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"HUNLEY! HUUUNNNLLLEEEYYY!"

We searched everywhere.

"Hunley...?! Hu... Hunley...?!"

We explored every inch of this cursed lab...

"Where the turf did Hunry go?!"

"Like, beats me. No one went past here."

"... nnnggh..."

There wasn't any trace of him. We didn't even find the supposed chief of this laboratory... rather, we found the Blaster wielded by that man. ... of course, that man wasn't found neither.

"Wh-what are we gonna do...?!"

"First, we must bring Zira to the hospital. I'm sure the ambulance is waiting for us at the entrance..."

"Can I use the Blaster?!"

"Nick, this is not a darn game!"

Temanga focused on the entrance, while me, Greta and Carlson searched for Hunley.

"What are we gonna do about those paintings, Mirii?"

"... without the device, we can't do anything about them..."

I didn't had the energy to think about it... to be fair, I almost forgot about the painting issues.

"Let's take them with us. I'm sure the Shrine can help us in some way."

We decided to head back home, while we haven't found any trace of Hunley... nor any evidence regarding Project Neo. Although, I couldn't check properly, due to the disappearance emergency that occured in the laboratory.

... I came back home without Hunley... ... Hunley...

Mirii was laying on the bed, facing the cushion and sinking into it.

Hunley... where are you...?

Her right fist clenched, as it sunk on the bed's surface.

I-I don't understand...

A hand touched her right shoulder: Mirii rolled over her left side, jumping away from her bed and landing on her feet. Her fists were already up, facing Kelly who was-

"K-Kelly?!" Mirii's mouth opened widely, as she quickly lowered her fists.

The younger girl lowered her head, raising her eyebrows too.

"... I-I didn't had the courage of greeting you normally..." She sighed. "Forgive me..."

"Why?" Mirii's head rose.

"... we heard what happened to the laboratory... and..." Kelly's head rose. "Well, I... I came into your room and I... well, I was hearing what you were mentally saying..."

Mirii's face went darker.

"Kelly, you don't need to apologize."

"Bu-but you are worried about Master Hun!" Kelly bended herself forward. "Worried and sad that"

"I should be hopeful too."

Kelly kept her mouth open, while Mirii's fists clenched harder than before.

"... I can feel it..." Her head turned over her right side. "I shouldn't allow feelings to overcome me, but... Hunley is alive!"

Mirii twisted herself forward, while frowning at Kelly and sporting watery eyes.

"I shouldn't be here getting lost in my thoughts! I must search for Hunley! He is somewhere around here, I can feel it!" She sniffed loudly.

"Oh..." Kelly smiled a bit, before nodding.

"His disappearance must be related to Project Neo too!" Mirii walked over her right side. "There is no other explanation."

"Oooohh!" Kelly tilted herself over her right side, while her hands went behind her back. "Do you have some new evidence or"

"Not yet." Mirii's right forefinger tapped on her right cheek. "It's all the work of brilliant deduction whose being made by unadulterated perfection."

"... ah." Kelly's eyes reopened, shaping themselves as vertical, black eyes.

"What about the paintings, Kelly?" Mirii's arms folded. "Have you saved the Squids who are trapped inside them?"

"We are working on it!" Kelly's hands united, as her smile brightened. "Tee hee hee!"

Mirii smiled as well.

"Ah, can you come inside the masters' room?" Kelly rose her mouth, as her right hand grabbed her left elbow.

"Hmm?" Mirii's eyes squeezed a little.


Mirii was walking down the corridor... along with Kelly who was bouncing on her way through. A sweat drop grew on Mirii's right side.

"Kelly."

"Mmmmhh, hmm?" Kelly twisted herself over her left side, as she shaped her mouth as a w.

"Stop bouncing." Mirii's head rose. "It makes me mad."

"Whyyyy noooott?" Kelly walked, but her eyes turned into white circles, while her w-shaped mouth intensified.

"Because it does." Mirii lowered her head, while her eyes closed and a vein popped out from her forehead.

"That's a bit odd for a girl who always want a reason for her action...!" Kelly brought her right hand in front of her small grin, while her eyelids lowered to the middle and her left forefinger aimed at her head.

"What that's supposed to mean?!" Mirii twisted herself over Kelly, while raising her shoulders and turning her eyes into white semi-circles.

"Aaaaalright, alright!" Kelly faced forward, watching the incoming hallway's exit. "I was just trying to cheer you up a lil' more..."

"I'm not in the mood for that." Mirii sighed loudly. "Why are you bringing me to Fara? Is she still asleep?"

"She woke up!" Flowers surrounded Kelly's head, as she smiled at Mirii. "And it's all thanks to all of you!"

"I was alone during the fight." Mirii unlocked the exit with both her hands, before proceeding towards the beginning of the stair steps. "I won without interrogating the demon, however... ... all we know is that Fara was cursed by the Demon Squid."

"All said by Chie, hmmm?" Kelly brought her hands behind her back.

Mirii nodded.

"How she managed to do it...? I can't believe she infiltrated inside the villa like this..."

"The Shrine is mooooore aware than before!" Kelly giggled. "Now we are studying our own pure energy flows and see if more Demon Squids are using them for their own gains...!"

"Nice." Mirii's right hand went on the shoji. "... come to think of it..."

"Yes?" Kelly was looking at Mirii with a smile.

"... why no one from the Shrine never came inside the laboratory...?" The taller girl opened the shoji widely.

"... we couldn't."

"What?!" Mirii turned herself over Kelly, as her eyes and mouth went wide.

Kelly's face went darker now...

"... I'm sure they will explain everything to us..."

Mirii stood there, watching her shorter friend carefully.

"... I wanted to go to the lab so badly... I really did... sniff..."