Natsume Kengo's Perspective Well, I'm dead.
That thought floated up detached, like it was about somebody else—despite the fact that it was me.
Can't be helped, though.
It's a dream, after all.
If this were real, I'd be panicking too, but still.
Dying in a dream just means you wake up when it's over.
Finally, this god-awful dream is coming to an end.
It really was a god-awful dream.
Me, a prince of some empire—could anything be less fitting?
I caught on right away that it was a dream.
Because, right? What else could it be but a dream?
That thing they call a lucid dream.
Once I knew it was a dream, I could do whatever I wanted.
It's just a dream, so who cares?
It's my dream, so it's my call, isn't it?
I said whatever I pleased, indulged myself as much as I wanted.
Being a prince, everyone around me obeyed my every whim. There was nothing I couldn't do.
Well, I say that, but there were no smartphones or TVs, and the food was mediocre, so it wasn't exactly peak luxury.
Can't be helped, I guess.
The dream's setting was a fantasy world.
The fact that food even tasted like something in a dream is weird when you think about it.
Actually, since it's my dream, couldn't you make the food a bit better?
Why can't I bend the rules on that part?
Complaining to the cook didn't help.
It made me miss my mom's cooking.
That alone should have made me want to wake up, but this dream just kept dragging on and on.
Fighting Monsters and grinding Levels was fun at first—like playing a game—but I got bored partway through.
Most of the Monsters were weak, and the strong ones were too far away to bother with.
Being a prince meant they wouldn't let me go anywhere dangerous.
For a dream, you're way too detailed about stuff like that.
It's a dream—would it kill you to let me teleport or something?
Right when I was getting seriously bored, I enrolled in some country's academy.
I didn't have high expectations for that either.
Figured it'd be fun at first and then get boring once I got used to the new environment.
But contrary to my expectations, there was something there that hadn't existed before.
Or rather—someone.
There were several classmates there.
Well, it's my dream, so having people around isn't strange.
But Yamada and Oushima—people I wasn't even that close with in real life—showing up? That was unexpected.
If it were my dream, Ichise would've been the first one there, obviously.
So why wasn't he?
Even the teacher showed up, and the teacher seemed to know where everyone else was, so when I asked about Ichise, he just dodged the question.
I couldn't accept that Ichise wasn't there, but knowing that other people I recognized were around changed things.
Maybe this boring dream could become enjoyable after all.
That's what I thought at first.
But that was only in the beginning.
At the center of the class at the academy, there was always Yamada.
People naturally gathered around him.
And they genuinely admired him as a person.
Meanwhile, the people who gathered around me were only drawn to my title as a prince of the empire—not to me as an individual.
Some of those types tried to approach Yamada too, but Oushima, who was always with him, kept them away.
Thanks to that, Yamada never had to deal with annoying power dynamics or relationships built on politics. He was always relaxed, always natural.
That natural ease drew people in even more, pulled them together.
I watched from a single step removed.
That one step was blocked by a thick wall.
I already knew.
That Yamada didn't like me.
I'm self-aware enough to know I'm not exactly likable myself.
I knew that without Ichise, I'd make more enemies than friends.
It was because Ichise was there that I could stand at the center of the guys like some kind of playground king.
He always had my back, which let me be myself.
Without him, the only people who'd gather around me would be losers and hangers-on.
Why was Yamada so happy while I felt so empty?
Why do I have to feel this way in a dream?
If you're gonna give me a dream, at least make it a fun one.
Right—if it's a dream, then I should be able to do whatever the hell I want.
Getting on Yamada's good side didn't seem possible at this point, so why not push back as hard as I could?
Let's test who's really superior.
That's what I psyched myself up for—total defeat.
My pride was shredded to ribbons.
Since it was a dream, I kept escalating, and it eventually came to an attempted assassination.
Which also failed, and I pathetically lost my Skills and Status to boot.
Even I have to laugh at what a small-time villain I am.
But I won't give up.
Because this is my dream.
If I keep wishing, someday my wish will come true.
Armed with that hard-won new power, it's time for a rematch.
Huh?
Wait—since when was Wakaba-san helping me?
My memory's fuzzy on that part, but it's a dream, so whatever.
Dreams have scene transitions out of nowhere all the time.
Even in a lucid dream, a dream is still a dream.
I steeled myself and challenged Yamada to a rematch.
Full of confidence going in, I got utterly demolished.
Are you serious?!
You're way too strong, Yamada.
You're in MY dream—what are you doing being the protagonist?
Step aside.
Unbelievable.
And in the end, someone stomped my head in, and it was over.
A small-timer to the very end, me.
When something's this consistent, it stops being sad and starts being funny.
But hey—at least this ridiculous dream should finally be over.
It was a stupid, boring dream, but isn't this a message that I'm getting a little too carried away?
Yeah.
When I wake up, I'll try to be a bit more humble.
I just act on every impulse that crosses my mind, every single time.
And every time, Ichise has to clean up after me. I need to reflect on that.
Anyway, when I wake up, I've got to say good morning to Mom.
What's for breakfast?
I'm actually looking forward to it now.
I wouldn't normally think about something like that, but after this long dream, it'll feel nostalgic.
And then, when I get to school, I've got to tell Ichise about this dream.
I'll complain about why he never showed up.
I can already picture Ichise's face—"What are you talking about?"
Right—I should tell Yamada too.
"You were so cool as the Hero in that dream, seriously."
He doesn't like me, but maybe this could help us get along a little.
If Ichise is there, I'll definitely be able to take that step.
Yamada'd probably be confused if I suddenly dumped that on him, though.
Yeah.
I hope I wake up soon.
I'm going back.
To reality.
I have to wake up.
Quickly, wake……