Inoru Kami Wo Sirazu, Negau Kokoro no Katachi wo Miezu, Soredemo Tuki Wa Yozora Ni Noboru

“The School Festival That Only Exist in a Pipe-Dream”

For the third time, they will experience another Nightmare world.

The otherworlds that the two girls have visited till now were truly like nightmares, being nothing more than a prison to lock up helpless sacrifices that’ll die for the pleasures of others in the end.

The first Nightmare was the tragedy of the attack on the Angel’s Kingdom. The second Nightmare was the train that would loop, never reaching its final stop.

Just how terrifying will this Nightmare be this time around?

“Hasn’t it been peaceful for too long?”

“It seems like a festival.”

“I guess this is what a dream is like for dream-masters who aren’t Daemons.”

But there was something strange about this dream.

Races like Fairies, Draconians, Angels, Mermaids, Ancients, and even the Nobles were crossing paths with each other. The students, despite having different body features, were for some reason masquerading as different races and were in a festive mood.

Fireworks were flying up here and there. Also, several students were playing their instruments and singing a foreign country’s song on the stage built in the courtyard.

Right by where the Mermaids were grilling their fried squids, the Draconian were selling their homemade accessories. The female Fairies were handing out free samples of their baked sweets, which contain plentiful amounts of honey, while advertising for others to try it.

“So this is what you call a school festival?” Angelica whispered, while greedily looking at spherical-cut fried potatoes, otherwise known as tornado potato.

“This is so idiotic. Hey, call out Serot. He can handle this instead.” Add, who was right by, sighed and said to Lamia. Add completely thought it was annoying from the bottom of his heart.

Lamia, while still distraught by the current situation, nevertheless calls out her Hero. The young man who looked at his surroundings came to a conclusion quietly after thinking about it for a bit.

“It’s a harmless dream. The dream-master most likely dreamt about having a peaceful school life.”

“Is it necessary to eradicate this?”

“Right now, I don’t think it’s necessary. But it’s imperative to investigate though.”

Serot observed the scenery that differs from the real world. The students that are mingling in the festivals are not real. When you carefully look at them, you can immediately realize they are nothing but fakes made with gray clay.

But there is more to the festival than just the recreation of its liveliness and feverish atmosphere.

The food stalls runned by the students were lined up and students were in their costumes of different races yelling in a loud voice.

Next to the shooting booth was the wiener-on-a-stick stall which was wafting a delicious fragrance. The executive committee members with their armbands were walking around in a busily manner, but their faces were one full of accomplishments, a sense of completeness, and vigor.

This is really a school festival.

The world is overflowing with the kind of enthusiasm that makes one think that this scene is a fruition of a “fun school life” that new students dreamed about when they enter the Academy.

“Even though it’s a realistic world, it’s obvious that this isn’t the world that we live in. This is only merely a fantastical dream.”

It’s just an illusion. Moreso, merely a fictitious world.

“This dream is a world that was created by a person or something who has their head in a flowerfield.”

“Perhaps, although I didn’t want to agree with you, I also share the same feeling.”

Just like Lamia and Angelica said, this dream is outrageously naive.

A school festival is an event where students work together to create it.

Because of that condition, this scene where Nobles and Demi-humans take each other’s hands and work together amiably for the success of the school festival of the likes is too absurd to think about.

Just by listening to the briefing during the mid-day school entrance ceremony, they know it far too well that it will never work out.

That’s why this kind of event is impossible to achieve in the real world.

In the case of Nobles, then it’s possible that they view this dream as a disgusting dream, a dream that they want out of their sight. Well, if that’s the case, then the dream-master has good tastes.

“What shall we do, Serot-sama.”

“Let’s explore a little first. If it becomes even a little dangerous, then let’s cross the bridge when it happens. But I don’t think it’s necessary, to be honest, ” And Serot continued, without voicing the next words aloud.

This foolish kind of pipe-dream, I don’t really hate it.

†

After the exchange, the three people explored the school festival which was displaying blatant peace.

There were no dangers like a beast attack. To be honest, the most dangerous-like thing that happened was experiencing the haunted house attraction, where Lamia was genuinely scared to the degree of bursting out crying.

Angelica, on the other hand, was eager to go around the haunted house while eating sweets and small snacks to her heart’s content with a happy face.

“Having no limits when eating, and for free on top of that, isn’t that the best thing ever?”

“Even though it won’t fill you up because it’s a dream.”

“It’s because I won’t get fat, it’s great! I wouldn’t mind going into a dream like this again!” Angelica frolicked in a happy manner.

In contrast, Serot was reserved and docile.

“Lamia, don’t you have any places you are interested in? Perhaps, you want to eat your favorite food?” Serot looked behind and asked.

“There is none of sorts. Please don’t mind me. Wherever the Hero-sama wishes to go is where I wish to be as well.”

The girl, who also held the role of a Saint, always replied like this. She is consciously restraining her true feelings. The only exception to that is during her rivalry with Angelica.

Serot thought about different options and then came up with a proposal.

“I just heard it a while back though, I heard there’s a play showing at the gymnasium. How about going there for a little peek?”

“Eh, really? I want to go see it! What’s it going to be about?”

Unexpectedly, it was Angelica who jumped on it.

When asked about it, it seems that when Angelica was still in the Angel’s Kingdom, it was her hobby to go to theatres. She often went to the theatres with her family. Although those were the days that she can no longer return to today, she speaks of it fondly. Lamia, unable to find the right words to reply with, stayed silent. In exchange, Serot continued the conversation.

“For now, let’s go. Albeit, the quality of a play that is performed by professionals for royalty and a play that is performed by students for students is really different though.”

A large set was arranged in the gymnasium which had been turned into a theater-like hall. A man and woman, separated by the balcony and a garden, cried their love to each other with a tragic expression on their faces. It seems that the play was about a tragic interracial love; it was about the love between Noble and Demi-humans. A love that will only be forgiven in a dream. Without a doubt, this play will never be forgiven in the real world in this country.

The man and the woman had a series of misunderstandings and were unable to meet situations that verge on comedic themes, but soon the two were heading to a tragic end. But when you thought they were going to have a tragic end, through some absurd forceful nature by the playwright, even the final confrontation between Demi-humans and Nobles was resolved. It became a happy ending, that if the playwright didn’t cause the event to turn its course, the finale would have left the audience with a bad taste in their mouth.

“This is a pipe-dream play.” Serot gave a mixed reaction chuckle. However, Angelica was silent, clapping and staring at the curtain call.

“But you see, I may be fond of these things. Although that scene was forced there, I think they took it from another play writer’s play. But, even though they went through tough times, they were able to marry in the grand finale. Don’t you think that’s like redemption from all they went through?”

It’s because we know that dreams are unable to form in the real world, that we can fully understand that they are just a figmentation of our imagination. Serot, who thought of those things, realized that Lamia, who was sitting next to him, had a somewhat strange and antsy expression. For some reason, she was looking at Angelica like she wanted to say something.

He thought for a bit, and then asked in a quiet voice.

“Could it be that Lamia likes these sorts of plays?”

“No, I don’t really have an interest.” Serot regrets full heartedly for making a careless remark.

While the performance continued on, Lamia and Angelica had the same expression while focusing on the stage. It was strange that Lamia didn’t try to make herself more active, taking a stubborn step back, but yet watching the stage fervently. If at least they shared something in common, then they didn’t need to fight as much.

“I have greatly enjoyed the beautiful play. Thank you for inviting me to have a pleasant time with you. It’s just like you, Serot-sama, to have a taste in such arts. You must be very cultured on the inside.”

“Lamia, you know the way you praise is so blatant, it conversely seems ironic, don’t you think?” Angelica points out with a sneaky look to Lamia, who was always smiling with her regular smile.

“Wha-What do you mean? That’s a false accusation!” Lamia, in a panic, tried to mend her statement, and like in the regular routine, Lamia reprimands Angelica.

It was just how their relationship was structured, and there doesn’t seem to exist a single day where their relationship will change.

“A daydream is just merely a dream. Such things like this in a dream don’t come as easily in the real world.” Serot sighed, looking at the peaceful dream’s world.

It was really a foolish idealistic world. But Serot has to concede – Although this world is fictitious, it is a fun and beautiful world to be in.

“Maybe it’s fine to not destroy this yet.”

Anyhow, they still don’t know where the dream-master is after searching the perimeters. If the goal is just to escape, then just using Serot is enough for that. For now, there is no problem to leave with the two girls and postpone the resolution of the situation.

It was a reverie that just exists, and does not connect to reality in any ways.

The school life that Serot needs to experience isn’t here. At the very least, not right now.

It was time to wake up from the beauty of the Nightmare and return to the ugliness of the real world.

The three of them traveled back towards the destruction-bound world, which is very far from the pipe-dream of coexistence between Demi-humans and Nobles.