district. In fact, that would definitely happen. Not only that, I would make Marie wait for me until morning, which I wanted to avoid at all costs.
I did not need to go into details right now. My mission and method of self-preservation was to make him go to sleep as soon as possible. I gestured at the warm, comfortable-looking futon and said, “Now, why don’t you just lie down? Then you can fall right―”
“So, what’s this initial setup screen thing I see? Is this some sort of game?”
I had completely forgotten about that and went pale. That was how I had forever cemented my dumb-sounding name, Kazuhiho.
“Huh? It wants me to enter my name?” he said.
“Th-This is a dream, so you never know what wacky things will happen!” I blurted out. “Anyway, you can think about that after you lie down!”
I panicked but tried to stay calm and focus on putting him to sleep. However, my efforts were useless as we heard loud stomping footsteps angrily approaching us from behind the shoji screens. A black-haired beauty in a dress appeared, face red with rage. She had tears welling up in her eyes, her shoulders trembled, and an ominous black aura glowed around her.
“Kitase, you damned traitor! H-How could you snooze off without a care in a world after abandoning me to get Chinese food?! Wait... Who is that?”
Just as I thought, she was upset about us not taking her to the restaurant. We couldn’t do anything about that since cats weren’t allowed to enter for sanitary reasons. Luckily, an unexpected guest had quelled her wrath, though the situation had grown even more dire. Toru had just met a resident of the dream world for the first time, and my plan to put him to sleep was impossible.
“Hmm, you do not smell of this world. Strangely, you seem to be brand-new,” mused Wridra as she knelt down and carefully observed his face and bare body.
Toru was blushing, probably because of how good Wridra smelled and her ample breasts. While the black-rose embroidery on her dress covered them, her cleavage was faintly visible through the fabric. Her allure was enough to make even women blush.
He turned to me and his lips flapped as if he wanted to say, “Whoa, she’s so pretty! Who is she?” But I couldn’t tell him she was an Arkdragon with an estimated level of over one thousand.
Suddenly, Wridra uttered something rather nonsensical.
“Braised pork belly.” We looked at her blankly as her brows furrowed right before our eyes. “I will never forget that smell! The aroma of the Chinese cuisine I love so much still lingers on him! Hah, hah, I see now. You must be that man, Toru! The braised pork belly you had abandoned me for must have been quite delicious, was it not?!”
The beautiful woman from before had transformed into a raging Arkdragon with a sinister aura. Toru gasped, immediately lowering himself to the floor and bowing down in apology. He had done nothing wrong, even inviting us and paying for dinner out of the kindness of his heart while consulting with me regarding my and Marie’s futures. Yet he thought Wridra was angry about something else and didn’t budge from his prostrated position.
Working adults in Japanese society had grown used to dealing with problems. One had to read the room and act appropriately to create a smooth and amicable relationship. As a working adult, Toru had dealt with this by sitting up straight with his legs bent beneath him in the seiza position.
“Y-Yes, I’m Toru! I’m not entirely sure why you’re upset about braised pork belly, but I wouldn’t mind going to a Chinese restaurant with― Wait, I thought I recognized you from somewhere. Did you go on a trip to Chichibu with Kitase-kun?”
“Hmm? Ah, now that you mention it, I have seen you before. I have spent time with your partner several times in the past, but this is the first time speaking with you directly.”
“My partner? Are you talking about Kaoruko?”
As soon as he heard his wife mentioned, an emotion other than fear appeared in his eyes. Where was this place? Why did he look like a child again? How did this woman know Kaoruko? Such thoughts ran through his mind, and the feeling of dread in me only grew stronger. It was going to be a pain. My plan to pass everything off as a strange dream was crumbling right before my eyes.
§
I had already given up on trying to get Toru to sleep. Part of it stemmed from Wridra convincing me that letting him in on our circumstances wouldn’t be bad. And I had always put faith in her intuition and found it more reliable than most things, like the weather forecast on TV. As a matter of fact, I never regretted taking her advice. Considering she was sobbing just because she couldn’t go to dinner with us, perhaps it was best not to put too much faith in her.
Since I just wanted to live peacefully, I also wanted to keep our secrets to ourselves if possible. But I didn’t really think Toru would do anything to jeopardize us, and I was sure he would understand if we explained everything. So I decided to go to sleep and wake up in Japan while Wridra prepared his clothes. After all, I couldn’t leave Marie waiting for me all by herself. This had never happened before, so it hurt me just thinking about her.
Wridra saw how restless I was, and told me to “hurry up and go.” She could be a worrywart like me and was always with Marie in her cat form. Since she protected her whenever we were in the labyrinth, she spent more time with Marie than me. I knew how much she cared for her.
Something else bothered me. But as I mulled over those thoughts, I felt a cold breeze caress my face. My eyes slowly opened, and I saw an empty night sky.
“I fell asleep... I really am good at that,” I said to myself. It seemed I had returned to Japan. I was sure people would be surprised if I told them I had fallen asleep while deep in thought.
I first noticed the knocked-over trash can, then realized I was on the ground face up.
“Oww... My body’s all stiff, and my suit is all wrinkled. I guess it’s not a good idea to sleep outside like this. Toru isn’t here, as I thought.”