Chapter 17: A Man's Delusion
A beautiful girl dressed in a gothic lolita dress wandered aimlessly through a serene yet eerily silent world.
Her name was Kurumi, but she didn't know who she truly was or why she was in this place called the "Adjacent World."
Yet, one thought dominated her mind—she had to leave. Deep in her subconscious, there was something incredibly important…
Perhaps, something even more important than her own life.
——————
"This is so nice~ I wish I could become a Spirit too—so beautiful, so powerful, and with no limits to my lifespan. How wonderful~"
After finishing the stack of manuscripts in front of her, Mei couldn't help but break into a radiant smile, her face full of envy.
Spirits—mysterious lifeforms that existed in the Adjacent World, separate from their own. They possessed immense power in battle, and when they appeared in this world, they caused massive explosions and so-called "spatial quakes"…
Though their world did indeed experience many spatial quakes, this story actually attributed the cause to "Spirits." What an interesting setting~
"Right, Ayano-chan~?"
"Not at all. Spirits are just fantasies—they don't exist in reality. And this opening is confusing, like it's skipping over too much. I can't understand it at all."
Unfortunately, Ayano, sitting beside her, showed no sign of agreement.
She picked up the manuscript, skimmed through it casually, then coldly delivered her verdict while casting a disdainful look at Satoru across from her.
"And all the Spirits are young, beautiful, and powerful women—really fitting someone's tastes, huh? It's like a perfect showcase of male delusions."
"..."
This girl's tongue is sharp as a blade.
Hearing the sarcastic remark, Satoru's lips twitched involuntarily.
He had simply written the truth—why was he being criticized like this?
Even if someone did have such thoughts, it'd be the original author, not him…
Of course, saying that now wouldn't help. Ayano didn't know.
"Now, now~ It's not entirely fair to say that. After all, the guy is a man~ It's only natural he'd want to design strong, beautiful girls and then conquer them. That's just basic psychology~"
And then, not just Ayano—even Nia joined in with the teasing.
Even though she knew the truth, she still playfully chimed in, earning an exasperated glare from Satoru.
"Hmph. So it's just pure delusion, then. Spirits? As if they could exist."
"Well, you can't dismiss it completely. Isn't it better to leave a little room for imagination? Besides, every girl dreams of being a magical girl at some point. I bet even Ayano, when she was little, wanted to wave a sparkling wand, wear a cute magical girl outfit, and effortlessly defeat monsters, right~?"
But she wasn't just teasing Satoru—she also threw a playful jab at Ayano, who stubbornly refused to believe in Spirits.
Given Ayano's temperament, she naturally scoffed at the idea…
"Absolutely not! I've never thought like that! Please don't project your own fantasies onto others—it's incredibly rude!"
"H-Hey, don't get so worked up~ Ayano-chan, Nia-chan was just joking~"
"Some jokes shouldn't be made!"
So exciting.
Seeing the usually aloof Ayano suddenly shouting excitedly was quite a sight, startling Mei into hurriedly laughing it off to smooth things over. Everyone else also wore slightly odd expressions.
Why did it feel like they were "trying to cover up something only to make it more conspicuous"?
However, Nia beside them remained smiling cheerfully, her grin growing even brighter.
Others might not understand Ayano's thoughts, but she knew perfectly well.
Not just from childhood—even now, Ayano's room secretly housed some "magical girl transformation items"!
Not that she still wore those childhood outfits, but Ayano was quite nostalgic, reluctant to part with things she'd once used, especially beloved childhood anime memorabilia.
Of course, such things absolutely couldn't be known by others, so those items remained hidden in the deepest recesses of her room with "mechanisms," known only to herself...
Except to Nia.
When it came to digging up gossip, her abilities made it all too easy~!
"Um, Satoru-kun~ You're not planning to publish this, are you~?"
However, one person present wore a complicated expression and only now spoke up.
That was Kurumi, one of the involved parties.
The matters of that world should have been known only to her.
But with Satoru-kun's abilities, it probably couldn't be hidden—he might actually be able to write it all.
The problem was, this wasn't something outsiders should know...
"Don't worry, this is for internal circulation only. I'm not planning to show it to outsiders—I'd like to live a few more years."
"That's true~ But if you really must write it, I hope Satoru-kun can give it a better ending~"
At least, not as tragic as the current one...