Tap!Tap!Tap!

Heart racing like a briskness of a hummingbird's wings.

Tap!Tap!Tap!

Chest pounding, playing a rhythm that only a seasoned drummer could perform.

Tap!Tap!Tap!

A terror that only the grins of the night could invoke.

I bolted through the dim hallway, my feet thumping against the ragged carpet. Darkness coiled around me like a snake, and my only bright guidance came from a flashlight held firmly in my hands. On the walls hung drawn portraits of all your favorite characters. We had Chucky. We had Jigsaw. We had . . .

Is that Sonic?

Why are his eyes all black?

Why is there blood on his lips?

A maze, it felt like, with every few feet gained accompanied by a split path. Should I go left? Should I go right? Maybe straight ahead? I'll tell you, I hadn't felt this anxious with decisions since trying to figure out which Nendoroid to buy.

When it came to this choice, however, the outcome didn't really matter.

So long as I kept moving.

So long as the faint tapping behind me didn't boom in volume.

But after sprinting for what felt like ages, I had to accept the inevitable and pause to catch my breath. Sweat dripping from my brow, I stopped at the corner of a wall. Fatigue and adrenaline coursed through my veins, two poisons clashing over dominance. Bones ached. Muscles screamed. Breaths that just couldn't be caged.

My slim recovery was just about complete

when a voice peeked through the shadows.

It spoke softly, gently, just like an innocent little girl's.

"Oh, MC~," she sang. "I seeeeee youuuu~."

My stomach sank.

I swung my flashlight, and right there, right beside me, she stood: a little girl, old enough to be in elementary school. She had the whole package—short height, thin limbs, fair skin. Her outfit consisted of a tattered gray dress with a white undershirt; however, she kept her feet bare. Dark hair fell down to her shoulders. But it was there that the humanness ended, for every other aspect—the black arms adorned with sharpened claws, the empty eye sockets that longed to pull you in, the smile of rotting teeth—made my skin crawl. Black stains marred her cheeks, stretching up to her ears.

"H-Hi, Agatha," I managed to spit out.

She giggled, then stretched out her arms.

Nope.

I kicked it into high gear and sprinted away.

Thumping exploded from behind me, along with Agatha's demented laughter.

And as the pinnacle of demon children raced after my flesh, the single thought swirled into my mind:

How did I end up here?

I sat at the kitchen counter, laptop before me as my fingers danced across the keys.

This is some BS, I thought, scanning the endless pages packed with text. It's just paper after paper. It's like they don't want me to have a life.

Then again, it's not like I had one to begin with . . .

Just then, the familiar taps of the staircase arose, followed by the call of the very familiar demon child.

"Oh, MC~," she sang.

A little later and the girl of dark claws appeared.

"Heyo, Agatha," I said. My sights never left the computer screen. "What do you need?"

"I'm bored," she answered. "Come play with me."

"Sorry, but I can't right now. Gotta crank out this essay."

"You're always working on this essay of yours. Just how long is the dang thing?"

"Well, it's not the same paper. I get assigned different ones from time to time."

Agatha gave a cute head tilt. "So these 'essays' are on different kinds of paper? Like oak and birch? Or maybe Gravewood? I like those ones."

I really need to explain these things better.

"In any case," I said, "I can't hang out right now. I'm sorry."

The demon girl narrowed her eyes.

"But you're my babysitter," she said. "You're supposed to spend time with me."

The crown of guilt fell perfectly upon my head, but with everything I had to complete, I just couldn't find the time to shake it off.

Suddenly, Agatha grabbed my arm and tried to pull me away.

"Play with me," she said. "Play with me. Play with me. Play with me. Play with me."

You know, I thought demon children would be strong.

Agatha barely managed to budge me by an inch.

I sighed.

I'm just trying to get a good grade here.

Not long after did another set of footsteps descend from the staircase, followed by another familiar face: a visage of crimson with black horns and glowing eyes.

His arrival urged Agatha to let go.

"Heading out, Daddy?" she asked him.

"Yes," my employer, Malak, answered. "A fresh batch of teens just arrived at Wester, and I've been craving some young souls."

I raised an eyebrow. "Chasing around teens in the dead of night, huh?"

"But of course," Malak said. "I couldn't ask for more vulnerable prey."

I couldn't help but smirk a little.

Okay, Mr. Predator.

Agatha held her hands together.

"Please, Daddy, take me with you," she said. "I have nothing to do, and I would just love to visit the mortal world."

"Now, sweetie, I've explained this to you already," Malak said. "This is my work. This isn't something I do for fun. Although, it can be quite the treat. Get it? Because I devour their souls."

No comment.

"Why don't you play with MC until I come back?" Malak suggested. "Then, when I return, I can take you out for some blood cream."

Agatha looked at me and frowned. "But they're busy with an essay. Like always."

The crown tightened.

"Another essay?" Malak asked me. "You're just getting no mercy, huh?"

"You can say that again," I said. "I've been staring at words for so long, I'm starting to get confused by the English language."

My employer folded his arms. "I'll never understand you mortals and your education methods. When I was learning how to taint the spirit, I did so by doing, not writing. Ah, I still remember the first child I corrupted."

"That's, um, that's . . . Wow."

Back to the matter at hand.

"I suppose there's not much else that can be done," Malak said. Back to Agatha. "Sweetie, why don't you wait until MC is finished? They should be—"

"Forget it!" Agatha cried, stomping her foot. "If no one wants to spend time with me, that's fine! I don't want to be with you jerks, anyway!"

She bolted back up the stairs, then slammed shut her bedroom door, leaving Malak and me to ourselves.

He let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said. "She normally isn't one to cry out like that. Listen, I have to go now or else I'm going to be late. I know this may be asking a lot, but would you mind ignoring the schoolwork for a bit to spend some time with my girl?"

The crown squeezed and squeezed, until finally, I decided that I shouldn't be the king who represents it.

"I'll get on it," I said with a small smile. "I am the babysitter, after all."

Malak grinned. "That's my mortal! Looks like I won't have to feast on your bones, after all."

I shivered. "Yay."

"Tell you what: I'll even tell Krueger to stop trying to get into your dreams."

Realization ignited all around me.

"Is that why I've been waking up sweating like hell!?" I hollered.

Before he could answer, Malak rushed through the front door.

I took a deep breath, then shut my laptop.

"All right," I said, "time to go console a child of Hell."

I rose from my seat, then made my way up the carpeted staircase. At the top, I found myself within a dim hallway, where doors of blackened iron stood in rows on either side. I sauntered to the one that had pink flowers etched into the face, then gave a knock.

Thnk! Thnk! Thnk!

"Agatha," I said. "It's me. You in there?"

"Go away!" she said through the door. "Leave me alone."

"Come on. Don't leave me hanging out here."

"What does it matter to you? Don't you have an essay to write on some oak paper?"

"When I print it, it might be oak. I actually don't know. But that's besides the point! I can't, exactlly, do my work when my number one is down in the dumps."

No response.

Gotta think fast.

"If you're still up for it," I said, "I'll play with you. Any game you want."

No response.

"We can even play hide-and-seek. You've been asking for that a lot, right?"

No response; at least, for a few seconds. Then, from behind the door, I heard a soft "Really?".

I gave a gentle smile. "Mm-hm! I'm all for it."

Finally, my negotiations pulled through, and slowly, the iron door swung open, barely enough for Agatha to show her face.

"You mean it?" she asked.

"One hundred percent," I answered. "I'll play like there's no tomorrow."

As if the clouds dissipated, the little demon girl beamed, her sorrow fading into the air.

"Yay!" she cheered, shooting her arms into the air. "I get to play with MC! It's a dream come true!"

I sighed with relief.

Hallelujah, I thought.

But pretty soon, that adorable beam twisted into a crooked grin.

"Why don't we get started right away?"

Her look—that visage of endless hunger to torment—shook me right to the core.

Uh oh.

"AHHAHAHAHA!"

The laughter of the demon girl howled from behind as I sprinted like mad. And as I aimed the flashlight back, I caught sight of Agatha, chasing me with her arms stretched out.

"Get back here, you!" she bellowed.

Not when you're looking like that!

As the hands of the clock spun, however, her laughter died down, until I once again could only hear the rhythm of my own body, my own gears.

I slowed down a little.

We're playing hide-and- seek, aren't we? I wondered. Because if that's the case, shouldn't she have won already? I feel like I'm testing a maze, not finding a place to keep out of sight.

But unlike most mazes, this one had points of interest, for as I barreled forward, I found a patch of light dazzling near the end of a hallway.

The exit?

I remembered her crooked smile.

Can't be. Too easy.

My curiosity glimmering, I headed for that wall of white, and after breaching through, I found myself in a place that reeked of foreignness: No tight, decrepit spaces; no portraits of deranged Pokemon; heck, even the couch I swore I passed too many times wasn't here.

Instead, I now occupied what looked like a life-sized chess board, complete with pieces whose heights doubled my own. But rather than an army of white facing ink-black forces, everyone wore coats of ash gray. And the details of the pieces were eerily identical, right down to the disfigured nostrils of the knights. Panels of fluorescent lights shone from the ceiling, gifting the space the illusion of day.

"What is this?" I asked softly.

"Upupupu!"

"What?"

"Upupupu!"

Laughter filled the corners of the room, presumably from the speakers that stuck to the walls.

I sent my eyes on a journey but found no destination.

"Over here!"

To the right.

"No, over here!"

To the left.

"ARE YA BLIND OR SOMETHING!? OVER HERE, YA IDIOT!"

I shot my stare to up above, where a boxed overlook of glass and wood sat nice and tight.

Was that always there?

Inside the container was . . . a stuffed animal? A bear? It had a short height, with arms and legs tiny compared to its plus-size torso. The right side of its body took on the shade of white, its face like that of your typical teddy bear. But the left, colored onyx, snatched a more sinister look: a dark grin stretched to its cheek, right below the eye the glowed a low light of scarlet.

I gaped.

"I see you've finally made it!" the bear said into the microphone in its paw. It had the voice of a mischievous boy. "Took you long enough." He swung around the piece of chicken in his other paw. "I was just about to finish my last drumstick."

I gaped.

"Really, though, why you take so long, mortal? Ya don't seem like the type to get lost. Or do I need glasses?"

He tossed the drumstick aside and reached into his pocket (because, apparently, he has those) to fish out a monocle.

"Nope," he said, wearing it over his normal eye. "Ya look IQ-heavy to me!"

Goodbye with the monocle, hello again to the drumstick.

I gaped.

What.

The.

F*ck.

"Umm . . ." I managed to utter.

"Ya look confused," the bear said. "What? You've never seen a chess board before? Or maybe"—he blushed—"you're just in awe of my coolness. Daw, I'm so flattered! Here, have one of these."

He reached down to pull a drumstick into view, and after pressing a portion of the glass open, he tossed it towards me.

As you could imagine,

I wasn't gonna be touching that.

"Ah!" the bear said. "How could you let that fall to the ground? That's a waste right there!"

I thought you said you were on your last one . . . ?

"Um," I said, finally getting the shock out of my system, "wh-who are you? You don't look like Agatha."

"Upupupu!" the bear snickered. "Ding ding! You are correct! I am no Agatha." He raised his arms. "Instead, you're looking at her trusted friend Monokuma! Nice to meet ya, mortal!"

"Mono . . . kuma . . ." the syllables swished in my mouth, but no taste of familiarity pulled through. "Okay. So, um, Monokuma, what are you doing here?"

"Why else, of course? To play hide-and-seek! Agatha shot me a message a little while ago, and seeing as I was doing nothing more than acting as principal for my school, I figured I could swing on over. Sounded fun, ya know!"

"Did . . . Did you just say 'principal'?"

He took a bite from his chicken. "Mm-hm! Although, *munch munch* the students are dwindling *munch munch* quite rapidly."

You know what, I thought, I don't even wanna know. Seems like the more people I meet in this realm, the weirder they get.

"Well, um, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Monokuma," I said, "but I think I'd better split. Don't want Agatha catching up to me."

I made my way to the opening on the other side of the room. But after only a few steps, metal bars slammed down from the walls, shutting away the exit.

"Didn't I tell you?" A darker voice from the bear. "I'm here to play some hide-and-seek. I'm not just here to chit-chat."

A chill raced down my spine as his grin widened, as his crimson eye dimmed with sadism.

"I should've known it wouldn't be this easy," I said.

"Upupupu! It never is!"

The twistedness of his character loosened, but I could still catch the hint of cruelty, as if they were his stench lines.

"Tell you what," Monokuma said, "I'll open up that door for ya, but only if you can beat my game. Sound fair?"

"Game?" I asked. "You do realize that a demonic little girl with monster claws is after me, right? I don't, exactly, have the time to spare with a game."

"Don't worry, it'll be short and simple. You'll have plenty of time to get away from that seeker of yours. All you have to do is solve a mystery."

"A mystery?"

The bear nodded. "Just one." He gestured to the chessboard. "As you can see on this magnificent field, the pieces are split into two sides. All you have to do is tell me the difference between the right and the left."

I raised an eyebrow. "There's a difference?"

"Sure is!" Monukuma assured. "Though I can't exactly tell how big or small that difference is."

I eyed the pawns, the soldiers, but not even a hint of contrast sparked. Add the fact that the room was beyond ginormous and within just seconds, I had sweat trickling down my forehead.

"By the by," Monokuma said, "I thought I should let you know that as soon as I closed that door, our favorite little monster became aware of where you are. I'd say you have a good three minutes before she gets here."

Three minutes!? You want me to examine a room wider than my house in just three minutes!?

Monokuma tossed his mic and drumstick to the side, then made himself as stiff as a statue.

"Now, then," he said. (Guess that mic was just for show.) "I will now be as still as a picture. Don't want to be disturbing the contestant."

I couldn't shake off the impending doom of the time limit.

Three minutes. That's all I have to scope this place out.

I put the circuits in my head to work.

I just have to think about it a little. He did say it was a mystery, after all. That means if I can just use some logic, I should be able to get myself to the answer. In reality, physically checking every nook and cranny is the least effective of strategies.

My eyes swept across the space, bouncing from the positions of the pieces.

They're identical, that's for sure. Maybe one could be turned a little? By just one degree? But that would take ages to notice. What would the difference be that someone can notice in under three minutes? Unless . . .

"Hey, Mr. Bear," I said.

"The name's Monukuma," he replied, not moving a centimeter. "But I guess as long as it's not profane, you can call me whatever ya like."

"Duly noted. I just have one question."

"What would that be?"

"This is a winnable game, right?"

Still, the plush stayed stiff, but his expression made me think he took offense.

"That's not very nice, MC," he said. "I may seem like a jokester, but I'm never one to cheat people. I like my games fair and square. Truth be told, you could solve this mystery in five seconds if you tried hard enough."

In five seconds?

"By the by, you have two minutes left."

I stroked my chin.

What could I spot in five seconds? It has to be something I could see as soon as I walk into the room. But everything looks so exact.

"Ya won't get anywhere just standing there."

Could it be one of the piece's components? Maybe their faces are different? But could someone see something like that in five seconds?

"Ya gotta move, move, move~."

Maybe it's something on the walls? Or maybe not, because I would've already noticed, right?

"Get a MOVE on!"

I snapped.

"Listen here, you ass!" I hissed, shaking my fist at him. "You're not the one who has to solve a mystery to escape a psycho little girl, so maybe chill a little, yeah? Besides, it's not like you've been moving yourself! You look like a damn sculpture! You—"

My eyes popped wide open.

Both sides look exactly the same.

But there is one difference—a detail meets all the criteria.

Could be solved in five seconds.

Was found not long after entering the room.

In fact, the difference reached out to me.

"It's you," I said softly, studying the two halves of his body. "You're what separates the left from the right."

Monokuma's grin widened.

"Upupupu!" he chuckled. "Looks like we have ourselves a winner! Congratulations, MC! You have solved the mystery of the opposing armies! Applause! Applause!"

I sighed, relief mixed in my breaths.

This is still hide-and-seek, right?

"See?" Monokuma said. "Didn't I tell ya it'd be simple?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's super simple," I told him. "Now, would you mind opening the door so I can be on my way?"

"But of course, you superb mortal!"

The plush slammed his paw against a button, ordering the exit to be free from obstruction.

"There ya go!" His grin darkened. "But you might wanna hurry."

Confusion slapped me across the cheek, but it didn't take long for my senses to come back, especially as I stared at the little demon girl who stood at the room's entrance.

That's not ideal.

"MC~," Agatha sang. "I found you~."

Nope.

Like a prisoner on the run, I scrambled through the exit, rushing back into the darkness with my flashlight.

"AHAHAHAHA!" I heard Agatha chuckle as she booked it after me.

Monokuma waved at the two who departed all too soon.

"Have fun, ya crazy kids!" he said.

He then covered his insidious eye with a monocle and fished out a cup of coffee from his pockets.

"Now, then, I think I deserve a bit of a break."

"Agatha, let's talk about this!" I hollered.

"Just come over here!" she screamed, her excitement to the roof. "I want to give you a hug!"

Her deadly claws tore through my thoughts like paper.

"Hugs are not for sale! Hugs are not for sale!"

But unlike our previous chase, this one lasted only mere moments, for suddenly, the ground beneath me swung open, and I plummeted through, sliding as if tumbling through a chute.

"MC!" Agatha cried from up above. "GET BACK HERE!"

Before I knew it, the ceiling swung shut.

I shot downward for a good ten seconds before gravity finally finished her job. My little trip ended with me landing right on my butt right on something unbelievably soft.

My heart begged to burst from my chest, and my lungs screamed to take it easy. I noted their concerns and gave myself some me time, letting the evasive meal of relaxation settle in my stomach. Once all was right in my systems, I flicked my focus back to reality.

I now rested upon a cushioned seat, like the ones you'd find inside a hospital's waiting room. Before me was a simple desk of marble, with a notebook and two pencils presented neatly. Up above, fluorescent lights shined, brightening the tables on either side of the room. With them came an assortment of bottles and beakers filled with colorful liquids. Strangely, though, the face of the room remained feasted upon by shadows.

What is this . . . ?

"But the question still arises . . ."

A voice, rolling gently from the front.

"Are we truly safe from the fangs of black holes, or will we one day just foop! Disappear."

I faced forward, where what looked like the back of a lab coat peeked through the darkness.

"H-Hello?" I asked.

Bink!

Instantly, the rest of lights flicked on, revealing those who had been buried in the shadows.

Well, I was right about the lab coat.

What I didn't expect was who happened to be wearing said lab coat.

It was a wolf. A humanoid wolf, clearing a height of ten feet and flexing the mass of a bodybuilder. Bushy fur covered the creature from head to toe, its shade that of a recluse arachnid.

"Hmm?"

The wolf turned, revealing the circular glasses perched on his snout. They helped shield his pristine golden eyes and thinly slit pupils.

"Ah," the wolf said, his voice deep. Excitement flourished across his visage. "My new student has arrived!"

"I'm sorry?" I said.

The wolf approached my desk. "Ah, my deepest apologies. I'm certain you must be confused at the moment. The name is Wolfman. But for the purposes of this classroom, you may address me as Mr. Man."

My face said it all:

So, there's the little girl with demon claws,

the pale dude with tentacles,

the living animatronics,

the talking teddy bear,

and now,

the wolfman in the lab coat.

I chuckled like the madman I swore I was.

"Hm?" Wolfm— er, Mr. Man hummed. "Is something the matter, my student?"

"Ah, nothing," I told him. "I'm just thinking about how I've literally seen it all."

"I suppose after spending some time in this realm, you may be able to make such a claim." He grinned. "However, I can assure you that you've merely scraped the surface."

"Somehow, I don't doubt that."

"Do not fret, mortal, for I, Wolfman, shall educate you. Together, we shall explore the boundaries of the universe, solve the mysteries set by my ancestors, and bring fame and glory to the origins of reality"

Thanks to my "mortal" education, I could spot the lecture incoming.

I was not in the mood for a lecture.

"Hold on," I said, raising my hand. "Before we get into the whole 'super universe' lesson, you do know what I was doing before this, right?"

Mr. Man stroked his chin.

"For the most part, yes," he answered. "From what I understand, you were partaking in a game of 'hide-and-seek' with Miss Agatha. A classic pastime, it is."

"So, did Agatha ask you to come play with us?"

"Not necessarily. I was actually contacted by Sir Malak. He wanted me to check on her, make sure her outburst from this morning had been resolved."

Way to trust your own babysitter, I thought.

"Naturally, upon my arrival, Miss Agatha implored me to partake in this game," Mr. Man continued. "Of course, I couldn't deny, but as you can see, I'm a little too old to be very energized in these types of games. So, I figured I'd use this opportunity to teach you a thing or two about this realm."

"You like to teach?"

"I enjoy it very much. After all, knowledge is power. I plan to open my own place of education someday. As soon as I have enough in my savings account."

I gave a nod. "I respect that."

"I thank you." The wolf sauntered over the blackboard at the front of the room and grabbed a stick of chalk. "Now, then, why don't we begin? Perhaps we could start with the beast who created us all—Tiamat. Or maybe the gifter of reason would be a more fitting talking point?"

"Er, I'm sorry, Mr. Man," I said, "but I can't, exactly, stick around. Agatha's on her way right now, isn't she?"

"I do not believe so," Mr. Man assured me. "Since this is a game of hide-and-seek, this room itself is hidden. Even Miss Agatha does not know of it's whereabouts."

That would explain why she got mad when I just dropped down like that.

"But she's searching right now," I said. "And when she finds this room, with me in it, I'll be a sitting duck for her. See what I'm saying?"

"Hmmm. I suppose you do make a valid point. But fear not! I shall release you once our lesson is finished."

"And just out of curiosity, how long is this lesson?"

The wolf beamed. "Only five to six hours!"

I've never had a straighter face.

". . . Okay."

"All right, then." Mr. Man continued with his chalk. "Now, as I was saying, the origin of us creatures revolves around—"

"Mr. Man."

The wolf sighed and stooped his drawing.

"You mortals sure do know how to stall education," he said.

"Listen," I told him, "I'm all about learning, but do you think you could save this for another day? I'd rather not be torn to shreds by a demon child, and I think my best chances for avoiding that would be to stay on the move. You think there's any way I could finish this lesson in, let's say, a minute?"

"A preposterous proposal," the wolf said. "The limits of knowledge that surround our reality have not been reached in many millennia, yet you suggest to obtain such information in a mere sixty seconds? Nonsense." However, his demeanor did shift. "I do suppose, though, that it would not be right for me to, in a sense, lead you to your doom. It may be beneficial to keep you alive for future journeys." A flame burst in his eyes, sparked by passion undying. "Prepare yourself, MC! In time, we will travel through the hoops of our time, appreciating every and all phenomena that have scorched our history."

"Let me go and I'll travel with you wherever you want."

Mr. Man regained his composure, replacing the passion with firm seriousness.

"Very well," he said, "I shall let you on your way, but only if you can solve my riddle."

"A riddle?" I repeated.

"Yes. I need you to prove that your intelligence is at least of a subpar level."

Sounds kinda mean when you put it like that.

"Sure," I said. "Hit me."

"Beware, for this is not a simple twister of the mind. This vocal puzzle has stumbled the ancestors of many beasts and has even driven a being to madness. Do not tread lightly."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and braced myself.

"Are you prepared?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Very well. Here is the riddle that made the world spin upon itself:

"What gets wetter as it dries?"

. . .

. . .

. . . Yep.

Yep.

Should've saw that coming

A sigh brushed past my lips.

"I'm gonna guess—and this may be a stretch—I'm gonna guess a 'towel'?"

Mr. Man's jaw dropped, and his eyes became as wide as coins.

For a while, only a loud silence could be heard between us.

Then, he smiled.

"There's more to you mortals than I assumed," he said.

I simply wore a flat expression.

"I'm just gonna go now."

Mr. Man stepped to the table of vials and beakers, then twisted a glass jar, causing a portion of the wall to my side to slide open.

The wolf bowed. "Keep safe, my student, and may we meet again for greater journeys of knowledge."

I didn't say a thing.

I just stood up, aimed my flashlight, and headed back into the darkness.

For a while, I heard only my feet tapping mushing against the ground. The beautiful decor—the portraits, the carpet—were no longer in sight. Instead, vines thin and thick infested the floor, atop the waves of blades of dead grass. On the walls, tree roots stretched and curled, concealing the dilapidated stone.

I don't even feel like running anymore, I thought. At this point, I just wanna be in a normal situation.

Then again, this entire dimension is anything but normal.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize the bundle of vines up ahead, and tripped to fall flat on my face.

"That was not ideal," I whispered, rising to dust the dirt off.

But my focus had been misplaced, for I had fallen into what could've only been described as a negative Eden. Within a circular plain I now stood, encased by a sea of dark trees. Up above, an army of stars glimmered amongst the field of night, complementing the moon that dazzled ever so kindly. But the main actress stayed to the ground: a marvelous tree wider than my home and reaching up to kiss the skies. Flowers of pink and violet sprouted from the bark, adding to the myriad of petals that blossomed amongst the grass.

"What is this?" I asked myself.

"I found you~."

A shiver shook my bones, and I turned around to find the little demon girl occupying the entrance.

She smiled. "We meet again, MC. You're really good at running."

"Well, to be fair, I didn't think I'd have to run in a game of hide-and-seek."

"It's more fun this way, don't ya think?"

The memories flooded my mind, shooting my gears with fatigue.

I don't think 'fun' is the right word, per se.

I curved my lips nervously.

"It was something," I said.

"But now it's over." Agatha's face twisted. "I've finally got you."

I took a deep breath.

"Game over."

I then dropped my flashlight and raised my arms.

"Hit me with your best shot."

Agatha roared her resonant chuckle, then bolted towards me with her arms stretched out.

I shut my eyes.

Goodbye, cruel world.

Thnk!

Suddenly, Agatha tackled me to the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around my stomach. Warmth spread lovingly throughout my body, like kind flames seeping through my skin.

"Huh?" I sounded, curious as to why my guts were still in me.

The little girl buried her face in my chest.

"I've been so lonely," she whispered. "Dad is always working, so he doesn't spend much time with me, and you're always working on your essays. It felt like neither of you wanted anything to do with me. It felt like you wanted to avoid me."

Her hands—her delicate, human hands—squeezed the back of my shirt. "That's why I was so happy when you wanted to play with me. You didn't ignore me, even though I yelled at you. You showed that you cared, and that was all I really wanted."

She revealed her face, blessing me with violet eyes and glistening tears rolling down her tender cheeks.

I stroked her hair.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," I said. "School is important, but it shouldn't be the only thing I focus on. After all, I don't come to your house to work on assignments; I come to watch over you, make sure you're doing okay.

"I'm here to make sure you're happy. I'm sorry that I almost forgot something so important."

Agatha beamed.

"Thank you," she sang.

I grinned.

"That's what your mortal babysitter is for!"