The familiar scenery formed before her eyes.
When Asagami Fujino came back to herself, she found she was standing on the same ground where the last run had ended.
The giant queen bee's corpse was gone now—but the massive beehive, which had been leaking an intoxicating fragrance when they left, still gave off that same sweetness.
Golden honey flowed slowly from the split in the comb.
"Honey's a sweet—leave it exposed and it'll attract bugs in no time. But it's still clean. That means not much time has passed since we left. The insect fluid around here hasn't dried much either—same conclusion."
A familiar male voice spoke beside her.
Almost reflexively, the purple-haired girl turned her head.
The figure she'd been seeing in her dreams again and again was right there—
and a fierce, bursting joy rose from the bottom of her heart.
If she could, Fujino wanted to rush over and tell him everything she'd lived through during that stretch of time.
But before she moved, she forcibly crushed the impulse.
A girl who had spent her whole life enduring, suppressing herself…
had a level of skill at controlling emotion far beyond normal people.
"Mr. Aratō… it's been a long time."
Hands folded neatly in front, Fujino bowed toward Sora Aratō with the measured grace of a traditional Yamato nadeshiko.
After losing everything in reality, it was natural to start anchoring your feelings to the only person left.
But she knew that kind of attachment wasn't normal—
and she couldn't let her abnormality frighten him.
The pain-free girl was, at her core, a complete pessimist.
The future could wait.
Right now, she only wanted to act with him—just like last time.
"Following your suggestion, I acquired a software company in the real world. They're working on the instant messaging software and the search engine you mentioned."
Fujino began explaining what she'd done.
Her pace was calm, her logic clean—because she had rehearsed this conversation countless times in her head.
Sora listened, then nodded.
He probably didn't care much about what she'd done in reality—
but hearing that she had followed his instructions so completely still sparked a faint sense of being trusted.
"Don't worry," Sora said with a smile. "Those two things are the correct path—proven by time. As long as you hold them tightly, your future development won't turn out too badly."
"Yes. I understand," Fujino replied, nodding with real seriousness. "I'll work hard."
At that moment, as they spoke, the Dream System's mechanical voice finally arrived in their ears—fashionably late.
[Detected: Two players have logged in.]
[The system will generate corresponding tasks based on intent.]
[Main quest generating…]
[Task 1: The Beginning of the Hunt]
[Description: Dungeon Layer 1642 is a forest environment. Players may encounter various creatures. Capture or hunt encountered creatures to complete a bestiary entry. The system will award points based on the creature's strength. Defeating specific enemies may grant special rewards.]
[Maximum points obtainable: 10]
[Task 2: The Beginning of a Home]
[Description: On Dungeon Layer 1642, select a location as a base. Players will live at the base. The more activities performed at the base, the more points you can obtain.]
[Maximum points obtainable: 10]
[To increase player motivation, this run uses an exchange mechanism.]
[Before leaving, in addition to one fixed item that can be carried out, players may spend earned points to exchange for additional items to take out.]
[Instance duration: 7 days. After the time limit, both players will automatically exit.]
[Countdown: 6:23:59]
"So these tasks are generated based on our own intent?" Sora rubbed his chin, evaluating the text on the screen.
"Why do you think so?" Fujino asked softly.
"Because Task 1 lines up exactly with why I entered this time."
Then Sora smiled at her.
"You want to hunt creatures?" Fujino asked quietly.
Her voice was small—but her heartbeat accelerated.
And in that moment, an unrealistic fantasy rose inside her:
Could it be that Mr. Aratō—who wants to hunt living things—might be the same kind of person as me… someone who enjoys cruelty and slaughter by nature?
"Yes," Sora replied. "I gained a new ability inside the game. It has requirements related to collecting creatures."
As he spoke, he showed her his status panel.
—
[Name: Sora Aratō]
[Class: Maker (Ore)]
[Ability: Rapid Crafting]
[Carried Item: Ore Processing Kit]
[Mastery: Coal Magecraft]
[Description: A master of technological development; weak in combat. But you seem to have infinite potential.]
—
Compared to his earlier template, there was now an extra section: [Mastery].
Opening it revealed details:
[Coal Magecraft: Construct a special ritual to refine a creature's life force. With skilled use, you may selectively extract specific traits and abilities from the target creature.]
It seemed the Dream Game System could summarize and formalize Sora's abilities.
Thanks to that, he didn't need to explain the magecraft side of things to Fujino.
"I see," Fujino murmured. "Then it sounds like you'll go hunting… and I'll stay at home and build our base in peace."
"That'll be a big help," Sora nodded.
Fujino stared at him for a few seconds with eyes that were faintly hollow.
"I remember your physique and strength are heavily reduced in the game," she said. "Can you really defeat the creatures on this dungeon layer without my help?"
"…That's true," Sora admitted after a brief pause, nodding.
They still hadn't explored the surroundings, but it was obvious:
a dungeon that could nurture giant bees wouldn't be filled with weak wildlife.
If it were, the entire forest would have already been occupied by the giant bees.
Ecology demanded balance.
"Then how about we act together?" Fujino proposed. "You help me build the home I want—and I help you hunt the creatures you want to capture."
"…."
For once, Sora fell silent.
Someone who lived alone for a long time naturally resisted receiving help from others.
Or more precisely—
they wanted everything in their hands to be fully controlled and completed by themselves.
When it came to his own matters, Sora didn't want Fujino involved.
But like she said—
with his current physique, he realistically couldn't beat those beasts.
"I've already practiced your advice in the real world," Fujino pressed on.
Perhaps because she was nervous, there was an extra force in her voice.
Sora turned and looked at her.
The pain-free girl wasn't sensitive to pain—
but in certain matters, she was extremely sensitive.
It was obvious: Fujino had noticed he was hiding something in what he'd said earlier.
If her reality had already been influenced by Sora—
then it was only "normal" that she would influence and help Sora as well.
"So this is a trade?" Sora asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Yes," Fujino answered seriously.
Her face remained cool and restrained—
but as she looked at Sora, a quiet anticipation swelled inside her.
Because… the days ahead might become better than she'd ever imagined.
She would hunt with Mr. Aratō.
Return "home" together.
Cook together.
Spend seven beautiful days together.
The companionship she craved—
and the murderous desire she hid deep inside—
felt like they could both be satisfied this time.
....
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