(This is…)
The girl Encouragement opened her eyes, finding herself lying on the surface of a lake, surrounded by burning flames, the moon in the sky somewhat crimson.
(… A lucid dream?)
She realized that her current state was dreaming, retaining conscious awareness, possessing the ability to think and remember.
Even, if necessary, she could wake up by her own will.
However, she didn't intend to wake up.
Instead, she planned to see the next development. The location in the dream was a Japanese-style garden, surrounded by the sounds of fighting.
It should be in a state of… war.
(That's strange, why would I have such a dream?)
The girl Encouragement turned her head slightly, finding that the lake surface was stained red with blood, and the source of the blood was herself, that is, she in the dream had suffered irreparable serious injuries, and was in a state of imminent death.
Even the body floating on the lake surface was slowly sinking into the water.
However, just as she was about to sink into the water.
An unusual feeling came from the space, and a strange crack appeared in the void, the chaos of darkness revealed from the crack, exposing countless pairs of frightening red eyes.
Then, a pair of jade-like slender hands stretched out from the gap, picking up the girl who was about to sink to the bottom of the lake by the waist.
Walking step by step towards the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard.
(Yakumo Yukari, why… would she appear in my dream?)
The girl raised this thought in confusion. To her, Yakumo Yukari was just a youkai she knew, and she didn't have much special feeling for her.
But, it just so happened… that she dreamed of this female youkai, Yakumo Yukari.
Could it be that Yakumo Yukari was too good-looking, so she subconsciously coveted her body and dreamed of her?
"… I'm sorry."
Yakumo Yukari's sad voice came, she sat under the cherry blossom tree, holding the girl in her arms, her slender hands gently stroking the girl's cheeks, her beautiful eyes carrying heartbreaking sadness.
"… …"
The girl subconsciously stretched out her hand, wanting to wipe away the sadness on Yakumo Yukari's face.
However, her weak hand only stretched out halfway before losing strength.
However, just as her hand was about to fall, Yakumo Yukari grabbed her hand and held it tightly.
Then, an unexpected scene happened.
The girl was kissed!
Yes, Yakumo Yukari kissed the young girl's lips without her consent.
Then, the dream ended!
The young girl suddenly widened her eyes, staring at the ceiling, her heart pounding like a drum. The strange and exciting feeling from the dream still lingered in her mind even after waking up.
"What's wrong, Baal?"
A concerned and gentle voice came from beside her.
The young girl looked towards the source of the voice, only to see Kikyo-sama by the bed, casting a worried gaze, as if a newlywed wife was worried about her husband.
No, if 'Maple' sleeping in the center of the bed was counted, then it should be a couple married for many years.
"...Actually, I had a dream."
The young girl hesitated for a moment, then recounted the contents of her dream. This world had Chimi Monster, and dreams could very well be premonitions.
Of course, this wasn't the young girl being overly anxious.
Rather, the young girl had no experience with kissing in either her past or present life, so even in a dream, due to the lack of material, she couldn't experience the specifics and reality of a kissing dream.
Therefore, there must be something strange about it.
However, the young girl didn't feel particularly proud of noticing the strangeness based on this point.
Rather, she felt a bit disheartened.
"...This...perhaps it's a precognitive dream about the future."
Kikyo's clear and deep eyes gazed at the young girl's delicate face. "There's a Tree of Ages near the Maple Village. Sometimes, villagers are occasionally influenced by the Tree of Ages's power and dream about things related to their future."
"So, in the future...will I die?"
The expression on the young girl's delicate face became a little regretful. She didn't mind death much, but if she died before living a wonderful and fulfilling life without regrets, then she would feel very regretful and unwilling.
It was rare to be able to live again.
"Even if your future, Baal, is truly as shown in the dream, knowing the future means you can find a way to avoid it."
Kikyo's voice was calm and gentle, unhurried and reassuring.
"Moreover, dreams don't necessarily represent the future. They might be metaphors for other things, possibly emotions or wealth."
"Thank you, I understand."
The young girl let out a soft breath, then smiled brightly at Kikyo-sama. "It's getting late, let's go to sleep quickly."
"...Good night."
Kikyo-sama nodded gently and calmly, then lay back down to sleep. She wasn't lying; dreams sometimes did portend the future, but that future was usually in a metaphorical form.
As for the dream the young girl described, based on her cultivation as a Miko, it should be a metaphor for 'monarchical' power and the chaos of a harem.
That is to say, it could be interpreted as the young girl gaining power in the future, but then her power would decline and perish due to emotional issues with women.
However, this was...merely an imprecise inference.
After all, Baal was just a young girl, and her strength was pitifully weak, so she shouldn't attract such problems.
Of course, the Hundred Ghosts group cannot be judged by human concepts.
It was still possible for such things to happen.
"..."
The young girl sighed softly and slowly closed her eyes. She suddenly felt a little disappointed; she shouldn't have been startled awake by Yakumo Yukari's kiss in the dream.
No matter what, she should have felt what kissing was like a little more.
Now, after being so startled, she had forgotten all the sensations.
What a pity.
Sigh.
*
*
The next day.
The sky was still dimly lit.
In an open space in Maple Village.
The villagers all came out of their homes, old and young alike, gathering to look at the young girl in front of them.
That was the deity brought back by Kikyo-sama.
Known as Narukami.
This was a very beautiful deity, with waist-length purple hair, adorned with beautiful headwear, and skin so fair it seemed untouched by sunlight, wearing a luxurious and beautiful kimono.
Although her demeanor seemed a bit naive, she exuded the compassion and gentleness of a 'benevolent deity,' without any haughtiness, yet instinctively inspiring reverence.
It must be said, her appearance alone was perfect.
"It will rain in ten minutes."
Narukami, or rather, Baal, spoke calmly and with authority to the villagers present, delivering the weather forecast predicted by the system.
Then, she turned and left the open space coolly.
This wasn't to say the young girl disdained the villagers present; rather, she didn't know how to continue facing them.
In fact, the current situation for the young girl was like being pulled onto a podium at school and having to speak eloquently to the entire faculty and student body without a prepared speech.
For the young girl, who had some social anxiety, the difficulty was simply hellish.
However, the villagers present didn't care about the young girl's self-absorbed departure. They only thought she was very aloof, as befitted a deity.
And so, the villagers waited for a while in the open space.
It started to rain.
This confirmed the young girl's divine power.
She could actually control the weather!
How amazing!