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... drat...
Girl, what's wrong?
... Barsy... I-I can't find it! I searched all over!
Heh, what did you expect? That kind of stuff is hard to find, if we are talking about rare…
But we need it! We absolutely need it! Without it
Girl, aren't we supposed to find that guy first?
He could be anywhere… I thought we would agree on that.
Yeah, but you know… maybe he's still inside some other offices.
Maybe? Look, let's not stick our noses into every single office, ok? I really don't want to get any unneeded attention, right now…
Whoa, girl… it's been a while now.
What?
You got this… serious vibe all over you.
…
Are you alright?
… when I'm not joking, I turn into my real self, Bars. This is what Greta is in reality.
An ordinary, serious girl? Man… now I get it why you weren't much of a fan
I don't want to talk about it. We don't even have much time about it… I need to help Mirii out.
Like, that girl sure is moving around on her own... hopefully, she'll not get herself in deep ship.
Sigh… cut that pessimism out, Bars. WE are in deep ship, already! … uuuugghhh… why Mirii doesn't just shut up and follow my advices?! She's acting as if she knows anything about that world… and that makes things harder for us! ALL of us! Even for Hunry! Give us some teamwork, sheesh!
Ehm… she's not listening to you…
You don't say… but darn, this huge work we have to do is not fun. At all. I hate searching for something which probably no one knows! Can I have mercy for just this one time and get the stuff I need?!
Girl… this is a rule you learn when playing videogames: the world is not your friend.
… can I enter inside your mind and change that fat lie?!
Whoa, whoa! Like… I-I'm already changing it, girl! Chill out!
… that world is not your friend. To think that Mirii is suffering there… I really wish to see Mirii and Hunry together, you know. That way, Mirii could heal from her self-curse and Hunry would get out from his little world.
Little world you mean, the farms?
Uhm… somewhat… … AH! I can't believe this!
You found it?!
Somewhat! Let's see, in order to get the flute… … WHAT?!
Uh oh… I don't like that description…
Oh no… OH NO! Wake me up, Barsy! This nightmare is giving me a headache!
Sorry girl, the nightmare is real.
… why I'm surprised…? After all, this game was made by Squid King… of course, he would make this to be as much of a chore as possible. That would make me throw an under kick!
Wh-what are we going to do, girl?!
… to be honest, the problem here isn't much about the chore: Miss Perfection can figure that one out. The real problem is… well… her.
She's so not going to do that…
… and I get all the blame as usual! Because that's what I get for the support! … siiiiigghh… what we have to do, in order for the Inkinators to truly shine once more…
Girl, there isn't really much choices here… at this point, it's better to just do it and don't think about it. I would do that, anyway.
… I guess you are right. Although… I know she's going to attack me for this… after all, she refuses to interact with me.
I told you before, girl: why trying to manipulate Mirii?! Like, it can't work that much
I almost did that, if it wasn't for that question! A Mirii which moves in our same direction would had guaranteed a certain victory! The next day we would have been already out of here! Ghrump… oh well, at least the plan is not over. She will never suspect a thing… and we will keep pressing on this matter.
Mirii and Hunter do seem happy to follow that matter… are you sure to
They are completely bonkers, Barsy! That kind of attitude is not healthy nor fun! How can you live under the stress of someone who could attack you at any moment?!
… well… certainly, I'm not gonna live like that!
Neither do I… and our two friends! Instead, we will abandon this whole mess and focus only on Turf War matches! We'll all be professionals… also thanks to Hunry's unique ability! With the money we are going to expand our treehouse, we will take holidays… we will enjoy da fun! That's the stuff I wanna see!
Eh eh, you can count on me! Like… I do follow your visions.
Thank you, Barsy… you are the best!
"… ha ha… ha ha ha…" Mirii's smile was wide, as her irises were slightly shrunk, her eyebrows were down and small light-blue spots were spread all over her face and clothes.
The girl was bending a bit forward, seeing a wide, empty road surrounded by buildings and skyscrapers.
"… no one can defeat perfection… no, no, it's not even perfection… it's the ultimate perfection!" She grins a bit. "I learned all the moves in existence… all I need to do is to get out of this training ground… and show to all Squid kinds, how perfection can"
"Heya! I'm baaacck!"
Mirii turns behind, seeing her shadow grinning.
"Sorry if I took so long… you know, gettin' inside the videogame's files is hard and all"
Her shadow opened her mouth a bit.
"… why are you grinning like that?"
Mirii's grin grew a bit more.
"… because I'm perfect, you puny fool!" She snickered slightly. "While you were procrastinating, I found out how my intuition was much more powerful than I previously thought."
"Your… what?!" Her shadow shook her head rapidly, as her eyes squeezed a bit.
Mirii opened her arms.
"Of course an idiot like you wouldn't understand perfection… but now, it doesn't matter." She turns behind. "I don't need any regular items… just the will to defeat this cat and return inside the perfect world with my beloved treasure!"
Mirii sprinted forward.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! COME BACK HERE!" Mirii's shadow moved her right arm from up to down, while frowning.
Mirii's head tilted upwards.
"The cat is too busy jumping from each building, as he has nothing better to do… hmpf! He really deserves a lesson, he'll never forget!" The girl simply smiles, heading towards an opened door.
PUMF!
"Ow!" Mirii's back was on the road, as she slides a bit before completely stopping. "… wh-what…?!" She jumps up on her feet, as her hands touched the air. "… is this an invisible wall?!"
"Yep! And you just smack on it…"
Mirii's head turned to her left, while frowning.
"Wh-what's the meaning of this?! Why someone would create an invisible wall to block my progress?!" Her eyes squeezed.
"Because this is a videogame, duuuh!" Her shadow shrugged, as her head was tilting left and right. "… don't tell me you were really thinking"
"But I'm seeing real buildings, roads, creatures… they are not pixel-made anymore!" Mirii growled.
"Does that still mean you are not in a videogame anymore?" Her shadow sighed, as her eyes closed. "… you never played a videogame, after all… you don't even know how videogames work!"
"I see an opened door and I pretend to go right through it!" Mirii's right hand slammed her right hand on the wall two times, then she turns over it. "But why I'm letting myself being conditioned by such puny, insignificant obstacle…?"
She grins a bit.
"I can demolish this wall… I can demolish a building if I really want to!" She snickered a bit. "I want to show you what I have in my arsenal… and from there, I will clearly see an expression of enviousness all over your face."
Her right leg rose, bending a bit: the leg starts kicking, while the girl was shouting loudly. Her leg was appearing like a wave of air! She stops, while breathing loudly and sweating all over her face. Her hands laid on the air, as her irises shrunk.
"… the wall is still here?!" Her mouth opened wide, as she took some steps backwards. "No… i-impossible! I used one of my strongest attacks!"
"You can't take out those walls: they exist to guide you towards the right path." Her shadow's hands were behind her back. "This is a videogame, Mirii. Whatever rules they have, you must follow them."
"… but… I-I know 100 effective techniques… how could those be ineffective?! Wh-what's the reason behind such ridiculous phenomenon?!" Mirii turns behind, with her eyebrows up.
"Well… the creators chose this." Her shadow shrugged. "You don't need a clear reason for"
"NONSENSE!" Mirii frowned a lot, while gritting her teeth. "I interacted with the Squid Cousins, which were as much real as you are! They claimed to live in a real world, after all!"
"… videogames can show you worlds, you know." Her shadow's eyes closed, while smiling a bit. "People to talk with… locations to visit… although, there may be abstract events or items here and there."
"N-no…" Mirii swallows silently. "You can't be serious… videogames have those fake computer works… I-I could recognize them in less than a second!"
"Not here." Her shadow's head shook. "Graphics may look like real life… but it's not really real life. All a virtual adventure…"
"Wh-what about my moves?!" Mirii bends forward, as her eyes expanded. "I know how to pull each one of them! My moves sent those ghosts flying as well!"
"Same story." Her shadow's eyebrows went up. "Once you get back in your perfect world, you still know the moves… but you can't do them."
"HOW CAN YOU TELL?!" Mirii's left forefinger was pointing her own shadow. "I never tested such thing, since I'm still blocked in this world!"
"Uuuugghhh, you sure love to have the baradings in your arsenal! Then, how about you follow me for once and stop getting yourself in this ego limbo?!" Her shadow frowned a bit, as her arms opened.
Mirii… rose her head a bit.
"Your way of talking… it really reminds me of Grina…" Her eyes squeezed. "… are you Greta Inkolina?!"
"… ha… well… you got that in a half." She grins, while bending a bit down, as her eyes closed, her forehead was full of sweat and her left hand was curling her left tentacle. "I SOUND like Grina… but I'm not really her…"
"Hmpf." Mirii folds her arms. "And the reason behind such choice?"
"Because… heh… it's my role, really." Her shadow smiles a bit. "I'm designed to be the helper… although, I got so tired of it, I wanted to be the protagonist." She nodded once. "Sigh… as a character, I'm just an empty shell which is filled with the profile of your friends online."
"… how can you know my friends?!" Mirii lowered her head while frowning a bit.
"From your friend list, duuuh!" She grins while closing her eyes.
"Use that duuuh term once more and I'll use my ultimate technique to destroy your very existence…" Mirii growled faintly, while squeezing her eyes a bit.
"Sheesh!" Her shadow shrugged. "It's not like you can really do that… but I'll be good on ya and not do it anymore!" She chuckles a bit. "Anyway, I simply checked on your friend list… and this Grina is your only friend which was playing Inknet Wars! That's why I have her personality now… a funny, genuine one I have to say so myself!"
"It's childish, egoistical and ridiculous." Mirii's eyes closed, as her arms folded.
Her shadow gasped as her left hand went in front of her opened mouth.
"… why… don't tell me you… you hate your friend?"
"No… I don't have the courage to do so." Her eyes opened, as her head tilted upwards. "In fact… I'm still in debt with her."
"In debt…?" Her shadow's head tilted to her left.
"… if it wasn't for her, I would never got the chance to… meet him…" Her cheeks blushed. "… which… ehm… he… … w-wait, why I'm telling you all this?!" Her face went completely red, as her arms stretched down, her fists clenched and her face frowned. "You are nothing more than data! A giant pile of data standing in my way!"
"You can talk about with me, you know…" Her shadow starts walking towards Mirii, while smiling a bit. "If you need to let out some sentiments towards a person, I can help"
"No." Mirii folds her arms, as her head rose. "I do not have any sentiments… and I will never let you do anything about it."
Her shadow stops, while standing on her left leg.
"Concluding the little speech… yes, I don't hate Grina but she's practically useless as an ally." Mirii's right foot slides forward. "Thus, I order you to change personality! I want you to be the only person who might assist my progress…"
"I-I can't do anyone else!" Her shadow's hands were moving sideways. "I can only see through your friend list and"
"Then look also in my profile… and act as me." Mirii smiles, as her eyebrows lowered a bit. "The best friend I can have right now… is no one other than myself."
Her shadow's tentacles appeared in a zig-zag manner.
"… you are joking, right?"
"Who's the one who wanted to steal my identity?!" Mirii's mouth downturned a bit. "And who's the one which is appearing as me?! Might as well act like me, since you are helping me out."
"… siiiiggghhh… but Grina is so fun to act as…!" Her shadow bends a bit forward, as her arms were waving a bit back and forth.
"… then why you are appearing as me?" Mirii's right forefinger stood on her right cheek. "I don't understand… this truly seems to be incompatible with"
"OK, OK! I-I'll do it!" Her shadow cleared her voice, with her right fist in front of her mouth. "… my veins are full of perfection now…"
Mirii's irises shrunk, as her mouth flattened.
"… how did you guessed such perfect phrase?!" Her jaw dropped.
"Because I can play anyone!" Her shadow's head rose, as her arms folded. "Of course, since I'm a well estimated actr-AI!" Sweat appeared on her forehead.
"… a mirror which can talk back to me…? Fascinating." Mirii took two steps forward. "Twice my brain, twice my performance. That only proves how versatile I truly am."
"Hmpf, versatility should come from the person… not from the other person." Her shadow's eyes closed. "As I said before, I'm perfect in this: I can play any personality I want. Thus, I'm the versatile Squid in the team."
"… good, very good." Mirii nodded, while smiling. "Hearing myself saying such statement only proves the worth I'm made of." Her eyes closed. "You are now officially my supportive guide. I know you can see perfection in this pathetic world…" Her right forefinger points her shadow down. "… show me the path! Make sure I'll emerge victorious and also perfect!"
"… the cat can't be beaten by any conventional methods, except by using intelligence." Her shadow turns behind. "We need the flute in order to do this. The flute can't be bought in any store or"
"W-wait a minute!" Mirii's eyebrows were up. "Hearing myself talking about a videogame… it makes me look like I played through this!" Her teeth gritted. "Nnnngghhhh! I… I-I didn't calculated such mistake…"
Her shadow formed gradually a smile.
"… then, shall I switch to the almighty Grina?" She sticks out her tongue, as her right eye closed.
Mirii's mouth was waving, as her eyelids lowered to the middle, while sighing.
"... please do… I can't stand this curse anymore…"
"Great!" Her shadow grinned. "Then, Grina I am! Saying you have to get the flute, I confirm!"
Mirii mumbled, as her eyebrows went down.
"Well, the flute isn't 'round here you know… actually, there is only one way for you to get one."
Suddenly, her shadow's whole face was covered in sweat.
"… it's… well… a bit creative… you will say…"
"Tsk. Creativity in a toy? That would be an insult." Mirii's eyes closed. "Stop praising this game. Be quick at revealing the conditions, since I grew really tired of this dump…"
"Ok, ok!" Her shadow swallows silently. "In order to get the flute… well… you need to reach this fountain… and do the Squid dance!"
The cat kept jumping on each building, while roaring loudly.
"… doing the Squid dance…? Me…?" Mirii's eyes opened instantly. "… I hope there is an alternative."
"There isn't." Her shadow chuckled a bit.
"Dancing?! In Squid form?!" Mirii bends forward. "That's impossible! I can't stand still and dance! Besides, that will ruin my perfect image!"
"Oooooh, please…!" Her shadow turned behind, facing Mirii. "Aside the fact no one will see you doing this… you can float in Squid form, while playing this game!"
"… n-no!" Mirii folds her arms, as her head twisted to her left. "I-I refuse! My dignity is already been attacked enough… instead, reveal the alternative!"
"There isn't any alternative…" Her shadow's right hand covers her eyes. "Mirii, I'm begging you"
"Another alternative instead of the flute?!" Mirii pointed towards her shadow, while bending forward.
"No… you want to get out? You gotta do the darn Squid dance!" Her shadow frowned, raising her voice a bit. "And if you don't like it, enjoy living in this game!"
Mirii jumped, as her hands covered her opened mouth: her legs were trembling a bit.
"… but… you will see me while I'm doing the"
"I'll turn the other way!" Her shadow snorted. "Ya happy now?! No one will see you and your perfection detection will be preserved!"
"… nngghhh…" Mirii's head lowered, as she slowly walks towards her shadow. "… forgive me, mother… I-I tried everything I could…"
Her shadow's eyes rolled.
"So much hassle for a little dance…"
"That dance will ruin me!" Veins popped out on her forehead, as her face was frowning. "…who designed this childish task, anyway?!"
"Squid King: he's the creator of this game, after all." Her shadow shrugged.
Mirii inhales air from her nose, loudly.
"… once I get my hands on that waste…" Her fingers twitched multiple times. "… I'll unfold all the moves I learned recently on him… he'll explode and fly off as the helpless Squid he is… and then, I'll claim victory in the name of perfection, carrying a golden era for all the Squids inside the perfect world!" Her fists clenched. "Just wait and see, Squid King… wait and see."