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Interesting Reality: January 2026 Edition (10)

"鋼のアダルトチルドレン"じゃっく

2026年1月12日 11:32

I had a dream. It was a nightmare.

It attacked me after I finished my night shift in Nakatsu, returned home at 12:00, and went to sleep.

In the dream, I was a new employee at a company I didn't know, undergoing training with dozens of other new hires.

Strangely, the training was held at a hotel in some unknown foreign country. The location of this hotel was truly terrible, and for some reason, shirtless men covered in tattoos were marching in formation down the street.

Seeing a melting pot of races marching like a parade was less of a spectacle and more filled with a strange, eerie feeling.

I spent days training there. Because of the location, some unscrupulous people among the new hires started dabbling in illegal drugs. They were likely incited by the ruffians in the city.

“Ah, ah, this guy is doing it.”

Truth be told, the person in question was my roommate at the hotel. I had only noticed his behavior was a bit unsteady, but when I compared the rumors, I realized it was probably him.

I spent a few days without stopping him, thinking it's best to let sleeping dogs lie. Then, one day, I was called in by my supervisor and asked about the drugs in question.

“Honestly, is it [a word I didn't know] that he's doing?”
“Ah...”

Even though it was a language that should have been impossible for humans to speak, I was communicating naturally.

Frustrated by my evasiveness, my supervisor raised his voice.

“It's him, isn't it! Tell me!”
“Ah...”

Giving in to the pressure, I let his name slip out.

Regardless of the circumstances, I had sold out my colleague. Now, rumors about me began to spread.

One morning, I went to work. But something was wrong.

Every other new hire was lined up. It reminded me of the formation of the men I mentioned earlier.

“Ah...”

Even without words, I instantly understood that something bad was about to happen.

They turned their heads toward me in silence, and for some reason, they started running toward me with both arms in a T-pose.

Without a second thought, I fled from the spot. It was probably the first time in my life I was able to run properly in a dream.

I don't know how long I ran through a world where the scenery never seemed to get any closer. Behind me, my colleague was persistently chasing me. Just as I was becoming a jumble of anxiety and impatience, wondering how much longer I had to run, those men I mentioned earlier stood in my way, formed in a line.

In a delinquent movie, they would be reinforcements, but that was impossible. This multi-racial group spaced themselves out like they were doing radio calisthenics, singing a song in an unknown language while swinging their arms in circles and dancing.

Calling it 'a tiger at the front gate and a wolf at the back' is too mild. It was a madman at the front gate and a madman at the back.

I couldn't stop running, so I thought, 'Oh, to hell with it,' and charged straight through.

I ran while colliding with the men, and the singing never stopped.

'Dassari Ruinesa Musa'

I'm pretty sure they were repeating words like that. Whether it was a round or not, while being bathed in a song that echoed strangely in my eardrums, the scene looped like the final scene of the anime version of 'Midori'.

'Dassari Ruinesa Musa'