Chapter 7: I Dream of Flying Roaches
"Mm…?"
Osha slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by blinding sunlight. He instinctively lifted a hand to shield them, squinting against the brightness.
"Where… where am I?"
He pushed himself upright and realized he was lying on a pile of hay. The familiar scent of dry straw filled the air. In the distance stretched vast rice fields swaying gently in the breeze, and to the side stood an old wooden barn.
His breath caught.
"Am I… back in Ibaraki?"
He murmured the name under his breath. This was what his childhood home used to look like, back when he lived with his grandparents. The fields, the barn, even the quiet hum of crickets in the air… it all felt too familiar.
No doubt about it.
Was he back in Japan?
Did Arlecchino… kill him?
"Oh, you're awake. Had me worried, you were out for too long. I even considered giving you some honey. Kinda hard to do that with hooves, though."
A familiar figure strode toward him.
"Roach…?"
Osha's eyes widened in disbelief.
It was the original Roach, the one from his childhood. Dusty black coat, white mane, the same calm eyes he remembered from those quiet days in Ibaraki.
And… did he just talk?
"You're talking… and your voice, it's, uh, interesting. I kind of expected you to sound more… girlish."
Osha blinked rapidly, trying to process everything. Why was he back in Japan? And since when could Roach speak?
"Based on what? Your vast experience with animals?"
Roach replied dryly.
"As far as I know, I'm your first."
Roach snorted lightly, tilting her head as if amused by Osha's confusion.
"Good point… um, Roach? What exactly is going on? Why am I back in Japan? And how are you talking?"
Osha's voice carried a mix of confusion and urgency. He needed answers, something solid to hold onto in this strange, sunlit memory that felt too real to just be a dream.
"Oh, you're probably just dreaming, that's all."
Roach replied casually.
"But unfortunately, I don't know where you're going to wake up. Man, I wish we could talk like this all the time. I could give you so many pointers!"
"Oh… I see…"
Osha looked down at the hay beneath him, then back up at the dusty black horse with the white mane, the Roach from his childhood.
"Roach… are you the one who reincarnated me? Were you the one responsible for sending that truck at me? Are you a god?"
He asked it half-seriously, half-desperately. It was strange, after all. He was supposedly dreaming, and the first thing his mind conjured was the original Roach, fully capable of speech and sarcasm.
If this was just his subconscious… it had a very specific sense of humor.
"What? No. I don't know who brought you to Teyvat, and I definitely didn't send any truck after you."
Roach replied flatly.
"I'm just a manifestation of your dream. That's all."
Osha stared at her, trying to process that answer.
"But."
Roach continued, her tone shifting slightly.
"I do have something to tell you, though, since you're going to wake up soon."
The breeze across the rice fields grew stronger, the golden stalks swaying as if the world itself was beginning to blur at the edges.
"Whenever you need us, just whistle… and we'll be there for you-ou-ou-ou."
Roach said, her burly voice echoing strangely as everything around them began to fade.
"As the world falls down… because you're our human."
The barn, the fields, even the sky seemed to crumble into light, dissolving quickly as dust in the wind.
"Roach! I still have so many questions! And what do you mean by whistle?"
Osha shouted as the dream world continued to collapse around them. The rice fields had vanished. The barn was gone. The sky itself had cracked into fragments of light.
Only a small patch of grass remained beneath their feet, floating in an endless white void.
Roach's figure was already beginning to blur at the edges, her dusty black coat fading like smoke in the wind.
"Tell that to the other Roaches!"
Her weird voice echoed one last time before even the grass beneath Osha's feet dissolved into nothingness.
----<>----
"Roach!"
Osha suddenly raised his hand into the air as if trying to grab onto something that was slipping away.
"A Roach?! Where?!"
Clervie immediately panicked, misunderstanding him completely. She jolted upright from her seat, her eyes darting around in alarm as she searched for the supposed cockroach.
The sudden movement made Osha's head slip from its comfortable spot, which he had apparently been resting on her lap, and it dropped back onto the seat with a soft thump.
"Urk!"
"Perrie! Kill it! Kill it!"
Clervie pointed around the Aquabus in distress, urgently calling for Peruere while still scanning the area for the imaginary insect.
The sudden, soft impact on his head made Osha blink multiple times. His vision slowly cleared as his hazy mind tried to piece things together.
So… it was a dream.
And he was back in Teyvat.
"Mm… huh…?"
Osha pushed himself up from the seat, still disoriented. As his eyes focused, two familiar figures came into view, Peruere and Clervie.
"Nyah!"
Like a startled cat, Osha immediately leapt to the edge of the Aquabus, scrambling away to put as much distance between them as possible, much like a cat panicking at the sight of a cucumber.
"Mercy!"
He raised both hands in front of him defensively, his heart hammering wildly in his chest as he tried to shield himself, bracing for whatever was about to happen next.
"Hey, hey! We're not going to hurt you! Perrie! Just what did you do to him?"
Clervie quickly said, raising both hands in a calming gesture toward Osha while glancing accusingly at Peruere.
Peruere, however, only tilted her head slightly to the side.
"Not much."
She replied nonchalantly.
After all, chasing a child on horseback while sprinting like some kind of speed demon apparently counted as not much in her book.
"Yeah, I doubt that."
Clervie muttered, briefly glancing at Peruere before turning back to Osha with a warm, reassuring smile.
"Sorry about Peruere. She just likes to play bad cop and good cop."
She gave a small shrug.
"But hey, look! We're in the Court of Fontaine now!"
Clervie extended her hand toward him. Osha hesitated for a moment before cautiously taking it, allowing her to help him back onto his feet.
"Looks like you're one step closer to your dream, Osha! Welcome to the Court of Fontaine!"
Clervie said enthusiastically.
Osha slowly turned his head and froze.
Before him stood the magnificent city, the Court of Fontaine.
Towering ivory buildings stretched proudly toward the sky, their elegant architecture decorated with intricate carvings and flowing banners that fluttered gently in the wind. Massive aqueducts carried clear, shimmering water through the city like veins of liquid crystal, flowing between streets and over polished stone bridges. Fountains burst with life in every plaza, their waters sparkling under the sunlight like scattered diamonds.
'What the hell? Why is it so big...?'
Osha's thoughts raced as he took in the city sprawling before him. The Court of Fontaine seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction. He remembered clearly from the game that this city had felt no bigger than a billionaire's backyard, a neat little simulation.
But this… this wasn't the game anymore.
The buildings soared, the canals twisted and turned like silver ribbons, and the plazas seemed to go on forever. The scale was immense, probably as vast as Paris itself. The only thing missing, he thought wryly, was sticking an Eiffel Tower right in the middle.
"And up there, in that big building, lives a very special person, the Hydro Archon."
Clervie pointed toward the tallest structure in the city, the Palais Mermonia.
"Furina… my wife…"
Osha murmured under his breath, the words almost lost in the breeze. He couldn't help himself; his obsession with Furina was unhealthy. He even remembered having her C6 back in his past life, and maybe that was why he had ended up working at a 7‑11 back then, living a mundane life while secretly chasing his dreams.
"Did you say something, Osha?"
Clervie tilted her head slightly, concern flickering in her eyes as she glanced at him.
"Oh! Uh… nothing. Must've been the wind."
Osha replied quickly, forcing a casual tone while his heart raced at the thought of the Archon above.
'I guess… I'll try my best to change the future…'
Osha glanced at Clervie and Peruere, who were talking with one another a short distance away. From the way Clervie had her arms crossed and was leaning forward slightly, it looked like she was giving Peruere an earful about being a little gentler with children.
'I just hope I won't get an ass-whooping by the other kids…'
Osha thought to himself as he turned back to the sprawling view of the city.
He still remembered some of the lore about the old House of the Hearth. In the stories he read before, Crucabena would sometimes force the children to duel each other to the death, treating them like tools rather than kids. And the ones who were considered weak or useless…
They were sent away.
Sent to the "Doctor."
Osha felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine the moment that name crossed his mind. Even remembering it was enough to make his stomach twist.
Osha tapped all over his body, patting his pockets and sides as he searched for his things.
'Augh… Now I know what Shuri meant…'
His pistol and knife were gone.
Slowly, he glanced toward Peruere, who was still being lectured by Clervie. But as if sensing his gaze, Peruere gradually turned her head to look back at him.
Those X-shaped eyes locked onto him, staring straight into his soul.
'Okay… that's terrifying…'
Osha quickly turned his back as fast as possible, pretending he hadn't been looking at her at all.
"Hey, Osha, would you like to grab some food before we head to your new home? Perrie's paying, of course."
Clervie offered with a cheerful grin.
Osha was indeed curious about what the city looked like. Even his tail was slightly wagging in quiet excitement as he imagined exploring the streets of Fontaine.
"Huh?"
Peruere turned her head toward them.
"I-I have some spare change!"
Osha quickly said, raising his hands a little as if to defend himself.
"Perrie! Stop with the staring!"
Clervie snapped, turning back to Peruere.
"…Do you want me to pluck my eyes out?"
Peruere asked in a completely flat tone, as if it were a perfectly reasonable suggestion.
Clervie let out a tired sigh at her best friend's dry sense of humor.
Shortly after, the Aquabus finally docked at what looked like a large Aquabus station. Osha immediately noticed that the aqua rails were far more massive than the ones he remembered from the game. Several Aquabuses traveled along the same lane at different distances.
The only thing missing during Osha's first ride on an Aquabus was a Melusine guide.
"Well, here we are!"
Clervie was the first one to disembark, hopping lightly onto the platform. Peruere followed behind her with calm, measured steps, and Osha quickly climbed off after them.
"It's a big city, careful not to get lost, Osha. Here! Hold my hand!"
Clervie offered, holding her hand out while waiting for him to grab it.
"Uh, it's okay, I won't run away."
Osha politely declined, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Aw…"
Clervie jokingly acted sad, lowering her hand dramatically before glancing sideways at Peruere.
"Perrie! Hold my hand, or I'll get lost!"
Clervie said enthusiastically.
Peruere simply sighed.
"…Don't stray."
Peruere said to Osha as she walked past him, her gaze briefly lingering on him.
Osha gulped in response.
He watched as Peruere held Clervie's hand. For a brief moment, Osha could have sworn he saw a faint smile tugging at the corner of Peruere's lips.
'I think this is the only time when Arlecchino genuinely had a friend she could openly talk to about things...'
Osha thought to himself. Truthfully, Arlecchino wasn't one of his favorite characters in the game, especially after the time she attacked Furina. That moment had left a bad taste in his mouth.
Still… he had to admit something.
Arlecchino was definitely lonely after Clervie's death.
Sure, she had the twins and Freminet around later on, but it wasn't the same. Clervie was different. She was the closest person Arlecchino had… and in the end, she lost her at her own hands.
"Osha!"
Clervie called out to him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Peruere also glanced back at him, her sharp gaze practically drilling into him, an obvious warning that clearly said 'don't do anything stupid'.
Osha stiffened slightly under the look.
"Coming..."