A place of total darkness. Rising sun in the horizon. People butchered in the streets. Celebration of a happy birthday. Winning a golden trophy. Falling in the sky. Being chased by demons. Dating with the one you love. Living in a different world where she exists.

These were the collective dreams Yuriel experienced, dream walking in the entire campus. Some of them are weird and incomprehensible, but these are the few that possess coherence.

That is to say, she had been going around invading people's dreams for years, deciphering their meaning.

As for her reason, it's just instinctual and merely out of habit but this time, she had ulterior motives.

Although it failed.

Dreams are strange, some says they are our deepest desires, manifested without restraints no matter how chaotic it is. Yuriel can see that now, a few of these dreams really showed what they felt without the exterior of a mask. Be it feelings for someone, the idea of their views, or simply what they truly wanted.

But if there's one dream Yuriel found interesting, it's someone's dream of being sent to another world. To be away from reality, free to do anything he wants, without being held back by the society. The person imagines that scenario a lot, to the point of being an obsession, yet he knows it's a dream that cannot be fulfilled.

And for Yuriel who can be said to experience that very dream, it's a bitter perspective.

It's coping from reality, but Yuriel couldn't understands why he would feel that way. But she begins to ponder, and try looking from his own perspective. One could even say, Yuriel's dream space is a liberation from the reality, but she wouldn't wished it to another.

With that said, Yuriel knew that he is facing his own problems. Something he wanted to run away from, to forget, to the point he just wants to die. Yuriel could understand that, very very much.

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Because of that, Yuriel had an urge to reinforce his dream. Make it more real, giving him a better experience, which she did on a whim. Dreams like this, despite being unreal had somehow brought Yuriel insights and newfound understanding about life.

She has powers now, but is still a human, living life as people does. Although her perspective is now different or indifferent, things like this remains valuable.

Yuriel couldn't help but rethink her life again, this world, her friends, that she is starting to forget. It had been subtle before, but now she understood, what changed in herself upon discovering the dream space.

"What a pain." Yuriel muttered, then leaned back on her chair. "I don't even pay attention to the class anymore."

Honestly, there is many ways to exploit the dream space despite its inability to interfere with the reality. There is no need for her to memorize, she can replay the class wherever and whenever she wants, even in the middle of an exam.

That said, doing so will make her a scum. But maybe, someday, she'll actually dream of this place.

"I need launch break to come fast."

.....

Tachibana invited Yuriel to the cafeteria, where Ainsel also waited alongside a few other people. They conversed with each other, talking about the current events in school and so on.

Initially, Yuriel thought Ainsel would be annoyed by this arrangement, but that wasn't the case. She seemed to have some sort of obsession, observing the girls and their relationship with curiosity. Yuriel even had an eeiry feeling whenever she stares at her and Tachibana back to back.

Yuriel suddenly had an urge to invade her mind and erase whatever thoughts she has. But in the end, she just gave up and decided to eat her food. Once the launch break is done, she bid them farewell and wandered around school grounds.

Ainsel was following her, probably sensing something.

"Why such a long face?" Ainsel asks, sitting beside her on the bench.

They were staring at the sky, lost in thought.

"Well.... I feel somewhat more distant than before." Yuriel responded, her voice weak and tired.

"You just made another friend, but I do feel it." Ainsel replied, then sighed. "Im also tired dealing with life, but I didn't loose my will to fight just yet."

"Is that so..." Yuriel muttered, then stared back. "Say, would you want to escape into another world and leave this place behind?"

"What a weird question." Ainsel mused, but still pondered for an answer.

"Probably, my life is a mess right now, maybe I'll have better chance in another world."

"That sounds really naive, what if you are sent in a world like ww1?" Yuriel retorted, disagreeing with her last words.

"Okay now, when you said another world, I only imagined an isekai based on light fantasy." She answered and chuckled wryly. "I'll die if that's the case."

"Very well..."

"Hey, your not thinking of jumping in front of a truck are you!?" Ainsel suddenly asked.

"What? Why would you think that!?" Yuriel said, surprised by her sudden words. "There is no way I'll do that."

"Well good, you have me panicking for a second." Ainsel sighed, the rose from the bench. "Regarding your question, there are probably many people here who hoped for that kind of world."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, including me."