『 "I trust you have the materials ready? Please, hand them over to me."
Upon hearing this, Sampo surrendered the gathered emotions in his grasp to Dr. Edward.
"Thank you for your donation—reading complete! Adjusting memoria for you now, generating Dream Bubble…"
"Generation complete! Please close your eyes and press your forehead against the Dream Bubble."
"Go on, my dear friend—I wish you a delightful time." Sampo offered Stelle a theatrical bow.
Stelle, familiar with the routine, pressed her forehead against the Dream Bubble. The vision went black, and in the next moment, she materialized in a place that looked almost identical to Natasha's clinic.
Hotaru's voice-over drifted through the scene.
"Um… where is this?"
Stelle looked around at the familiar sickbeds and medicine bottles, puzzled. "Why am I here?"
Hearing the question, Sampo's voice-over provided the explanation: "This is a fragment of my dreamscape—the stage for this dream is Belobog."
"Don't rush; you ought to familiarize yourself with the sensation of a dream within a dream first."
Stelle nodded and began searching the clinic for clues, taking the opportunity to acclimate to this nested reality.
She discovered a note on the desk, upon which was written a short passage.
〖Become the Trash King〗
〖Even if the trash bag has long been torn〗
"Such familiar counsel," Stelle deadpanned, staring at the two all-too-familiar lines on the paper. 』
『 ....』
〘Silver Wolf〙: …
〘Silver Wolf〙: Did you do that on purpose, or was it an accident?
〘Hanabi〙: I think I accidentally did it on purpose.
....
『 "It's perfectly normal to see all sorts of things in a dream."
"Oh, don't sweat the details—if you ask me, you should head outside and take a look. Just be careful not to get spooked!"
Sampo's words piqued Stelle's interest. She walked to the entrance and pushed open the door. The sight that greeted her caused her pupils to contract sharply, freezing her in place.
The Underworld, which should have been populated by humans, was now teeming with trash cans. And not just ordinary trash cans—they had sprouted arms and legs! There were copper ones, iron ones, even golden ones! They seemed to be deep in discussion. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: This…
〘Stelle〙: THIS… THIS IS PRACTICALLY PARADISE!!!! This dream is absolutely incredible!
〘Sampo〙: Pfft, hahahahahaha. I can't breathe. As expected of Hanabi, this is just too abstract, hahahaha.
....
『 "Wha… what is going on here?!" Hotaru exclaimed in surprise as she watched the scene unfold.
"What is going on here?!" Stelle echoed, staring at the animated trash cans before her in shock, though her tone betrayed a hint of excitement.
A murmur of gibberish followed, yet Stelle found she could understand it perfectly.
"You have finally come…"
Stelle turned her head to see an iron trash can addressing her.
"Greetings, O Diver in the Dream…"
"My name is Shatana—and I wish to discuss a condition with you."
"Shatana? What is your relationship to Natasha?" Stelle asked immediately upon hearing the trash can's name. 』
『 ....』
〘Natasha〙: Reversing my name… that really is in poor taste.
〘Hanabi〙: Coming up with names is such a hassle; shuffling the order makes it so much easier.
....
『 "Natasha… who is that? I presume we have never met." With that, the trash can assumed a serious expression—do not ask how a trash can looks serious; this is a dream!
"Let us return to the matter at hand—have you… Ever heard of the Trash King, Tatalov?"
"He is the King of us all, the Shepherd of all waste in this world. He sits upon the throne, uplifting the humble cans and suppressing the violent ones; He is the foundation of Belobog, steadying our lids and straightening our bodies…"
"However, when the object from beyond the sky descended here with the Eternal Freeze, his eyes were blinded—he no longer listens to our pleas, allowing the impoverished cans to suffer bullying and the loyal cans to suffer shame in vain…"
"We could not bear the humiliation and vowed to raise the banner of Skyfire, to force the Trash King to mend his ways. But we were no match for that wicked King… He spread malicious rumors, sowing discord among the cans, so that the trash bags could no longer sense one another…"
"…I implore you, restore peace to the trash bags of this land and reconnect the cans once more—in this way, we may launch a counterattack against the False King." 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Help me, why isn't Stelle laughing at such an abstract scene? I'm losing it.
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: Even though I can tell it's a very heavy plot, as soon as I see those trash cans, I can't help but laugh.
〘Silver Wolf〙: Who else but you would like trash cans?
〘Argenti〙: What beautiful silver! Look at those sturdy arms and powerful thighs, the unique dents on the body, and the trash bag scarf peeking out from the rim. He is truly beautiful!
〘Silver Wolf〙: …, the Knight of Beauty really can praise anything.
....
『 Stelle listened to the request of the can before her, asking thoughtfully, "You mean, you want me to unite you all, is that it?"
"It seems that is indeed what she means…" Hotaru's voice drifted in.
"Then, the contract is established," Shatana the Can declared.
"I haven't agreed yet!" Stelle looked up at the sky and shouted to Sampo.
"Dr. Edward said he didn't have time to make that many branching paths, so just accept it," Sampo explained.
"You only need to accomplish one thing—help the trash cans free themselves from their troubles and obtain three Proofs of Trust."
Shatana displayed the appearance of the proof to Stelle: a golden badge.
"In doing so, you shall become the New King, leading us to rise against the False King. Go forth, O Diver in the Dream… destiny is calling to you."
Stelle immediately sprang into action upon hearing this. I mean, becoming the Trash King? That was too damn cool!
Stelle decided to head toward the location of the trash receptacle she knew best in the Underworld first—the two long dumpsters at the intersection. They were so unique; while the others were cans, only these were bins!
Stelle arrived in front of that dumpster and, with practiced ease, began rummaging through it. Upon spotting a trash bag sealed with a fish bone, Stelle was certain this was what she was looking for. She undid the seal on the trash bag.
Pop! With a loud bang, a plume of green smoke rose slowly from the bag, twisting into a ball in the air before gradually transforming into a giant… trash can.
The trash can that emerged exclaimed excitedly, "Finally—I am free again! I am Garboski, an incredibly evil can. Tatalov defeated me with despicable methods and sealed me within this abyssal trash bag."
"For the first five hundred years, I vowed that if any can came to save me, I would grant him infinite wealth. For the second five hundred years, I vowed that if any can came to save me, I would grant him endless trash." 』
『 ....』
〘Sushang〙: The difference between the second and the first is a bit huge, isn't it?
〘Belle〙: Maybe to a trash can, trash is a treasure like diamonds or something?
....
『 Then, Garboski's voice began to tremble. "But ten thousand years passed! A full twenty sets of five hundred years! And still, no can came to save me! So I vowed that if any can came to save me, I would grant him a painless death."
"You have come, so you must die."
"But I am a human, not a trash can," Stelle said, spreading her hands.
"…You are right. You are not the savior I expected, and therefore, you have not betrayed my expectations. I should thank you, in fact. Go; I will not take your life, but that is all."
Stelle extended a hand to Garboski, inviting him. "Why not join me in opposing Tatalov?"
Garboski shook his lid. "Tens of thousands of years of imprisonment have long worn down my rim. My glory days are gone; I only wish to spend the rest of my life as an ordinary trash can. Farewell, stranger."
With that, Garboski turned into smoke and drifted away. Stelle watched the vanishing Garboski and lamented, "A pity. I lost a great general. I suppose I don't have the constitution of a succubus after all."
But Stelle quickly adjusted her mood, rallied her spirits, and embarked once more on her journey to find the cans. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: You really care about this trash can business, don't you?
〘Stelle〙: My love for trash cans is unswerving!
〘Silver Wolf〙: Such a classic plot. This is finding companions to fight the dragon.
〘[Bronya Zaychik]:〙: Hmm, it's just that the characters are too abstract. Bronya still prefers HOMU.
〘Hotaru〙: By the way, Stelle, why do you like trash cans so much?
〘Stelle〙: I'm not really sure myself. It's just that when I see a silver trash can, I can't help but feel there's a precious treasure of mine inside.
〘Silver Wolf〙: Oh~ is that so? Then it's not strange at all.
〘Kafka〙: After all, Sam is silver too~
〘Hotaru〙: Pam_Shocked.jpg
〘Kiana〙: Eh? Are Miss Hotaru and Sam the same person?
〘[Bronya Zaychik]:〙: Idiot Kiana, that is an obvious fact.
....