Kasumigaoka Utaha stroked her chin, her beautiful brows furrowed as she recalled Ryosuke's real-life Kendo achievements. Teacher Ryou's Kendo genius is clearly a strong tag, she thought. Wouldn't it be better to give him a sword and let him teach these delinquents a lesson?It should be easy for him to solve this problem with his swordsmanship, right?
Ryosuke sized up the three delinquents. Their physiques and movements showed they had no training. He figured he could take all three of them empty-handed. But having a sword would make it faster.
Just as he thought this, an unsharpened tachi (long sword) appeared in Ryosuke's hand out of thin air.
The sudden appearance of the sword made both their eyes widen. At that moment, their thoughts were identical: Creation from nothing? This kind of superpower can't exist in reality. This is truly my dream. Ryosuke believed the sword was a manifestation of his own imagination, while Utaha believed she had created it.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke touched the incredibly realistic sword, genuinely amused. Since this was a dream and he could create weapons based on his imagination, he had to try one thing. He closed his eyes and recalled the image of a Thompson submachine gun. No matter how hard he tried to visualize it, he couldn't materialize the gun and finally gave up with a sigh.
Seeing the delinquents closing in, he skillfully gripped the hilt and adjusted his stance. Because Sayuka had been so uncharacteristic today, he was finally faced with a familiar trope. Since this wasn't reality, there was only one answer.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke's inner Musou (hack-and-slash) spirit ignited.
He tightened his grip on the hilt and ran toward the enemies like a god of slaughter, letting out a powerful shout: "Doryūsen!"
He struck the ground with a powerful slash, instantly leaving a large crater in the unhardened path. Shrapnel and debris flew toward the delinquents.
"Ah! What is that?" "My eyes! My eyes!" "You're dead, kid!"
Ryosuke moved swiftly and decisively, quickly sheathing the sword with Ryūmeisen (Dragon Cry Flash).
"Sōryūsen!" On the same trajectory as the unsheathing slash, he followed with a strike from the sheath, and the first delinquent collapsed.
"Ryūsōsen!" Faster than the eye could see, he launched a barrage of random strikes, and the second delinquent fell.
The third delinquent, who was standing further away, saw his two friends knocked down in a single move. His legs trembled, and he was about to beg for mercy. But he saw only a blur of sword light from every angle, leaving him nowhere to hide.
"Kuzuryūsen!"
Bang!
The dull thud of a heavy object hitting the ground sounded. The last delinquent fell before he could even plead.
Ryosuke sheathed the sword, a hint of regret in his eyes. Too bad, only three people. It feels like it ended before it even started. He let out a light breath and turned to face the girl behind him.
In reality, Kasumigaoka Utaha was just an ordinary beautiful girl; she had never witnessed such a brutal scene. She couldn't clearly see the swordsman's eyes, but she could distinctly feel the overwhelming, irresistible presence emanating from him.
Utaha swallowed, subconsciously taking a small step backward.
Ryosuke sensed the girl's fear and lightly cleared his throat. "Ahem, it's okay now."
As soon as he spoke, the sword in his hand vanished without a trace, as if it were a one-time-use item. Ryosuke felt his hand become empty and sighed inwardly. A dream is still a dream. No matter how realistic, it's nothing more than a fleeting illusion.But this immersive experience is quite fun.
Utaha realized they weren't in reality and relaxed. She smiled and said, "Thank you. And also for when I was sick last time; your cooking was very good."
"It was no trouble at all, don't worry. As for the cooking, I was forced into it by my master," Ryosuke replied calmly.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had only said it casually, yet the mist around the boy thinned another layer. Does that mean the real-life Teacher Ryou is also an excellent cook? That's incredible.
Kasumigaoka Utaha took an old-fashioned flip phone from her bag and shook it in front of him. "Want to exchange contact information?" She thought to herself, I don't have Teacher Ryou's Line contact in reality; we usually communicate through website DMs.At least let me fulfill this wish in my own dream.
Ryosuke nodded, took out his phone, and opened Line. A new message popped up on the screen.
[New Friend Request: Utaha]
When Ryosuke tapped "Accept," he noticed the mist around the girl had significantly dissipated. This strange phenomenon surprised Ryosuke. The mist can actually dissipate? What's the reason?Why did the mist dissipate so much after adding a friend? Is the plot moving to the next step?No, it shouldn't be that simple. He'd had other events that seemed like plot progression, but they hadn't caused this odd change.
Isn't her real name Sayuka?Is this phenomenon triggered by the act of adding a friend or by the name "Utaha"?
There's no definitive theory on how dreams are formed, but the most accepted one suggests that dreams fulfill desires that cannot be met in reality. A more common saying is: What you think about all day, you dream about all night. Even if the things that appear in the dream are fantasies, they should still be related to reality.
He connected the characteristic of the girl's long black hair, believing Sayuka must have a real-life prototype. He then thought of the long-haired black-haired girls he knew in reality. The first was Hiratsuka Shizuka, but he quickly dismissed her. Yukinoshita Yukino didn't fit either. Is this dream a mystery-solving Galgame?
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at the single, active ID on her friend list, then at the boy in front of her, who now only had a thin layer of mist left. Her red lips parted, and she spoke in a sweet voice, "Hmm, it's better to use a nickname online, you know."
Ryosuke agreed with her; otherwise, he wouldn't use a pen name when publishing his light novels. But what should the nickname be? His first thought was "Guardian Knight," but he shook his head, instantly rejecting it. Forget it, the thought alone is mortifying. I should keep some sanity in my own private dream.Should I just use Hiratsuka Ryosuke?Using my real name still feels wrong.
Then, an idea struck him. The Kanji for Ryou is 凉. It was his pen name and a nickname. He'd use that.
He quickly tapped a few times to edit his nickname and confirmed the change.
Kasumigaoka Utaha covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes full of excitement. The mist around the boy completely vanished, revealing the cold, handsome face she had once seen on the train platform.
Kasumigaoka Utaha closed her eyes and softly called out, "Ryo-kun."
Hiratsuka Ryosuke subconsciously looked up and replied, "Ah, what is it, Sayuka?"
Utaha opened her eyes, satisfied with the almost realistic "masterpiece" she had just completed. Yes, that voice, that tone, that face, that expression.In this dream world, he is the first person I personally constructed.The Teacher Ryou of the dream—no, the Ryo that belongs only to me—is complete.
Utaha took a deep breath, stepped forward, and placed a finger over his lips. She gazed into his eyes with her captivating wine-red pupils, giving a charming, soft smile and speaking in a melodious voice.
"No, Ryo-kun. Please call me... Utaha."