Dream?
"What's the matter, kid? You suddenly look spaced out."
"Eh—?"
Called out by a stern-looking man with a striking white scar across his face, Subaru Natsuki unintentionally let out a dazed sound.
His reaction made the man's scar twist even more fiercely.
"I. Asked. You. What's your decision? About the Appa, are you buying it or not?"
"Wha—?"
"The Appa! You said you wanted to eat it, didn't you? But then you suddenly blanked out... So, what's it gonna be?"
The muscular, scarred man held a small, cute red fruit in his palm, one that looked much like an apple. Subaru looked between the fruit and the man's face.
"Oh, oh, wait a second."
"Uh, I think... I don't have any money."
Subaru instinctively reached into his pocket for money, but the gold coins were gone. Instead, what he found was his fully intact cell phone.
"What the hell! Just asking and not buying? Go on, get lost! This is a business, not a Q&A session."
Shoved away by the merchant, Subaru stumbled off past the shop.
Then he looked around.
"Huh? Huh?—What's going on here?"
He wasn't talking to anyone in particular; just speaking his confusion out loud took all his focus.
The busy main street was still bustling with people.
Besides the occasional lizard-drawn cart, the road was packed with pedestrians.
The sun was shining brightly but not unbearably hot.
Still, seeing a beastman that looked like a humanoid wolf covered in fur made him instinctively think, "Wow, that looks hot."
Not only that, but his favorite tracksuit was still spotless—no dust or dirt at all.
His plastic shopping bag was intact, and his phone and wallet were still snugly in his pockets.
In every way, it felt like he had returned to square one.
With jumbled memories, Subaru desperately tried to recall what had happened before he lost consciousness.
"I see... so this is what they mean by 'day thoughts, night dreams.' I must be dreaming right now because the experience of crossing into another world this morning left such a strong impression.
Still, I haven't had a dream this vivid in a while.
The last time was probably when I watched a horror movie and dreamed about being chased by a ghost."
Subaru chuckled to himself, then looked at the familiar trio of thugs in front of him and sighed.
"Why are you three in my dream too? Well, I guess it makes sense. I was almost beaten to death by you guys, so dreaming about you is only natural. It's probably just part of the setup for Reinhild's grand entrance."
"Yo—kid, why don't you come and play with us a little?"
"Hey, what's with that dumb look?"
"Still haven't figured things out, huh? Want us to explain it to you?"
The three thugs sneered at Subaru with wicked grins. Looking at them closely, it almost felt like he was watching a comedy skit. They were the textbook definition of petty punks—unkempt, thuggish faces, clearly lacking in education and decency.
Subaru couldn't help but feel a bitter sense of familiarity with the situation.
"Yep, definitely a dream. If I just get beat up according to the script, she'll show up, right? Even if it doesn't hurt in a dream, it's still kinda annoying. Do I really have to just obediently get beat up by these three again?"
"What're you babbling about? Your brain broken or something?"
The thugs jeered at Subaru.
Their mocking tone only made Subaru more irritated, especially since he was hoping Reinhild would show up soon.
After all, Subaru was never the type to just take a beating without fighting back—he wouldn't have started a fight in the real world otherwise.
"Listen up, kid. Hand over everything you've got, and we'll let you go."
"Act like a dog, too! Get down on all fours and bark for help~!"
"Don't get cocky, you pieces of crap! You're just figments of my dream!"
Their over-the-top demands snapped Subaru's final nerve.
His sudden outburst caught the thugs off guard.
Among the stunned trio, Subaru locked onto the scrawniest one first.
In reality, that guy had been the most dangerous since he had a knife.
"You first! A dumbass who doesn't value his life can go die!"
He slammed his fist, packed with all his strength, into the man's chin, sending him flying.
Then he punched him again mid-air, slamming the thug into a wall, where he collapsed unconscious.
Subaru immediately swept the legs out from under the second thug.
The sudden escalation left the punks floundering.
The second man crashed to the ground, and Subaru used the opening to charge the last thug.
He tackled him low, driving the man into the wall.
With a groan of pain, the thug buckled, and Subaru added a finishing kick.
Then he turned back to the second guy and provocatively beckoned him.
"Come on! One-on-one! Let's do this fair and square!"
"A punk like you dares to talk about fairness!? You damn brat!"
Furious and red-faced, the man lunged at Subaru, grabbing him in a rush of adrenaline-fueled rage, trying to slam him against the wall.
"So naive!"
Subaru reversed the grip, using superior wrist strength to wrench the man's hands off his shoulders.
Seeing the fear on the thug's face made Subaru grin wickedly.
"Don't underestimate the time I gained by skipping school. I've been swinging a wooden sword every day for no reason! My grip strength's over seventy kilos. I can deadlift eighty too—hyah!"
The man cried out as his wrist was nearly crushed.
As he lost balance, Subaru kneed him in the gut.
The punk nearly passed out, and Subaru quickly circled behind him, grabbed his waist.
"I've always wanted to try this—German Suplex!"
Using classic pro wrestling form, he lifted the man and slammed him backward into the ground.
The man's head hit the wall before his body collapsed to the floor, twitching.
Seeing that two of the punks were now completely incapacitated, Subaru turned to the first one—the knife wielder.
Though less injured, the man was sweating bullets as he tried to draw his blade.
But Subaru didn't give him the chance—he kicked him in the face, ending the fight instantly.
"—Hah! Total victory! I even used moves I never dared try in real life. Still... this pain? Well, I guess people do feel pain in dreams sometimes, like when they punch themselves. Anyway, this time, I won!"
Striking a victory pose, Subaru celebrated alone in the alley.
Confirming the three were still alive, he quickly left the area.
As he walked out of the alley unscathed, the passersby gasped in surprise.
Despite witnessing a mugging, none had gone to the authorities.
Subaru wanted to scold them, but Reinhild's words echoed in his mind.
With a sigh, he looked around to confirm there was no illusion of Reinhild nearby, then left.
Not long after Subaru departed, a red-haired girl appeared in the alley.
"So he held back instinctively, huh? And judging by his emotions just now... he really is a kind person. Alright, I'll get these guys tossed in jail first."