“I thought it’d be boring not being able to ride any attractions, but thanks to the youngest, there’s been no time to rest at all.”

“Compared to us, who only got some fur and ears and feathers added to our heads, it’s fundamentally different, isn’t it? You’ve got a snake tail the size of a person’s body. Not that I’m envious, of course.”

“Ugh, why me...”

There was a scent like perfume in the air.

In the small bag I held with my tail, there were many souvenirs — gloves, toys, signed items, ribbons, and countless mementos — none of which had been bought with money. And as time passed, the number of these souvenirs kept growing. The reason was simple. The various characters we met while wandering around had shown us a lot of attention.

While leaning against the barricade separating the parade from the crowd and flicking my tail, I was suddenly pulled into a pre-hug by a character, and while buying a caramel apple at a snack stand, I was called over and hugged again. Then, while going to eat, I was hugged once more...

At that point, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on, so I glanced at one of the staff members accompanying us, asking with my eyes, and the reply I received was… quite strange.

“Haha, it’s simple really. At our Disney World, we have a sort of… special treatment for manifesters. If you think about where the inspiration for the films produced by Disney Animation Studios, which was founded more than 100 years ago, came from, the answer is pretty clear.”

“…You mean, they’re looking at manifesters?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious? In fact, all the original animals that move and think like people were all based on manifesters like you.”

Naturally, we were all stunned upon hearing this.

It made sense though. After all, everyone here had at least some knowledge of the world’s secrets, and knew that their bodies had mysteriously changed when they came to this world.

It was already a known fact that the effects of the manifesters had shaped the society in significant ways, but to encounter a fragment of that in this form… I had never imagined it.

‘…No, should I have figured it out sooner?’

As we waited in line for photos with popular characters, not only were they calling us over, but the people already in line accepted this as natural, cheering for us as if we were cutting in line. That should’ve been my first clue.

Thinking back, we were... maybe just regular characters that appear around here. Our presence here stood in stark contrast to the standard “This character will appear from - to -!” signs scattered throughout the park.

If I hadn’t posted on social media before coming here saying there wouldn’t be any special fan service, we might’ve been in trouble.

“Even with so many people around, if the youngest had started streaming, it might have taken us 40 minutes to move 1km.”

“That’s why I left the drone cam in the car. Tomorrow will be a bit quieter. The VIP tour doesn’t overlap with the public, so we should be fine.”

“I hope so.”

Unfortunately, we weren’t really able to enjoy most of the attractions at Disney World due to our sizes.

The most realistic option seemed to be taking turns riding the attractions individually, but whether we wanted to do that was another question. So, the staff member playing the guide exaggeratedly lamented this and promised to make the tour tomorrow more comfortable.

Not that it was necessary, really.

In any case, the thing we spent the most time on was...

“Wow, I never thought I’d meet you guys here! Although I don’t know much about your expertise in the military field, I watch your broadcasts all the time! I hope you enjoy your time in this land of dreams and hopes!”

“Ah... thank you. The performance earlier was very impressive, and I enjoyed watching it. Though I didn’t see the movie that inspired the performance...”

“Oh my… that’s such a shame. But what’s important is that you’re interested now. Not having seen it yet just means you can watch it anytime.”

It was a strange encounter in a space where only staff members were allowed.

I wasn’t the best at remembering faces, but I could recognize most people, especially since many of them were performers in surprise shows that suddenly appeared throughout the park. Usually, I couldn’t recognize them because of the character costumes, but not all the staff performed in costumes.

Anyway, it was a bit embarrassing, but this also reflected Disney World’s motto, which was a little different from the original world.

The staff continued their explanation.

“It might be a bit surprising for you, but as I mentioned earlier... we primarily create the admiration and imagination of people. This extends to our staff as well. In order to spread dreams and hope, we need those who understand what that means.”

“So?”

“That’s why, the staff here have a kind of… admiration for the image of manifesters. Since the animation studio started with that concept, we’ve intentionally, though partially, allowed this framework to continue.”

“So that’s why, just a few hours ago, we could experience things we never imagined?”

“That’s right.”

So, this was what they meant by “special treatment” for manifesters.

I wasn’t sure if this could be considered a butterfly effect, but even if it hadn’t been for that, it was highly likely that the park operators had been paying a lot of attention to us. After all, four out of the approximately 17 EM-level manifesters in the world had suddenly shown up at the same time. If it were me, I’d be just as stunned.

And since we were receiving services, rather than paying for them, there was no real issue with the give-and-take.

Moreover, one of the reasons people visit theme parks is to have these kinds of "special" experiences. Without this, we’d just be wandering around the area for a few days before heading home. After all, we had all lived lives with little to no connection to animation or things like that.

Anyway, we spent some time wandering around, eating, and eventually, the sun began to set.

A large crowd moved toward Disney Castle, and just before the sun completely set, they took their places, getting ready to watch the upcoming fireworks. Everyone took out their phones and cameras, capturing what seemed like a vlog.

Meanwhile, in a spot inaccessible to the general public, cocktails were placed on our table. When I asked where they were from, the bartender told me he had made them based on our appearances.

Laurenatina, who was staring at the white drink with a cherry delicately crafted into a serrated shape, chuckled. Her sharp, pointed teeth showed between her lips.

“Really impressive.”

“The one with white and a bit of blue… it smells like soda, right? They probably got it from my hair and eyes.”

“The glass is all green, so I guess it’s a Green Anaconda?”

“I’m pretty ordinary. With the brown color, it could be an espresso martini?”

Anyway, cheers.

Just before the timer prepared by Disney hit zero, a loud sound rang out, and at the same moment, an unfamiliar theme song played. The black sky was briefly colored white, and the fireworks began.

As they continued, a rich melon flavor slid down my throat, and the sharp burn of alcohol rose in my throat. It was sweet and delicious.

Of course...

“To bring down that castle, we’d probably need several times the amount of fireworks exploding in the sky right now.”

“Who wants to calculate all that? Just bombard it with kiloton-level stuff. Don’t you think?”

“Can we not talk about that crap with this beautiful backdrop? Damn idiots.”

As always, the military minds were the same.

The scenery before our eyes was breathtaking, but the conversation was utter chaos.

This wasn’t exactly what you’d call a vacation schedule, but it had begun.

"…Epcot Virtual Reality Studio? Didn't they say there's a VIP-only tour tomorrow?"

"They suggested it first. Let's review the details and decide if we’ll go ahead with the tour tomorrow, or maybe postpone it for the day after."

11 p.m., Florida Disney World - Four Seasons Resort.

With the window open, we could see the fireworks from Magic Kingdom far in the distance. In our four-person suite, we were ordering room service—though when I offered to pay, they all adamantly refused, insisting on ordering with their own money, so I had to place the orders through my Icarus gear. A data file was handed to the three of us who were spending time in the suite.

This file was, as mentioned earlier, a recommendation for a tour course sent to us by Disney. They had clearly caught on to the fact that we hadn’t had the most impressive time and decided to offer a suggestion.

The course they recommended certainly caught our attention—but to understand why, a bit of explanation was needed.

Disney World consists of four massive theme parks, and one of them is the Epcot, which I briefly mentioned earlier. Another one is Magic Kingdom, which we had already visited today.

Unlike the other parks, whose themes are mostly fantasy, Epcot deals with the future and global cultures, with a format resembling an expo. As I mentioned earlier, the addition of "Virtual Reality Studio" as part of the label gave away a bit of the theme.

For anyone with a good sense, they would immediately recognize who Epcot had collaborated with to build the studio.

“…It looks like the company your parents have control over is significantly involved in this place, huh?”

“That… what was it again? Icarus, right?”

“Both of you are correct.”

Normally, people wouldn’t care much about the history of how the studio was built unless they were told directly by the guide, but today, we happened to be among the few people who did.

There wasn’t much to explain anyway. Unlike other theme parks, the Epcot Virtual Reality Studio had been built in just three years. The construction company under Icarus Logistics ran VR simulations, and the materials needed were calculated down to the last bag of cement.

Icarus covered most of the construction costs, and their share of the project was about the same, but that’s beside the point. The key point about the Virtual Reality Studio was that it was modeled after various virtual reality games, including Dark Zone.

Scrolling through the file, my companions seemed to notice that the content had shifted, as their focus visibly sharpened.

“Dark Zone was expected, and it looks like Glory & Honor is also here. Terra’s a new one for me…”

“It’s a magic-based fantasy game. I haven’t played it myself, so I’m not sure. It’s probably just as popular, or even more popular, than Glory & Honor.”

“Well, unless the youngest takes an interest, I won’t be bothered with it.”

As I continued scrolling, it became clear that there were various VR data that could only be experienced at this studio, along with unique skins and costumes that visitors could receive as gifts.

But what really caught our attention was something else. It wasn’t just that Epcot was becoming a new hotspot for cosplay; there was the option to pay a fee and log into humanoid robots where holograms would be projected onto them, allowing visitors to walk around the studio remotely.

“…That’s pretty impressive. It’s a good opportunity for those who are physically impaired or elderly and can’t walk long distances.”

“It’s been in partial operation for about a year, but the demand was so high that they increased the number of humanoid robots to 10,000. From what I heard from my parents, within a year, everything will be replaced with Icarus Dynamics-produced models.”

“That’s just another printing press for dollar bills.”

Indeed.

Thinking about it, tomorrow will probably offer a lot more to see than today did.

As I thought that, I leaned back on the bed, and suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind. It wasn’t just words—images passed by like a panorama. Something clicked in my mind, and a series of various ideas started to assemble in my mind.

The idea of projecting a hologram onto a humanoid robot wasn’t too unusual—it was essentially like pulling something from virtual reality and pasting it into reality. If that’s the case, I could subtly bring out Jin, Rain, or Maverick. Wouldn’t that be fine?

‘How it’s possible’ wasn’t something I needed to figure out at this point. My parents had already opened the doors through their partnership with Icarus Dynamics and the AI research lab, so I could easily get away with saying, “We’re testing the system.”

And in that moment, there was no one who wouldn’t notice what I was thinking.

But this time, I was a little faster.

“Logan, Laurenatina.”

“Looks like the youngest came up with something again. I’m not curious, but just bring me the result.”

“Expect all you want.”

I glanced quickly.

Thankfully or unfortunately, Olivia hadn’t caught on yet. I stood up and added with a sly smile.

“I’ll be back in 3 minutes, just going for a quick walk.”

Of course, three minutes wasn’t nearly enough to even leave the large hotel lobby.

Activating my Icarus gear, I opened a gate and walked through the front door, heading straight into the darkness toward the location where the Dagger Team from the other world was. Since there was nothing left to do after completing the recent flaming donkey mission, I figured I could just check in. The location was still at Central Park HQ.

Unlike other operators who were scattered throughout the headquarters, these three dots were all gathered in one place. I lightly touched the dots on the map, and the names popped up above.

Jin, Rain, and Maverick—now, everyone just called them by their nicknames since Maverick was too long.

I knocked on the door of the room where the three were gathered and activated IFF to confirm who was there.

The moment the door opened, I was greeted with the scene inside.

“Hey, stop moving your feet! Didn’t you want to try painting your nails?”

“Ugh, this feels weirder than I thought… eh.”

“What? Who’s—ugh!”

“Eh, huh…?”

The room, where three humanoids were staying, looked a bit too much like a girly space.

I briefly wondered if I should be happy for them, seeing how they had grown into independent beings. But then I let that thought go.

With a smile, I added,

“My little ones. Clear your schedule for tomorrow.”

“…Why, all of a sudden?”

“It’s nothing major.”

And with that, I opened my mouth.

“Let’s go outside and get some fresh air.”

Except for Maverick, the other two opened their eyes wide and smiled brightly, more naturally than humans could.

Of course, the next moment, I had to endure a bombardment of joy from the two of them, which had now increased to three.

After five minutes, the suite was in chaos.

The world truly felt surreal.