C1 Part2

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「…………]

I froze.

Clutching my cup as it was, I stared at her fixedly, unable to utter a single word.

She had a strange appearance.

A hooded cloak that covered one’s entire body.

A staff with a claw-like design held in one’s hands.

Above all, the notable mask that covered her face. Glass was fitted into both eyes, and a long beak, resembling a heron, extended out.

I rotated my train of thought, whose clock frequency had dropped to an extremely low level, and came across the word, plague doctor. In medieval Europe, during the large outbreak of the plague, also known as the black death, medical personnel(the plague doctors) went around treating those who had contracted the disease.

More than anything, what was most bizarre was the fact that I didn’t know about her at all.

After all, this was my dream world. It was a dream world where I could manipulate things as I saw fit. Having someone I didn’t know existed at this point in time, it was crazy to the point of being out of control. Moreover, she suddenly appeared there. Without me noticing at all.

In addition to that, her voice, at any rate, was jarring. It was akin to the voice changers that we often see on a TV broadcast to protect their privacy, only this time, with a much more unpleasant feeling. It felt as if my brain was going to rot beyond my ears.

The party suddenly stopped.

The people crammed into my palace, as if correctly tracing my state of mind, stopped saying anything, and didn’t move a finger, as if they were frozen in time.

Followers A, B, and C──the committee chairman, the gyaru, and the literature club member, anxiously huddled together, watching the proceedings while gulping the saliva in their mouths. These guys were the only bunch who were reproduced in the dream with such high accuracy, thus enabling them to act autonomously even in times such as these. But if you’re so anxious, why don’t you come and cuddle together with me instead? I don’t want to make your movements realistic to the point where it’s weird.

…Thinking up to this point.

Finally, I opened my mouth.

“Who are you?”

“Me, you mean?”

Shrugging her shoulders, she said.

[Just a meddler. Or a doctor.]

[What are you saying? What’s the story? No, I mean, I’m not talking about that. Why are you here in my dreams? I can manipulate my dream as I please. So why is there someone I don’t know here?]

[That’s simple. Because I am free.]

That person said something that was inadequate as an answer.

Because I am free? In other words, all-powerful and omnipotent? If that’s what it literally means, then sure, it’d be possible. But that’s not what I want to hear.

[Your questions are justified.]

Can this person hear my thoughts?

That person made a nodding gesture.

[But it doesn’t matter. Because your dream ends here.]

With that said, she brandished the staff in her hand.

I froze.

Why? Because the staff had grown to a jokingly huge size, and while it was at it, it changed shape to a brutal hammer with prickly thorns that covered my vision.

Ayers Rock, a large sandstone formation that is found in the centre of Australia. But imagine that floating just above you. I think you’ll understand a little of what I was feeling at that moment.

[Goodbye. In sickness and in health, please lead a good reality.]

The hammer was brought down.

I was literally crushed, as with my entire world.

†

The above describes my experience.

A one-sided end, a category one close encounter with me and that person.

My dream and I were subdued one too soon, and I jumped out of my bed, yelling like an animal hit by a dump truck.

My shirt was drenched in sweat.

My throat felt parched, and I wondered how I could yell out like that.

Morning.

Sunlight shined through the window, revealing the fine glittering dust.

Was that just now a dream? Or reality?

No, it was a dream. But, it felt so real.

I mean, I could manipulate my dream as I liked, and I should be able to tell reality and dreams apart from normal people. Besides, it felt so vivid that it sent chills down my spine.

While thinking so, my mom came screaming into the room, [Jiro! How long are you going to stay lying down!] I yelled back in a shrieking voice, [Shut up, you old hag, don’t come in here without permission!] After that （even though I was fed up）, I got dressed, brushed my teeth, finished breakfast, and got on the train to school. In the classroom, the committee chairman( Follower A) shot me a cold glance, the gyaru (Follower B) was too absorbed in painting her fingernails to notice me, and the member of the literature club (Follower C) was bent over a novel, stubbornly refusing to look in my direction. Then, the Yankee arrived, asking me to run his errands, [Hey Jiro, get me some cream buns today.]

It was the same as usual.

By the time I got home from school, I had regained my composure.

(Yesterday’s dream must’ve been an irregularity.)

I told myself.

Well, I guess such things happen.

I should be able to manipulate my dreams as I like, but I guess unexpected things happen. Such things like these happen once in a while. I can’t really understand what sort of power mine is. So it’s not surprising that strange things happen.

[Yeah, sometimes that’s the case. Yeah.]

I became convinced and went on with my night.

Something that blew off the gloom of my everyday shitty life, a dream that gave me the greatest high.

Once I fell asleep, I was instantly in my kingdom.

Men and women gathered at the palace today, befuddled by the drinks; follower A, the committee chairman, follower B, the gyaru, and follower C, the member of the literature club, were all infatuated with me, and the Yankee was forced on an errand to the convenience store, leaving behind sharp parting remarks [Remember me, bitch!]. I was pleased again this night. Yes, yes, this is the way it should be. This world should naturally be like this. Everything is as I want it to be, all humans in complete submission to me. Daytime is shit, and nighttime is my truth. No, really, how fun would it be if the night and day worlds were turned upside down──

[What a surprise.]

…That voice.

It was her again. The plague doctor. The strange-looking fellow who had smashed my dreams to pieces last night.

[You’re still dreaming? You sure have a lot of life in you.]

[Y-You, to just show up out of the blue again──w-who on earth are you──]

[Sorry to start you off with this right away, but Farewell. This time, I hope your reality is a good one.]

†

And then, I woke up from my dream.

I jumped out of my bed screaming, drenched in sweat, the morning light outside the window, sparrows chirping repeatedly.

Hey, hey, hey.

Seriously.

That person came out again.

Is this too an irregularity? No, no, two days in a row? No matter how you look at it, isn’t that a little odd?

The only difference from the previous day was that instead of being crushed by a giant hammer, I was shredded into tiny pieces by a chainsaw-like machine. Whatever the process, the result was the same. In this reality which I could manipulate as I please, this unknown person appeared, extinguishing my reality entirely.

[Jiro! How long are you going to──]

[I told you already, don’t come in here, you old hag!]

I changed my clothes, brushed my teeth, had breakfast, and boarded the train.

At school, Followers A, B and C treated me like air, while the Yankee forced me to rerun his errands. I was getting impatient without showing it on my face. No, no. Really. What’s going on? I don’t believe it to be true, but perhaps tonight again?

[N-No, already. C-Certainly not tonight.]

She appeared.

The plague doctor.

[They say what happens twice will happen thrice but, even the patience of a saint runs out.]

She raised her cane.

The cane changed into a huge tubular lump of iron, and when I realized it started boasting the shape of the main armament of the so-called battleship Yamato, a massive explosion rang out, and at the same time, my dream was extinguished completely, leaving not a speck behind.

†

The fourth day.

The fifth day.

The sixth day.

All of them ended nearly the same way.

I view the dream, the plague doctor manifests in my dream, my dream and I are destroyed.

The plague doctors’ staff changes in every conceivable shape or form.

It could be a flamethrower, a machine gun, or a simple large sword. Gradually, it changed into weapons I don’t know about; however, I could tell that the various things it changed to were something brutal, thus continuing to torment me and my dreams.

The seventeenth day.

After repeating the same situation so many times that even a comedian with quick one-liner trademark gags wouldn’t repeat it this many times.

The pattern changed.

I was the one who changed it.

As usual, the plague doctor manifested in my dream, with a sigh of [Oh dear, here we go again], brandishing his staff and bringing it down with a weapon I didn’t understand, bidding me goodbye for the night.

Whack.<

I caught the weapon.

[…That’s a surprise.]

The plague doctor sighs.

[You’re not only satisfied with infinite regeneration, but want to acquire more resistances?]

[Forever and ever!]

I exclaimed through my bare teeth.

My voice was trembling. Not only my voice but also my arm that was holding the weapon. If I let my guard down even a little, I would be obliterated again tonight by a painful weapon that I didn’t understand.

[I don’t think! I’ve been suffering! Doing this! For so long!]

[Good spirit.]

The plague doctor said.

Behind the mask, the girl seemingly laughed.

{Hehe}, a muffled voice was heard. As usual, the voice was unpleasant, like a voice changer.

[Your willpower, your effort, your lack of good manners, I don’t like it very much. But I must say, to survive this long against my treatment is worthy of merit.]

[W-What, are you looking at, you…!]

I tried cursing at her, but the situation wasn’t looking good.

The plague doctor was effortlessly pushing various sharp, dangerous weapons into my body(a combination of pliers, a pile bunker, and a drill, split into three), which I had to endure with all my might and soul. Even a light breath of air would upset the equilibrium, flattening me again.

[What is it with you! Entering another person’s dreams as you please! Every night, every night, you keep on telling me that you’re trying to cure me! And every single time, you end up killing me! You should put yourself in my shoes and let me be the one beating you up instead every time! I mean, I’m just trying to have fun in my dreams! Delusions are free! This is a human right! Trampling over others’ human rights. That is a human rights violation! Do you understand!? Let me do what I want in my dreams! If there’s no place for me even in my dreams, where am I going to go!]

[Thank you for the soulful cry. Well then, let’s move on to the dialogue, shall we?]

[Eh?]

Suddenly, the plague doctor relaxed.

The weapon, which was transformed into a fiendish shape, instantly returned to its original form, that of a simple cane.

Simultaneously, the cane was removed from me, causing me to stumble forward. [Geh!?] My voice let out like that of a crushed frog. So unsightly. At least let me do it smartly in my dreams.

[To tell you the truth, we were forced to change our policy a long time ago.]

The plague doctor sat down on the nearest chair.

Hey, hey. Don’t go getting comfortable on your own. This is my castle, and my imagination manufactured those chairs for my guests. Thanks to your intrusion tonight, the feast was forced to end, leaving the castle empty.

[You’re intriguing, by the way.]

The plague doctor says.

[You’re the first diseases I’ve treated who haven’t gone into remission. It’s going to be difficult dealing with this with a surgical approach. Now, what shall I do…]

[Don’t get ahead of yourself.]

I retorted.

[In the first place, who are you anyway? I can’t keep in pace with anything and everything you’re saying if I don’t understand. Explain the situation first. I’ll put aside the issue of human rights violations for now.]

[I’m a doctor. Yes, a doctor. I cure mainly the world.]

[……….]

Huh?

The world?

Cure?

[And you are the disease itself, the lesion. In this connection, I, a doctor, am accountable to all my patients. Even if the lesion itself lays claims its rights, I don’t have to comply, essentially.]

So night after night, she would come into my dreams to 〝cure〟me?

Preposterous.

It sounds like a fictitious fantasy.

However, by now, I have to admit that this situation has already been long ago disconnected from reality. That in itself is a fact, and I acknowledge it.

She’s a doctor.

I’m an illness.

A doctor’s opponent is an illness; that’s why this fellow attacks me time and time again.

Okay, okay, that’s enough. I’m not totally convinced, but I’ll swallow that much.

But didn’t I say it before? Isn’t anyone free to dream as they want?

[It’s totally different.]

The plague doctor shakes her head.

[Indeed, delusions are free, and if you’re just thinking about it in your head, then you won’t be charged with a crime. However, in the first place, there are different conditions. What you think is a dream is not a dream.]

[…What do you mean by that?]

[That’s what it literally means. The dreams you have every night, where you’re the king of a castle, for instance, manipulating everybody you wished into existence, all in revelry, having a spree and doing it all over again. That’s just another reality.]

I don’t understand what she’s saying.

No, I’m able to understand the contents.

But the theory behind it sounds so preposterous .

[You don’t understand it now, do you? But I do. I can easily imagine what the future will look like if we leave things as they are.]

[Imagine…what’ll it become?]

[It’s been decided. The destruction of the world.]

OH…

What the heck is this person saying, Johnny?

HAHAHA, naturally, I don’t understand, Bobby.

[You don’t realize it, but your nightly dreams are already starting to erode reality. For example, follower A, the committee chairman, follower B, the gyaru, and follower C, the member of the literature club that you surround yourself with in your dreams. All of them are turning abnormal. The same is true for that Yankee that you’re giving a little payback to in your dreams. Forcing people to dream imposes a heavy burden on their minds and bodies.]

The plague doctor says, folding her knees and resting her chin in her hands.

[Of course. It’s only a slight change as of right now. Since it’s only recently that you’re able to manipulate your dreams at will. But what about a month from now, six months from now, a few years from now? Many major illnesses express themselves as an accumulation of small things. That is to say, the extras appearing in your dreams, are also people present in the real world. In your dreams, you are unconsciously inviting them into your world. And you are eroding them little by little, along with the girls. Before long, one after another, people are going to start missing school and work because they’re sick. Ostensibly it’s a small change; for this reason, it’s hard to deal with.]

[…………]

As usual, I still didn’t understand what she was talking about.

However, I could feel a stirring in my mind.

Intuition, you could say.

This is reality, and moreover, it’s far from usual. Strange powers have been awakened. An unidentified woman claiming to be a doctor has appeared. Common sense is out of the question, so it’s only natural that I don’t know what she’s talking about. But the situation was moving forward. A not-so-positive one, I believe.

[This is a moderate threat. I hypothesize that the scale of the final damage will be extraordinary. This is a global crisis, not an exaggeration. And this is a crisis for me as well. At any rate, to have this much trouble with a patient for the first time──I mean, if you were just dreaming about completely harmless things, then I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble to come out here in the city. I don’t have that much spare time. Your degree of relative priority is very high. Again, you are a world crisis. You are a global crisis that must be dealt with at all costs, and it is a matter of the highest priority.]

The plague doctor’s tone of voice intensifies.

She was a rather aloof person with an impersonal way of speaking. Her voice was blended in with a serious tone.

[You feel encircled in your environment, don’t you? Like you’re in a deadlock.]

The plague doctor says again.

[And you think this world sucks. Am I mistaken?]

No difference.

I definitely think so, 100 per cent.

[If that’s the case, then you’re still dangerous. Even if you were a pacifist like Gandhi, it’s still dangerous to dream as you please, and it’s not a power that should be possessed by a person who views the world as an enemy. In some way or another, we have to deal with it. Even if we cannot completely cure you, we can alleviate you, and that’s what doctors do.]

[Hou~. I see, I see….]

I slowly digested the plague doctor’s words.

I finally understood the situation. I see so that’s what he meant. That’s the reason why the plague doctor has been showing up night after night and persistently interrupting me. Yes, yes, that’s right, if what she says is true, then everything she said so far is consistent. Everything’s coming together now. Oh, I see, so that’s what it was.

This one, well, what can I say.

I heard a good story.

[I roughly understand now.]

I said.

This impatient feeling has no shadow or shape anymore.

[Let me ask you once again. What is it that makes you cosplay as a plague doctor and enter others’ dreams?]

[Calling it cosplay is impolite. This figure is my spirit. Many of the plague doctors who worked during the Black Death epidemic in Medieval Europe were nameless, townspeople. They weren’t always able to provide proper treatment, and it is probably true that they were reluctant to serve in their positions because they were unemployed and out of work, but they still travelled throughout the plague-infested areas without regard for the risks to themselves──]

[No, that’s not what I’m asking for. Anyhow, you are a doctor who cures the world, and you have the power to enter my dreams without compunction and unilaterally hurt me, but you still cannot cure me, is that correct?]

[That’s a somewhat wild interpretation. But that’s the gist of it.]

[If what you’re saying is correct, then it’s possible to say that I possess enough power to put the world in danger, right?]

[Yes. That’s right.]

[But at this present point in time, you can’t do anything about me fundamentally, right?]

[Although I resent. Quite so.]

[And my dreams will eventually erode reality.]

[That’s right.]

[Thanks for going through the trouble to letting me know.]

I wasn’t being sarcastic. I was seriously thankful.

A wicked laugh rises from the bottom of my stomach.

After all, this is a quintessential godsend. Moreover, my opponent is spilling salt, informing me about the situation. Even Gandhi wouldn’t be able to stop laughing.

[Then it’s decided. I’m going to be the enemy of the world.]

I said.

[And then, I’ll turn this world upside down. My dreams will erode reality, won’t they? That is to say, 『reality is a dream, and the dream of the night is a reality』. Good, that’s good, this shitty life is finally getting interesting.]

[That’s disturbing.]

[Troubled, poor doctor? But I’m thankful. As a reward, when I become the ruler of the new world, I’ll make you into a cabinet minister. You can work hard as my faithful subordinate.]

[Thank you very much.]

Ku, Ku, Ku, she laughed.

To laugh before the king, I should have her executed right at once, shouldn’t I?

[No, I’m just having a good time, that’s all. I mean this as a compliment, Sato Jiro-kun. You are a good person.]

[A good person? Me?]

[Oh, you are. In your dream world, in that imaginary landscape, it’s pretty apparent. It’s a place where you can vent your desires as much as you like. On top of that, even though you’re aware of the power you possess in your hand, what you’re doing is indeed petty. Behaving as king, holding a banquet within the city for parties and drinks, making the girls your slaves, asking them to shorten their skirts considerably so that you can see their underwear, among other things──A world where you can do what you like, a free place where no one will complain even if your desires are leaked. I was sure you’d rape and gut every woman you saw, and lay their decapitated heads on the table and drink their blood, but you, my friend, you’re just too cute. You’re truly adorable.]

[…Are you mocking me?]

[It’s the opposite. I like you.]

I didn’t believe her words.

You’re a sucker. Do you know that?

All right, if that’s the case, then let me show you.

[──Hmm?]

The poor doctor makes a surprised voice.

Naturally. Before her, I was rapidly reconstructing my shape and appearance.

The easy-to-understand giant enlargement. The skeleton that grew rapidly, the explosive swelling of the muscles, jet black skin, and the armour-like scales that covered the outer skin in a dense layer.

[A dragon.]

The poor doctor looks up at me.

That’s right. I am now an agile, powerful, soaring, fire-spitting, ferocious, veritable monster. I developed a tolerance like the poor doctor said, but that’s not all. Every time I was exterminated from my dream, I would feel my power growing stronger and stronger. I could always do this if I wanted to. She just completely made a fool of me.

This is exactly what it feels like to have the scales turned against you.

Our positions are now reversed.

[What should I do?]

I said.

The vocal cords from the dragon produced a heavy-bass sound, echoing through the surrounding air.

[Should I roast you wholly with my flames or tear you apart with my claws. Or maybe I should swallow you in one breath. I’ll let you choose how you want to die.]

[Oh, scary. As I have explained many times over, this present is another real world. I don’t care if you’re the master of this dream, but if I, the uninvited guest, am killed here, I will not get off scot-free. I am sure that the real me will also be damaged in tandem ──No, in all probability, I will have to bid goodbye to this world with heart paralysis or something.]

[If that’s the case, why don’t you try begging for your life? Or you can fight me now. I don’t know who you are, but I do understand one thing about myself now. You are probably extremely strong. But I’m even far stronger than you now, right?]

[Hum~. Hmm. Begging for your life, or resisting and fighting──I’m torn between the two, but I’d like to show you a third way.]

[What? Wind your tail between your legs and run away?

[No.]

The poor doctor shakes her head.

[Boy, don’t you want a lover?]

…….

………….

……………….

[Huh? What? What are you talking about?]

[I mean what I say.]

The poor doctor says. With a displeased voice like a voice changer.

The face beneath the mask is probably smiling wryly.

[I’m asking if you want a lover. Not in your dream. I’m talking about the real world. I’m asking if you want a girlfriend in flesh and blood that you can flirt with as much as you want in that boring, irredeemable world that you denounce so much.]

I was taken aback.

What the hell is this person talking about?

[You can’t say you that aren’t wishing for it. Otherwise, why else would you have those kinds of dreams every night? I repeat, do you want it? A woman who is unparalleled in both cuteness and beauty, who has a big chest and a great figure, who loves you, who will be there for you in sickness and in health, the perfect partner? I can provide that for you.]

Only a simpleton would listen to such a thing, I thought to myself.

I leaned forward.

Oh god, I feel like an idiot.

[T-That, are you serious?]

[I’m serious. Hundred per cent, no joke.]

[Will my girlfriend, talk to me?]

[Yes, she will.]

[Can I hold her hand?]

[Of course, you can.]

[Can I kiss her?]

[On the contrary, can you call someone you can’t even kiss your lover?]

[By some chance, can I do erotic things with her?]

[A lover who can’t do erotic things is no better than a life-sized doll used for masturbation , and that’s just a dream. She can properly do erotic things. Perhaps even much more than you can think about, things that would not only be classified as R18 but also R40.]

[Seriously! Is that real!]

[That’s what I’m telling you.]

…I knew it was coming.

I’m not a very good person, but I’m not the kind of person who can be an enemy of the world.

At most, I’m just a petty-bourgeois, an ordinary person. And I’m rather stupid. There comes a moment when you have to admit a fact, even if you don’t want to admit it. This is exactly what happened at this moment. I was easily caught by the sweet words of the poor doctor.

[Sato Jiro.]

The poor doctor repeats herself.

[If you withdraw and distance yourself from your wildest desires to turn the world upside down, I promise you again. I will provide you with a lover. No lie, no joke. It is a genuine proposal, guaranteed by me, a person who is free enough to enter your dreams at will.]

Suddenly, I realized.

I was back to being just me.

The form of the almighty and fiendish dragon──was still the same. But the inside was different.

There stood Sato Jiro, an excessively self-conscious high school student, 160 centimetres tall, unattractive, standing there. It was as if something in my mind, something black and soggy that made me dream freely night after night, had been purged clean just at this moment.

Because of a woman?

The committee chairman, the gyaru, and the member of the literature club──were not the same people who were at my beck and call in my dreams.

Talking together, holding hands, being able to kiss, a genuine lover doing that for you. It’s only natural that your heart would be swayed, isn’t it? You can’t help but not think of bad things. 『Conflict isn’t good. It would be nice if everyone in the world were happy, wouldn’t it?』

…In that case, as you can see now, my power with regard to my dream was almost equal to my will. At this time, there was no desire to bring everything in the world to ruin; that wild aggression had long dispersed.

At the same time, I believed in the poor doctor, It was an outlandish suggestion, but there was something in his words that made me believe it was true. [Counselling is also an essential part of a doctor’s work], she told me much later.

Well, I guess it’s stupid. In short, me.

I’m a good person, in her words.

[Many youths are holding in their problems, wielding strong ressentiment , at a loss as to how to deal with it.]

The poor doctor says.

She approaches me slowly.

[And in many cases, ressentiment often stems from problems with the opposite sex. It’s a mediocre and trifling reason, but that doesn’t mean it should be taken lightly. Agony is always a problem that should be addressed subjectively, not objectively.]

Hmm, I sighed and said.

[I want a girl who’s aggressive. I’m the type of person who can’t approach people without hesitation.]

[Understood. I’ll take care of that.]

[I don’t know if I can say this myself, but I’m shy. I’m not sure if I could pull off a kiss on my own.]

[What a softie, but I think that in itself is a charm of its own, so you should accept it. Well, I’ll take care of that too. …Then, I think I’ll call it a night. If you remain a dragon, I don’t think you can even get a kiss.]

The poor doctor comes closer.

The staff in her hand changes into the random weapon again tonight.

[Farewell. In sickness and in health, please have a good reality.]

She swung down the lethal weapon.

I, and my entire world, was literally shattered.

TL notes: Will release part 3 soon since its oni 2k jp words

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