Prediction.
Upon hearing that word, Anastasia’s smile stiffened.
Her sharp mind swiftly assessed the situation.
“Little sister? I… think I may have made a mistake…?”
Anastasia awkwardly glanced at Ella. Naturally, she felt a pang of guilt upon realizing that her impulsive action had almost triggered the ‘prediction.’
“It’s okay.”
Ella, with an awkward expression, firmly held Anastasia’s apologetic hand. She then sighed lightly.
“It wasn’t intentional… Besides, no one is dying, and no one is getting hurt. It’s just a prediction where my sister saves that rascal.”
“Um, but I feel like you weren’t too fond of me getting tangled with that person…”
“You’re not wrong. That guy… Yes, let’s just say his personality was so terrible that referring to him as a person feels a bit off.”
Ella took a moment to catch her breath.
It was as if she needed to prepare herself to say something she really didn’t want to.
“Yes. There were times when I really wanted to kill him, and many people wished for his death or a gruesome fate for him. But…”
“But what?”
“He’s not someone who deserves to die for the crimes he committed.”
William was a rascal.
A troublemaker causing chaos everywhere.
He smashed things, acted violently, behaved rudely, and left big wounds in countless people’s hearts with his vile actions.
Moreover, he was obsessed with women, flirting with all kinds, and even sought after married ones, leading many households to ruin.
Yet still.
Even so, William never crossed a certain line.
He would be violent, but he never killed anyone.
He treated people harshly, yet he was kind to children.
While he would flirt with married women, he didn’t cling onto them if they rejected him.
He’d cause destruction and smash items, but family’s recompense always followed.
A line.
A very thin line.
One so subtle, dark, and faint that you wouldn’t know when or how one might cross it.
Yet that line undoubtedly existed, and William was still on the inside of it.
He hovered precariously near it but managed not to step over.
Thus, from Ella’s perspective, William hadn’t committed ‘crimes worthy of death.’
Maybe one could beat him up to near death, but he wasn’t deserving of death.
“Sister. That’s just your perspective. Others who resent that person might think it’s right for him to die, don’t you think?”
Anastasia tossed those words while looking at Ella’s face.
The remark seemed to refute Ella’s words, yet also appeared to assist her in sorting through her thoughts.
“…That might be true.”
Ella didn’t deny Anastasia’s words.
It was indeed a fact.
That William didn’t deserve to die was merely her opinion.
But even so, she didn’t want to let William die.
No, she did have thoughts of letting him die, but she also felt she couldn’t let that happen.
Anastasia didn’t want William getting entangled with her.
Yet she didn’t like the idea of letting William die.
Both parties bothered her while swimming around in her mind, and one tiny element was slightly strengthening her opinion of ‘I can’t let him die.’
“Sister. Just to confirm, you don’t think that leaving him alone is the same as killing him, right?”
“That… might be possible.”
It was that which stimulated the still-maturing heart of Ella.
It was that which everyone, living in a society bound by morals and ethics, bore within.
That tiny element was called guilt.
“Um~ To be honest, I really don’t care what happens to that person~ Whether he lives or dies is none of my business!”
“….”
“But if you’re involved, the story changes. Then, it becomes something I need to pay attention to!”
Anastasia lifted herself up on her toes and ruffled Ella’s hair roughly.
“So please, go ahead and speak. Attach some magical words to it.”
Ella fell silent for a moment.
She tightened her grip around the Gaming Owl and wiggled her feet.
Then she ducked her head and bit her lips.
Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she looked up slightly at Anastasia and said:
“P-Please help me, sister.”
“Alright. I’ll help you, little sister!”
“But….”
“Oh, don’t feel pressured! Just as repayment, we’ll take a few dream walks together, help each other find useful things, and have a fashion show in the dream with all the clothes there!”
“Yes?”
“Oh, and we’ll eat the mint chocolate banana rice cakes and mint durian meat pies that Arin ordered together!”
“What?!”
Ella was astonished at the demands flowing from Anastasia’s mouth.
Having to suffer in the dream world and eat those bizarre dishes that Arin ordered?
Those were indeed dreadful conditions.
However, Ella squeezed her eyes tightly shut and nodded.
Then, gripping Anastasia’s hand desperately, she said,
“Thank you so much. And please, come back safe.”
At that, Anastasia tilted her head.
“Yes?”
“Yes?”
“Are you forgetting? You’re coming along too!”
“Yes?”
Anastasia smiled brightly and tightened her grip on Ella’s hand.
“No, it’s fine if we’re going together. But, is there anything I can help with…?”
Ella cautiously asked Anastasia.
While she could certainly assist in helping Anastasia, no matter how she thought about it, she wouldn’t be able to display the same mystical and powerful capabilities as Anastasia.
So she was rather worried that instead of helping, she’d only be a hindrance.
No, she was certain she would be nothing but an obstacle.
While Anastasia used the things from dreams to showcase tremendous abilities, Ella was just a klutz who struggled with basic witchcraft.
So, she naturally figured that Anastasia would leave her behind.
But she said she would be of help?
Ella blinked in surprise and gazed at Anastasia.
“Yes, indeed. You will be helpful.”
Anastasia spoke in a gentle voice, as if trying to boost Ella’s confidence.
“The Gaming Owl will help you!”
“Gaming Owl….”
Ella gazed at the owl, which was now sparkling with RGB colors, feeling that the name she had unconsciously mumbled had become its official title.
The owl raised its head slightly, locking eyes with Ella, chirping confidently as if to say it would solve everything. Then it began to bounce, as if urging them to get moving, and stretched out its wings.
The fluffy owl alternated between tapping Ella’s arm as if drumming a rhythm and shaking its head back and forth, as if saying to hurry up.
The sight looked like it was dancing to joyful music.
“Okay, then let’s go!”
Anastasia shouted in a tone reminiscent of embarking on an adventure.
Then, draping herself in a sparkling cloak reminiscent of a magician’s, she wrapped her body tightly.
A few seconds later, she dramatically tossed the cloak, as if performing a magic trick.
When the cloak disappeared, vibrant-colored clothing was revealed.
Ella wouldn’t imagine wearing such an outfit, one filled with exposure.
“Ta-da!”
A positively described active outfit or a negatively described revealing one.
It was full of bright colors that one might see in a warm resort and sparkled as if glitter had been sprinkled everywhere. Moreover, it seemed solely focused on mobility, which made it quite revealing.
It resembled something one might wear when jogging in hot regions.
Anastasia proudly displayed her clothing to Ella with a sense of triumph.
Then, holding one hand on the cloak and the other holding Ella’s hand, she marched straight toward the hole.
Swish.
She swirled the cloak around like a magician, covering the hole. Then, she pretended to infuse energy into it for a few seconds and retracted the cloak.
“Ta-da!”
To their astonishment, the hole had grown larger.
Enough for both to pass through with ease.
“Okay, let’s go!”
“Yes? Y-Yes….”
“Let’s go! Into the world of adventure!”
*
The two entered William’s nightmare.
But unfortunately, the place where they appeared was not within the abandoned hospital, but in the very midst of a boundless sea, where a whale with fiery red fins had noticed their presence and was approaching them frantically, frothing at the mouth.
Should they leave it unchecked, the whale would surely swallow them whole.
“Ella! Lift up the Gaming Owl! Aim it at that whale!”
“Y-Yes!”
“And copy me!”
Anastasia shouted with a determined expression.
“RGB Breath! Launch!”
“RGB Breath, l-launch?”
