In the bowels of Anime Girl's mansion of [Yume Nasai], the black dressed lanky fellow had dispelled the maids from the library like the presence of a plague. Kirei found the smell of freshly kept books, occluding all mention of their authors or other humans, to be a most welcome place.

There happened to be a young Moon Elf in the corner, but he paid the moon elf no mind, and the moon elf did the same. The two of them felt a bond of spirit in their desire for solitude, which Kirei found himself enjoying. Even though the creature was a moon elf, his opponents, he had no ill will towards them in general. It was their rules imposed on the entire world of Errera he found to be distasteful. For as much as Kirei cared, if the Moon Elves released Errera from their grip he would forget his grudges towards them in the same instant.

Kirei's spread out strand reacted. He had laid out a web of them around himself to give him warning of anyone drawing too close, and a few strands tripped. Kirei focused his meagre mana through the strands like telephone wires, and built an image of a small girl wearing a brown habit with a gavel ready to pounce on him.

Given he knew enough from Wizard said about this one, the 'justice loli', he knew he had to retreat. Wizard herself was foolish in appearance and action and yet, of impenetrable depth. One of her 'clothing summons' couldn't be taken lightly.

Kirei nodded politely in the direction of the moon elf in the corner, who didn't move their eyes from the book in front of them one millimeter, and dashed towards the door. The loli hot on his coattails, Kirei manipulated his strands with a tug, opening the door in front of his body, slid through, and snapped the strands attached to the door to close it shut.

Kirei sped down the hall. His choices were minimal, the mansion is chock full of maids, the town below with commoners and a few unpleasant people, so, all unpleasant people. His strands already sensed he would be ambushed and pushed into a small empty room ahead of himself. Kirei gave up, and ran straight into the ambush, letting him body take the dropkick from the little girl.

Kirei's body slid across the floor in the dark, a spotlight shined straight into his eyes as a strange smelling food appeared near his head. Smelled of pork and rice. Kirei kept his eyes closed and flattened his body, crossing his arms. He would deal with this girl on his own terms.

An imperious voice, half regal Jean Luc Picard, half cute, all authority, addressed him from above. 「It would be better to slip you into a dark room and forget you existed。」 Stehy hefted her tiny gavel. 「But, Anime Girl would think poorly of jailing her father. As well it is fortunate for you that I have only anecdotal evidence and hearsay to bring a case against you。」

Kirei kept his arms crossed and his body prone. "And so?" Despite the situation, he became amused at her manner of speech. Even on the serious Kirei, no, because he was so serious, he was taken with this girl's 'gap moe'. Though Kirei would not understand it even if it was explained to him via chalkboard, his heart understood the large wall between 'a judge, an authority of law' and a 'little girl- no, 'loli'.

「Did you, or did you not, make Anime Girl cry?」

"I remember the long haired one running from me after simple conversation with a wet face. This is a common sight for me, so I thought little of it."

Stehy nodded. From what Anime Girl had said, crying on Stehy's tiny knees exactly like Wizard did, it sounded like her rosy worldview is easily shattered when it comes to Kirei. The absolute worst person for her to think of as a father, but, Stehy knew, Anime Girl's thinking was far more rigid than her own.

Stehy lent an arm out to pull Kirei up. Kirei let out a dark chuckle, uncharacteristic for him, chunks of stone fell from his creased mouth. "Are you not so tiny than I would pull you over?" Kirei told her, taking her hand in the same breath. Stehy rose Kirei up to his full height with no problem. The unnatural sight and feeling of such a tiny body acting as a useful lever for his own prompted Kirei's interest.

"The type of magic used here? Would you tell me what it is."

「The gravity of law has no equal。」

Kirei mused over the words, putting a hand to his chin, before he realized it was nonsense for his mind to chew on. It appeared his opponent would keep the lead in this 'conversation'.

「Recent events have forced my hand。Do you wish to aid Wizard in uncovering the truth behind his [Anime Girl] spell?」

Kirei wondered why this girl would side against Anime Girl, who appeared to be the lord of this world, this [Yume Nasai]. However, it mattered little to him, if one of the clothing summons had his interests at heart, he would go along with her.

"It interests me. I will help with what you believe is needed, little girl. There is little else for someone as hated as I to do in this place."

Stehy judged him. From far below him, Stehy's stern eyes couldn't be discerned as crying tears or enforcing justice.

「There is one question I must have answered。The 'cruel fate' you spoke of, long ago. The rule of the Moon Elves over Errera, sealing off their autonomy and growth for the sake of peace。You intend to oppose the moon elves and their rule of Errera, keeping the nations in a stable state of planned wars, keeping innovation to a minimum in order to prolong Errera's lifespan。 You intend to overthrow their rule with Wizard's help, and, when the Moon Elves are gone, what do you have planned?」

Kirei didn't miss a beat. "There is no plan. In the first place, when I traveled around planting vast deposits of Magic Eggs I was rewarded by the Moon Elves themselves. There is an ever-present need for conflict to keep the lazy city dwellers on their toes and keep adventurers working. I provided that in droves, and, was given freedom to experiment at my pleasure. Did you really think I could survive as long as I have without being under the protection of the Moon Elves themselves? Why would every nation's people regard me as a criminal, yet not a single official action would be taken against me by the royalty?"

「As I suspected。You were in league。Your answer dosen't answer my question, after Wizard overthrows the Moon Elves, what will you do then?」

Kirei scratched his head, puzzling. "There wasn't much hope in the first place of having an actual, real, reincarnator of legend show up in one of my pathetic Magic Eggs. That, and one strong enough to create a place like this out of a spell, is unthinkable. It has been enjoyable, seeing my homunculus grow, as it is with any of my students. As long as I am alive, I will continue my efforts, Moon Elves or no."

Stehy held her chin, eyeing the space under Kirei's knobby knees. 「Are you saying that your grandest dream, to overthrow the 'cruel fate' of the Moon Elves rule, is just another stepping stone for you? Like waking up and taking a bath, or the sun rising?」

"I prefer cloudy days and do absolutely nothing to maintain my hygine. There is no one I wish to speak to, anyways, so if they find themselves in their presence my unattended smell is an unsubtle warning for them to leave." Kirei said. Shamelessly.

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「You are disgusting。」Stehy spat, her poor nose had suffered the injustice for far too long. If this was the castle wall Kirei had erected, Stehy had lost her will to continue the siege from the first salvo. 「However,」Stehy began to form the words. But, looking at such a sad faced murderhobo, who killed countless people, her desire to express praise for his perseverance of his ideals never formed into speech. Stehy turned and left mid-sentence, leaving behind a letter with a wax seal on the ground.

「There is something interesting in that letter。Join us, and let revolution come to [Yume Nasai].」

~~~~

Yukko sat alongside a roaring campfire. I tended to it, randomly throwing in twigs and lighting them on fire. Since keeping the campfire going, even with magic, was more difficult than expected, I invented a Napalm spell. My magic, after going beyond my limits and resurrecting the pillow rats(failed), seems to have lost it's cap.

My fireballs shoot like fireballs. It feels much less inhibited. I have no clue how it happened, and when I asked Anime Girl, she didn't respond. I think it's a side effect, but I can't tell.

The feeling of casting felt much more familiar to the first spell I cast, [Tentacle Beam]. Maybe going beyond my limits invalidated some rules of the [Anime Girl] spell, and now, I can cast properly.

"[Air Conditioner]!" I said.

Nearby on the trees, an air conditioner attached itself above Yukko and I.

"I think I could sleep like this." Yukko said, looking at it. Despite warming herself in front of the fire, the sight of an air conditioner made her think of sleep.

I think anything reminds this girl of sleep. Even if she's an Anime Girl for an anime I've never seen, I already understand her character well. She sleeps. That is all. Also, she didn't mind my attack on her earlier, for which I am eternally grateful.

"So, earlier. When you leglocked me while I was asleep..." Yukko started out of nowhere.

I am afraid. I flinched back, fully expecting a justice punch or sexual harassment allegations, I already had my defense prepared, 'we are both girls!' My own mind swirled on me, reminding me of what I said to Hohemi when she cut my hair without due process...!

"That was really bad taste." Yukko said. As if a leaf on the wind has passed between us.

"Bad taste?"

"There are a lot of Anime Girls who grope each other from behind and act like they have an intimate relationship. They jump onto each other without warning, using their full weight. They chop and hit each other physically. There is also the case of cooking a meal which somehow turns purple despite none of the ingredients making this possible, have you seen these?"

I nodded. Yukko is surprisingly talkative all of a sudden.

"It's bad taste. For the last one with the terrible cooking, it's forgivable if it is done right. Doing what is familiar to an audience is expected, as a Stage Girl, it's absolutely necessary to both do what is expected to an audience and go beyond their expectations... otherwise, you're doing poor work. And... no one will come to your shows."

Why did her voice suddenly drop? Why is she poking the dirt? Why, despite everything else being sad, does she just look sleepy?

"I know." Yukko continued. Without concern for me. "I know. Rakugo isn't popular in this era. But, I can't leave it alone. So, I'll put in all my efforts for the rest of my life, even if only my close friends come, that still counts as a victory, and if I have to work at a career to support Rakugo as my real career, and if I have to use youtube and my charms as a beautiful girl as my only means of appeal, I will do it, I will keep doing it..."

I'm worried. This sudden fire, in such a quiet girl, is intimidating.

"Haaaaahhhhh......" An elongated sigh. And with it, a CD with a picture of Yukko pomfed near where I sat.

"It's a CD, so you can only use a cd player, and use headphones. That's the only proper way to listen to Rakugo."

I picked it up. It's in japanese. Let's not tell her I can't read it.

"And... well. I went overboard, again. It's a bad habit. Though, I usually only complain to my friends, so I wonder why I felt like you would listen no matter what?"

I wondered. "I think I'm the same. In matters of the heart. I'm sure." What am I saying.

Yukko grabbed my hand, her sudden enthusiasm drawing her body close to mine, my heartbeat thudded loud.

"Then, you'll come to my next show? I'll give you a free ticket. I've never charged anyone, so all the tickets are free for my friends, you'll come, right?"

"y-yes."

Yukko drew back, leaving me frazzled. This girl... her destructive power is unbelievable. It's mysterious. Anime Girl: long silver hair, dull eyes, nice voice, her thighs are a great pillow, although it's been a long time, yet, I never went doki doki for her.

This, this was my first doki doki in another world! If you don't count Hohemi, and let me say for the record, that was another type of doki doki.

Sighing to myself, Yukko took no notice, and let out an 'oh', then pulled out some bread.

"Gluten-free. Mint chocolate grasshopper bread. Made with grasshopper flour. Nana made it, so, enjoy." Yukko handed me a tiny bread. Grasshopper flour? Well. I am an Anime Girl, so no matter how much sugar was put in to made this edible, I don't need to worry about my health anymore! The joy of that realization lead to eating swiftly.

Yukko balked. "Did you inhale that? It's bread, not air. Eww, gross."

I am very sad now. Even though Yukko's face didn't change, it didn't change but...!! Her words are cutting. I'll compose a death poem:

Cute sleepy girl's judgement

dull wintry eyes

trash and me are the same

I nodded. It sucks. Yukko was right: I have bad taste. Leglocks are fine, no, leglocks are great, but that is reserved for the porn section, you can't just place that in a normal wholesome life like the one I'm having. Wait, is my life wholesome? Flashes of Niji's tower and the orbital bombardment paraded through my thoughts. Nope.

I'll chalk those up to bad taste as well. If those are the worst things I do with my Anime Girl life... eh, let's just try to make things go well, first, alright, me?

Yukko broke the silence. "You're quiet. That's great. I have this friend who never shuts up, another one who is always pushing me to do stuff, my mo- I mean she acts like my mom. Yeah. You remind me of my dog."

I'm dog-level now. I think this is the first healthy relationship I've ever been in, if I can be told I am dog-level and be satisfied.

"You could use a haircut though. It's a little messy. I have a friend, I'll introduce you."

I nodded. Unexpectedly, this sleepy anime girl has taken the lead, and I don't mind.

Then, Yukko knocked her fist into her palm. "Oh. The war. I forgot." With that, Yukko went silent.

This is the first time I wanted her to keep talking. She poked the fire with a stick in silence. Some strange bug let out a cicada sound, though, it can't be a cicada, because this is another world, so why does it sound like cicadas? A moose moaned. The stars in the sky above are pretty. As I strained my ears, I noticed fresh water.

"The war." Yukko said, half cutting off her own speech as she did. Oh. Oh! I get it. This is that thing, where someone wants you to ask them a question because they don't feel comfortable talking by themselves.

"The war, huh?" I obliged her.

"Well. Truth is, I was sleeping so close to you on that branch for this reason only. I feel so guilty now that you've become a friend..."

Since when did this happen, Yukko-kun?

"I suppose the truth is out now. You know about the 2d realm, right? You're the Anime Girl Magus, so, you must know."

'Anime Girl Magus', huh. Did Kirei say something like that? Eh, I like this girl's voice, so I'd rather not interrupt her. Sounds like it's somewhat important, but it can't be helped if I don't care enough to say anything.

"So, in the 2D realm, there's a constant war going on. Our beings survive off the conscious attention of the universe, without it, we blink out of existence. The only way to keep attention is keep the drama going, so where I'm from we're involved in an eternal war for all time. Since an anime girl's perception of time is different, I have plenty of time for other activities, however, pursuing my dream, a career in Rakugo, is impossible in a lot of ways..."

The 2D realm suddenly sounds complex and terrifying. Perhaps I should work on shoring up [Yume Nasai], and more importantly, getting an internet connection routed there. With my new control over my power, it might be possible.

"But, really, I'm only here because Nana wanted to know if Anime Girl was going to be a problem... er, when she gets to the 2D realm. So. Would you help us find out more about her?"

I finally worked up the will to speak again. "Yeah." I said, flatly. And the response was, "wait, really?"

"Yeah. I actually was already curious for... reasons." It felt like it would become difficult to explain the spell, [Anime Girl], especially since Yukko sounds like she has a lot on her plate.

"Okay. Let's sleep then. Tommorrow... the assault on the dungeon begins."

Yukko curled up with another pillow rat she imprisoned in her arms, and soft breathing emanated from her form. Before I could even say, 'how ominous', or question her, she went to sleep just like that. Oh well. I suppose I could leglock her if I really wanted to know. Maybe this could be fun? Like a video game. Yeah. It's all like a video game...