After having slept for one hour, I woke back up and felt a whole lot better. My 'happy spirit' was back, and boy, was I glad about that.
"Good day" I yawned as I stretched well and got up at nearly the speed of a thunderbolt.
"Arn!" Dog said. "Your usual self is back, yay!" He and Ness embraced me, while Sherm managed to jump on my shoulder via Dog's shoulder and head, and gave me a loving kiss on the cheek.
"Glad that you guys are glad, too." I hugged the mutt and the teenager back, and petted Sherm's head and kissed his cheek back. "Oh, and Sherm, may I say that you're the sweetest out of my companions regarding your ability to comfort others?"
The teenage tangerine simply blushed and chuckled with happy eyes.
All out of sudden, a random children's sized toy police-like car came towards our group.
"This place is very cluttery" it said in a thick Scottish accent. "The ninjas that set it up probably have ADD, like the maker of this hack. Do you see any winter here? DO YOU!? Well, just pretend there's snow and that ought to fix things."
"There's snow in my hometown back on Earth" I said with a smile. "I kind of wonder if it ever snows on the moon?"
"Why, I never really thought of that…" The car somewhat flickered its headlights for a while. "Hey, is that a cat I sense in your inventory, sir in the green blouse and trousers?"
"Why, yes, how come?"
"You should give it to Cat Lover. She's over there on that large chair, and she'll give you something special in exchange for that cat!"
"Well, thanks for the tip, because I was already somewhat wondering what to do with that cat, other than keeping it as a plushie for myself." I crouched to pet the toy car's bonnet before heading to the assigned chair, which was located near Boris and Ross's seats, and on which a tuxedo-coloured cat with cute greenish-yellow eyes neatly sat.
I wanted to pet the cat, when she suddenly jump-scared me by rambling on and on in her cutesy voice.
"I am a Cat Lover!" she said. "I like Sligshots! Can I be in your hack as a secret enemy somewhere? I could fail to kick things! Meow! I like cats! Do you have a cat for me?"
I first petted Cat Lover to calm her down before handing her the stuffed cat, about which she was absolutely pleased.
"Arn has a cat!"
"How do y-" I wanted to say before being interrupted again.
"I take your cat! I give you a Pencil Eraser instead!"
Arn got the Pencil Eraser instead, because Cat Lover can't make anyone else get it.
Man, this is the third time you suddenly spoke, unknown voice! But yeah, I indeed got such a weird eraser handed to me once again.
"I think that eraser should eliminate that red truck back in the hall" Ness said.
"Hmm, good point. Then we should indeed head there and see if it works."
The four of us went back to the hall, went through the surprisingly clean water, and headed for that red truck, to which a note was attached.
This truck is totally a pencil. Okay, work with me here.
I chuckled softly, got the Pencil Eraser from my pocket, and automatically slammed it against the truck in the same way as I did back in that haunted department store in my hometown. The truck totally died, and unblocked our way to the next door.
The door – which was suddenly disguised as a teleporter when we arrived – also led to the twilight-like zone, but a different part instead, which contained another teleporter, and a present.
Sherm immediately sped to the present, removed the paper ribbon with his teeth, and also used those to rip the wrapping paper off, which was often combined with spitting the paper out as it tended to get stuck in his mouth, which, of course, is not too pleasant if it's, like in this case, not edible.
The present contained a rock of sorts.
"I can feel an aura emit from that rock" I said to Sherm, "and it reacts very positively to you, Sherm, so this must be the secret item for you that Sammy mentioned last night!"
"Wahoo!" the teenage tangerine cheered with an enthusiastic jump, before he put his new Really Rad Rock into his inventory. "Now, we should go back to see Sammy, but how?"
"I've heard rumours that we cannot go through that hallway anymore in which we slept last night" Ness said, "so I guess that other teleporter over there might be our only option."
"Then why don't we take it?" Dog said.
The four of us got 'connected' again, stepped into that teleporter, and wondered where we'd all go.
We soon found ourselves… in my bedroom?
I pinched my cheek to check if it wasn't a dream, and indeed it wasn't. Wow.
"So uh…" I said, "yeah, this is my home. It doesn't represent too much, but uh… this is my bedroom, and that blocked door doesn't contain anything suspicious, that's the only thing I can reveal to you guys."
"Pretty nice house you have" Dog said. "It's simple, yet very cosy, too."
"Thanks, that's what I also thought when I first settled here."
"Aww!" Sherm exclaimed as he looked at one of the walls, "those baby photos of you are so adorable! Especially the one where you try to grab the camera!"
"Yeah, as I became a toddler, I also became more curious about my surroundings, including that big, mostly white thing that Mum often held in her hands, and out of which the papers with my face suddenly came after a click and a brief flash."
My companions looked at me with an I-don't-get-it-look on their faces.
"That 'thing', of course, is the Polaroid she got from my Dad shortly before I came. Man, I loved that thing, too bad I don't have one of my own, sadly."
"I do hope you'll get one anytime soon" Ness said, as he put a hand onto my shoulder.
I showed my companions the living room as well before we went outside, so I could finally show my hometown itself to Sherm.
All of my animal friends were suddenly gathered at the central point of town, and singing Oh X-mas Tree (no, literally!) in such an amazing harmony.
"Merry Christmas, Arn!" they all shouted upon noticing me and my companions. "And to his companions, too!"
"Thanks!" I exclaimed back, "you all, too!"
"Man" Dog said, "they can sing so well. I cannot even carry a tune myself!" He looked at Sherm. "Back on Oho Oasis, when you and all of the Oho Jees rounded up around the campfire during that beautiful starry night to roast marshmallows, you sounded just as amazing when singing Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I've Got Love In My Tummy."
"Oh, that didn't represent too much" the tangerine sheepishly chuckled, "it's just that I finally had the chance to eat marshmallows without having to feel bad, because those Oho Jees are so sweet and friendly! Man, I still miss them to the fullest…"
"You guys should take me to Beanbean Kingdom someday, because you're really making me curious about what's there!" I petted Dog and Sherm's heads in a friendly fashion. "But not before EB No Matsuri has been a thing, because that's a priority now, isn't it?"
Ness nodded in agreement.
"I originally intended to arrive at the hotel near its location yesterday" he said, "so I could be there as one of the first guests. But yeah, of course, my clumsiness didn't let me, and I still do hope we can make it before the evening falls." He chuckled a little.
"Me too, buddy. This'll be my, Dog's and Sherm's first EB No Matsuri experience ever."
Our canine and fruity companions nodded and smiled in approval and agreement.
The four of us headed back to the Techno Ruins in our own pace, where we were 'welcomed' by a Rowdy Teenager once again.
"Ah, the good old times" I joked, making me and my companions laugh.
After fighting quite some more enemies, we teleported back to the moon via the monolith, made our way through the maze of the moon castle lair again, but suddenly got stopped by…
"Oh no, not another Starman Funk!"
The cyborg managed to 'civilise' Sherm again, so he chose to defend for the rest of the battle, rather than attacking in a fashion that it'd mostly go terribly wrong.
Soon after the battle ended, we made it to the bench and save spot, so we could take a brief break again.
I swiftly checked my wristwatch to see that it was nearly 12 p.m. already, and that sorta made me stressed, as my companions and I somewhat had to hurry up to make it to the EB No Matsuri party in time.
In response to that, the four of us hurried towards Sammy's room.
Once arrived there, Sherm took his Really Rad Rock out of his inventory, and suddenly saw a note being stuck to it, which said that Sammy was really a guy, rather than a girl. (Yup, I secretly read that note along!)
"Ha!" I guffawed, "I told you all so! Sammy's not a girl!"
"Indeed they're not" Sherm said, as he put the rock and its note back into his inventory. "They're a guy with entirely genderless pronouns. Pretty neat, huh?"
"I have yet to get used to that, but the idea sounds positive to me, at least."
"That's good."
"Yo, Sammy! We found the item that you requested!"
"Man" the girly guy scoffed, "I totally already talked to you and I don't want to talk to you again because you smell like smelly dogs."
"Hey!" Dog exclaimed angrily.
"Oh, sorry, forgot."
"No, it's just that Sherm is totally wearing my glasses." The mutt indeed didn't have his mandatory shades again, and Sherm looked like he was happy while rocking them.
"Hey" he said, "I thought I looked good in them."
Ness and I secretly chuckled at Sherm's occasional sneakiness and teasing towards Dog.
"Dude!" Sammy's entire face seemed to light up. "You totally got the secret ending now! Go go go Gadget magic switch on!" A faint switch sound was heard in the background. "Go fight the last boss. You'll be able to see the truth now."
"Wahoo!" my companions and I cheered in unison, as we all jumped and high-fived each other each.
"In this case, I'll be seeing y'all later at the EB No Matsuri party. Bye, Arn! Bye, Ness! Bye, Dog!" The girly guy crouched to reach for Sherm. "Bye-bye, Shermie!" They squeezed and squished both of his cheeks.
"Hey!" the teenage tangerine said, "stop doing that, and don't you just 'Shermie' me either! You know I'm 17 years – tangerine years, of course – of age, and not 17 months!"
"Aw, you're just sooo cute and sweet… but alright, I'll quit. Sorry!" Sammy petted Sherm and got back up. "Anyhoo, see y'all later!"
My companions and I, with everyone but Sherm still laughing a bit, continued back to our most important spot on the moon.
Sherm only just started laughing when a Starman Funk showed up once again before we could even reach the door towards the hallway towards the theatre.
With some paralysis, PSI and physical attacks, however, it was soon eliminated within the blink of an eye.
"Well" I said, "thank goodness that was the last Starman Funk, I guess."
We briefly saved and healed up in the hallway before heading back to the theatre.