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... brrr... brrrrrr...!
Oh my turfness...! I-I desperately need some nice fire in front of me... even a darn volcano if there is one!
Uff… th-they said that my clothes were inside the changing room… but where is it? Where am I going…?
… noooo, I'm getting lost inside this Shrine aren't I?! That stupid cold bath didn't do ship: if anything, I can barely walk with those trembling legs! Aaaah… I'm begging so much for diving head first in those hot baths… I-I really deserve them…
And if they refuse even after that torture… I think I'm going to turn this Shrine upside down. I'm going to make them eat their own tentacles, if they DARE to throw me into another turfing cold bath just like that! I don't even care, if they will threat my life! Just not my rank…
… huh? Someone is talking… great! Finally some Squid being to talk to! That cold room had only those depressing blue walls! Here I come, society!
… wait… am I hearing Mirii? Ah… aaaah! That room must be the hot baths! Yeeeessss! Screw the trembling legs: I'm going to roll right into that nice pond of hot water, once and for
Wh-whaaaatt?! Wait… those aren't the hot baths! Everyone is looking at me… ah, there she is! Mirii! She's… she's getting paler? Her expression is like she's seeing a ghost instead of me! I knew it that my skin has been completely ruined by that infernal water… and now I'm looking like a living monster!
No unknown mystical rules are going to stop me from asking a refund: they will give me even more days for the Hot Baths! … is that boy over there… he really looks like Hun… … now I see… now I see why Mirii acted like a doofus earlier…
There is no excuse that lets you get away with this… because of you, I almost lost my rank! You'll not be the one who even dares to threat my reputation! The Headquarters are going to be aware about this…
"No, Tonna! You are taking the wrong decision!" Mirii dashes in front of the woman's back.
"The wrong decision, huh…" Tonna's head was pointed right over the open door. "You got nerves to even think about saying such thing. Who told you that Hun could come in here?"
The girl gradually frowned.
"How about you are the one who starts answering questions…? Mostly about the reason why Hunley wasn't allowed to visit the baths?" She folded her arms, raising her head a little. "Actually, it could be solved even without your words."
"Mirii, do you really want me to ruin your opportunities?" She turned over the girl, with her hands on her hips. "I thought you were smart enough to understand your position in this team."
"Evidently my position is anything but clear." Mirii's eyelids lowered to the middle. "Same for Hunley's role in this organization."
Tonna groaned, frowning a lot.
"Why do you even care about this?! You and Hun are fine! The Inkopolis Security Team even makes sure you two are in a healthy condition!" She opened her arms.
"Hmpf." Mirii lowered her head, while closing her eyes and smiling. "Because we are needed for secret Agent operations we'll know late in our career?"
"What?!" The woman tilted backwards, with her mouth left open. "That question is just coming from a series of false theories, isn't it?!"
"Theories? Yes. False? Hardly. That depends from the truth you want to reveal." Mirii's head rose, her eyes opened. "Do you wish to cooperate for once or being labeled as an unreliable ally?"
Tonna showed her teeth, as her right foot stepped backwards.
"You left me no choice, Mirii… I have to teach you a lesson."
"You'll not." Chie steps forward, with her hands down.
Tonna and Mirii turned around, seeing the woman with a frown on her face.
"I'll testify that you brought Hun here."
"WHAT?!" Tonna's eyes expanded. "HOW DARE YOU?!"
"I'll also announce that the Shrine will close their affairs with the Inkopolis Security Team for holding a member of the Master dynasty, without informing the Shrine staff and the owner."
Tonna's face got paler.
"Hey, HEY! WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME?!" Her hands fell on her chest. "I DIDN'T CHOOSE THIS FOR HUN! IT WAS MR. TARFO'S DECISION!"
"Complain all you want, gigantic void of ego…" Chie's nose lifted. "… but you'll not interfere with the Master's important mission." She turned over Hun. "Master Hun…"
She bows down.
"The owner is waiting for you. Talk to him and listen his words one more time. Once you know your mission, don't reveal such information to anyone."
Hun kept looking at the woman… then he nodded twice.
"Could you please explain yourself for a darn minute?!" Tonna jumped in front of Chie, with her fists down. "What did I do to you?! Do you have any idea what I just did 30 minutes ago?!"
"You went to the Bath of Liberation, because of your stress problems." Chie lowered her eyelids.
"I still have them!" The woman snorted.
"Then, you need another 30 minutes of those cold baths." The old man rose his posture even more.
"Again?!" Her eyes almost popped out on him. "You ruined my skin with those impossibly frozen waters!"
"The hot baths are known to fix problems like that." The man closes his eyes. "But bad temper would contaminate them, nullifying their benefits."
"No…" Tonna grabbed her towel, which was around her body.
"But there is an alternate way for" Chie's hands were on her back, while her eyes were closed.
"I'M ALL EARS!" She grinned, with her eyes wide, thrusting forward.
Chie bended backwards. Silence fell in for a moment.
"… alright. I have a deal in mind." She moves her hands back and forth.
Tonna lifted back her posture, with her hands clasped.
"Your prize for respecting the Shrine's conditions is the ability to request Inkling Hot Baths, without requiring a permission first." Chie's hands were down.
Tonna opened her mouth: her smile touched her cheeks.
"You want me to clean all over this place?! I have to compile thousands of papers for the Shrine?! I have to take an hour of the bath… the cold bath I mean?!" Her feet moved in place, rapidly.
"None of them." Chie shook her head. "The Shrine wants you to reveal all the information concerning the Master."
The woman… froze still.
"Actually, the deal could also be seen as an order." Chie's head moved towards the old man. "We strongly suspect that our Master was hidden from us, behind malevolent reasons…"
He nodded.
"And how would you claim that you know the others' suspects?" Mirii folded her arms, lowering her head a little. "You didn't exchange a word between you…"
"We used telepathy, Mirii." Chie nodded. "The others might be silent… but they are communicating with each other, during the normal conversation."
"Telepathy?!" Tonna expanded her eyes. "You are bluffing! That thing belongs to the world of fantasy!"
"It's not!" The twins frowned a lot, stepping forward.
"Telepathy is the most common power! We experts also got the occasion to take a little examination over your thoughts…" Eri squeezed her eyes a little. "… your addiction to bad words is truly disgusting, you know that?"
"WHAAAAT?!" She jumped, with her jaw dropped a lot. "But… but how did you…"
"My sisters just learned the powers of telepathy, but their mind-reading skills are already in par with the seniors… I can just hear some of your words and judging from Eri's words, I was lucky to not possess such natural power." Chie frowned, as her hands adjusted her kimono.
"Ehm…" Sweat jumped out from Tonna's forehead, with her nails between her teeth.
"You seem to understand your position now, didn't you?" Chie's mouth downturned. "Your lies would be completely exposed, by just hearing my sisters' reports."
"Eeeeehhhmmm…" More sweat jumped out from Tonna's forehead.
"Now then, miss…" The old man's right hand fell on his chin. "Tell us more about our Master. Your contribution will be greatly rewarded: in the name of the Shrine, I confirm the prize Chie just mentioned."
Tonna turned over the man, with her eyebrows up and her mouth downturned. Hun downturned his mouth too: he turned to the left, as he walks towards the left corner.