September… Not only will that be the beginning of a new year at the high school, but it will also be much more of a change than that…
I walk through the park, admiring the last heat of the summer, only to be drawn into a Daydream adorned with many stereos that blasted some annoying dance theme as a strange Dream Demon stood up and exclaims as he spots me, "Oh… Looks like I have drawn in some prey…"
I look around and see the Sheep, John Doe, and a confused Yumeji standing across the way…
The Sheep then roars zealously as she pulled out her key, "Are you another follower of Pharos? If so, I am here to send you back…"
The strange demon replies with a grin, "It was nice for Elcres to invite me here… I am the Hunter, and you are the Hunted… Understand?"
The Sheep then snarls as she kicks the strange demon through the Yume-mon which appears quickly only to intercept the odd enemy, "Shut up!"
John Doe then looks at the Sheep and says with a chuckle, "Looks like that demon was not a difficult one… But… I wonder why the boy is here…"
I chuckle as I walk over to them and reply with a bow, "Let's get out of this ugly place, eh? I will explain everything back in Reality…"
The Sheep throws us a nod as the dream quickly fades, leaving us standing next to one another in a quiet corner of the park…
John Doe, who seems to have taken a feline vessel, crosses his slender arms and exclaims with a chuckle, "Well… Summoning me and my garden into the daydream DID exceed my normal expectations… You seem to have powers similar to that of Pharos and Yumechi here… Your will also seems to transcend that of most mortals, and your personality is similar to us Dream Demons…"
The Sheep then inquires as she interrupts John Doe, "What are you implying, Cat Mask?"
John chuckles and replies as he stares Yumeji directly in the eye, "Kid, are you…sure that you are human?"
I chuckle and reply with a grin, "Actually, he is human… But, one with exceptional talents…"
Yumeji then nods in agreement and replies with zeal, "Yeah! I am definitely human! I was born and raised in the real world!"
Oh, John… You disappoint me in how you haven't been paying attention on the truth… You chase it, yet you never completely reach it…
John chuckles and replies with glee as he looks at me, "You seem to know the truth… Care to share?"
I then put my finger over my grinning mouth as I exclaim with glee, "In time, Chaser-san… If you want to know, please wait until I choose to tell you the prologue… And I promise to never disappoint."
The Sheep chuckles and says to Yumeji and John Doe, "Well, shall we go home to recharge?"
Yumeji nods and says as he begins down the path with John Doe in his hand, "Hai! We will be just in time for dinner…"
I then say with a chuckle as Merry begins to follow, "Have a good rest of the summer, Yumeji-kun… The next time we meet will be under the gloomy skies of Autumn…"
Yumeji cracks a slight smile and replies with a chuckle, "Looking forward to it, Yumechi…"
The first autumn leaves now replace the summer heat… School has now begun… Wow, never thought I would improvise a thought in haiku…
But whatever… At least with that bastard devil-vessel gone, my job will be a thousand times easier with the lowered chance of Dream Loss… But, that nightmare I saw that night…
I wonder how and when it will strike, and whether or not the pieces will be in place at that time.
And just who is this transfer student? His behavior is odd, but he seems able of body and mind despite such abnormalties… And he seems quite popular… Interesting.
Just then, Isana entered my office and said in a meek voice, "Um… Ayumu-sensei… Can I talk to you?"
I chuckle as I fold my fingers together, "Sure… Have a seat, Isana Tachibana-chan… Let me guess, from your restless form, you had a nightmare last night…"
Isana nods and says with a sigh, "Yes… And I talked to my classmates as well… They strangely are having the same dream…"
I chuckle as I inquire further, "Oh? What happened in the dream?"
Before she could answer, the receptionist said on my intercom, "Ayumu-sama, the slitted-eyed girl is here again… Should I send her to you rather than let the school ethics manager have at her?"
I reply with a sigh, "Yes… Please do that…"
Isana then raises an eyebrow as she says to herself, "Merry is here again? I wonder why…"
I then say with a nod as I wave Isana off, "Do not worry, Tachibana-chan… I have a feeling that whatever is afflicting your mind shall make itself evident soon… Now, can you send Merry-chan in on your way out as well as spread the word to the others who are afflicted with the same nightmares?"
Isana replies with a nod as she exits my office, "Understood, Sensei… I hope you are correct…"
I am… Just not in the way you understand yet…
As the Sheep enters my office, I say with a chuckle, "You come to school so often, yet no one thought of enrolling you as a part-time student…"
The Sheep replies with a frown, "It would inhibit my time and I would have to wear that horrid outfit for so much time each day… It is bad enough that I must work at STO…"
I chuckle as my true eyes show themselves, "No matter… Looks like I should not hide this from you any longer… Although Ijima and Mystleteinn are gone… I have a feeling that there is still some evil force looming over this school…"
The Sheep then narrows her eyes and says with annoyance, "What do you mean?"
I open the drawer where I keep my mask and say with glee as I put it on, "A nightmare…no, a Dream Demon may be lurking about, searching for a vessel once more… Or much more than that…"
However, before the Sheep could reply, reality twisted into a daydream and I appear in Yumeji's homeroom with Merry left behind at my office as a ghostly figure appears with duplicates nearby and exclaims in a raspy voice, "My name is Familiar Legion… And you are all my vessels…"
I lean on a desk as my cloak of nightmares forms over my normal clothes and exclaim with glee, "So, you are the haunt that has been biding his time all summer… Infecting student's dreams with your shadows… Claiming multiple vessels at once… How ignorant and brash you are!"
Legion replies with a snarl as he swiftly comes towards me, "You…are…arrogant… Farewell!"
Yumeji then snarls as his eye's pupils flash another shape, forming his fist into a ranged attack, "Lucid Gadget: Rocket Punch!"
Legion swiftly dodges it, taking its eyes off me for a bit, and says with glee, "Interesting… Not like you can harm me as such though…"
I then summon many tendrils of shadow which constrict Legion tightly with the window of opportunity left by Yumeji's distraction as I say with glee, "But, I can…"
Legion hisses with fury as he struggles within my umbral grip, "Just how? Who are you?"
I straighten my mask and reply with a chuckle, "My name is Dokushi Yumechi, the pensive crusader! And you are not welcome in Reality…"
Legion chuckles as his single wicked eye focuses on me, "Oh? And what do you plan to do about it, Yumechi?"
I chuckle again and reply gleefully as I unsheathe Reasonslayer, "I intend to exorcise you, foul spirit!"