Kirei's lanky form shook in the breeze. He stood before a girl with long silver hair after following a maid through a portal. Despite the girl looking exactly the same as Wizard, Kirei knew from her composure that he was dealing with an entirely different being. When she glomped him.

It was a head-on rush, along with the girl saying "Oto-san!" with an overjoyed look on her face. Her entire body setup to tackle Kirei's body to the ground, he did what he found to be the most appropriate and body slam her.

It was a simple matter to body slam Anime Girl. She had zero killing intent. Kirei felt that, which was why when he rose from the ground, leaving the girl's body twitching, he added one more factor to the puzzle in his head.

This place didn't make sense. Kirei knew that, which was why he has to keep an even keel. This girl, the same form as the homunculus he grew in a magic egg— yes, he remembered her now. Her long silver hair, that unnatural pale grey skin. There were so many magic eggs, he had no idea why the form of this homunculus returned to his mind now.

Anime Girl rose. "Mo~ Oto-san~"

"I see. Your hair. I knew you were my homunculus from my strand I connected to the magic egg, but, your hair was different in the magic egg. A small difference, yet, why am I concerned?"

"Wizard got a haircut. From a girl with a nice smile."

Kirei drew his finger along his gaunt cheeks. "Wizard?"

"My sister with short hair. You were training her."

"So, you are a different being within this..." Kirei gestured to the mansion.

"This is my spell. [Yume Nasai]."

Kirei looked at the light smile on the girl's face. She was a different person. A dream version of Wizard? Perhaps. Another person within Wizard? Was that truly possible? Everything Kirei knew from teaching his students said no.

There are many individual working parts to the mind that comprise a spell. It wouldn't be necessary to be so strict with training magic to create the symphony necessary for powerful spells. Since the people of Errera's magic would cast no matter what, they would manifest their imagination blindly. And so, they were trained from youth in the means of control.

Kirei's secret which made him the best magic teacher in the world was disrupting this strictness, then repairing it. The symphony of control that allowed for stable magic in the people of Errera didn't give them powerful magic.

Then there were those like Kirei's apprentice, Negi, who were born with great magical power and grew up untrained. The Wilders. Those who were not trained in magical means required an entirely different approach.

The process was the same for Kirei. Find what the student found to be their 'symphony' disrupt it, then bring it back into harmony. Kirei's keen observation and analytical skills allowed him to learn that all people were the same. They had many different ways of casting magic, but in the end the drive and patterns behind their magic was the same.

The clicking gears in Kirei's head were lost on Anime Girl.

"Oi~ Anyone home..."

Kirei pummeled the girl in her face after she tapped his head. He knew it wasn't an attack, but his reflexes weren't informed in time. For the second time, Kirei towered over the body of his homunculus. Anime Girl thought little of it, battle hardened as she was, this amounted to playing around to her.

"Dad is so mean~" She complained in jest.

"I am not your father." Kirei said.

Anime Girl looked up at him from her spot in a crater in the ground, puzzled. "But you created me from the magic egg. It counts."

"That's some imagination of yours. I call no one family."

Anime Girl balked. Then, her face softened. "Does it get lonely like that?"

"There is nothing in my life like loneliness. There is pursuit of my ideals. That is all."

The stone figure above Anime Girl frightened her. She had already been through many fights in the 2D realm without Wizard knowing, had trained, had many pleasant evenings meeting up with other anime girls in various cafes snacking on vague sweet objects— why now, did her heart feel cold. She stood up, dusting herself off. She didn't feel like herself, for a moment, she wondered who she was.

Kirei looked at her with the same question in mind. The two of them may have for a brief moment really looked like family, but at this moment, neither felt they had any connection to the other.

Anime Girl felt something rise within her. Then, the tears started to bubble near her eyes. She turned and ran before she knew it, leaving a bemused Kirei behind.

Kirei watched the girl go. He had seen many people run from him crying. Usually in terror. So, it felt fresh for a homunculus to run from his words alone. The clicking gears in Kirei's head made a clear note. Homunculus.

Kirei paced in the spot, thinking to himself and stroking his face. I see. I see. Homunculus. Two 'identities.' Autism. No wonder. The broken notes of the symphony were coming together, Kirei could taste the fruit of eureka already. Then, the breakthrough— what Anime Girl said: "[Yume Nasai] is my spell."

~~~

Resting my head on the pillow rat who had a nostalgic nickname, I enjoyed the breeze and the nothing I was doing. Really, this pillow rat tree was where I should have stayed. All that... orbital bombardment nonsense, really, just why did I go into that city? How worthless. What a waste of time.

And! It was painful. And many are dead now. Because of me. So. Even if I don't count that Commoner's Mount Niji turned into the horror genre, I'm still... people just aren't for me! I'm going to become a hermit! I have [Yume Nasai], after all. If Anime Girl is there, and the maids...

My eyes snapped open. I forgot. Ouji, Hohemi, her workforce, who knows who else is in [Yume Nasai]. Ehh. Now, I don't want to go. Exile? Would Anime Girl be okay with exile? It's her place. Maybe I should make my own. I have no confidence in my sense of taste though... and Anime Girl's mansion is really nice, and it has maids, so. Yeah. I'll sponge off her. Even if I run into difficult people! Even if Niji turns them all into horror genre cliches!

I'll just shrug and say that's the price of hanging out in [Yume Nasai], I'm not good enough at magic to help them and what's more important, I don't want to.

Kirei appeared from a nearby portal. Strange of him. I didn't know he could cast portals. A brief glimpse of the surroundings behind him reminded me of [Yume Nasai]. Impossible. Right?

Kirei gave me that uncomfortable deaf fish stare of his. Please be a cute anime girl like me before you try to appeal to me with it, no, actually, your existence should never become an anime girl please die far away from me. I turned over, facing away, fluffing the pillow rat under my head.

"Do you know of [Yume Nasai]?"

He's asking questions, ignore him and he'll go away. Damn, he's not leaving. Anime Girl! Attack! Use thundershock!

She didn't come out. Ah, oh well. I wonder why, but I feel sad. Maybe she's growing up, she doesn't have time for me anymore. Too busy making friends with other Anime Girls? I understand.

"Hai, hai. Er, yes, yes. [Yume Nasai] is Anime Girl's spell, a separate world."

Kirei murmured to himself. He's thinking something over? Was what I said that new? Oh, I don't think I told him about Anime Girl. Minor issue. It's not like I want you to teach me or anything, please let me forgot about responsibility like a regular incompetent adult would.

"I see. You believe there are two of you. That long haired girl, and the short haired you. Her spells are majestic, grand in scale, detailed, alive... but... no, I went too fast, again. There is still a missing piece of the puzzle remaining, this should confirm it."

Kirei's voice was like a siren call. "I don't want to know" - I could never say a phrase like that. I am foremost, a curious person, even if the information is dangerous, disgusting, or troubling, I want to know first, that way, I can find out if it's dangerous. He wins.

I rolled out of the tree, letting my body flop down the ground. It's cool.

"Your durability is so high you don't even bother to land on your feet. This appears to be more of your slothful side coming out, rather than a technique."

"You are a genius." I said into the dirt. Did Kirei hear? I hope he heard, otherwise, I was just saying it to myself. Embarrassed, I stood like normal people do. Wait. Why am I wearing a dress? Oh, the [Busou] spell. I never changed.

Maybe there is such a thing as being too much of a slob?

"Tell me. Do you remember what happened directly after you were born from the Magic egg?"

"Yeah, yeah." My hand massaged the back of my neck. I told Kirei what happened with the Tentacle Beam, the early days on Errera I all but forgot about. Felt like ancient history, even though it wasn't so long ago. Being surprised at my own memories as I told him, I was so caught up in the act of storytelling that I didn't notice myself speeding forward. Kirei kept directing me back to the first few days for some reason, and I kept moving ahead to the clothes. I guess I want the skirt and blazer back. I only just noticed, but now that I have...

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"It's as I suspected. Anime Girl is your spell."

"Eh?"

In my mind's eye the usual anime scene of a pan to the sky and an exaggerated "EEEEH?!" appeared. However, I said a simple modest eh. This is the fearsome power of reality, to tone down such exaggeration to a much more mundane level. I prefer it the realistic way in this case.

That was because, my mind suddenly kicked into high gear. I bent my shoulders forward, and my hands— wait, what! No, wait, this is impossible! My hands started wringing together like a mad scientist! Dammit, I promised myself in my past life I would never do this in front of anyone! Embarrassing embarrassing embarrassing

NOW LOADING...

"Hehe." I heard the sound come of my mouth. It happens. I'm excited. I haven't felt like this, not for a long time. No. This is— I can tell. It's me playing. I'm genuinely happy right now. I don't understand why, and I never understood why in my last life, but, I know this feeling.

This is the feeling I got when I would imagine anime or kung fu fights from my childhood. I'd enter a haze, my brain would come up with all sorts of world domination scenarios and super power showdowns and what not—

"Muha ha. Muha hwa hwa! Mu ha ha hah!"

Oh god I am so glad that it's just a mass murderer who should die in front of me witnessing this and not a normal average everyday person. I'd die of shame. Now, I am very lucky, I can just kill Kirei no witness will remain.

My hands wouldn't stop. They kept wringing together. I lost all grip on myself. It was never this bad back when I was human— I can't stop myself. In my autist life, I could. What is this, some sort of mini-seizure?

I felt a wave of sadness flow from within me. Like tidal wave, it smashed against this nervous energy and- bam. My hands released. I stared at them, testing my fingers against each other with my own will to be sure, then contemplated murder as I checked out the witness.

Kirei was observing impartially. I felt relieved he didn't punish me. No, why would he? I just did something weird, I've always been like that, and, why do I care what a complete and total social reject like Kirei thinks? Okay, I'm calling off the murder. It's not worth it. I'm better than that. I think? I am! I'm better than Kirei- oh wait why did the orbital bombardment come to mind! I shoo'd it away.

[Dajobu?]

Yes, yes. I'm fine, now, Anime Girl. You must have done something, thanks. Anime Girl made a displeased sound in response. That was strange of her. She sounded, hmm, sad? Is it sad? Yeah, it sounded exactly like how anime girls who were sad sounded like, so she's sad.

"I lost myself. There. For a moment. Sorry."

Why apologize? Why not kill him now? Wait, I said I wouldn't do that, what is this feeling, it's as if-

"Are you okay?" Kirei said. There is not a hint of concern in this skeleton giant's voice. Oddly, that soothed me.

"I'm... about okay." I grumbled. I don't want comfort from this bastard. "Are you sure? Anime Girl is..." NOW LOADING... "my spell?"

My hand went to my forehead to support it. I don't feel right. Is this mental damage? Maybe staying on this topic is a bad idea. Alarm sounds feel like they are going off already. I've found something dangerous, like an information bomb, once I know, once I see, I won't be able to return, and yet...

My mind kept going. I felt the links coming together. If Anime Girl is my spell, then, and if that is true then, and so since Anime Girl is my spell then...

"Oh. Ohhhhhhhh. oh."

The groaning is involuntary and audible, but I no longer care because I figured it out. Clouds cleared inside my head.

"I understand, naru-ho~ do~" I felt a little of that happy madess from before creep back in. I felt like a different person. Like, me, before I became an Anime Girl. The gap between the two of us made me realize how different the 'me' now is versus the 'me' then.

Kirei's severe gaze didn't falter. "I see my suspicious were correct. Your magic was sealed the moment you cast [Anime Girl]. The reason your magic was incomprehensible and inconsistent wasn't mere incompetence at magic. You cast a spell that could spellcast for you. Part of the [Anime Girl] spell is to lock away your own magical control. Why? Why would you cast a spell that limited your own power?"

I wasn't thinking what Kirei said at all. His understanding of the situation and mine were entirely different, but the moment I heard his question I knew for sure he was right. Anime Girl, I casted her as a protection spell.

Soon after I was born out of the magic egg, I cast [Tentacle Beam] to kill an anteater monster. Sent flying, I got crushed by a rock, and in what I thought was a dream, I met Anime Girl for the first time. Anime Girl was already there. At least, that's how I thought of it at the time. Looking back, it's not natural at all. I was reborn into this world, but would the magic egg cause a being inside of me to spawn as well? No. I couldn't have known at the time, though, that she was my creation.

That rock that crushed me, my body was strong enough to withstand it. I still remembered something, a feeling of softness, of lightheadedness, a pleasant feeling, and-

it was the same feeling as casting a spell along with that. A slight sensation of emptying. The people of Errera have magic, and they cast it whether or not they are disciplined. I cast the Anime Girl spell at that time. Of course, since all I can remember is meeting her in a dream I don't know the limitations of the spell, but from what Kirei said everything makes sense if it was a limiter on my magic.

My magic worked just fine before that. Not only that, I exhausted my mana completely firing that [Tentacle Beam] spell, so why? What are the limitations of the [Anime Girl] spell I cast? I can't remember! Damn it.

Kirei moved closer. I've been ignoring this guy, wrapped up in my own thoughts. That happens.

"I'll ask you again. Why did you cast a spell to limit your own power? And such a lively one, at that."

I'm lost. No, there's no memory there beyond the feeling of casting magic. I cast many spells since then and they were all over the place, is this really the root of it? Could all of my frustration been so simple from the start? Was I the one who made my isekai a suffering isekai?!

"Mochiron da." I resolved myself. I'm going to change— my clothes. I feel dirty. And, there must be a way to fix this. I'll depend on this guy because he's here. Might as well try to make this easier on myself. "I don't remember casting the spell."

"So, a Wilder cast." Kirei nodded. "As I suspected. I hoped the magic egg would give birth to a being that could usurp the Moon Elves grip on Errera. This being could only be similar to Wilder as a homunculus. I understand now how to proceed in your training..."

"Is there a way to figure out what I spell I cast? The details of it? I'd like to undo it myself..." As I said the words, I realized. Undoing the spell [Anime Girl]— that could kill her. Her existence is only because of my magic, so if I break the spell, do I break her as well?

Kirei nodded his head. "Dream exploration is common using strands for magic training. Before this you wouldn't let me near you to insert my strands, and the one I already have linked to you allows me so little control. Perhaps now you would be willing?"

"Nope." I said without thinking. There's better ways that having this guy along for the ride, and if there isn't, I'll make one. I'm sure Anime Girl will help me... wait, if this concerns her very existence, would she even be able to? Argh. I'll try everything before I cave to this guy stranding me, even if I have to go beg Hohemi for help, I'll do it.

I sighed, holding my head with both hands. "Okay. Tell me how this dream exploration works. If I learn that, then I can do it myself."

Kirei shifted his stance. "As you ask."

~~~~~~

Within [Yume Nasai], Nana Daiba served muffins to a girl. Wizard had seen her before dressed as a coach when he fought against Anime Girl with bamboo blades. Light short brown hair, two dull eyes ready to sleep.

The two of them had a dreamy air to them. Yukko say munching on a tray of banana muffins while Nana stood over her like a silent sentinel. Surrounded by flowers in the shadow of mansion, tucked away behind a garden path. The anime girl coach, Yuyuko Tanaka, bit into a banana muffin. She pulled back from the muffin, putting a hand on her cheek, overwhelmed with delight.

"Ah~ after a hard day's work this sweetness is the best." The anime girl nick-named Yukko by her friends said.

Nana's eyes went dull. Her blonde banana twintails sagged as she lowered her head. "Did you find it out?"

"The gluten? Yeah! I didn't know wheat was that horrible for you! It's not just that gluten inhibits taking in nutrients, there's a natural allergic reaction to wheat even in healthy people! The world of nutrition is wide." Yukko's eyes grew wider as she stared at the wheat and gluten filled banana muffin. Her light brown eyes caught sight of a hand that flowed in like a banana milkshake.

In an instant, the banana muffin was sent flying along with the whole tray. Nana swished her arms producing two blades, with a single strike she sent a large cross shaped wave of yellow energy to envelope and incinerate the muffins.

"Never... never again..." Nana's voice trembled and her hand tightened on her katanas.

From Yukko's seated position, she gasped at the awful crime of destroying food. Were this the 2d realm, the punishment would be eating a large bowl of super spicy ramen. "Uh, Nana? We're anime girls from the 2D realm. Remember?"

Nana turned around, tears near her eyes. Yukko followed up on her healing revelation.

"We don't digest food in the first place. Wheat and gluten can't impact an anime girl's health at all."

Nana dispelled her katanas, a light smile playing on her face. "Oh. Silly of me. When I cook for living humans though..." Nana's face darkened.

"There's gluten-free recipes!" Yukko interjected.

"No... what about the homunculi... isn't Anime Girl a homunculi? And she's a Magus? Whatever those are, does gluten and wheat support their health..." A yellow aura expanded from Nana, bananas appearing out of thin air and dancing around. "What is a Magus? What is a homunculi? I must... I must know..."

Yukko backed away from Nana. She had heard from her friends how bad Nana's moods could get. The topic. She'd change the topic.

"I... I'll figure it out. Anyways, there was more you wanted to know, wasn't there?"

Nana's face filled with sorrow relaxed. She didn't like how she was when she got like this, but it couldn't be helped. "Yes. I'm concerned. Anime Girl is..."

"Mysterious." Yukko sipped banana tea to calm herself. "She's that type, isn't she? One of the more... brutal girls. She keeps on coming to hang out with us despite that. And so, none of the other anime girls we hang out with seem to mind except for you."

Nana wandered around the table. Putting her hand over a bowl, a spell circle formed. Banana bread with chocolate chips made out of grasshopper flour with a touch of mint began to formulate before her.

"When I talked with this, Anime Girl, I knew it. She's like me. The worst parts of me. There's no logic to it, so I sought you out to check it out. Given your attitude towards work, I wasn't sure if you would do it properly..."

"I work hard eventually. Just because I get proper rest with no concern for what others do doesn't mean anything." Yukko defended herself properly.

Nana finished her mint chocolate grasshopper flour bread spell and tried it. Good, but the balance was off. Wait, did she add the banana? She did not.

"You've found nothing. Is that right? You would have started with what you found if you did."

Yukko nodded. "It's not that I found nothing. It's that I'm being prevented from entering. The answer lies deep under the mansion here, in a place called the 'Idofront.' There are many strong seals along the way. Anime Girl has inexhaustible mana, but I can't believe she would put so much effort into hiding something like that. Whatever is down there, it should clear any doubt you have."

Nana took another experimental bite of her non-banana bread. She worried about her weight, despite knowing it won't change a gram. "Interesting. How many do we need to break through?"

"It's not like that," Yukko's voice fell. "This level of protection isn't enough for a few of us to get through. Even the strongest in the 2d realm would have trouble breaking through, much less us lower level beings."

Nana thought to herself. Asking Anime Girl directly was an option. However, she already got the sense that no matter what she said to her, it would be smoothed over. If Nana brought up the Idofront, it might weaken their relationship to such a powerful being. Right now, everyone was hopeful that the 'Anime Girl Magus' would continue to be a boon to their battle forces. Anime Girl had already proved herself on the battlefield in the 2d realm countless times. That, and the growing trust of the other girls in Anime Girl lead Nana to investigate.

"Who else is there... wait, isn't there... Wizard?" Nana felt relief at such a simple answer coming to her.

Yukko shook a little upon hearing the name. "We can't approach her! That would violate the Pactio! We'd have to keep a lot of things secret—"

Nana handed the rest of the non-banana bread to Yukko. "Then keep it a secret. This is our best option. We don't know much about Wizard, either. You must have watched her as well. Use what you know, get her on our side."

Yukko sighed as she took the non-banana grasshopper flour bread. Her mouth wavered as she looked from the bread to Nana. Then, Yukko tried some. It tasted kind of... different? What kind of flour is this? And more importantly, where's the banana? If it's Nana there is banana. She's in a bad mood.

Yukko nodded her head obediently to Nana. Nana's usually not a forceful as this. But, Yukko felt fear. From what she saw of Wizard, well, she seemed a little...

Yukko steeled herself.