Chapter 281.2

Chapter 281.2. Waking From A Dream

-Tamamo’s POV-

“Yeah, I’m counting on you. Both Tamamo and Kon-chan too! If Em-chan’s in trouble, Tamamo will come to the rescue!”

Kon-kon

“Of course, I also rely on you, and I’ll rush to Mii-sama’s aid in case of danger!”

Kon-chan wagged her tail, and Yamiyo-chan leaned forward, waving her hand. Em-chan’s eyes sparkled, and she raised her fist.

“We’re the best trio!”

The 3 of us looked at each other and shared a chuckle.

“Well, it’s getting late, so let’s go to sleep.”

.

“Mii-sama, I’m getting nervous too, so is it alright if we sleep together?”

Yamiyo-chan, who had been calm until now, suddenly looked vulnerable, bowing her head. Hadn’t she just said she wasn’t nervous at all?

“Sure, Yamiyo-chan!”

Em-chan answered innocently. Yamiyo-chan brightened up and placed her pillow next to Em-chan’s futon enthusiastically.

“Thank you very much. I’ll place my pillow here then.”

Kon-chan saw that and quickly curled up next to Em-chan’s pillow, preparing to sleep.

“Ahh, Tamamo is nervous too. Can I sleep with you guys?”

“Yeah, let’s all sleep together!”

So, we arranged ourselves in a row and held hands, giggling together.

Hehehe, I felt so happy.

Kind parents, a cute little brother, and my two best friends. Is it okay to be this happy?

Feeling warm in my heart, I closed my eyes, and soon, drowsiness overtook me, and I slowly drifted into sleep.

“…………”

“…………………..”

“………………………….”

In the darkness, I heard a ringing bell sound coming from somewhere.

“Anego, wake up!”

I heard a boy’s voice I didn’t recognize. He was really noisy. Is it the TV? I’m still sleepy.

I felt something rough on my head. Even though I had been sleeping on top of my futon, did I somehow end up on the tatami mat?

“Where’s my pillow?”

With my eyes closed, I moved my hand to search for my pillow, but I couldn’t find it.

“Em-chan, what time is it now?”

Maybe it’s already morning. I’m so sleepy.

“Anego! Are you still half asleep? Wake up! It’s an emergency!”

Finally, he shook my body vigorously. He definitely wanted to wake me up.

“Ugh! Tamamo is still sleeping! Who’s waking me up?”

I opened my eyes, expressing my displeasure on my face, and glared at the person who was shaking me.

Then, I spoke in surprise.

“Who are you? … Where is this place?” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In front of me was a skinny boy. He was older than me, probably a high school student.

His clothes were so black and tattered that I couldn’t tell when he last washed them. There were even holes in them and looked like they could be used as rags.

The place I was in had cracked concrete floors. The surroundings were dimly lit with a crumbling concrete ceiling and walls that looked like they could collapse at any moment, with weeds growing out of them.

Along the walls were empty plastic bottles and discarded lunch boxes. There were also tattered manga books and cardboard boxes scattered around messily. It was disgustingly dirty.

“What are you talking about, anego? Are you still half-asleep?”

“Anego? Who’s that? Em-chan? If it’s Em-chan, it’s better to call her Empress instead of Anego~.”

What’s going on? Is this a dream? It’s such a strange dream. I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

“You’re really out of it. It’s a disaster! Our comrades were killed!”

Frowning and spitting as he spoke, the boy yelled.

“Killed?”

“Yeah, our comrades who were collecting the corpses of abandoned monsters were killed. Not while they were sleeping!”

What is he talking about? Who was killed? It’s a very strange dream.

When I looked around, I saw boys and girls of my age huddled in a corner.

They all wore dirty clothes and looked emaciated. Some were trembling in fear, and others held iron pipes, looking ready for a fight, but they were all watching me closely.

It seemed like they were waiting for my response.

Something was off. I looked around again, feeling uneasy. I realized that I was wearing a dirty piece of fabric, and I had apparently been sleeping directly on the concrete floor.

“What’s going on? … What is this?”

When I looked at my hands, they were dry and covered in dirt between the nails. There was a half-broken hand mirror placed nearby, so I picked it up and looked at my reflection in a hurry.

My once proud blonde hair was completely disheveled, and it looked nothing like gold; it was dull and filled with dirt.

My face had a harsh look with furrowed brows. Was I always this angry? My gaze was sharp and frightening, even though it was my own eyes.

The me reflected in the mirror was me, but it wasn’t me.

My head felt heavy for some reason. I felt sick. Dizzy.

“It must be the neighboring gang, the Akechis! They’ve finally come to take our territory!”

The boy was shouting. Neighboring gang? The Akechis? Wait, I remember now. This is my territory…

What’s going on? I must have had a strange dream.

“The Akechis… Did they come to mess with us?”

“Yeah, I’m sure of it.”

“That’s right… If I had been kinder, they wouldn’t have dared! We’re going to fight back, everyone!”

I gritted my teeth, my face turning bright red with anger. I won’t forgive anyone who comes to take my territory. Those who kill my comrades will be killed without fail.

“She’s finally awake! Alright! We can rest easy now. Let’s go, everyone!”

“Yeah!”

“We’ll do it!”

“We’ll kill them!”

Everyone grabbed iron pipes and batons, roaring with determination.

It felt like I had been dreaming something happy, but as the battle approached, those memories faded away.