Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

The Dreamland is a place where dreams come true and one can do whatever one wants. People with the qualifications of a dream maker can create the things they dream of here.

But that's no excuse for creating a sheep!

Still on the street!

The two ladies beside him turned away disdainfully and kicked Fujimaru Ritsuka with their heels, signaling him to go and negotiate.

Fujimaru Ritsuka wore a bitter expression, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far, wanting to speak but hesitating to stop herself.

The little bells jingle, the Scotsmen get busy.

The two people over there had already turned away to avoid seeing each other, so Fujimaru Ritsuka braced herself and, despite her heavy breathing, asked, "Friend, have you eaten? Are you busy?"

Well, that was so awkward that even the people around the corner chuckled.

"...Isn't that obvious?" The Scottish man glanced at him impatiently, then turned his adoring gaze back to the sheep, his actions continuing without pause.

Fujimaru Ritsuka coughed a few times: "But friend, didn't you hear? That strange ritual is starting tonight. Why are you wasting your energy on this?"

"This is a hometown ritual, you know how it's auspicious?" the man, pulling at his tartan kilt, declared confidently. "Before going to war, you have to [beep] with a sheep, that'll bring blessings. Besides, where in real life can you find such a perfect sheep? Ah, those perfectly curved asses, those delicate legs, that odorless long wool~"

"Baa~" The sheep seemed to understand him perfectly, responding with a comfortable bleat.

Your selfish desires are already overflowing!

"...Excuse me!" Fujimaru Ritsuka slipped away, feeling she couldn't stand it any longer.

He ran to the corner without saying a word, and Yukino and Utaha didn't ask any further questions. The three of them tacitly continued to look for their other companions.

However, something was definitely not right.

The city of sunset was vast, and they wandered around for quite a while before encountering the second person. It was the shrine maiden from Ueno Toshogu Shrine, who was sitting with her companion in front of an old bookstore, voraciously reading ancient books and occasionally conjuring up delicate tea and snacks from thin air.

Yukino Yukinoshita, recalling the information sent by her older sister, stepped forward and politely greeted them: "Matsudaira Mako-sama, may I ask where you are?"

The shrine maiden Matsudaira Mako looked up with a hint of annoyance. Seeing that it was them, she quickly composed herself and said, "It's you all. Everyone from Chaldea. Didn't we learn the truth about the ritual from that fat cat? So we thought we'd explore it, and we ended up finding this bookstore."

She touched the bookstore with a beaming smile, saying confidently, "Isn't this a dreamlike realm connected to the subconscious? We discovered many ancient documents and books that had been hidden away, and according to my companion's assessment..."

As she spoke, she pointed to the round-faced shrine maiden next to her who was busy copying. She looked up perfunctorily to acknowledge her, then lowered her head again to continue reading and copying.

“The books here should all be genuine, and the content is authentic. So we’re trying to record them, otherwise if we destroy the ritual later, we’ll never have this opportunity again.” Matsudaira Mako’s eyes sparkled, as if she had discovered some treasure.

Yukino Yukinoshita forced a smile: "This won't affect..."

"It's alright, it's alright!" Matsudaira Mako waved his hand and advised them instead, "As a new organization, you probably don't have much internal knowledge. I suggest you stay and copy it together. You can find some spell notes and experimental notes from other organizations over the past few years here. Even if it turns out to be unreliable in the end, it will only take a little time, which is worthwhile!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha was a little excited when she heard this. She must have noticed some special rare book covers in the bookstore, as she loved books. She looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka expectantly.

Staring into those bright eyes, Fujimaru Ritsuka still resisted the pressure and refused: "I'm sorry, we have other goals, so I'll be going now. Hopefully, we'll have a chance to team up tonight."

"Alright... then we'll team up again later." Matsudaira Mako watched with a hint of regret as Fujimaru Ritsuka dragged the two away, but immediately put it out of her mind and continued to bury herself in reading and copying.

Pulled away by a large sway, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but feel a little resentful: "Fujimaru-kun, I think that shrine maiden had a point. Why didn't we stay and copy some of it down?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka stopped and turned to look at the two of them: "What do you think, Yukinoshita?"

Yukino Yukinoshita nodded in agreement: "That sounds reasonable. At least what that shrine maiden did was quite rational."

"Even you're a little tempted?" Fujimaru Ritsuka rubbed her temples. "Don't you guys find it strange? The matter of the shrine maiden can still be considered rational at the moment, but that man was a bit too indulgent at the beginning."

The two were horrified.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's golden eyes ignited, and a palpable pressure swept over the two of them. Kasumigaoka Utaha clutched her impressive chest: "Indeed, I felt a little tipsy just now too..."

“This is a dream. I see this city in my eyes, with a unique radiance, full of beautiful meaning, inspiring people’s longing.” Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed, pointing to where the man was, and then to the shrine maiden. “The longing for a dream lover, the thirst for knowledge... all are positive emotions, but in this place where one can temporarily realize their desires, they are all distorted in a bizarre way.”

"This dream city seems beautiful and pure, but we are not. We still have distracting thoughts, so it's especially easy to get lost in this almost omnipotent situation."

Kasumigaoka Utaha nervously took out a brush and began drawing talismans, casting a calming spell buff on everyone: "That's why that fat cat said they might go crazy first."

"Get me one too!" A voice rang out from the corner, startling the group.

Turning around, I saw Sasagawa Yagokoro struggling to walk over. His right hand was tightly gripping a bottle of red wine, which he was trying to bring to his lips, while his left hand was pressing down on his right hand. He was covered in sweat: "Hurry up, help me."

"Mr. Sasagawa, what are you doing, Mr. Sasagawa!"

"I'm refusing this 1996 Romanée-Conti! Help! Help me, help ...

Kasumigaoka Utaha silently went over and applied the buff, and Sasagawa Yagokoro breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to throw away the sake, but he still reluctantly placed it on the street.

Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately questioned, "Didn't you bring some calming and soothing items?"

Sasagawa Yagokoi pressed down his deerskin hat sheepishly: "It's not that I was worried the target ritual's effects were too strong, so I specially prepared items to counter malice and mental attacks."

"and then?"

"The key point is that these weren't malicious acts! They were simply temptations!"

34. You used Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, right? (Fourth update, please subscribe)

Sasagawa Yagokoro explained with great enthusiasm why he was so easily tempted: "After I came in, I successfully met up with my teammates whom I had arranged to meet beforehand. One of my teammates, a bear, came out from Elder Cat and kept clamoring to try the vodka made in the Dreamland. We couldn't dissuade him, after all, it's a local custom for bears to drink some vodka before going to the battlefield."

Fujimaru Ritsuka was speechless at how the people who came to help came from all sorts of countries—and most importantly, they all had their own hometown customs.

Sasagawa Yagoko slapped his thigh, excitedly saying, "Guess what? The vodka he made has the same strength and aroma as the ones he's had before. Most importantly, it won't make you drunk!"

"So you bunch of drunkards started drinking?" Yukino Yukinoshita stared at the arrogant and good-for-nothing in front of her with the eyes of someone looking at an insect.

Sasagawa Yagokoi scratched the back of his head, unable to refute the argument, and chuckled.

The reason he ran out was because a group of people were drinking there—although the alcohol didn't have a strong aftereffect and wouldn't make them drunk, they were completely letting loose.

One of the Russian teammates took the lead, stripped naked, and ran naked in the street. Then, the other teammates also got carried away and started running naked.

But Sasagawa Yagokoro wasn't having it. As a skilled marksman, his eyes were sharp, and he had long sensed that his Russian teammate was subtly eyeing his teammate's perky ASS.

So he took the wine and hid, drinking and wandering around. He eventually overheard Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others talking and realized something was wrong.

"No wonder we are like this. If it weren't for your little girlfriend's magic, which makes people mentally clear and almost like machines, I would have no way to break free from those temptations."

Sasakawa Yagokoro felt that his image in the eyes of the three minors was almost as bad as an insect, so he quickly dragged the others into it as well: "Don't mention me, I saw it when I was walking around just now, the other groups weren't much better. Master Kaionji of Senso-ji Temple summoned the phantoms of his deceased wife and daughter and was enjoying the bliss of family life."

"Kashima, the priest of Meiji Shrine, along with his subordinates, prepared a huge feast of delicacies and held a banquet there, inviting friends and relatives, and even arrogantly created a cherry blossom grove."

"Those Onmyoji from the Kansai Spell Association in Kyoto, despite being from a branch of the Tsuchimikado family and known for their extensive knowledge, are still testing spells with what appears to be a spell manual from the main family."

"I heard that the shrine maidens at Ueno Toshogu Shrine who use naginata to cast spells have also become obsessed with copying books? No wonder, they've long since stopped playing melee mages; ranged fireballs are the real romance."

Sasakawa Yagokoi started counting on his fingers, his face full of worry: "Among the dozens of people who came to help, including our team, we are already the most capable. How did we all get stuck? Can we really resolve the ritual tonight?"

Yukino Yukinoshita, her anger rising, revealed her sharp sword: "Why don't we chop them all up a few times? That should bring them back to their senses!"

Sasagawa Yagokoro felt a chill on his back and quickly tried to dissuade him: "No, if you really do that, you'll offend everyone."

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I think we still need to do this.” Fujimaru Ritsuka agreed with Yukino Yukinoshita’s suggestion. He was determined to wake up this group of people, even if it meant being a little rough.

Sasagawa Yagoko couldn't dissuade them, but feeling grateful for their help, he could only sigh and follow behind, hoping to act as a peacemaker later. The five of them marched back in a large group, intending to win over the shrine maidens of Ueno Toshogu Shrine first.

When Matsudaira Mako saw them return, he assumed they had changed their minds and waved happily from over a hundred meters away. Then he sensed something was wrong—why did they look so fierce and menacing?

But before Fujimaru Ritsuka could get close, using physical persuasion, the anomaly had already begun.

Clang~~~Clang~~~

On the western side of the city, near the point where the sun sets, stands a towering clock tower. Its hands, unsurprisingly, point to seven o'clock—even though it was already nearly ten o'clock outside before we entered.

The clock struck the hour, seven loud chimes marking the end of the hour. The setting sun, still hanging in the west, lingering among the distant, illusory mountains, vanished in an instant with lightning speed.

Suddenly, the entire dream world was plunged into darkness.

The surrounding buildings began to tremble, their once beautiful and elegant exteriors now covered in moss. Their pristine appearances rapidly aged, bearing the marks of wind and rain. Some buildings even underwent a dramatic change in their materials, transforming into strangely dark and sinister-colored rocks.

The streets were cracking, shifting, and reforming. The entire city was like a colossal beast awakening, trembling and undergoing earth-shattering changes.

Matsudaira Mako and her fellow shrine maidens gasped in surprise.

Near the city center stood a series of towering temples. Now, one by one, they have collapsed, filling the vast lake they surrounded. The lake's once clear water has turned a deep, dark green, bubbling with strange bubbles.

A tall stone tower rose from the bottom of the lake, completely resembling the real Tokyo Tower but replaced with a stone version.

"Damn it! I haven't finished copying my book yet." Fujimaru Ritsuka heard Matsudaira Mako's frustrated scream from afar, followed by another scream, but he had no time to pay attention to anything else.

The doors of the surrounding buildings were wide open. From those previously tightly closed rooms emerged deep, dark figures, each with a different form, like monsters rising from people's deepest nightmares: pairs of repulsive horns curving inwards, bat-like wings flapping silently, ugly but rather well-suited claws for grasping objects, and numerous tentacles protruding from their bodies, dripping a nauseating black liquid.

The shadowy monsters screamed and pounced on them.

"Well done!" Fujimaru Ritsuka drew his Twilight Muramasa and with a simple sweeping motion, easily cut the several dark figures that rushed at him in two.

The sword felt so effortless that Fujimaru Ritsuka almost lost control of it, something unimaginable for someone who inherited the power of Senji Muramasa and was intimately familiar with swordsmanship.

He became wary, initially thinking that the dismembered shadow might not be completely lifeless, and might even regenerate for a second round...

There was no movement, and the part of the shadowy monster lying on the ground began to slowly dissipate.

How can it be so weak?

Fujimaru Ritsuka has settled in Bengbu for a while.

Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka easily dealt with the four or five shadowy monsters that pounced on them. They exchanged a glance and were both quite incredulous.

"Why are you all so strong?" Sasagawa Yagokoro pulled out two pistols covered in incantations from his chest and quickly fired at the black shadows rushing towards him.

But those seemingly powerful bullets only repelled and injured the shadowy monsters; they didn't even manage to kill them effectively.

Seeing that he was struggling and in a sorry state, Fujimaru Ritsuka took the initiative to rush forward to intercept the shadowy monster—but Twilight Muramasa passed right through him, and the shadowy monster seemed to pass over Fujimaru Ritsuka without any physical form, continuing to pounce on Sasagawa Yagokoro.

What's going on? They can't be hurt at all.

"Don't bother, meow. The shadowy monsters attacking you are all targeting meow. Don't bother meow, it won't help you~" Aki, wearing black-rimmed glasses, leaped over and spoke to them calmly, "In other words, those shadowy monsters are the sins and karma of the other side. They are the negative emotions that they can't get rid of in their own subconscious."

Fujimaru Ritsuka gave Sasagawa Yagokoro a helpless look: "I think it's more than that. The strength of this monster seems to be related to their actions in the city. The more they use their dream-making abilities, the stronger they become."

“What you’re saying isn’t wrong, meow. But it’s not about the ability to create dreams. It’s about how the more you use it, the deeper the connection becomes with them, which is why their strength increases.” Anki Meow licked his paws and wagged his tail. “Don’t blame me, meow. There are some things I can’t say, meow. But it’s good that you understood my hint in the end, meow. So follow me, kids. This time, you’re the main force.”

Fujimaru Ritsuka casually slashed down the black shadow monster that lunged at her: "Stop talking nonsense and lead the way. It keeps respawning, amazing."

35. I have rendered meritorious service to the Party and the country, I have built bridges for you (2k5)

The road to the lake in the center of the city is not long, but it is always teeming with shadowy monsters, which is really annoying.

The shadowy figures all had familiar appearances: some were Shatak birds with horse-like heads, scale-covered bodies, and bat-like wings. Others were Kug giants (the Ghoul Elder from FGO) with arms split in two at the ends and heads split vertically from the top to the chin. Some were Luna beasts with toad-like mouths and tentacles. Still others were ghouls, hunched over like hunting dogs, growling softly.

The difference is that they are entirely composed of deep, dark shadows.