Joe Walker was fast asleep in the back of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Alice was busy driving, and Maria was singing along.
They had successfully passed through the snowy weather in the previous area. This time, their next destination was unknown.
They hadn't found their destination yet, so they just kept driving aimlessly.
This time, they passed through an area with many dead trees and large rock ruins.
They had no idea of the name or location of the place. They didn't have a map or a specific destination from the beginning.
The two girls kept traveling not because they had a destination in mind but simply to survive.
However, today was different. They encountered a stranger named Joe Walker.
Initially, Alice was hesitant to have Joe Walker join their journey. But now, it seemed like her feelings had changed. Though she still didn't fully trust Joe Walker, deep down, she wanted to trust him. She wouldn't admit this to anyone as it was embarrassing for her.
"Hey, Alice, where are we right now?"
"I don't know..."
"This place feels quite warm, don't you think?"
"Hmm..."
"Alice, Joe is sleeping."
"I know..."
"Alice, his sleeping face is cute."
"I don't care..."
"Alice!"
"Hmm..."
"Alice! Alice!"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Look at this!"
"Huh? I'm driving, just tell me now!"
"Water... Falling from the sky! Wow, amazing!"
"Water?"
Alice stretched out her hand and felt the falling water. She felt some drops hitting her hand. As time passed, more and more water touched her hand until she realized her whole body was almost wet from the rain.
"Oh... Rain...," mumbled Alice.
"Water falling from the sky! Water... Water... Magical water! Rainwater is so enjoyable! Rainwater is so mysterious!" Alice sang again with a strange tone.
"Stop singing and look around. Help me find some shelter!"
"Got it, sir Alice!"
"I'm a girl just like you!"
"Hehe..."
Maria spotted a large rock ruin that formed a comfortable shelter.
Maria suggested that Alice drive towards it.
Alice agreed, and they took shelter in the suggested place.
Alice and Maria watched the rain falling and enjoyed the view. The natural sound of rain made their ears feel comfortable.
"It feels so cozy here," Maria said while leaning against the rocks.
"Hmm, you're right...," Alice replied beside Maria.
"Grumble... Hehe," Maria's stomach growled, followed by her small laughter as she looked at Alice.
Alice smiled at the sound and said, "We should eat now before the rain stops."
"Yay!!! Food! Food! Food makes the heart happy! Uhhh, I'm still weak, sorry...," Maria couldn't sing due to weakness from not eating since morning.
"You just lie down here, I'll light a fire and start cooking soup for us."
"Yay! Soup! I love soup! Make the best one! Make the most delicious one!"
"Okay, okay, even though I don't really understand what's written on the soup powder packet. Oh, that's right! Maybe Uncle Joe can read it!"
Alice glanced at Joe Walker, who was still fast asleep. She abandoned the idea of asking Joe Walker for help.
"Alice, did you say something earlier?" Maria asked.
"Nothing, just wait there. Don't mess around when I'm not looking, okay!"
"Okay, bye, bye...," Maria said, rolling around on the rocks nearby.
Alice watched Joe Walker for a while. She remained firm in her decision not to ask for Joe Walker's help. It wasn't about trust this time, she simply didn't want to depend on someone else.
Meanwhile, in another place, in the dream world where Joe Walker currently resided.
Joe Walker was sitting on a chair created by his imagination. There was another chair facing him, occupied by Sebastian.
As usual, Sebastian's black suit and monkey mask made Joe Walker feel uneasy. However, even more strangely, Joe Walker was starting to get used to Sebastian's odd appearance.
"Sebastian, don't you feel awkward?"
"Awkward? Why?"
"Your mask! Hasn't anyone told you that your taste is strange?"
"So, you find this strange?"
"Of course! You... And why are you wearing a black suit? You look like a mafia in a black suit."
"Mafia?"
"Rich criminals in my world."
"Criminals? So, I look like a criminal?"
"Yes, when I first saw you, I suspected I was being kidnapped by the mafia! Do you know how panicked I was then?"
"S-sorry."
"If you've realized, that is good."
Joe Walker felt proud to make Sebastian feel guilty.
Haha, this is fun... Feel it! That's payback for making me panic when we first met!
By the way, where am I right now? All I see is endless white, no end in sight. This must be my dream world.
I remember falling asleep without a blanket before. Ugh, it's painful to remember.
But, there's no other choice, it's all for Alice.
Joe Walker smiled genuinely without realizing it.
"Um, I can hear you, you know...," Sebastian said to Joe Walker.
"...," Joe Walker was confused by what Sebastian meant. He fell silent with a dumbfounded look.
"It seems you're getting closer to those two girls, huh?" Sebastian said again, slowly making Joe Walker realize what Sebastian was talking about.
"Ahhh! Embarrassing! Wait, stop listening to my thoughts!"
"I didn't mean to, it just happened."
Joe Walker quickly approached Sebastian and grabbed his collar.
"What do you mean 'it just happened'!? Do you think I'm stupid, huh?"
"Yes, you are indeed stupid..."
Joe Walker got angry and shouted, "What did you say! Say it again if you dare!"
"You are stupid..."
"If you dare say I'm stupid again, I'll hit you!"
"You are stupid!"
"You dare, huh! Alright, take this punch from me!"
Joe Walker tried to punch Sebastian's face, but Sebastian easily dodged the blow.
As his punch missed, Joe Walker fell forward, hitting his head on the floor.
Feeling even more frustrated, Joe Walker stood up on his own.
Joe Walker erupted in anger and shouted, "Hey, why did you dodge!?"
"Which fool wouldn't dodge when someone wants to punch their face?"
"Ugh... Let me punch your face once! You're a real man, right?"
"Sigh... From the beginning, I'm neither a man nor a woman. But..., fine, go ahead and hit me if you want."
Joe Walker was impressed by that.
Oh, why did he suddenly become obedient? I don't care, as long as I can punch his face now. Hehe, but... He said he's neither a man nor a woman, that makes me a bit hesitant...
Ah, forget it, he already gave me permission! Ahaha
"You really allow me to do this, right?"
"Yes, if it makes you satisfied."
"Ugh, it sounds a bit selfish of me."
"You are indeed selfish."
"Ugh... That's true, but who cares."
Joe Walker prepared to punch Sebastian's face.
"You won't dodge and make me look like a fool again, right?"
"No need, even without me doing it, you've been a fool from the start."
"Ugh..."
Joe Walker felt increasingly frustrated with Sebastian's disrespectful attitude.
Ugh... This person is making me more irritated. But, that's the Sebastian I know.
Joe Walker smiled at the moment.
Ahaha, this way, I can see his face. The face behind this annoying monkey mask.
From the beginning, this is what I aimed for, you fell into my trap, oh Sebastian. Dignity? Real man? Who cares about that? I don't care, as long as I have fun to get rid of my boredom.
"Hyaaa!!!" Joe Walker began to advance as fast as he could and punched Sebastian's face.
Unfortunately, his fist went through Sebastian's face as if Sebastian wasn't there at all. Joe Walker's body also didn't collide with Sebastian's, but passed through as if Sebastian wasn't present in that place.
"Ha?" Joe Walker mumbled, confused by the situation.
"Ahahaha, you really are truly foolish. Do you think someone can get hurt in a dream world?"
"What do you mean?"
"The dream world is something unreal. But the dream world is very useful as a means of communication. Moreover, in each person's dream world, there is no limit. This means that person is the god in their own dream world."
"What does that have to do with you not being able to hit me?"
"Entering someone's dream world means that person becomes a 'visitor'. And someone who is a 'visitor' in another person's dream world can't do anything but 'observe'. However, a 'visitor' also can't be harmed by a 'dreamer'. You are currently a 'dreamer', while I am a 'visitor'. From the start, our bodies are astral bodies. Do you understand?"
"Yes, mostly..."
"Well, you don't need to understand it too much. Especially since you're foolish."
Feeling annoyed by that, Joe Walker shouted, "I'm not foolish! I just don't know that!"
Sebastian suddenly clapped his hands once and said, "Alright, let's end the joke here."
"You!" Joe sighed to calm his emotions and continued, "So, what made you enter my dream world?"
"Oyaya..."
"Oyaya?"
"I thought you would keep wanting to punch me like a child."
"You're the one who told me to stop! You really make me irritated! You want to fight huh? You want to fight right? Come on, step forward if you dare!" After saying this, Joe Walker looked like a boxer ready to fight.
Sebastian chuckled until he had to wipe the tears under his mask.
Joe Walker calmly sat back in his seat. Sebastian did the same.
Afterward, Sebastian suddenly asked, "So, what do you want to talk about with me?"
"What do you mean? Weren't you the one who suddenly entered my dream world?"
"No, you seem to misunderstand something. I entered your dream world not because I wanted to talk to you. In fact, I entered your dream world because you wanted to talk to me."
"Huh? No, I never felt like wanting to meet you. You must be mistaken, right? Ahaha, you... So angels can make mistakes too? Ahahaha, haha... Ahaha..."
"...," Sebastian just watched Joe Walker, who was forcing himself to smile.
Joe Walker hid something from Sebastian, and Sebastian was aware of it. However, Sebastian chose to remain silent, waiting for Joe Walker to be honest with himself.
Joe Walker started to swallow his saliva. His lips felt dry and it was hard to speak. His throat felt hot and very painful.
It's strange that even in a dream world, a human can feel pain like this. A dream should be something controlled by its owner. Just like what's happening now. All of this is happening because of Joe Walker's own will.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Joe?"
"No... Um, I'm having difficulty breathing."
"Isn't it because you want it?"
"I... It's very difficult... to speak..."
"But, you wanted it yourself."
"My throat feels very sore!"
"While you're a 'dreamer' in your dream world, you can do anything in your dream world. So, in the end, it's all what you want."
"But..."
"Why?"
"Ha?"
"Why are you holding back?"
"...," after that, Joe Walker fell silent, unable to say anything.
"Is it because of your dignity?"
"..."
"Is it because you're embarrassed?"
"..."
"Is it because you want to give up?"
That word, just 'give up'. Joe Walker knew what Sebastian was talking about. Because from the start, he was someone who already knew from the beginning.
"N-no! That's not it!" Joe Walker denied the 'give up' that Sebastian meant.
"So, what is it that makes you hold back? So, it's true that you still have dignity?"
"Ugh..."
"From the beginning, your dignity in my eyes has been gone since you held back."
Joe Walker thought hard for a few seconds until he was determined to say what was on his mind.
With a loud voice, Joe Walker shouted, "Huff, fine! I know I have to say this from the beginning! I know it, damn it!"
"Say it to me now."
"Heh... You already know what I want to say right now."
Sebastian pretended not to know and said, "What do you mean?"
Joe Walker smiled, then his face turned serious as he said, "I feel like I'm just burdening them."
"...," Sebastian remained silent, smiling at Joe Walker.
"What are you doing!? Stop smiling like that, damn you!"
"Uh, you're so mean, yet your nature is so gentle in front of them both."
"They are different, you know. Despite being young, they can still smile together in the midst of that cruel world."
"Oyaya, has your sympathy towards humans grown?"
"From the beginning, I still have a heart. What do you think I am?"
"A heartless 'outer god'."
"Do you know how annoying your nature is?"
"Don't worry, I'm like this only in front of you, Mr. Joe."
"Knowing that only makes me more irritated!"
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry, so what's really bothering you?"
"You should already know, right?"
"Yes, I listened to your heart before you fell asleep in the snowdrift. Seeing you at that moment made me unable to stop laughing, ahahaha. The girl's name is Alice, right? That child is quite fierce, isn't she? Ahahaha."
"But what she did was reasonable. To them, I must be a strange passenger in their vehicle. I was even given food, you know? I even accepted it, even though I knew I would be fine if I died..."
"But you initially refused, right?"
"That's true, but in the end, I still accepted it. My survival instinct made me accept the food just like that. I was even given a blanket, although I didn't use it because I can fly."
"Ahahaha..."
Joe Walker shouted to stop Sebastian's laughter, "but!..."
Sebastian smiled and said, "but you didn't do anything for them?"
"Ugh... yes..."
"You feel useless, you feel like a burden, you feel unneeded. That's why before sleeping, you pondered, 'am I really needed here?'."
"...," Joe Walker fell silent, unable to look at Sebastian at that moment. He could only look down. He was too embarrassed to face Sebastian, who knew his inner thoughts.
"Are you relieved now?"
"Relieved? Relieved... So that's it, I'm relieved," shortly after that, Joe Walker smiled.
Joe Walker stood up from his chair and started doing warm-up exercises.
Curious about his strange behavior, Sebastian asked, "What are you doing?"
Instead of answering Sebastian's question, Joe Walker said, "Thank you, Sebastian."
"Huh? Why are you thanking me?"
"Because of you, I feel relieved. Now I have regained my spirit," Joe Walker said as he continued with his warm-up exercises.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, I'm awake now. Just complaining won't achieve anything! I have to try not to be a burden to them from now on."
"That's good, I'm glad to see your spirit has returned."
"Hmm... It seems I will wake up soon. Before that, I want you to tell me something, Sebastian."
"What?"
"Can that world be saved?"
"...," Sebastian smiled after hearing that question.
Joe Walker's astral body began to glow, indicating that he was starting to wake up from his sleep.
"Hey, I will wake up soon! Answer me now!"
"I don't know, I'm also wondering," Sebastian said, maintaining his smile.
"Don't joke with me right now! I know you know something! Tell me now!"
"Don't worry, you will find out for yourself. I can guarantee that."
"You scoundrel!" Slowly, Joe Walker's astral body and voice disappeared from that dream world.
Likewise, his dream world began to shatter into pieces.
"It seems it's time for me to go back too. Farewell, Mr. Joe, enjoy your journey," Sebastian said before also disappearing from that crumbling dream world.