Chapter Four: I'm a magical... manager?

"Welcome, participant." I opened my eyes to see a fox the size of a house. If I weren't already lying on the ground, I would have fallen over. Foxes aren't usually scary, but that changes once you see one this large. "No, need to fear human. I'm not here to harm you." What the hell is going on with me?

I looked around, and it seemed like I was in some black void, with the only things here being me, that oversized fox, and what looked to be some old shrine behind it. Did I pass out or something? Whatever, at least I'm getting some sleep. Wait, no, I was at work, which means I'm going to get a call from my boss soon.

"Is there something wrong, human?" I looked up to the fox and questioned my sanity. Well, since I'm here, might as well humor it. "What does an oversized fox want with me?" "You have been accepted to participate in the Wish Granters game." "Okay, fine, but what is this so-called Wish Granters game?"

"It is a game that has existed throughout human history. A Wish Granter grants a participant a wish in exchange for fulfilling their will." "Sounds kind of like a cult." "I assure you, human, that it is real." "Suuuure, it sounds just as real as a giant talking fox." "I see that you are still uncertain, human. Fine, I will show you my power."

The fox started to glow a bright blue as its fur stood up. Then the entire void became a bright flash. I blinked my blinded eyes a few times, and as my eyesight went back to normal, I saw... Nothing, absolutely nothing. Well, other than the fox and shrine thing. "How odd?"

"What are your so-called powers broken or something?" "No, it's, well..." The fox made a slight coughing sound. "Never mind, let's just say you're now a participant. So, about the game." Wait, is that fox trying to change the subject? "What, did you do to me?"

"I didn't do anything, human?" "It kind of sounds like you did." "Well..." "Just summon a mirror or something and show me." "If you wish, human." A large mirror appeared right next to me. I looked into it and noticed that my uniform had changed from green to blue. "Is that all you did? All that magical flare to change my shirt color."

"Well..." "Look, I know you're trying to impress me and whatnot, but... Wait, doesn't that mean I'm just unimaginative for not coming up with something better in my dream?" "Human, right now you are in your participant form." "My, what?"

"To protect participants, we Wish Granters make magical forms so that you don't sustain any life-threatening injuries. These magical forms are made to look like the heart and soul of the participant, but yours... is well..." "So, you're telling me that my heart and soul is that of a manager!"

"I'll admit it is odd for someone to have such a unique magical form." "So, what you're saying is that I'm too dull and plain to have a cool magical form." "I wasn't trying to imply... You know what, I think blue looks good on you." "Save your compliments, because they are not making me feel any better!"

"Odd, I've been told that human males are fond of compliments and tend to remember them for most of their lives." "Yeah, when a female says them, not when a building-sized fox says them." "Oh, I see, then let me change that." The fox started to glow blue again, and with another bright, blinding light, it turned into an elegant-looking lady. She had auburn hair, fox ears, fox tails, and dressed like a shrine maiden.

"Would this be better?" I rubbed my eyes out of annoyance. "No. It makes me feel worse." "Oh, do females not suit your taste?" "Don't even go down that road! I'm annoyed that you can turn into a beautiful female, while all I can do is change my shirt." "Oh...." There was a long, awkward silence between us.

Now that she's in a human form, I could tell from the look on her face that she felt a little guilty about it. Great, now I feel bad. "Hey, let's forget about the whole shirt thing. You told me that there was some price to pay for the wishes." "Yes. To grant your wishes, you must collect wish points by either completing the tasks we ask of you or by fighting other Wish Granters' participants."

"What kind of wishes can you grant?" "Anything you desire, as long as it doesn't break the rules of this world. For example, we can not bring the dead back to life. That and..." She continued with such passion that it made me feel bad for zoning out, but I'm just too tired to pay attention. Is it weird that I feel exhausted in a dream?

Well, whatever, at least she's no longer feeling guilty about me. After all, the only person who should feel guilty toward me is me. I got myself into this lifestyle, but I just can't bring myself to get out of it. "Do you have any questions?" "Yeah. When does this dream end? I need to get back to work."

"Oh... My apologies. I didn't mean to take up too much of your time, human." Her face looked sullen, and she started staring off into the void. Why does she look so sad about my leaving? Well, now that I think about it, this place is pretty empty, so it probably gets lonely and boring. "It's fine, just next time, let's talk when I actually have the time to."

Her face lit up, and she smiled. "Of course. Till next time, participate." There was a bright light, then my vision faded to black. Ring ring. I heard my phone ring. I picked my head up, which was faceplanted into my burger. I answered my phone.

"What the hell are you doing. I pay you to work, not to sleep." My boss hung up the phone before I could say anything. I looked down at my burger. There was an impression of my face in it, and the condiments were splattered all around the table. My burger! I let out an angry sigh. I knew this was going to be a long day, and it's not even over yet.