A Dream that Died long ago.

Back in my world, I remember being taught about the value of work and how us as humans should think of it as a way to preserve our self-worth amidst a country having its workforce supplanted by foreign labor or automation.

Many of those who were taught disagreed. "After all, our lives will be good when we remove that part of our lives that is unpleasant, tiring and depressing." They said these words as soon as they got out of school and should be entering the workforce. For them, being born in a world that was damaged by war and calamities that it learned to hold its citizens as its most important assets is an exploitable paradise. A way to live in comfort by simply existing.

However, as time passed, many of them disappeared… most of which through their own accord. Living a life that has so little responsibility and simply filled with entertainment and comfort, many of them had identity crises and soon, that anxiety turned to self-pity and self-pity into depression and… well, you know what the next turn of events would be…

For me who died in that world far too young and detached from those people, I can only deduce what they may have felt as the meaning of their existences drifted from place to place and when the time came, it fully disappeared.

Were they sad? Were they conflicted? Was there a time when they felt remorse for choosing to live like that? I don't really have a sure answer.

The only thing I know is that labor gives people a reason to live. Not just financially but also mentally. Even a retiree has things that they still hold as their responsibility or feel dutiful to take care about.

This lesson became apparent as I walked through the village of Furuya and talked to its inhabitants.

Perhaps, when we are given everything, we really can do nothing.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"The summer festival is held as a celebration and way of appreciation towards Inari-kami-sama for our everlasting bountiful harvests."

"Everlasting bountiful harvests?"

Before getting to the center of the village, I first visited the outskirts where farmers are drying up rice stalks to form sacks to contain the harvested grains. Here, I heard about a strange term and asked out what it was.

"The everlasting bountiful harvest is just what its name implies. Inari-sama has blessed this land to eternally bear fruit for the inhabitants in order for them to sustain themselves by just tilling the ground and planting the seeds that they wish to grow."

"How does that work?"

It was Kurumi who answered me and true to my curious nature, I asked for further information.

"Well, Inari-sama regularly sends her three-tailed foxes out to the fields to bless the crops every other day. This means that the usual 5 or 6-month long growth time of crops can be finished in a single month. It's also worth to note that those crops can either contain double or even triple the amount of grain or fruit per harvest."

"Wait… Furuya is an isolated country, right?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Then if the crops that grow contain more grain than what is normal, where does all that excess go to if Furuya cannot trade outside of the Sanctuary?"

"Huh? Of course, we eat it."

"Huh?"

I was supposed to be the one who is confused but this time, it was Kurumi and the farmer who looked at me confusingly as if my question was something answerable through common sense.

"Umm… I apologize for saying this but… if all of you are eating those produce… wouldn't all of you appear more… stubby, if I can put it lightly…?"

"Oh! Ahahaha!!! No need to be afraid of it, sonny. None of us here will swell up with fat."

"Huh?"

"I mean, we're living amongst Yokai spirits. One particular race of them eat up those excess fat in our sleep. It's a win-win for us and the spirits in the forest."

Oh… I see why they were confused. Normally, people can't just contract spirits to do that, if this is how they're controlling their overeating, then it only means that something mystical is going on.

"I have another question… if life here is so comfortable, why is the village not that populated?"

"Oh… it's mostly because all of us must first ask Inari-sama for her permission before we get married or have children. If she tells us to wait or denies us her blessings, we usually obey it."

"You say usually… what happens to those that do not obey?"

"Umm…"

After I asked that, the farmer looked nervous and fumbled his words. I thought I have said something strange as Kurumi poked my shoulder.

"Hiroshi, a moment please."

"Ah, yes."

Kurumi asked me to follow her a distance away from the nervous farmer before she replied to me with a stiff tone.

"I'm the shrine priestess here so I have the obligation to answer your question to that man… Do you remember that moment when Kyo asked for my orders before knocking you out?"

"Y-yes… He was pretty strong, not gonna lie."

"Me, Kyo and the six-tailed foxes in the western temple of Furuya are those responsible for keeping the order and balance in the Sanctuary. When someone disobeys the laws or the orders of Inari-sama…"

"You dispose of them?"

"Yes… but we like to call it "returning them to the soil". People or Yokai, all of them are subject to Inari-sama's rules and those that cannot abide will have to be terminated."

"Are you saying this because I asked something rude?"

"No. I answered your question because I am the one responsible for it. For the people living here, Inari-sama is their goddess and life-long protector. But there are those who wish to live without her constraints that has to be eliminated for the sake of the greater good."

"That sounds…"

"Tyrannical? Call it what you will, but the truth remains that the Sanctuary has only existed for this long because law and order has been kept from generation to generation without fail. One of the things that Inari-sama told us to never compromise is to guarantee that no one be allowed to overstep their boundaries."

I pondered upon her response. Personally speaking, I am an advocate of freedom and I want my people to live in whichever way they wish so long as they will be happy. But as I have done again and again, I also have no mercy for those who will cross me or violate the freedom of those that I am responsible for.

"Next time don't mention that thing in front of the people in Furuya. They are living bountiful, healthy and meaningful lives in this Sanctuary. There is no need to implant your personal feelings to the simple task given to you by Inari-sama."

We entered the village where carpenters and woodworkers are carving the posts and platforms for the theatrical plays and performances during the festival. A couple of young men working on the tower shouted down at us, probably wanting to tease Kurumi.

"Yo, Momiji-san! Slacking off from shrine work again?"

"Won't Inari-sama kick you out of the temple at this point?"

"W-wha?! You turds! You better be thankful that I'm afraid of heights or else your asses will get clapped! You- Brwrlam!"

"S-Sorry… she's been grumpy since the commotion earlier."

""Ahahahaha!!!""

I covered her mouth that has been spouting some unlady-like words and took her away from the scene before she says more unsavory words.

We walked towards another part of the village and there, a local fireworks stall was closed down as the chemists are busy formulating the gunpowder and chemical "stars" to be used for the fireworks displays. Thankfully, they recognized Kurumi and let us in the stall where I saw them working on the powders and chemicals for the fireworks.

"You say this will produce blue flames?"

"Yes. Copper sulfate burns blue or blue-green so I think it can make blue explosions."

"I see, I see… I've been racking my brains about how to make better patterns and colors for every year's summer festival."

There, I was able to teach the pyrotechnician about some chemicals and metals and as a reward, they said that they'll take a special fireworks request for me. It can be my name, my favorite flower or any object. I didn't want to sound ungrateful or be rude, so I just said that I'll think about it even though I have no intention to request anything.

"Hiro, Hiro!"

"Huh?"

"Look at this little guy!"

Suddenly, Kurumi appeared from the storage room and on her hand, I saw a familiar firecracker that already has its fuse lighted.

"You brat! Don't point that thing here!"

"Wha?"

*Pyu! Pyu! Pyu!*

"W-w-w-waaaaaaahhh!!!"

It was a roman candle. Something that shoots out the fireworks out like a handheld pipe launcher. I was able to take it from her hand, open a window and make it shoot outside, saving everyone in the room filled with pots and jars of gunpowder.

"Owwieee… My forehead…"

"Argh… why do you swing from a responsible and mature person to a total buffoon in a blink of an eye? A flick on the forehead is too light of a punishment for you."

Overall, the village was buzzing with work and children and adults alike are excited for the celebration… except for one person mentioned by everyone that we talked with.

"The master craftsman?"

"Oh! Old man Kensuke? I think I know what it's about."

The craftsman's house was quite far from the village. It was said that when he was still a young man, his house was closer to the village. But after being married, having a child, burying his departed wife and seeing his daughter be married, he retreated into the hill near the forest of the Yokai spirits where people only visit him to ask him to repair their tools or other belongings.

"Old man Kensuke is a master of a myriad of crafts. Metalwork, pottery, wood carving and even poetry. It is said that if something exists and it can be shaped, he can make masterpieces out of them."

"What a remarkable man he is then…"

"There's only one problem that the villagers have about him. His old acquaintances know him as a gentle and caring person but those that knew him after he lost his wife and attended his daughter's wedding regard him as a talented yet cold old man."

"Is it because of his losses?"

"I don't really know. When his wife, Tome-baa-chan died, he insisted that he will let no one but Inari-sama to be the one to give her the last rites which my aunt, who was the Shrine Priestess at the time, communicated to Inari-sama."

"Did she give it?"

"Of course, Inari-sama was indebted to him greatly since he is the one who constructed all of the four Temples that the six-tailed fox spirits use as their home while keeping the barrier of the Sanctuary up. He is also the one that formulated and cultured the eternally blossoming cherry blossom tree that adorns Inari-sama's Main Temple. For her, a funeral rite for his wife wasn't enough for the effort and devotion that the old man gave for her."

"What's the catch then?"

"As I said, I don't really know. His daughter lived with him for three more years until she was courted by a young man in the village and their marriage was blessed by Inari-sama. She remarked that there wasn't anything strange with her father's behavior save for the mourning period that he had for his wife, but those around him sensed that he did have some issue in some way."

After a while of walking, we arrived at the hill near that forest and we saw the old man sitting at a rock, watching the farmers from afar that are still busy harvesting their crops.

"Old man Kensuke. We've come to visit."

"My, my… If it isn't the Shrine Priestess who can't act the part…"

"W-What did you say, you old fart?!"

"Argh…"

"Ita-!"

I can only groan as Kurumi threw another fit and I flicked her forehead again before cordially introducing myself to the old sage.

"Good day, Kensuke-dono. I am Iwasawa Hiroshi, a guest from the outside world of Inari-kami-sama."

"Oho? A guest, you say? We rarely have any visitors in the sanctuary. The last one was a merchant who wandered into here by accident, you see."

"I was brought into here by the six-tailed fox spirits after I unknowingly used the sticks from the forest for my campfire. Inari-sama has already absolved me, but she said I should stay here until the festival."

"I see, would you like to see one of my handicrafts that I finished earlier this morning?"

"Please, it will be a pleasure."

The old man reached for something covered with cloth at the side of the rock he is sitting at and opened it for me.

"That-"

"I knew it. My senses didn't betray me."

The object that he is holding is something that I didn't expect to see here of all places.

"Wow! That's another cute statuette, old man! I didn't know that you are still making more of them!"

"Ohohoho! You clearly underestimate my passion, Momiji-chan."

"W-wait… more?"

"Huh? Why do you look surprised?"

Is she seriously asking me that? How am I supposed to react then if I saw a perfectly formed, painted and designed figurine of an anime-style Kitsune?

"I think I and this young man has something important to talk about… don't we, Iwasawa-kun?"

"Yeah. We do."

The old man stood up from the rock and brought us inside his small yet cozy hut where he served green tea on perfectly molded clay mugs.

"Let's get straight to the point… are you an Otherworlder?"

"I am."

"By what means?"

"…I believe it's reincarnation."

"I see."

That single exchange was enough for both of us to know enough information about each other. This old man… he's another Otherworlder like me.

"For me, I was summoned here by Inari-sama after the former Shrine maiden of Kaiho Sanctum made a mistake in her summoning ritual that could've endangered my life. In her pity, she redirected my summoning from the Sanctum to the Sanctuary and here, I accepted the new life I was given."

"What year and how old are you when you were summoned?"

"It was 2061 and I was a 15-year-old high schooler. I was walking home after winning an arts tournament when I was swallowed by a circle of light and woke up in front of Inari-sama who explained everything to me. All of that happened 36 years ago."

"2061… I would already be alive by then."

"If you reincarnated, that would mean that you died in the past world. Tell me, what year did you die and how old were you back then?"

"2070, I was 16 years old. I was reincarnated here 3 years ago."

"Was the transition difficult?"

"It is. But it is also pleasant."

"Pleasant…"

The old man paused for a moment before articulating the question that I already expected to come.

"Is the world… crazier in your time?"

"If your definition of crazy is something filled with malice, evil and degeneracy, it is. It's the perfect way to call it."

"I see…"

I felt weird about not hearing Kurumi complain about being left out and after I looked around us, I saw her playing with a Shiba dog at the living room.

"Arf! Arf!"

"Who's a good boy?! You… yes, it's you!"

"Woof!"

If only she always acted like this properly…

"In any case, that world is something that we already left behind long ago… let bygones be bygones as they always say."

"I agree. Let's not dwell on the past anymore. In any case, I am surprised to see a perfectly replicated anime-style kitsune figurine here."

"There's more of them right there."

"Urf-!"

I almost spat out my tea when he pointed at the shelf where more kitsune figurines are placed. I admire his talent but the prevalence of kitsune figurines here is starting to scare me.

"You must be thinking why almost everything that I make into figurines are fox spirits…"

"Yes… sorry if the confession sounds rude."

"No need to apologize. I am aware of how this looks like to other people."

The old man paused for a moment to drink his tea before giving his answer.

"Let's just say that I make them to have some sort of connection to our original world… I consider these works of mine as my own life."

"…"

"Even if we lived in a cruel world that we hated for the evil of its people, that is still a world where we can be entertained in so many ways… I miss the days when I can play video games, the nights when I watch the anime shows that I missed during the exam week along with the long lines at the anime convention at New Tokyo."

"So, you still miss the pleasures in there?"

"No, I miss the companionship that I feel when I talk about them."

A fan community or a fandom. According to psychologists, people have an inherent desire to join groups that they share a certain value or fondness with. This can be easily seen in schools where the so-called "brain, brawn and beauty" groups exist. These groups serve as a foundation of someone's sense of connection or intimacy towards others.

So, the fact that this old man right here who has been forcibly taken from our past world continued with his passion even though there are no other people like him here is nothing short of impressive.

"Why Kitsune's though?"

"Well, save for the fact that the being that oversees this place is a literal fox goddess, let's just say that they're the easiest to present to the other people in here."

"You mean… you want to spread otaku culture here?"

"Yeah. But… half-way through it, I realized that it's better not to do that."

"But… why?"

"I still have the passion and skills to do it… but with no true need to do it, I began to think that maybe I should just accept that my life will stay as is like this."

I felt a lonely tone under his breath which made it apparent that because this place gives him no challenge, he finds it hard to feel like there's any need to do it.

"Back in the past world, many people mocked me for painting or sculpting anime-styled works and calling it art. I know that art is subjective, and in the end, it's based on how the beholder thinks about it… but that adversary and lack of acceptance of other people was the main fuel I used to master my craft and prove them wrong… But in this new world where everyone accepts everyone, and you receive nothing but the most pure-hearted compliments regardless of whether you gave nothing or your all… I no longer know if my passion is something I did poorly or excellently."

"So, you lost your willingness to share it with others?"

"I… think so."

The old man looked at the figurines he has at the shelf near him and sighed deeply. His expression and tone tell me that the things he loves has become the thing that haunts him now.

""There is no greater hell on earth than a heavenly utopia that provides everything except for an individual's purpose of life." Are you familiar with this saying, Kensuke-san?"

"No. I haven't heard about that yet."

"It's the words spoken by a certain leader of a certain powerful country in our past world minutes before he was held captive with a coup and his nation's government rule was taken over by his opponents."

I blurred out the specific details since I am not here to argue about politics. I said those words because I know he can recognize that example and relate it with his own situation.

"A utopia is a heaven that fulfills all of man's needs in exchange of robbing him of his wants. Because the Achilles heel of utopist ideologies is the fact that humans have free-will and their wants don't necessarily always align."

"Why are you saying this?"

"I am saying this because that is how I look at this Sanctuary where everything that everyone needs is being provided for little to no effort."

"Inari-sama isn't like that… she never told us that-"

"I am not blaming her directly. But I cannot deny that her rules led up to this ending."

"…"

I drank the rest of my tea and talked to him in a calm manner.

"I am an advocate of freedom, Kensuke-san. I don't believe that anyone has the right to limit what someone can or cannot do. I know that it may sound hypocritical of me to say this since I am a leader of a nation and I have essentially directly punished those who went against me or laid out appropriate punishments for those who broke my laws… but this kind and level of control over those under you… aren't your problems caused by it?"

The old man looked down, seemingly wanting to deny my claims but also having doubts about it himself.

"If everyone is told what they can or cannot do, what is the purpose of being given a free will? Why is the ability to think for yourself given to you if you won't be able to use it?"

"…"

"This Sanctuary… This utopia made by Inari-sama is a place that most people would likely want to live in… but one thing that we don't realize is that if we are given everything, we will always end up not being able to do anything."

Having concluded my speech, I waited for him to make a reply. He was silent for a while, just looking down on his tea cup and breathing deeply before he opened his mouth to ask me one thing that I haven't been able to take out of my mind for a long time.

"If everyone is free, then wouldn't you end up with the same exact problems?"

"…"

"In this utopia where everything is given to us and we live day-by-day following the rules given to us by Inari-sama, we learned to live without being afraid of each other. We learned to put more value on each other than only our own self."

"And that's where the problem is. You see, the alternative is to-"

"But in your concept of society where everyone is free, is there any kind of peace like that?"

"-!"

"When everyone is only thinking about themselves and how they can rise higher, forget about a functioning society, your people won't even amount to a group united for some cause."

His statement rattled me that same way that Shogun Amanogawa's critique about my rule hurt me.

"Even if I lose my passion or I get forbidden to do what I want to do, if that restriction will serve the greater good, I am more than willing to let go of it."

"B-But… I was just saying that-"

"Thank you for clearing up everything for me. I was feeling down when I began to question if any of this is still worth continuing. I was thinking that maybe if I continue to do this, I will one day regain the same feeling of achievement that I had when I was still a young man… Now I know that this isn't about me lacking criticism but me lacking the ability to let go of the things that no longer make me happy."

While I was still in shock of how things turned out, the old man stood up and took the figurines from the shelf and put all of them in a wooden box.

"Kurumi-chan."

"Oh! What is it, old man?"

He called Kurumi who is still playing with the dog. She approached him and he gave her the box which caused Kurumi to become confused.

"Please display this at the main temple for me. I just had a realization and I have decided to offer these to Inari-sama for all the bountiful years that she gave me and my family."

"O-Okay… Are you sure about this, old man? I mean, I heard these things has been with you since you were young. Surely they have some kind of sentimental value to you."

"They sure do… but I have decided that it's time for me to lay down my hands and retire as a craftsman. All of these are just reminding me of my past when I still have the right heart and dedication to make them. Now, I should rest and wish that someone will take up the torch."

Kurumi looked at the figurines at the box and after giving him a nod to thank him, she casted some spell that summoned a four-tailed fox spirit that she sent to bring the box of figurines to the temple.

"Hiro…"

"Y-yes…"

"Bid your farewell to Kensuke-jii. We should head back now."

I gave a short and slightly awkward farewell to him who didn't seem to carry the same joyful expression and tone like earlier. Instead, he looked peaceful and contented.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

Halfway our walk through the road between the old man's hill and the village, Kurumi poked my shoulder which made me turn around in response.

"Grit your teeth."

"What?"

*Pyak!*

"Argh!"

After only a short and obscure demand that confused me, she opened her hand and planted a slap on my right cheek.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not mention that thing in front of the people of Furuya? As I said, we are giving them a bountiful, healthy and meaningful life in this Sanctuary. Your personal feelings are doing nothing but worsen the situation unlike the simple task given to you…"

"Why am I in the wrong?! I want them to think for themselves and be free even for just once-"

"What will your freedom do but make them fear and fight each other for all eternity?!"

In response to my statement, Kurumi shouted back and, in her rage, her powers burst forth, covering her in a ring of blue fire as fox ears and a tail sprouted from her body. But this one isn't like Inari's snow-like color of fur. Kurumi's ears and tail was golden yellow.

"Mankind… If they are given freedom, they will do nothing but to abuse it for their own greed and bloodlust… Inari-sama is right. Unless we are united under the same set of values and demeanor, nothing will happen other than destruction."

"Kurumi…"

Slowly, the fire around her dissipated and her ears and tail disappeared. She looked like the same person that she was before.

"Humans like you who live outside the Sanctuary and does nothing but to appease your own capriciousness cannot understand how precious this peace and tranquility is to us. To be freed from all the evils of this world… And to think that you and Kensuke-san came from the same past world…"

"What are you trying to say? Are you telling me that-"

"Yes. I am telling you that you keep on hating that evil and degenerative world that you used to live in while simultaneously bringing its principles to this world…"

"-!"

"Just accept it… You're a filthy hypocrite with no right to lecture us about how we must live."

Kurumi turned her back against me and walked back to the village by herself. Meanwhile, I was just there, stunned with my mouth hanging open in shock. Never in my life have I been told those words yet now that I was forced to think about it…

"She is right."

I have encountered the same problem before again and again. Yet it was only now that I was forced to face it and rethink of my own self.

"Why am I this hypocritical in the first place…?"

I stood up to walk to a nearby tree and I remembered that time when I have only just started my journey in this new world.

"I value freedom because I rarely had any moment in the past world where I felt like I am truly free… Being a cloned person whose purpose is to replace someone who has already died, being a person who has to keep people interested with him and being someone who loved… I rarely had any moment when I actually felt free."

I can still remember those days… When I have to agree with what everyone is saying or thinking. When I have to do things just to be accepted by others… In the end, I did everything they want me to do but no one wanted to agree or do the things I want.

I never felt that I was free.

"But what is it really? What is freedom really about?"

There is a dilemma when it comes to the balance between freeness and law. One cannot fully side with either end of that field. If everyone is too free, it would be an anarchy. If everyone is too ruled, it will be an autocracy.

When I think about it, striking a balance between those sides is impossible. The conflict between those two sides ended up becoming the reason why so many countries in my old world fell.

What's the point of this after all? If people become free, they will only fight against each other one day. Yet I don't have the strength and resolve to take that away from them and demand them to live a life that they didn't choose for themselves.

"I'm confused…"

With again, no conclusive ideas, I walked back to the village and spent the night in the fireworks shop.

While I was preparing to go to bed, I felt something on my haori coat's pocket and saw one of the kitsune figurines inside it.

"…Leaving behind the things that no longer make sense."

I quite remember Rai's words back then… That for him, the definition of madness is expecting things to change just because you keep on doing the same thing. For him, people's way of being happy change, and it is a bitter pill to swallow, but so long as your heart is in it, it is still the same thing.

"The old man… his heart must have deteriorated in this land after so long. He says that his passion is his way to remember the past world, but it is also the obstacle that held him back from accepting this new world."

I have decided… tomorrow, I want to visit him and correct the mistake I made.