The water is cool. The sun, though I am suspicious of how there is a sun underground here in the Geofront, the sun is warm. Since this is all Anime Girl’s spell anyways, isn’t it useless to try to argue logic?

Thinking back, wasn’t it always useless to try to use logic with myself? I’ve always been the type to go with the least effort solution. Logic is too tough, too much effort, let me float on my feelings like river on the raft of life.

Ah~ I feel the essence of depravity souring my mouth. Is that chlorine from the pool? I can’t just go with how I feel about things all the time, that’d be… how my life normally is. That’s how I’ve lived.

I feel terrible about it right now. It’s been one mystery to the next with myself. Then, Anime Girl can speak english and goes on about Soul Editing. I looked over at here, calmly reading. She’s right there, she’s always been close, but now that I know I can just ask her directly for answers I’ve lost interest. I have a bad feeling about the way she brought up Soul Editing, too. Should I pretend that I didn’t hear her? I am curious, but, there’s great instinct that if I go one step further on that topic, it will explode.

Why’d this start, anyways? Yukko told me about Anime Girl’s seven seals, so I thought it was a good idea to at least go take a look. Now I’m thinking it was an awful idea.

I got to communicate with Anime Girl, so why do I regret coming down here so much? Why does it feel like a mistake? More trouble, I think, than it was worth. I didn’t need Stehy ‘testing’ me either. She’s too serious. Who does she think I am? I’m not sure who ‘I’ am, either.

Let’s begin with the basics, then. My body. My anime girl body.

My body is fine. Too fine. There’s no maintenance necessary, and nothing feels off. I have lots of memories of the past, where so many events felt so important, and thinking back I can’t understand why. Was it all just my feeling at the time? Is that all?

Ah, well. I’m going nowhere. Drifting around the pool like wood from a shipwreck. Anime Girl is off under the shadow of a tent, reading a book. Yukko’s still in the same place, looking like her energy is being restored. It’s a calming sight.

There’s nothing that, needs to be done, is there? I could float here forever. Eien ni.

I can’t remember the last time I ate, I’ve never gone to the bathroom this life, so. Sleep feels more like something I’m expecting will happen, so it does. My body doesn’t get tired.

I raised my hand out of the water to the sun. It’s warmth embracing my hand feels good.

It’s been awhile, since I’ve thought about it. Distracted by so many other things, this anime girl body, the most, out of everything, has thrown me off.

It’s like I don’t have a sense of what ‘I’ am anymore. Reviewing events as I remembered them, at the time, they felt so important and vital, but looking back, I don’t know what I was thinking.

Did I really have to orbitally bombard Nephilz? I mean. Niji’s handiwork did get out of control. You could call it cleaning up. I did.

Did anything come of those days wandering and wondering in the city? Where are all the good parts? I can’t think of any. Was I having fun? If I was, I don’t remember the fun part.

I groaned, letting my hand drop into the pool. Float. Forever. I will become a lily pad on the river of life.

This body. When I first came to this world, I felt entirely different. It’s an entirely different existence than what I know.

In some isekais, they become monsters. They keep the human greed in themselves, and they may get a few changes to their personality, but that’s about it.

Like Ainz from Overlord can’t feel any strong emotion for long, has no regrets killing. He’s a skeleton though. It’s a given he’d be evil.

Then, what I am? The embodiment of my ideals? Justice?

I can’t think of what I’ve done so far as justice…

But, when I think of how those lycan zombies were going mad, and how the homunculi were rising from the sewers after Niji killed the No-Life King, well, I feel good about getting rid of the problem.

Is that the only thing I feel good about having done in this world, with this life? Have I understood anything since entering this world? Events churned in my head.

I feel like I confessed to Moon Elf, not that that accomplished anything. It’s painful just remembering. I’m running in circles, well not running, moving, slowly, in circles.

What does progression look like? I stood up in the pool, stretching. I am wearing a bikini. At a pool. With two anime girls. Is this progression?

In the water, I could see this body. My own body. The difference between my old self, which I’ve forgotten, and wanted to forget, is too huge. I laid back, letting myself float.

From an outsider’s perspective: I’m young. I’m pretty. Toilets are a foreign concept to me. Food is an ingestible object. It’s pleasurable to eat. However, I feel the same before and after eating, it’s like the flavor in my mouth is notable, but forgettable. My body has no concept of hunger. My body also has no attachment to food.

If I am no longer human, then, how do I live? I thought the answer was to seek out the 2D realm, once I heard it existed, of course I still want to go. But, I’m afraid. With Anime Girl here, and speaking english at that, isn’t it only a matter of asking now? Really, why won’t this fear go away? Am I afraid of going to the 2D realm that much? What, will I get eaten by the big bad wolf?

I looked over at Yukko. A real anime girl. Though I suppose I have to call myself a real anime girl at this point s well. Slow of me.

Why does it feel like how good my body feels, naturally, with no stimulation, no entertainment, no food from the outside, is a revelation to me? I can’t answer that. I can’t answer any question. Useless, useless, useless. And so, I got out of the pool, laid down next to Anime Girl, and closed my eyes.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Sleep sounds like a great idea.

~~~

Yukko stood over Wizard’s sleeping body with a kunai in her hand. Anime Girl looked over at Yukko, briefly, before her eyes returned to her book.

Yukko sighed, putting her kunai away.

“You have no killing intent at all, Anime Girl. Shouldn’t you be concerned that I’m here, in the Geofront of [Yume Nasai]?”

Anime Girl’s head slothed from one side to the other side, her eyes not moving from her book even once.

Yukko groaned in response, retreating. If Anime Girl didn’t care, then neither would she.

Stretching her body onto a long pool chair next to Wizard. Looking at Wizard’s face, feelings stirred in Yukko. Yukko yawned, her hand ushering in air, and she joined Wizard in her nap.

Anime Girl closed her book and stood up. From between her breasts she pulled out a smartphone, placing it at Wizard’s side.

“There’s no enemies here, Yukko. Sleep as long as you wish. Forever, is fine.”

Anime Girl walked off, a smile playing on her face.

“I got too excited, Nee-san. Your resistance is futile. Your own desires are too strong. This so-called struggle, for you, will end.”

Outside of the pool near the forest fringe, Anime Girl stopped, a hand over her mouth. She thought she was chuckling evilly, but to anyone watching it would be adorable to hear.

“Far too ahead of myself. Nee-san is unpredictable. Predicting Nee-san won’t help Nee-san. Adjust as she acts, and before long…”

Anime Girl pulled out her smartphone and sent a friendly text to the smartphone she placed near Wizard. Smelling the fresh pine of the trees around her, she smiled, knowing that now, they could talk all they wanted. Anime Girl’s smile continued, as she thought that Wizard won’t want to talk to her. Anime Girl couldn’t imagine the ‘why’ behind Wizard’s thinking. And that was fine.

“There is no ‘why’.”

A mist arose out of the forest fringe. Anime Girl’s body drifted off into it, fading from sight.

~~~

Yukko woke Wizard up with a splash. The water hitting Wizard’s face, she grew a grumpy appearance as she woke. Though, for those who knew her, that was her usual.

Wizard’s cute face hid the feeling of disgust, making it easy for others to be around her despite that grumpy scowl.

Yukko never minded Wizard’s dour face, because Yukko was too minding slothful thoughts.

So when Yukko woke Wizard, he looked at her in confusion, until he saw the smile on her face.

“Let’s play.”

Wizard computed the context and, although she had reservations about the concept of ‘fun’ and ‘playing with Yukko’ the time and place as well as being an anime girl dictated—

A shuriken made out of water dashed Wizard’s thoughts. Rising anger at Yukko, and general frustration, those two feelings joined together, and Wizard leaped into the pool.

Wizard whacking the water with her arm summoned a tunnel in the water. The pool’s content’s flowed, concentrating in one place, and Wizard rose to the top of a column containing the entire contents of the pool. Drained out of her own soothing pool, Yukko sat in seiza on the bare concrete floor as Wizard glowered over her from high above.

“Why are your arms crossed? Why are you standing so imperiously?”

Evil laughter from above, mu wha ha ha ha, greeted Yukko’s observation.

“It is time to conquer the world.”

“Are you really so ambitious?”

“Of course not! However! Take this!”

A dragon formed from the column of water, Wizard stood on the head of the beast as it’s fangs bit at Yukko. She dodged, reassessing.

Wizard’s control of magic is unbelievable. Yukko could barely comprehend how much mana it would take to turn the pool’s water into a dragon with so little effort.

Yukko didn’t know of the Wizard who struggled endlessly with magic and philosophizing how it works and so on, to her, before her she only saw an intimidating foe.

But, this is the perfect chance to test her opponent. The smartphone Yukko retrieved from next to Wizard’s sleeping body is safely hidden. This battle is already her victory.

Except she didn’t expect the laser shark made out of water that crept up from behind her and blasted her clothes off, freeing the smartphone. From it’s hidden place, of course.

“Oh, sorry.” Wizard conveniently blocked her own vision, not peeking at all as she conjured a school swimsuit for Yukko. It floated down to Yukko, who put it on with a red face.

Wizard spotted the smartphone laying at the bottom of the pool.

“You got one too?” Wizard’s eyes sneered down at Yukko from atop her water dragon.

Yukko snatched her pilfered smartphone from the pool’s blue cement. Far better for Wizard to think that this phone was hers in the first place. Yukko felt relief, how easy. Now she could use it in front of Wizard freely to boot. But first, the main issue needed to be addressed: the school swimsuit. Yukko raised her hand like she was in class.

Wizard pointed at her, picking up on her act and playing the teacher role.

“You made me wear this on purpose, didn’t you. Is it because of my small chest? Give me another one. As the stripper, take responsibility.”

“Ooh come on, this is fanservice!”

“How embarrassing. Stop playing around.”

“Aww.” Wizard’s voice fell off.

Yukko grabbed the replacement, then she used Wizard’s dejection to slip away. She moved to the back of the food court, out of Wizard’s line of sight. Checking around, she brought the smartphone screen to her face.

Powering on the smartphone screen, she tapped around the apps with interest, not noticing the presence behind her. Yukko turned as her fear directed her body.

Anime Girl stood there, fingers cradling her face while her long silver hair blew in the non-existent wind. Yukko looked down at her school swimsuit, blushing redder as her eyes moved to the smartphone. Anime Girl grinned.

“I see. I thought this might happen, so I stuck around to make sure. It is fine. Perhaps it is better in your hands than hers.”

Yukko gripped the smartphone, returning Anime Girl’s gaze. Why is she acting cool?

“Shoo, let me change. Stop looking at me like that.”

Anime Girl closed her eyes, holding out her hands, she shook her head from side to side. “Merely intimidating you in a delicate 40DD chess match between a spy and their target.”

“You say that, but I can see that hungry look in your eyes, like a wolf after its prey. Nana was right, about you, Anime Girl. This school swimsuit I received from Wizard has revealed your true feelings.” Yukko’s hand pointed a finger at Anime Girl, an aura of detectives shimmering behind her. “From the start, I had my own suspicions, Anime Girl, but now it’s confirmed. You, you like girls. Romantically.”

This shocking revelation, shocking to Yukko at least, left Anime Girl in the cold, non-existent wind cooling her body from an invisible source.

“B-but you did a smartphone steal…”

“If I thought I was in the slightest bit of danger, do you think I’d be playing spy out here in [Yume Nasai]? Ya. I came here for vacation, and, well, Nana got pushy, mostly, but. Primarily for vacation. For rest. The battlefield of the 2D realm is too fierce for a girl who sleeps until noon like me.” Yukko glanced over at Anime Girl. “Naruhodo. I’ve discovered the ugly truth. I suppose it is proper to report this to my superiors…”

Anime Girl stood frozen. While it might not have been a big deal if Wizard found out about her Girl’s Love attitude, Yuyuko’s friends knowing would be catastrophic. Social death, 100% chance. Crossing the [Ecchi Line] would be a small matter in comparison.

Anime Girl feared that Yuyuko’s friends Anime Girl Physics might cause them to deny her existence entirely. Yuri is a forbidden topic in Yuyuko’s source work. No amount of girl’s crossdressing as men in military uniforms could surpass the wall of direct mention of girl’s love or yuri or even worse, outright homosexual attraction. The very thought might wipe all memory of Anime Girl from existence.

And so, Anime Girl dogezaed. She neatly folded herself as if a mochi with a leaf on topic in her bikini before Yuyuko.

“Yuyuko-sama. I beg of you.”

“It’s good you understand. Now, let me change.”

Yukko watched Anime Girl vanish into speed lines before her. Yukko sighed, looking at Wizard’s conjured swimsuit, the design mirroring a school uniform. Better than naked. Or rather, Yukko felt that asking for another design would be too much trouble.

Yukko looked at the sun as she disrobed. Such warmth, though unreal.