Cocona is a cautious schoolgirl who finds new experiences difficult until the energetic Papika pulls her into Pure Illusion. This other realm can change its surroundings from one visit to the next. The two search for fragments said to grant a wish, and find that facing its dangers together can transform them as well as their surroundings.
A world of sweet snow is only the beginning of the contrast with Cocona’s school routine. Later excursions take the pair into a desert, an isolated island and a school that is difficult to escape. Cooperation is not automatic: Papika’s eagerness and Cocona’s reluctance have to become something more useful than one girl pulling the other along.
In their first meeting, Papika closes the distance while Cocona holds herself back. The face-to-face frame gives the adventure a scale smaller than its changing landscapes: one person asks another to enter an experience she has not chosen for herself. Their ability to explore Pure Illusion depends on how that initial invitation develops into a relationship in which both can act.