The comments section all think I'm a really good person.

Chise's expression at that moment seemed somewhat complicated.

She frowned slightly, looking at Shiori Hachiya with increasing disdain.

However, Shiori Hachiya also seems to be a bit silly, lacking the intelligence to lie and deceive herself.

Even if she was lying, he could still tell that something was wrong with Shiori Hachiya's face.

In conclusion, Bee Valley was not lying.

She genuinely didn't see any other ability users in the dream world, nor did she find any trace of the dream world being altered.

...Tsk, a high-rise hero who eats for free.

Having failed to obtain the information she sought and being unable to conduct her own investigation due to the damage to her soul, Chise became displeased.

Then, Chise took the initiative to disconnect from the dream, kicking Shiori Hachitani out of her dream in one fell swoop.

When the latter woke up, recalling Chise's expression, Shiori Hachiya found it inexplicably fascinating.

"Could it be that someone I know is trapped in my dream?" she muttered in confusion, but in a rather pleasant mood.

Even when she was brushing her teeth and bent over to spit out the toothpaste foam, she felt a sudden dizziness and almost hit her head on the mirror in the sink... she was still in a good mood.

Shiori Hachiya stretched and made herself a cup of coffee while waiting for the bread machine to start.

I'm still very sleepy... but I can't sleep anymore.

As she uses her abilities more frequently and for longer periods, Shiori Hachiya has found it increasingly difficult to fall asleep naturally.

Even when they are asleep, they will appear in the dream world over time.

But that state can hardly be considered rest.

Sleep is a monster to her now.

That world was catching up at an extraordinary speed, with a terrifying momentum that wouldn't stop until it devoured her.

The last time Shiori Hachiya had this feeling was when she was almost assimilated by a dream.

Fortunately, after she modified her core of consciousness, the constraints imposed upon it pulled her back.

Now, the distant call from the dream world grows ever more deafening.

Shiori Hachiya did ask others, but no one really knew much about this kind of ability.

Among her colleagues, only Jun Furuhashi, who had successfully advanced to the second level and gained a deeper understanding of her abilities, offered her advice:

"If you don't want to completely detach yourself from your human identity, it's best to refuse."

Shiori Hachiya looked at the other's enormous bony tail and its body structure, which was clearly no longer within the realm of normal humans, and gave a vague reply.

Looking back now, Ms. Furuhashi was right.

But people will always encounter unavoidable choices.

Shiori Hachiya looked at herself in the mirror, rinsed the face wash off with water, and the water wet her bangs and eyelashes, making her red eyes seem a little more moist.

She raised her eyebrows, admired herself for a while, and then smiled brightly: "I'm really pretty."

Shiori Hachiya is quite proud of her face, which is beautiful enough even without makeup.

Even in this sickly state, there is a unique kind of beauty.

The wind billowed the curtains in her room, and on the open book on her study desk, several passages were highlighted:

Their ethereal and otherworldly qualities cannot be explained by ordinary viewpoints, and the subtle excitement and unease they bring may offer a fleeting glimpse into a spiritual realm, no less important than real life, yet isolated from it by an almost insurmountable barrier.

Perhaps, when people lose their earthly consciousness, they will dwell in another invisible life form completely different from the life forms we know, and when we awaken, only a few subtle and vague memories will remain.

We can perhaps only speculate that in dreams, life, matter, and vitality—things we know and are familiar with—are not necessarily constant; and that space and time do not exist as we perceive them when we are awake. Sometimes, I believe that this less real life is a more authentic life, and the empty time we spend on this small, watery planet is secondary, or merely a visual phenomenon.

157. The Director Who Lost Love

"Yuan Yuan, look this way... Do you still recognize me?"

Holding Kita Kirihara's hand tightly, Aijo Karen, upon learning of Kita Kirihara's defeat at the theater, quickly found Ooba Nana and took Kita Kirihara back to her dormitory.

She leaned closer to Kita Kirihara, her face very close, her pink eyes brimming with concern, and you could vaguely see tears welling up in them.

The stage girl, whose emotional fluctuations always seem excessive, doesn't actually perform everything that she does.

Love City's personality matches her name perfectly; she always has a lot of emotions surging within her, and sometimes her enthusiasm is so intense that it can be a little overwhelming.

She is like a dazzling sun, always tirelessly radiating warmth to those around her.

Of course, this was a performance under the camera's lens.

[Ah Yuan seems to be alright?]

Although it seems that the brilliance was stolen by the banana, I actually doubt that what the banana displayed in front of Chief Koizumi was truly the brilliance of Ahara.

[Didn't some experts already deduce that Banana set up the underground theater to extend Ahara's lifespan, so it's impossible for her to take something so important from Ahara?]

So... what Koizumi experienced wasn't Ahara's brilliance?

Putting everything else aside, those lines about A-Yuan's taste were just...too twisted.

I think those are the culprits that weakened Ahara's body. Banana extracted the shimmering substance and then fed it to Koizumi as revenge.

[You've made other people's wives cry!]

【banana...bad girl...】

But to be honest, when I saw Koizumi crying... I got excited.

【Grass】

[Also, when Banana bullied a three-year-old and made him cry, the panicked and guilty expression on her face was also very cute hhhhhhhh]

[banana: I haven't even said anything harsh, why are you crying?]

[All bark and no bite, huh?]

[After all, the core of a banana is soft.]

There's nothing wrong with saying that.

[It seemed like Banana really wanted to have sex, but the other person started crying like a child, and she immediately lost all interest!]

【Grass】

[Trying to use force on the very first official encounter? Banana Bro says, this is a serialized story!]

[The next issue will be closed! 】

A strange smell is wafting out (annoying)

Faced with Ai Cheng Hua Lian's concern, Bei Qie blinked slightly, looking a little uneasy.

Then, she grasped Ai Cheng Hua Lian's hand in return, giving her a reassuring smile: "I'm fine, Hua Lian."

The stage girl, whose signature is a crown, was still uneasy. She leaned closer and asked, "Are you really okay? If you feel anything is wrong, you must tell me... Oh, right!"

Ai Cheng Hua Lian suddenly remembered something. She pulled out a scale from under her bed and said solemnly, "Yuan Yuan, come and weigh yourself!"

Kitakihara: "...?"

She was about to refuse when she heard Ai Cheng Hua Lian's serious words:

"If it were the normal Yuan Yuan, she would definitely keep her distance from me cautiously. But you didn't push me away just now! I almost kissed you! Something's definitely not right! Something must have been taken away from me!"

[Damn, what kind of twisted way of identifying Brother Lian?]

To be honest, although it sounds strange, it seems to make a lot of sense...

[Ah Yuan does maintain a cautious distance from others, which gives me the impression that "he's settled down now that he's married"... So Ah Yuan is a good boy, a good boy, a loyal dog who would never betray his lover.]

[It's probably because she's very considerate of Koizumi's feelings. Last time, after realizing that Koizumi was jealous because she hadn't kept proper distance from others, she teased the chief a couple of times, and then very tactfully distanced herself from the others.]

[That's true. Normally, if Lian-gege pounced on me like that, A-Yuan would instinctively back away... but not today?]

A dazed look appeared on Kita Kirihara's face.

Upon hearing this, she did not immediately push away Aicheng Hualian.

She realized there was a problem.

This problem arose from the odd things Ai Cheng Hua Lian pointed out, and finally, it was fully formed when she herself lost about 100 grams of weight.

[It seems like a part of my brilliance has been separated from...?] Kita Kirihara pondered in the character card's telepathic communication channel, [Wait...]

She thought she would have more "Shining" in total, but it seems she didn't have as much as she had imagined.

Some of it has already been recovered through what Nana Ohba ate, and the rest... ah, it was all eaten by Saki.

Kita Kirihara felt a part of his heart thinning, but he was not yet sure which part he had fed to Koizumi Saki.

[Please don't let it be my twisted sense of humor.] Kita Kirihara felt absolutely no regret; he could even laugh out loud, discussing with the character cards, [Although I think those things will probably never run out... but what if?]

Despite losing a large dose of "Shining," the director was still able to laugh out loud with ease, which was truly remarkable.

[Based on the taste, I don't think it's likely to be a lighthearted mood.] Nana Ohba sighed. [Actually, I already have a guess.]

The most prominent quality of the female director is almost synonymous with the emotion she embodies—that radiant quality.

—No matter how you look at it, it can only be 【love】, right?

That magical and profound flavor cannot be explained by other characteristics.

Only Kita Kirihara's most persistent, deepest, and most intense love for [a certain person] possesses a complex flavor that blends sourness, bitterness, and sweetness.

Nana Oba noticed the change in Kita Kirihara.

It's like temporarily unloading a heavy burden; the perspective on problems becomes less serious, and even the smile on the face becomes more relaxed.

[Director, you...] Nana Ohba was worried. She realized that Kita Kirihara might be noticed by Saki Koizumi, and wanted to remind him to be more careful.

Let's try to get that part back as much as possible.

That's what Nana Ohba wanted to say.

[Shh.] Kita Kirihara interrupted Ooba Nana, chuckling lightly, [Don't worry, Banana, I know what I'm doing.]

Not only did Nana Oba express her concern, but Karen Aijo also looked at her with worried eyes.

Only Kita Kirihara himself felt much lighter, both physically and mentally.