“Vegetables! Get your fresh vegetables here!”
The voice was scratchy, cheerful, and slightly strained, like it belonged to someone who hadn’t had a break in years. Toma turned his head to see a hunched old man tugging a wooden cart full of oddly shaped, somewhat familiar produce.
Potatoes that were way too round. Tomatoes that were just a little too red.
“Whoa,” Toma whispered. “That cart has physics.”
He wasn’t just watching the cart roll across cobblestone—he saw the wheels rattle, the tiny creaks of wood, even the way the man’s sandals slapped against the dirt road with each step. Every sound, every detail, felt... real.
Too real.
“I thought dreams were supposed to be vague,” Toma muttered. “Y’know, blurry… floaty? This is, like, 4K Ultra High-Res Real Feel Mode or something.”
Shizuka, walking silently beside him, shot him a curious glance.
“You say odd things sometimes, Young Master.”
“Right,” he said quickly. “Just... enjoying the sights.”
They were in the heart of the village now, moving through a small but bustling central street. Shops lined both sides, wooden stalls with colorful signs, tiny stone storefronts with narrow windows. People moved about with baskets, pushing carts, calling out to neighbors. A dog barked somewhere in the distance. Smoke drifted lazily from a nearby chimney. A toddler dropped a turnip and started crying like it was the end of the world.
Toma blinked. “This place has NPC children?”
He turned to Kaien, who nodded solemnly. “The town of Mikazuki has a population of approximately nine hundred and twelve. Trade-focused.”
Toma stared at him. “How do you know that?”
Kaien blinked. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Shizuka pointed down the street. “The sun’s lowering, Young Master. We should secure lodging before dark.”
“Right. Inn. Got it.”
As they moved deeper into the town, Toma kept noticing things. Little things. The way birds fluttered from roof to roof. How shadows stretched gradually as the light faded. The faint buzz of insects around an old well. A drunk guy passed them, singing something off-key in a language Toma didn’t recognize.
*This dream… is doing way too much.*
He glanced at Kaien and Shizuka again. Both looked calm. Normal. Too normal.
“Hey. Quick question,” Toma said, as they turned a corner into a narrow side street. “What happens if I get hurt?”
“You will bleed,” Kaien answered instantly.
“...Cool cool cool.”
...
..
.
The alley opened up into a small courtyard surrounded by buildings. Dim lanterns flickered to life one by one. Most of them looked like standard homes, but one clearly stood out: a wide, two-story structure with an inviting glow spilling out the open door.
Music played faintly from inside. Laughter. Chatter. Flirtatious voices.
“Oh,” Toma said, perking up.
A group of women stood out front. Dressed differently from the villagers, showing a lot more leg and a lot less shame.
They leaned casually against the building, watching passersby like cats eyeing a slow-moving mouse.
One of them with red lipstick, curly black hair, and a dress one breeze away from a scandal, caught Toma’s gaze and gave a sultry wave.
“Well hello there, good sir,” she purred. “Looking for a good time?”
Toma’s mouth opened.
Shizuka was already grabbing his hand.
He barely registered it before she yanked him forward.
“Wha—?”
“This area is not appropriate for your station,” Shizuka said sharply. “Do not respond.”
“I wasn’t gonna—!”
“You were,” Kaien added, following behind them with all the tact of a bodyguard ignoring the filth.
Another voice called out from the back, teasing and louder:
“One gold coin and I’ll send you straight to heaven, sweet cheeks!”
*One. Coin.*
Toma gulped. *One coin for heaven?*
His expression went distant for a second.
*This would never happen to me in the real world... I hope I never wake up.*
“Let’s go,” Shizuka said, tugging harder.
As they left the alley, the brothel faded into the noise of the village and the rhythm of sandals on stone. They took a few more turns, then finally arrived at a more respectable structure—an inn that looked like a classic fantasy rest stop: timber frame, wide double doors, and a hand-painted sign that read:
“The Traveler’s Respite”
A middle-aged woman stood behqind the front desk as they entered. She had loop the tired but pleasant aura of someone who’d seen far too many adventurers, too many bar brawls, and way too many unpaid tabs.
Her gaze swept over them. She gave a nod.
“Three of you?” she asked.
“Yes,” Shizuka replied.
“Two rooms, one night?”
“Yes,” Kaien said.
The innkeeper scratched something into a book. “That’ll be one silver mark. Meals included. Pay up front.”
Toma blinked. “Wait. One silver? That’s it?”
He opened his pouch and grabbed a coin without thinking.
Then paused.
*Wait wait wait. What’s the exchange rate?*
He checked the coin—gold.
“Uh... do you take gold?”
The innkeeper’s eyebrows lifted. “Of course.”
He handed over a single coin, but she immediately frowned.
“No change for gold, hun. You want a better room or you wanna go make change at the merchant square?”
Toma hesitated.
Kaien leaned in. “The basic room is functional. But for one gold, we could purchase five nights in the VIP suite. Private bath, enchanted locks and complimentary liquor."
Toma stared at him. “Okay. Fancy room it is.”
The innkeeper shrugged. “Your coin, your choice. Room 3 upstairs. Dinner’s stew, bread, and root tea. Breakfast’s better.”
...
..
.
That night, Toma sat in the oversized bath—steam rising around him, arms outstretched on either side of the tub—and tried to piece things together.
This dream had villagers. Background noise. Prices. Guild contracts. Coin exchange rates. A menu.
Shizuka and Kaien were currently unpacking. They knew things. Did things on their own.
*When did I dream up all this?*
He looked down at his hands.
They were still too handsome.
His face was still perfect.
The water rippled, distorting his reflection for just a second.
*Nah. I’m just overthinking. It’s just a really, really vivid lucid dream.*
A faint knock came from the other side of the door.
“Young Master,” Shizuka’s voice called. “Would you like me to prepare your clothes for tomorrow?”
“Yes.” he called back. “Thanks.”
She left.
Toma sank deeper into the water, eyes closed.
The warmth soothed his muscles. His thoughts drifted.
And somewhere, just beneath the surface of his subconscious…
Something stirred.
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