Challenges came in many forms. Each burden was unique from person to person. Some were light and easy to carry, while others were too heavy for one human to handle. But when one was faced with problems, it was up to the person how he or she would respond.

Haru’s dilemma was always interaction. She never had the talent for it, nor was there anyone to teach her how. Even if she had entered a new place – a virtual reality world no less – her problems persisted like an ice cream stain on a toddler’s bib.

A prime example of this was her time fumbling around in the lobby. It was one awkward experience, from the time she arrived, acting like a lost wet puppy in a box, all the way to the receptionist assisting her in choosing her costume, weapon, power, and ability. Even though Haru was talking to an AI – an NPC complete with the white cross on her head – she still stuttered like a socially awkward idiot.

Thank you so much! And I would say, your choices of costume and superpowers were excellent!

Oh… Th-Thanks… I thought the sailor fuku looked anime enough but–

Now, ma'am. What place of the Escapist Dream would you like to visit first? Stan City, the place for comic book fans? Otaku Academy, the place for anime otakus? Gamer's Den, the place for gamers? Or The Library, the place for bookworms and literary geeks?

Oh… Ummm… I’m an anime fan so…

Great choice! Now let me open a portal so you could be on your way.

Th-Thank you once again. But when I get inside… what people will I meet? Where is the place… where Japanese people like me, stay? Are there any… bad people there? Is the government watching us in the–

The portal is ready! Just step right in and enjoy!

Oh… Ummm… Thanks…

It was not the AI's fault though; it was always Haru who talked dumb. It probably couldn't compute the speech of a shy introvert. The awkwardness was – and would always be – her one true personality; her only curse from God.

Would her dilemma end when she finally meets other geeks and otakus? Probably not. They probably would think of her as too weird and soft-spoken. And what if she was not as geeky as them? Would she even be accepted by this place? Was there a world, in all the multitude of universes, where she actually belonged?

These negative thoughts never left Haru. She was far too gone; learned helplessness had overtaken her. She would never improve socially. Every word that came from her mouth was poison, and her company was always terrible.

Her self-loathing ended the moment she came out of the portal. What stood in front of her was breathtaking. It was like staring at an amazing work of art, but instead of a flat picture, Haru was gazing upon a breathing mythological world.

The academy looked normal enough. It had a metal gate, sliding doors, gyms, a baseball field, and a soccer field. Its walls were painted spotless white, lawns were covered with grass, and hallways were so clean they sparkled. At the front stood a bronze statue of an Asian man wearing a black beret. He was the God of Manga himself – Osamu Tezuka – and his appearance alone spoke of what guests like Haru should expect.

Up above, orange jumpsuit-wearing men, coated in yellow flaming auras, flew. On the walls, ninjas ran while dragging their arms from behind. Pirates too could be seen sailing on their ship, complete with the smiling ram figurehead, and an octopus balloon strapped to it that made it float. Then there were the elementary-age school girls, looking young like they were still wearing diapers, riding on miniature military tanks. Young kids of various cliques roamed around, like school girls dressed as sailor scouts, and cute guys showing off their square gakurans.

She admired everything around her. She was in the land where anime could be real, the world where she should be. The place made solely for people like her.

Haru continued walking around the school, peeking at the windows and classrooms. There were martial art enthusiasts in their karate gis sparring each other, street delinquents squatting on the floor brandishing their pompadours and wooden swords, student council members walking around with their red armbands, bōsōzoku in their fluttering long white jackets riding their noisy motorcycles, and even a Japanese girl on her bike carrying a piece of sliced bread in her mouth.

It was weird, funky, out-of-this-world, and hard to explain. It was how anime was supposed to be. The culture that made Japan famous. The culture that took over the world and made weebs of Americans, Koreans, Brits, and many more. Haru had never been happier in her life, being in the world she could only witness from a print or a screen. Every costume she recognized; every reference aroused her. She was with her people now, sharing in their passion, hoping she could make a friend of one or two. The Escapist Dream was the Elysium for the people of her niche and medium.

“Haru?!” a voice called out. The voice came from the person whom Haru had been looking for.

“Aniki!” Haru cried the moment she saw her brother. Ryūji couldn’t believe his eyes seeing his younger sister there. Soon, his surprise turned to happiness the moment he felt the tight embrace of her excited sister.

Ryūji was a young man, sloe-eyed with a slightly plump build. He had tan brown skin and jet black messy hair, trimmed on each side. The moment Haru felt his tight hug, the joy drowned her loneliness, making life more complete.

“How did you get here?” Ryūji asked with a smile. “What are you doing here, anyways?”

“It doesn’t matter, aniki,” replied Haru. “I just want to see you again!”

“You know what you are doing is illegal, right? If otosan hears about this–”

“I don’t care. I’m here now. That is what’s important.”

“Oh, little sis. Look at you. Breaking the rules and acting like a badass.”

The two sat on a wooden bench to catch up. Ryūji shared his experiences in college, how it was different from high school, where he was pretty much thrown into a pit of vipers and forced to survive on his own. He did share some of the good stuff about it too, from the freedom given to him, to how people had become more mature. Haru meanwhile, shared about the current situation in their household; how their father was still the same authoritarian killjoy. Tearfully, she also told Ryūji about her new failures, and the recent abuse she got from their daddy dearest.

“Gomen ne, Haru-chan,” Ryūji said as he too sobbed. The life given to them – the life they had to live – filled with such unpleasantness, filled with evil that never ended. No one deserved such treatment, yet fate was cruel, and God seemed absent.

“It’s okay, aniki,” Haru replied. “I’m here now with you, and I can’t wait to finally explore this place!”

"Of course!" remarked Ryūji. "Let me cheer you up! Listen, there's this little gathering that's happening on the baseball field. Seems fun enough. Wanna go?"

“You bet!”

Brother and sister left their bench and went around the school. Beside the institution laid the large dusty baseball field, steel fenced, with ascending chairs to watch the games. However, today, no athletes were seen competing. A different kind of battle was brewing – more violent yet surrealistic.

Both sides of the field contained two warring parties. On the right side were feral girls wearing blue blouses, wolf fang necklaces, red face paints, while riding large white dire wolves. There were also young boys with bowl cuts wearing white haori jackets wrapped with lavender sashes, indigo-colored jinbei undershirts, as well as beige sandals. Other non-human characters were also present, such as a towering moaning black mass wearing a white kabuki mask, an abominable offspring of a brown cat and a large minibus, and a large grey beast with a beige belly and an adorable green leaf on its head. Floating above the baseball field was a large, unbalanced, brick-made castle with towers releasing steam.

On the left side were people dressed in more kawaii costumes. Young girls were wearing puffy dark pink dresses, red baker's caps, and red ribbons, carrying staffs with yellow beaks adorned with wings. There were also young girls wearing raggedy coats, red chequered skirts, and loose socks, with pink hair tied in a ponytail facing up. There were guys too wearing 19th-century black tuxedos, complete with the black top hat and mask. Then there were the pop idols flaunting their smooth white skin, long socks, and microphones. Behind them were Gundam-like mechs, complete with gatling guns, laser blasters, and metallic wings sprouting jaggedly from the back.

The two groups hurled taunts and battle cries, insulting everything from their costumes, lifestyles, and their mothers, showing how much they loathed the other.

“What’s going on?” Haru asked Ryūji.

"Typical otaku conflict. The ones that make zero sense," laughed Ryūji. "The guys on the right call themselves 'The Company of Righteous Artists'. They're fans of Studio Ghibli films and other animes they believed to be works of art. Lately, they've been trying to spread ‘art’ around the academy, fighting those they deemed are fans of low-class trash. Meanwhile, those people on the left call themselves the ‘Cute Circle’, and like the other one, they’re also crazy. They believe that anime should be cute, innocent, and fun, and they've also been causing terror by forcing other otakus to be more kawaii.”

“They sound crazy,” remarked Haru.

"Oh, they are," Ryūji replied. "Welcome to anime."

The two groups continued to banter. Each of them had at most a hundred members. “Down to those pompous narcissistic idiots with the ribbons and the puff!” one of the haori-wearing members of the Company declared. “Look at their costumes. They think they’re cute and beautiful. But deep inside they’re nothing more than sluts who make the creepos and perverted old men drool! As real artists, we should focus on themes, plot, and characters, rather than stupid out-of-this-world dresses!”

“Don’t listen to the rabbles of these fiction fascists!” a girl with a staff yelled. "Look at them. They think they're smart because they watch Studio Ghibli. They think they're better because they waste their time studying themes that no sane person would ever care about. Dunning-Kruger lives inside these assholes! Let's exorcise it from them and bedazzle their lives with glitter!"

Both sides could not wait any longer. Only one should leave this baseball field as the victor. Without any other warning, the two groups finally clashed.

The haori-wearing members transformed themselves into serpent-like white scaled dragons with green manes. They then took into the air and dove, chomping several magical girls. The Company’s old grotesque witches started unleashing their magic, transforming several magical girls into large glutenous swine. Wolf-riding feral girls charged the Cute Circle, letting their mounts maul and eat.

The Cute Circle retaliated, hurling powerful prism-like blasts that burned many Company members. Many flew on their winged staffs, drawing several magical cards. They threw their earthly cards, which caused tremors and earthquakes, while also dropping mounds and rocks from the sky. Their mechs also crashed through the Company like a bowling ball – smashing, stomping, and shooting – creating a typhoon of steel.

The young Haru cowered behind her older brother as cries of the dying filled her ears. Ryūji smiled at his cute sister, remembering the time when they were young, comforting her whenever lightning struck. “Don’t be scared, Haru-chan,” Ryūji said as he patted her head. “This is just a game. No one actually gets hurt or dies here. If your health bar runs out, then you get teleported to a clinic to respawn. It’s all for show.”

“I-I see,” replied Haru. “But aniki, what are we going to do? Why are we here?”

“I haven’t told you yet, Haru, but I'm one of the admins here and it's my job to keep the peace. For days, these two groups have done nothing but cause trouble. I’ve already warned them that further idiocy would get them banned but they never listened. And now they’re having a battle right in the baseball field.”

“How do we stop them?”

“Well… time for warnings is over. I’m here to permaban their asses, but I thought of having ourselves some fun while we do it. Are you ready?”

“I-I don’t know, aniki. It looks scary.”

“Don’t be scared, Haru-chan. You’re with me now. No one can hurt you anymore.”

Ryūji grabbed Haru’s hand and plunged themselves into the fight. A feral girl rushed at them with her wolf, but Ryūji did a spinning back kick that took the girl off her mount, making her fly. Ryūji lifted his right hand above his head and summoned a large black katana. He then struck it downwards, creating a sharp gust of wind and energy that ripped the clothes of the idol girls. The girls screamed as they covered their nude bodies with their hands. Male otakus from both sides saw the girls, making their noses bleed with so much power that they rocketed them to the sky. The girls got on their mechs and retreated in shame.

“Aniki!” Haru screamed as she sat, curled, and shielded her head with her hands. “I’m scared! What should I do?”

“Just relax, Haru! You have chosen a superpower, right?”

“Yes! But how can I use it?”

“Just relax and think of the power you have chosen. Then the Escapist Dream will make it real for you.”

“I can’t concentrate, Aniki!”

“You can do it, Haru-chan! I know you can do it. I know you’re wrong about yourself. You’re not a failure!”

One of the serpent-like dragons dove onto Ryūji and Haru with its jaws open. Ryūji put both his palms behind him and began chanting, "Hame… Kame… Haaaaaaa!”, summoning a blue linear beam that vaporized the dragon. Ryūji then hovered upwards into the sky, before making figures with his fingers and uttering another chant, “Kagebushin no-justu!”

Fifty identical clones of Ryūji were summoned. All the shadow clones put their palms behind them and simultaneously fired their hamekamehas. The series of blue energy beams struck the feuding otakus, blasting many, vaporizing some, causing chaos to those who survived. Ryūji would have made it easier for him and these idiots by just plainly permabanning them. But he thought of adding destruction and embarrassment into their punishments.

The floating castle was hit by one of Ryūji's attacks, making bricks and other debris rain down on the school, creating misery on the hapless bystanders who had nothing to gain from this battle. “Come on, Haru!” Ryūji yelled.

Haru watched as her brother sewed destruction amongst the rabid otakus, but he was just one against many. She must do something to help. Anything that could help. She must stop being useless for once, and try to accomplish something in her life.

“Hello!” a voice greeted Haru from behind, which made the girl quickly turn. In front of her was an anthropomorphic white cat – bipedal with a huge head, waving at her with cute little paws. It was five apples tall and three apples heavy, wearing a two-strap denim dress with a yellow shirt underneath. Its face was composed of eyes as dark as blackcurrants, three little whiskers, and a yellow nose.

“Hey! I know you!” Haru said, her fear temporarily disappearing. The cat resembled the cute cartoon feline she used to watch when she was a kid. Her room used to be littered with the cat’s merchandise from school bags, dinner plates, cups, pencils, to even weird stuff like underwear, mobile phones, and even a box cutter.

“Oh my God! Hello Kitty is actually talking to me right now!”

“Thank you! Glad you are a fan of Hello Kitty too. Now, I am going to kill you.”

“What?”

The cat otaku summoned what appeared to be a large pink bazooka. It then began shooting pink cupcakes covered with red sprinkles. Haru tried to dodge the cupcakes, which exploded wherever they hit. Panicking, she desperately tried to remember the power she chose inside the lobby. She then felt a spherical object in her hand; an apple-sized ball, colored red and white. After recognizing the ball, Haru threw it in front of her as explosions rocked her area.

“Pikachu!” a yellow rodent greeted after popping out of the ball. For Haru's first power, she chose to summon the mascot of her childhood. "Alright, Pikachu! Use thundershock!” she ordered hastily.

“Pikaaaaaachuuuuu!” the yellow rodent yelled as a web of electricity electrocuted the anthropomorphic cat.

“Nice! Now, are there any other moves that you know?” asked Haru.

“Pika?” the yellow rodent replied with a confused face.

“Hey!” the cat otaku yelled as it tried to get back up. “You can only choose one power! Even if you are using a summon, your monster can only use one power! You have to level up first before you can unlock more!’

The anthropomorphic cat then whistled, summoning a pink car on green wheels, with a license plate bearing the letters “MIMMY”. The cat otaku hopped into the car and stepped on the gas, making the car dash towards Haru, intending to turn her into roadkill. "Mama always said that I should learn to share. So I'm going to share my car with you! Or in this case, through you!”

“Shimatta!" Haru screamed as she and the yellow rodent ran in the opposite direction. The girl tried to turn and lose the car, looking hopelessly for any high ground or covers to jump into. But the baseball field was empty and there was no way she could outrun an actual car. The cat kept its pedal to the metal.

Thinking fast, Haru grabbed her yellow rodent and whispered, “I have a plan. But you have to trust me, okay?”

“Pika-pi!” it said with determination.

As the car was only a few feet away, Haru glanced over her shoulder, aimed her hand, and threw the yellow rodent. The yellow rodent tearfully screamed as it landed on the cat otaku’s windshield.

“Hey, get off! I can’t see!” the anthropomorphic cat yelled as the car swerved out of control.

“Now, Pikachu! Use thundershock!” ordered Haru as she hit the deck.

The yellow rodent released all of its energy in a mighty vortex of lightning. The car was enveloped with electricity, shocking the cat otaku, making the car red hot. The vehicle then exploded, sending dangerous shrapnel of metal and glass into the air. Haru managed to catch the yellow rodent who was hurt by the explosion.

“Pikaaaaa…” groaned the yellow rodent.

“It’s okay, you can rest now,” Haru said as she kissed her pet on the head.

The anthropomorphic cat crawled away from the wreckage, now missing the lower part of its body after a metal door from its car dropped and chopped it in two. Haru checked up on her mortally wounded foe.

Stupid little girl… Isn’t she a bloody newbie? God, why did I become careless? Oh Mimmy, I’m sorry. Otosan and okaasan, gomen ne… I learned a valuable lesson today. Curiosity didn’t kill the cat… carelessness did… I-I… Oh God… Why?

“What are you doing?” Haru asked after watching the cat otaku murmur something while staring at her blankly like a statue.

“Shut up!” the anthropomorphic cat yelled. “I’m trying to monologue here! Let me finish!”

“Oh, right! Sumimasen!”

I’m going to miss my dear sister. And my little cat, Charmmy. Although it’s kind of weird that I’m a cat and I have a pet cat. Like Goofy and Pluto. Am I really a cat? Some people say that I’m not. Dammit, why do anime need to be weird!

The cat otaku then disappeared, signaling Haru had won the fight. The young girl could not believe what just happened. She had never won anything in her whole life – this being her first victory. Joy filled every part of her as she screamed and jumped in celebration. “Aniki! I won! I won!’

But her brother was still busy fighting some of the remaining rogue otakus. Haru covered her mouth with her hand in worry, as Ryūji appeared with wounds all over his body. He was visibly tired even as he continued to fight, and Haru could not bear to see her brother in such a state.

This battle must end now, and Haru had to do something.

And so, she ran towards the center of the baseball field, dodging ki blasts, bullets, magical beams flying everywhere. When she arrived at the middle of the baseball field, she dug deep into her heart, the deepest she ever been. Haru had always been soft-spoken – unheard of – invisible to everyone around her. Now was the time for her to change. Her new victory had given her confidence she never felt.

“Stooooooooopppppp!” Haru screamed with all her might. She yelled a mighty yell, hoping she would finally be noticed. It did dawn on her that this was probably a bad idea. Who could even hear her in this ongoing battle anyways?

To her surprise, however, her plan worked. The Company of Righteous Artists and the Cute Circle temporarily halted their fighting to find out who screamed. All eyes descended upon Haru.

“E-Everyone… listen to me…”

The two parties continued to stare at the awkward little school girl smack dabbed into a kill zone. The whole place was silent, even Ryūji, who was amazed that his sister was talking right now.

“I screamed because… because I want to get your attention… because all of you are all stupid!” Haru suddenly proclaimed, her energy unleashed for one terrifying rant.

“Who cares if something is deep or cute? Why can’t you all just like the shit you like and respect what other people like!”

The Company replied, “Anime needs to be taken seriously! And it will never be taken seriously if continued perverted weird bullshit are peddled to the masses! Throughout the history of anime, we seldom win any recognition or literary significance! Besides Studio Ghibli, we are thought of nothing more than just silly stuff!”

"And you think your themes got you the recognition you need?" a member of the Cute Circle fired back. "Kawaii-ness is what brought anime into the international world. It is what anime culture was built upon. Do you think anime will be known without the magnificent cosplays and cute girls?! Ha! Look at every anime convention and what will you see?”

Something clicked inside Haru’s brain. The Company of Righteous Artists were pompous lovers of only the high art, but deep down, they were nothing more than otakus who wanted their medium to gain respect. The Cute Circle too were similar. They only wanted to promote beauty and aesthetics to a medium filled with deviousness and stupidity. Both of them had their view of what the medium was, and both of them were right.

“Look at yourselves,” Haru said. "Can't you see both of you are the same? Both of you love anime! If you love anime, then don't fight because of it. You will only strengthen the view that our culture is violent, perverted, and stupid. And so what if other people like something else than those you love?”

“She’s right, you know,” added Ryūji after he landed back to the ground. “Anime is made up of many styles and genres. Why should you have the right to ban or censor one thing that makes other people happy, while promoting what you want? If an otaku likes harem and hentai, then why don’t you let her or him? That otaku isn’t doing anything to you. He or she just wants to be happy.”

“Thank you, aniki," Haru said with a smile. "The world is filled with different hobbies and series that each of us loves. I'm a girl, and I admit, I like all the ecchi stuff. I like watching shōnen, mainly Demon Slayers and Jujustu Kaisen. These make me happy. Would you not want your fellow otaku to be happy too?”

The points given by Haru and Ryūji embedded themselves into the two groups. Though they said no apologies, they started to disperse. The baseball field was finally at peace. Ryūji was happy he didn’t have to ban anyone anymore, but he too was filled with pride knowing how excellent her sister was today.

“You were amazing, Haru-chan,” Ryūji said as he wrapped his arm around Haru’s shoulders.

“Thank you, aniki,” replied Haru. “Come on, let’s look at what other fun stuff we could do.”

“That’s the spirit! Welcome to the Escapist Dream!” Ryūji said, happy to see her sad sister filled with positivity. The life she lived made it impossible for her to be happy in the real world, but here? This was the place where a weak geek could be a strong hero, a beta cuck could become a powerful god, where boring lives could be transformed into magnificent epics. And Haru, the poor little girl bullied by life itself, had tasted something good in her lonely existence.

The girl would continue earning more achievements in the next few months. She and her brother became a formidable duo throughout Otaku Academy. No mischief escaped them, no trouble bothered them. Many disasters were prevented, every fool and bastard was decimated. They were unstoppable.

Unfortunately, great times never last. In fact, said happy days were both a blessing and a curse. For if one was blessed today, that person should bet that tomorrow would be rough and hellish. No one in this world was given never-ending luck. Suffering would screw everyone in the end.