Shamiko had been practicing her magic again, determined to improve her skills as a demon girl and one day surpass Momo. Tonight, she’d attempt something new—dream diving. After hours of studying, she learned of an ancient technique that would let her enter the dreams of others, hoping to uncover some of Momo’s secrets or weaknesses. With her usual clumsy determination, she muttered the incantation she found in a dusty book her ancestor had left behind.
"Alright, Shamiko, time to prove your worth as a demon girl! I’ll sneak into Momo’s dreams and find out... something!" she whispered to herself, clenching her fists with confidence.
As the world around her blurred, she expected to find herself inside Momo’s dream world, ready to face whatever challenge awaited her. But when the swirling colors around her settled, something felt... off. Instead of Momo’s cold, straightforward dream space, she found herself in a much more cheerful and vibrant environment. Shamiko blinked several times, rubbing her eyes. This wasn’t Momo’s dream.
She looked around and saw a bright park with cherry blossom trees swaying in the breeze. The sound of laughter drew her attention to a nearby bench, where two familiar faces sat. Shamiko gasped.
“That’s... Momiji and Mahiro!” she whispered, immediately recognizing them from a manga she’d once read.
Shamiko panicked. "I wasn’t trying to enter their dream!" Her tail twitched in distress as she clutched her transformation staff. “Did I mess up the spell again? This isn’t Momo’s dream at all!”
Momiji sat on a bench, enjoying the day with Mahiro, who seemed unusually confident and composed—traits that were more dreamlike than real, especially for Mahiro.
“Mahiro-chan, isn’t it nice to take a break like this?” Momiji said with a bright smile, handing Mahiro a soda. In her dream, Mahiro was someone who actually wanted to hang out, no longer shy or awkward. Mahiro, in this idealized version of herself, smiled back.
“Yeah, Momiji, thanks for inviting me! I don’t usually get to relax like this.”
Shamiko watched from behind a tree, frowning as she noticed the interactions. “Wait, isn’t Mahiro supposed to be... different?” she whispered, knowing the real Mahiro was far more anxious. But here, Mahiro was cheerful and outgoing, just as Momiji likely wanted them to be. "Is this how she sees him in her dream?"
Momiji giggled softly, twirling a strand of her hair. “You know, Mahiro-chan, I always have so much fun when we’re together. Maybe we should go shopping next time!”
Mahiro, in this dream version, nodded eagerly. “I’d like that, Momiji!”
Shamiko scratched her head in confusion. “This Mahiro is nothing like the manga version! This feels so... wrong.” She sighed. “I was supposed to be spying on Momo’s dream to find out her weakness, not stumbling into someone’s fantasy of a perfect friendship!”
As Shamiko observed from afar, she became more curious than cautious. “Should I leave? Or maybe... I should just try to see how this dream works? I mean, I am in here already, and it could be useful. Plus, it’s not like they can see me. Right?” Shamiko's curiosity got the better of her as she crept closer, trying to understand the dynamic of Momiji's dream world.
Momiji, however, didn’t notice Shamiko's presence at all—dreams were like that, after all. Instead, she leaned toward Mahiro with a gleam in her eye. “Mahiro-chan, you know what? I bet we’d make a great team if we ever did a project together. You’re always so good at everything!”
Mahiro blushed slightly, giving a shy but confident nod, another exaggeration of how Momiji viewed them. “Thanks, Momiji! I’m always happy to help.”
Shamiko groaned quietly. “This is so... idealized. Does she really think Mahiro’s this perfect?”
Realizing she wasn’t getting any closer to her goal and knowing that staying too long could lead to complications, Shamiko began thinking of how to exit the dream gracefully. She wasn't exactly sure how, but one thing was clear—this definitely wasn’t where she was supposed to be. “Alright, Shamiko, you’ve got to focus. You’ve already made one mistake. You can’t let Momo find out you’ve accidentally intruded on someone else’s dream!”
As she tiptoed backward, trying to summon her powers to leave, she glanced one last time at Momiji and Mahiro. They were now excitedly talking about their next hangout, oblivious to Shamiko’s presence.
“This dream feels like one of those sweet, fluffy moments in the manga,” Shamiko muttered. “If I didn’t have important things to do, I’d stay just to see what happens next...”
Suddenly, Shamiko felt a pull, the magic tugging her out of the dream as her surroundings blurred once more. As the world of cherry blossoms and friendly banter faded, she sighed in relief. “That was too close...”
When Shamiko opened her eyes, she was back in her room, her ancestor’s statue frowning down at her disapprovingly. “Well, I didn’t get any dirt on Momo... but I did learn something about other people’s dreams,” she mused, rubbing the back of her head.
She glanced at the manga featuring Momiji and Mahiro on her desk. “I wonder if I’ll ever meet them for real... hopefully not in a dream again, though!”
