I am probably having a dream.
I stood on a land made of mirrors.
A large glass-crafted moon hung in the azure sky, creating a faint brightness.
The mirror surface beneath my feet reflected the light of the moon and my own shadow, creating shades of blue and light.
It’s a place with an impression of cold, lifelessness, and stretching endlessly.
The soles of my feet felt cold as I took a step.
[Welcome to my world.]
A voice spoke from behind me.
When I turned around, there was a glass-crafted spider.
“Your world?”
[Yes.]
“It’s a beautiful place.”
[Thank you. I quite like it. Not bad, right?]
“Yeah, you have good taste.”
The glass spider deftly folded its legs and sat on the mirror surface, so I sat next to it.
…I could use a cushion.
“By the way, why did you want to use my body?”
I asked since the glass spider seemed quite calm now.
[Well, you see, I could sense that you had plenty of magical power.]
Oh, so magical power is something that can be sensed, huh?
“What happens when you have magical power?
[Well, obviously, you become stronger.]
…Then, isn’t it strange that I’m weak?
[You seem to be not very skilled at using magical power. As for me, I don’t have much magical power. Hence, this kind of body.]
The glass spider said while lifting its translucent legs into the light.
“It’s beautiful.”
The glassy legs shimmered with a faint bluish light.
[T-Thanks. Not everyone would say something like that about me. You see, my siblings are strong. They all have bodies that don’t look like this, and they are skilled in magic. They don’t have to fight using disgusting things like poison or acid… I hated that.]
The glass spider struck its legs sharply against the surface of the mirror, but the mirror remained intact, producing only a sharp sound as it blocked the attack.
[Being weak is something I was born with. But not being able to become strong is not something innate. I thought that if I could acquire magical power from external sources, I could become strong… So, I targeted you. I’m sorry about that.]
“No, it’s fine… So, did you become stronger from using my body?”
The glass spider let out a big sigh and raised its legs in a gesture of exasperation.
[Too late now. While we were hesitating, there they are. I never expected your own comrades to come and behead you.]
Haha, I bet you were surprised. Indeed.
[…Hey, this might be a strange question, but aren’t you afraid of dying? After all, it was your decision to let yourself be beheaded.]
“Yeah, I don’t like pain.”
[Not that.]
Yeah, I get it, I know what you mean. In other words, you’re not talking about the process leading up to death but rather the concept of death itself, or what happens after you die, right?
“I don’t particularly want to die. I just think it’s a much bigger problem if one of my comrades dies instead of me.”
The glass stared at me. Don’t stare at me so much, it makes me feel embarrassed.
[That’s not something anyone would take lightly, right? Considering the circumstances, it was definitely a difficult choice.]
“Maybe so, but even if it was a difficult choice, it still means that I’m the one who gets cut. In fact, that’s what happened.”
The fact that Suzumoto chose to behead me meant that it was the most rational decision.
Even if it was a difficult choice, it was still the best answer. And we were able to carry it out. It’s as simple as that, I think.
“Besides, I’m not directly involved in combat. Household chores and fabric-related tasks can be easily done by going to town and asking for help. As for food, there are plenty of options like eating out. I believe they can manage just fine even without me.”
Unlike the combatants, the tasks I do can be easily performed by anyone. It’s all about specialization and outsourcing. Perhaps, if I weren’t around, they would find ways to accomplish those tasks, and there might even be opportunities to acquire new skills.
Being useful doesn’t change even if it’s convenient to have me around, but at least, I think it’s much better than having a combatant missing.
[I know you’re saying that with full awareness. It’s still rather unpleasant, though.]
…Well, yeah, I understand. So, if it were a choice between me dying or someone else dying, I’d try to choose the option where I don’t die, as long as there isn’t a clear rational reason to decide otherwise.
But, you know, even without any rational reasons, I probably would still lean toward that choice.
“I’m… selfish, I guess. If it came down to someone I care about dying, I don’t think I could bear it.”
[…That’s why you want to believe that others would be okay even if you were to die, right?]
The glass spider said, looking at me with its glassy eyes.
Unable to withstand that gaze, I lowered my head, and my own face reflected back at me in the mirror.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m a coward.”
In this world, I can’t even bow my head. I can only keep my eyes closed or look straight ahead.
[…You really do love your comrades, don’t you?]
Suddenly, its glass legs lifted, and it lightly tapped my head, gently moving it in different directions.
…It seems like it’s trying to pat me.
I opened my eyes, looking ahead because it felt more appropriate to say what I wanted to say.
“Yeah, I love them.”
The cobalt glass sky and the mirrored ground remained separate, creating a beautiful line.
Then, a silver star streaked across the cobalt glass sky.
The silver star cut through the sky as it flowed.
[…Ah, come on. I wish you had left it alone a little longer.]
The glass spider grumbled, as if it was about to click its tongue, then turned its gaze back to me from the sky.
[…It became a bit of a pastime. Thanks for that.]
As if triggered by those words, the fractured sky began to rain down, shattering the world.
The mirror shattered. The sky poured down relentlessly, smashing the glass spider’s body, and my outstretched hand only grabbed fragments of glass.
Suddenly, I found myself in a strange place that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
To my front right, there were giant gears interlocking and turning. The delicate golden color stood out against the blue sky, creating a beautiful sight.
To the left, the gears became smaller and more intricate, exuding a somewhat decadent atmosphere. Not bad at all.
However, behind me was a clutter of various things, and it didn’t seem very welcoming.
As I looked around, I noticed something that appeared beside me at some point.
Um… It was like a featureless mannequin with several arms but no legs. Just a white figure of a woman… What is this?
I couldn’t sense any hostility, so I observed it. Suddenly, it hugged me tightly, and it felt like my ribs were being crushed. It’s been a while since something didn’t break my ribs.
Somehow, I felt a bit happy, so I wrapped my arms around its back (?) and hugged it back. Then, there was a cracking sound like something breaking… Did I accidentally break its ribs?
Concerned, I stepped back a little, and I noticed that part of the mannequin’s face had fallen off, revealing its eyes, which met mine.
The eyes seemed to smile a little as it bent down to pick up the fallen piece of its face, attempting to put it back in place.
“Wait.”
I instinctively stopped its attempt to fix itself and offered the glass shard I was holding.
“Use this instead.”
The glass shard had somehow transformed into a shape that perfectly fit the broken part of the mannequin-like figure.
“You should have a face to see with, right?”
Beautiful things aren’t always the only things worth looking at, but I believe that you should have something to see with.
The mannequin-like figure seemed a bit surprised at first, but then it narrowed its eyes and smiled. It accepted the glass shard, examined it for a moment, and then decisively placed it on its face.
*Snap.*
This is a dream. When I wake up, I probably won’t remember any of this.
I am probably having a dream.
I stood on a land made of mirrors.
A large glass-crafted moon hung in the azure sky, creating a faint brightness.
The mirror surface beneath my feet reflected the light of the moon and my own shadow, creating shades of blue and light.
It’s a place with an impression of cold, lifelessness, and stretching endlessly.
The soles of my feet felt cold as I took a step.
[Welcome to my world.]
A voice spoke from behind me.
When I turned around, there was a glass-crafted spider.
“Your world?”
[Yes.]
“It’s a beautiful place.”
[Thank you. I quite like it. Not bad, right?]
“Yeah, you have good taste.”
The glass spider deftly folded its legs and sat on the mirror surface, so I sat next to it.
…I could use a cushion.
“By the way, why did you want to use my body?”
I asked since the glass spider seemed quite calm now.
[Well, you see, I could sense that you had plenty of magical power.]
Oh, so magical power is something that can be sensed, huh?
“What happens when you have magical power?
[Well, obviously, you become stronger.]
…Then, isn’t it strange that I’m weak?
[You seem to be not very skilled at using magical power. As for me, I don’t have much magical power. Hence, this kind of body.]
The glass spider said while lifting its translucent legs into the light.
“It’s beautiful.”
The glassy legs shimmered with a faint bluish light.
[T-Thanks. Not everyone would say something like that about me. You see, my siblings are strong. They all have bodies that don’t look like this, and they are skilled in magic. They don’t have to fight using disgusting things like poison or acid… I hated that.]
The glass spider struck its legs sharply against the surface of the mirror, but the mirror remained intact, producing only a sharp sound as it blocked the attack.
[Being weak is something I was born with. But not being able to become strong is not something innate. I thought that if I could acquire magical power from external sources, I could become strong… So, I targeted you. I’m sorry about that.]
“No, it’s fine… So, did you become stronger from using my body?”
The glass spider let out a big sigh and raised its legs in a gesture of exasperation.
[Too late now. While we were hesitating, there they are. I never expected your own comrades to come and behead you.]
Haha, I bet you were surprised. Indeed.
[…Hey, this might be a strange question, but aren’t you afraid of dying? After all, it was your decision to let yourself be beheaded.]
“Yeah, I don’t like pain.”
[Not that.]
Yeah, I get it, I know what you mean. In other words, you’re not talking about the process leading up to death but rather the concept of death itself, or what happens after you die, right?
“I don’t particularly want to die. I just think it’s a much bigger problem if one of my comrades dies instead of me.”
The glass stared at me. Don’t stare at me so much, it makes me feel embarrassed.
[That’s not something anyone would take lightly, right? Considering the circumstances, it was definitely a difficult choice.]
“Maybe so, but even if it was a difficult choice, it still means that I’m the one who gets cut. In fact, that’s what happened.”
The fact that Suzumoto chose to behead me meant that it was the most rational decision.
Even if it was a difficult choice, it was still the best answer. And we were able to carry it out. It’s as simple as that, I think.
“Besides, I’m not directly involved in combat. Household chores and fabric-related tasks can be easily done by going to town and asking for help. As for food, there are plenty of options like eating out. I believe they can manage just fine even without me.”
Unlike the combatants, the tasks I do can be easily performed by anyone. It’s all about specialization and outsourcing. Perhaps, if I weren’t around, they would find ways to accomplish those tasks, and there might even be opportunities to acquire new skills.
Being useful doesn’t change even if it’s convenient to have me around, but at least, I think it’s much better than having a combatant missing.
[I know you’re saying that with full awareness. It’s still rather unpleasant, though.]
…Well, yeah, I understand. So, if it were a choice between me dying or someone else dying, I’d try to choose the option where I don’t die, as long as there isn’t a clear rational reason to decide otherwise.
But, you know, even without any rational reasons, I probably would still lean toward that choice.
“I’m… selfish, I guess. If it came down to someone I care about dying, I don’t think I could bear it.”
[…That’s why you want to believe that others would be okay even if you were to die, right?]
The glass spider said, looking at me with its glassy eyes.
Unable to withstand that gaze, I lowered my head, and my own face reflected back at me in the mirror.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m a coward.”
In this world, I can’t even bow my head. I can only keep my eyes closed or look straight ahead.
[…You really do love your comrades, don’t you?]
Suddenly, its glass legs lifted, and it lightly tapped my head, gently moving it in different directions.
…It seems like it’s trying to pat me.
I opened my eyes, looking ahead because it felt more appropriate to say what I wanted to say.
“Yeah, I love them.”
The cobalt glass sky and the mirrored ground remained separate, creating a beautiful line.
Then, a silver star streaked across the cobalt glass sky.
The silver star cut through the sky as it flowed.
[…Ah, come on. I wish you had left it alone a little longer.]
The glass spider grumbled, as if it was about to click its tongue, then turned its gaze back to me from the sky.
[…It became a bit of a pastime. Thanks for that.]
As if triggered by those words, the fractured sky began to rain down, shattering the world.
The mirror shattered. The sky poured down relentlessly, smashing the glass spider’s body, and my outstretched hand only grabbed fragments of glass.
Suddenly, I found myself in a strange place that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
To my front right, there were giant gears interlocking and turning. The delicate golden color stood out against the blue sky, creating a beautiful sight.
To the left, the gears became smaller and more intricate, exuding a somewhat decadent atmosphere. Not bad at all.
However, behind me was a clutter of various things, and it didn’t seem very welcoming.
As I looked around, I noticed something that appeared beside me at some point.
Um… It was like a featureless mannequin with several arms but no legs. Just a white figure of a woman… What is this?
I couldn’t sense any hostility, so I observed it. Suddenly, it hugged me tightly, and it felt like my ribs were being crushed. It’s been a while since something didn’t break my ribs.
Somehow, I felt a bit happy, so I wrapped my arms around its back (?) and hugged it back. Then, there was a cracking sound like something breaking… Did I accidentally break its ribs?
Concerned, I stepped back a little, and I noticed that part of the mannequin’s face had fallen off, revealing its eyes, which met mine.
The eyes seemed to smile a little as it bent down to pick up the fallen piece of its face, attempting to put it back in place.
“Wait.”
I instinctively stopped its attempt to fix itself and offered the glass shard I was holding.
“Use this instead.”
The glass shard had somehow transformed into a shape that perfectly fit the broken part of the mannequin-like figure.
“You should have a face to see with, right?”
Beautiful things aren’t always the only things worth looking at, but I believe that you should have something to see with.
The mannequin-like figure seemed a bit surprised at first, but then it narrowed its eyes and smiled. It accepted the glass shard, examined it for a moment, and then decisively placed it on its face.
*Snap.*
This is a dream. When I wake up, I probably won’t remember any of this.
