The Land of Dreams

(The following day)

Last night’s sleep felt unusually long. I am not one to dream, but for the first time, I think I had a dream! That actually made me pretty happy, although it was mostly just a voice talking to me. Either way, it’s progress. As the sweet aroma of vanilla pancakes wafted in from the kitchen, likely made by Inari for herself, I opened my eyes.

“Good Morning Big Brother!”

“Good Morning Big Brother!”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

I jolted awake to find two strangely dressed women in front of me.

“W-who the hell are you!?” I stammered.

“What are you talking about ?” One of them replied.

“We’re your sisters, silly!”

“My sisters ?” I paused, realizing something wasn’t right. I only have one sister. One of them bore a striking resemblance to Inari but with brown hair, fake cat ears, and a tail. The other had pink hair and shared an uncanny likeness to Inari. Did she set up a friend for this prank ?

“Inari! It’s not cool to prank your older brother like that! And to bring your friend into this too!”

‘Inari’ looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Who’s Inari ?”

This has to be a joke.

“Come on Inari! Quit playing around!” I lunged and grabbed what I thought were Inari's fake cat ears, only to be met with a sharp scratch across my face.

“EYAAAAAA!!!”

“What the hell was that for, big brother!? You know our ears are sensitive!”

“Y-your ears…don’t come o-off,” I stuttered.

Now that I looked closer, neither of them have normal human ears.

“Well duh! These are our ears, dumbass!”

I’m convinced I am still dreaming.

“Hey, mind telling me your names again ?”

“Seriously! You’re gonna pull our ears and then-”

“JUST ANSWER DAMNIT!” I interrupted.

“Fine. I’m Vanella, your sister,” one of them responded.

“And I’m Chococo…also your sister,” the other added.

What the f-

“No-no-no. This isn’t real.” I said as I slapped my face. “This has to be a dream! Wait, why would I dream of this! More importantly…”

I dramatically pointed at the two girls in front of me, backing up on my bed.

“What are two strangers doing in my house!?”

“You know, you’re very mean today, big brother!” Exclaimed Chococo.

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” I yelled rushing out of bed and darting to the front door of my house. Nothing seems out of place or different as I sprinted through the corridors of my familiar domain. However, nothing could have prepared me for the sight that would follow opening the front door.

CLACK!

“....”

I stood speechless.

“This is a dream, right ?”

My house stood atop a lone hill, situated on an empty plain, teeming with nothing but flowers and harmless wildlife. In the distance, I could see a town that looked like it was ripped out straight from a fantasy novel. The towering buildings of Tokyo, the bustling crowds of Shibuya— everything I was familiar with was gone.

“Yuuki! Where are you going!?” Echoed Vanella’s voice.

“...”

The two girls stared at me concerningly as I still stood, shocked and speechless at the world I had been placed in.

“Big brother, why don’t you come inside and eat ? Maybe that’ll make you feel better,” suggested Chococo.

“Yeah…sure.”

***

Chococo, Vanella and I, sat at a table eating the pancakes they had prepared, prior to my awakening. Breakfast was disturbingly awkward and silent. I am still in the middle of trying to process everything currently happening to me. I needed to get more information.

I took a bite of the pancake and let out a sigh. “This food tastes too real for this to be a dream.”

“....”

They didn’t say anything.

“So where am I ?” I inquired.

“What do you mean ? You’re at home,” responded Vanella.”

“No, like…what area is our house in ?”

“Um…the plains ?”

“NO DAMMIT!” I yelled in frustration.

“Big brother, please just eat!” Begged Chococo.

“Staying here isn’t going to serve me much purpose. If I want to figure out where I am and how to get back to Japan, there’s only one thing to do.”

“Huh ?” Chococo questioned.

“Sorry, Chococo, Vanella. Your pancakes were good, but I have to go,” I said.

“Huh ? Wait! Big Brother!”

I slid my chair in and immediately dashed out of the house, heading towards the town I had spotted earlier on the outskirts of the plains.

***

As I arrived in the town breathlessly, I was struck by the townspeople's clothing, which reminded me of ancient garb seen on character designs from fantasy games. You know, NPCs. A main road buzzed with horse-drawn carriages, clustered along a central road consisting mostly of wooden and stone buildings - a scene ripped straight from history books. It was very obvious to me that I stood out.

“Am I in some kind of video game ? No! This is no time to be self conscious. I’ve got to figure out where I am.”

Having regained my breath, I walked down the street. It makes me feel very uneasy as I can tell from the corner of my eyes that I am being stared at...not that I can blame them.

Fruit was being sold by a merchant. From my experience playing RPGs, Merchants will always send you in the right direction.

“Hey, um excuse me-”

“Quit yelling, twerp!” He yelled.

Some introduction.

“Huh !? You’re the one yelling! Also where am I ?”

“Whatever you wanna know can be learned at the tavern of this town.”

A tavern ? This really is an RPG!

I made my way toward the tavern, finding it to be just as I had envisioned—a sizable building resembling a bar, somewhere you can take on quests in your typical JRPG. I can hear the bustling sounds coming from within the tavern. The atmosphere was intimidating. My outsider status was already established, and when I saw the clothes I was wearing, a chill went down my spine, but there's no better place to know where I am than a tavern. As I pushed open the gates of the tavern, I swallowed down my fears.

Inside was packed with a diverse crowd—some were crazy drunk, others playing games and a few even had weapons! Weapons! That’s totally illegal, there’s no way this is Japan. Thankfully, amidst the chaos, everyone seems to be ignoring me. There is a pretty short-haired lady, standing at a desk in the far back of the room. She must be the receptionist. If anyone can help me get home, I’m sure it’s her.

“Um, hi,” I said cowardly.

Seriously, this is no time to get flustered.

“Hello, Sir! Is there something I can help you with ?”

“Yes, actually. You see, I’m not from here.”

“I can tell,” she said with a big smile.”

“Oh— Of course and um, I was wondering…where am I ?”

“You came here without even knowing where you were going ?”

“It wasn’t my choice.”

“What ?”

“It’s complicated,” I affirmed.

“You’re a strange one, but you’re in the Land of Nod! Welcome, traveler!”

Nod ? Where the hell is that ? I don’t think I have heard of such a place.

“Nod ? Is that overseas ? But wait— you speak perfect Japanese!”

I never realized it until now. Maybe Japan really is here!

“I’m not sure I understand, sir. Nod is just Nod.”

“Alright, alright. Then how do I get back to Japan ?”

“What was that ?”

Her confusion was very unsettling.

“You know, the country in Asia ? Japan.”

“Sorry, is that where you’re from ? Because I am afraid no such place exists.”

My heart sank.

“What ?…No this can’t be! I was there not too long ago!”

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Silence lingered.

She doesn’t seem to be lying; it feels like I’m in some surreal dream. She observed me as I struggled to make sense of the overwhelming information.

“Would you care to know more about Nod, sir ?” She asked politely.

“No, I believe I'll be okay,” I whispered, quietly walking away.

Now if I understand my situation correctly, I went to sleep, woke up in my house, but discovered that I have two sisters who, while appearing human, are definitely not human, Japan is gone and I seem to be in a fantasy land named Nod. It appears that I can experience pain and emotion here, which in theory-

BAM!

Suddenly, the door to the tavern was bust open, alarming the entire room. Several men stormed in with weapons, yelling to take charge of the tavern.

“Everyone on your knees, NOW!”

“Pffft, It’s not like those weapons can actually kill us!” Interjected some of the townspeople.

“Yeah! You won’t have us fooled!”

Are these guys blind!? Those are literally guns! Am I missing something here ?

A heavily muscular man emerges from the rear, striding assertively to the forefront and assuming control of the situation. His excessively robust physique leads me to believe that he is the leader of these hooligans. Why do I always find myself in situations where I have to deal with people like Kurogawa ?

“You sure talk big for a bunch of shrimps,” asserted the man. “And what makes you believe we don’t have a contract spirit ourselves ?”

Spirits ?

“Th-that’s impossible! The likes of you could never get a contract with a Chæoku.”

What now ?

“Is that so,” the boss sneered.

He reveals a Gatling gun that was strapped behind his back and commenced firing at the ceiling. My heart skipped a beat as fear gripped me. Instinctively, my body dropped to the ground, cowering from the onslaught.

“AHHHHHH!”

“Please don’t shoot us!”

“That’s more like it!” He yelled. “Boys! Gather their belongings! There ought to be some good shit here.”

Some luck. Today, I met the bully from high school who made my life shit, and now I'm in a world with no one recognizable. I thought this shit only happened in comics. Why is this happening to me? Was I summoned ? That can't be; if I had been, who would call me? Argh! This is all too frustrating. I'm so pathetic. I didn't drop out of high school to act like a whiner and complain about my problems. I’m YuukI Katsu. I—wait. I think I finally understand why I'm here!

I swallowed my fears and summoned the courage to stand. If this world has spirits, then perhaps, just maybe-

“Hey, you! In the blue sweater! Get your ass back on the ground!” one of the thieves shouted, pointing a gun in my direction.

I stretched my arms out and closed my eyes. I’m still freaked out, but if my theory is correct, then maybe—

“What's wrong with this guy ?”

“Is he some kind of idiot ?” whispered some townspeople.

“I SAID ON THE GROUND!”

“Just maybe... I might be—”

“That's it, I warned you, kid!”

“—the protagonist of an Isekai!”

BANG!

The gunshot cracked like thunder, freezing the room.