『 Seeing that the Pepeshi seemed to have been scared out of his wits by March 7th, Stelle immediately gave March a respectful bow, "Greetings, March 7th, the Ghost of Dreamflux Reef!"
Hearing this title, March immediately flared up in anger. She raised her hand as if to strike, huffing, "Wh-What ghost! Watch it, or I'll bonk you!" 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Why is it that the moment we meet, you have to start being so abstract?
〘Stelle〙: It's fun~
....
『 After complaining about Stelle, March sighed and continued, "Sigh, he's convinced that he's dead… Though to be fair, when I first fell in, I thought the same thing."
"Honored guest, this is not the afterlife. This is Dreamflux Reef," Misha looked at the shivering Pepeshi and explained patiently.
"Exactly, exactly," March 7th nodded, chiming in with Misha's words. "Did you hear that? Repeat after me: Dream. Flux. Reef."
However, seeing all this, the Pepeshi's eyes widened like saucers. He looked in terror at March 7th in front of him and the direction she had just looked back at. His body couldn't help but tremble again, his voice laced with obvious fear.
"Y-You're even chatting back and forth with things that aren't there! If I'm not dead, then what am I?!"
"Wuu, wuuu… I shouldn't have courted death by challenging the taboo, trying to fall asleep inside a dream… Curiosity killed the Pepeshi!"
As his emotions grew more and more agitated, the Pepeshi's voice began to choke up, and his already pale face turned completely bloodless. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: With things that aren't there? Is he talking about Misha?
〘Black Swan〙: Do you still remember when Stelle and Acheron met again? At that time, neither Miss Hotaru nor Miss Acheron could see little Misha.
〘·HSR· Welt Yang〙: And in our previous conversation with Miss Kaimee, she didn't mention little Misha beside us at all throughout the entire exchange.
〘Herta〙: Interesting. Looking at it this way, he is a Memory Zone Meme. Combined with the characteristic that only the Express Crew can see him, it is self-evident who created him.
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: By the way, if you can get in just by falling asleep in a dream, why did you have to get stabbed by Death?
〘Stelle〙: Good question. Maybe because it's more convenient for round trips.
....
『 "What do you mean by 'things that aren't there'?" Stelle asked curiously.
"D-Don't ask anymore! It'll draw the monsters over! All the dead people are here, all of them…!"
"Uh, you're not talking about Memory Zone Memes, are you…" March 7th said uncertainly.
"Don't say that name! It's all your fault! Th-They're here!" The Pepeshi screamed in terror, then his body went limp, and he collapsed straight onto the ground, fainting dead away. 』
『 ....』
〘Sampo〙: Ah, to be young. Falling asleep the moment your head hits the ground.
〘Bernice〙: What a peaceful posture. By the way, why does it look a bit familiar?
〘Belle〙: How could it not look familiar? Wasn't I placed on the sofa by you guys in this exact posture back then?
....
『 Along with the Pepeshi's collapse, several Memory Zone Memes seemed to be drawn over. Snarling and clawing, they lunged at Stelle and the others.
After the group resolved them without breaking a sweat, March 7th put away her bow and looked at the Pepeshi on the ground, asking, "Hmm… what do we do with this guy?"
"He fainted. No doubt his negative emotions were too intense, drawing the nearby Memory Zone Memes," Welt analyzed.
"Oh… But why aren't the other people around here scared?" March 7th scratched her head in confusion. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: They're probably used to it. Back when I was in free fall, no one was scared either. They all took out their phones to take pictures.
〘March 7th〙: There's still a difference between those two things, right…
....
『 Misha explained, "Unlike the Golden Hour, people here don't treat Memory Zone Memes as monsters… Even if there is real danger, they can escape the dream through an emergency wake-up."
"But this gentleman… we can't just leave him in the street. Can we take him to a safe place?"
March 7th nodded, saying she had already gotten acquainted with the residents here, and there was a bar not far away where they could take the Pepeshi.
So, led by March 7th, Stelle and Welt arrived at a bar deep in an alley. Upon entering, March 7th quickly greeted the boss behind the counter.
"Auntie Jessie, good evening! Uh… does this count as evening?"
"Ah, Miss March 7th, welcome. And these are…" Jessie greeted her with a smile upon seeing March, then sized up Stelle, Welt, and the Pepeshi that Stelle was carrying.
"These two are my companions! As for the one on the ground… hehe, he's a scaredy-cat who fainted from fright." March 7th scratched her head and smiled.
Jessie chuckled upon hearing this. "Haha, I get it, I get it. Another one who accidentally stumbled in here. Just leave him here." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: So practiced.
〘Jessie〙: Opening a bar here, you're bound to run into people who unfortunately end up here. Over time, you get used to it.
〘Jessie〙: Haha, indeed. Though someone fainting directly from fright like this is still quite rare.
....
『 After laughing, she sighed, "Sigh, there have been more and more unfamiliar faces lately. A lot must have happened in the Dreamscape. The few remaining free lands in Asdana won't know peace either…"
Hearing Jessie's complaint, Welt asked, "Is this kind of thing common?"
"I wouldn't call it common, but the frequency is getting higher. This is probably one of the signs of the Dreamscape collapsing," Jessie waved her hand, replying as she wiped a glass.
After wiping the glass clean and putting it away, Jessie glanced at the Pepeshi on the ground, then looked at March 7th. "This gentleman has suffered quite a shock. Miss March 7th, could you help me find a Halovian girl? Her singing can heal mental trauma."
"A Halovian girl…?"
"She must be referring to Robin. Right now, she is also in Dreamflux Reef," Welt explained to the puzzled March 7th.
"Eh?! Miss Robin? Isn't she—" March 7th was shocked at first, but then seemed to realize something and clapped her hands. "Oh, right! If Miss Hotaru is safe and sound, Miss Robin must have gone through the same experience!"
"Misha here was just about to take us to meet her to get to the bottom of this. But before that, let's meet up with Himeko first. You were with her earlier, right?"
March 7th nodded. "We were at the residential area earlier and met quite a few stowaways. Most of them came from neighboring star systems."
"They say that places like Dreamflux Reef aren't unique in Asdana's Memory Zone. They're like small islands in the ocean. They already existed before the Family arrived."
"I also heard another rumor: they say when Dreamflux Reef was first starting out, this place was actually the center of Penacony!"
Welt nodded upon hearing this. "If that rumor is true, it would explain the many similarities between the Dreamscape and this place."
"Himeko should still be asking that person for information. Shall we hurry up and head out?"
Stelle and Welt nodded. Led by March 7th, they soon saw Himeko chatting with a scruffy, muscular uncle.
Himeko nodded from time to time. As the group drew closer, they heard her sigh with emotion.
"So that's how it is… I really didn't expect to piece together the remaining information here." 』
『 ....』