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"Oh?" Grina lowered her head and eyebrows, while grinning a bit. "It was about time some creep would slide in our way!"
"Ha! Don't make me laugh… Grina." Her glasses went completely white. "This isn't going to be a nice chit-chat as you get used to."
"Great!" Grina's grin grew wider, as her fists rose in front of her shoulders. "Then what are you waiting for, Miss Henchwoman?! Speak up!"
"… the situation isn't in your favor." The woman's head rose, as her eyelids lowered. "Give us Aqua and we might spare you…"
"And if we say no, you will throw a tantrum and send out an attack?!" Grina bended down, with her face staring down the woman.
"Grina, th-this is not funny…" Hun's head turned to his left, as a sweat drop appears on his head's right side.
"Fun? Oooh, this is nothing…" Grina kept staring at the woman, while simply smiling and lifting her posture. "… the real fun will begin when she understands Aqua's position."
"Wh-why you want to capture me?!" Aqua bended forward, while frowning. "Is that because I said something wrong about this demonstration course?!"
"Sigh… I was really hoping you would have done your simple job…" The woman's head lowered, as her glasses went white. "… but your prejudges got the best of you. You don't have any idea what you just threw away…"
"What I threw away was utter trash!" Aqua lifted her posture, as her right foot slid forward and her fists clenched. "We signed up for a friendly environment, where Squids could be friends and have fun!" Her eyes squeezed. "What would be the point of training if you don't even have that…?"
"Ha! Laughable!" The woman's left arm went from her right to her left, as her right hand was resting on her right hip, her glasses were still white and her smile grew. "I knew ever since the beginning you are one of those simple Squids, desiring simple things such as friendship!"
Her right thumb and forefinger grabbed the middle of her glasses.
"… how traumatized you will be, once you will see the sad truth of your weak personality…"
Her right hand threw her glasses from behind, as her left hand was wielding a Blaster weapon.
"Do not think you'll be sent someplace else, once splatted!" The woman's irises shrunk, as her eyebrows went down and her mouth was showing her fangs. "In fact, you will fall right in our prison! All of you!"
Hun jumps in front of Grina, while frowning and clenching his fists.
"NOOO, BIG BRO!" Fara rushed.
Bars' right hand took her left one, as he pulls the little girl with him. All the other Inklings, except Hun, rushed inside the backstage room.
"Hun… we have Mirii." The woman folded her arms. "Join us and you can see her again. Fight against us…" Her head lowered, as the top of her face went darker. "… and Mirii might end up in an undesirable situation."
"Never!" He growled.
"… you chose poorly." Her eyes shined.
PUM!
BOOM!
Hun jumped behind, while turning into a Squid. Magenta ink rested on some of the platforms and on Hun's head. He bends on himself, pointing towards the woman and the assistance workers which were walking and shooting towards him.
FUM!
Hun charged forward, surrounded by a small wave of blue ink! Two assistance workers got hit in a line, as the other ones dived to their right. Hun stops, turning behind: the woman and the assistance workers were rushing towards the backstage room. His irises shrunk.
"Oh no! My friends!" He frowned. "I need to stop them!"
Toc toc.
Hun jumped, as he slowly turns behind: his irises shrunk again. Several Inklings and other sea creatures were behind the shop windows: their mouths were moving, their eyes were staring at Hun, their fists were hitting the shop windows.
"Huh?! … I hope my friends will do fine." He frowned. "Those people never did anything wrong to deserve this!"
He bends on himself, as he charges towards the shop window.
SPRANG!
Hun falls on his back, as his eyes were a bit spinning. The people were all jumping out of the window, rushing and talking loudly!
Ruuuuun!
Heeeelp!
There are more prisoners!
Call the police!
Hun shakes his head, as he jumps up and stands on his two tentacles. His head starts turning left and right.
"A-are you alright?! Hey! C-can you"
Everyone was running towards the entrance. Hun kept staring them down.
Toc toc.
"Huh?!" Hun turns his head to his left. "More?!"
His eyes were tracking down several people behind each shop window.
"… I-I cannot stand watching this!" His eyes squeezed. "I-I'm the Master of the Shrine… this is my duty to help the innocents!" He frowned.
He slides on the clear floor, then bending on himself before charging towards another shop window.
SPRANG!
Yeees!
Free! We are free!
Thank you! Thank you!
The Squid shakes his head. Everyone was heading towards the entrance. Suddenly, Aqua was stumbling while jumping from the right and walking to her left: her hands were grasping a Splattershot Jr. Hun's irises shrunk.
"RUN! RUN!" He frowned, while looking at Aqua.
She stops with her head down, while breathing loudly. Her head rose, as she let out a loud gasp! The woman wielding the Blaster was slowly walking towards her, while snickering. Hun bended on himself, charging forward!
The woman's Blaster was pointed right on Aqua: she was bending a bit on herself, while breathing loudly. The woman's left forefinger pushed the trigger.
PUM!
Aqua squeezed her eyes, while gritting her teeth.
BOOM!
Aqua gasped, as she jumped. Her head turned around, as her eyes stopped on the woman: she was smiling.
"… your luck is sure strong in you."
Aqua's irises shrunk, as her head went up: a small Squid was flying towards the ceiling.
"Ha! You will join him very soon!" The woman's eyes squeezed a bit, while grinning widely. "… welcome in the world of science!"
Aqua leans against the wall, as her hands were trembling and her weapon was trying to point at the woman.
… I'm staring down a floor. A cold, lifeless collection of tiles. Maybe those aren't tiles… but mirrors reflecting the status of this dreadful room. A room which is unpleasant for anyone, yet here I am. Sitting down on a chair, tied to a destiny which doesn't seem to have a clear end.
Staring down a floor… is this what I'm reduced to? Not that I really chose such despicable fate, but… I just need a second to think about what I could have done in the meantime. For example, I would resume my reading: "Shot in the dark" is a true masterpiece in storytelling, character development and theme.
My curiosity about the continuation is making things worse… now this room is even colder than before. I'm hearing an echo of my own voice, spreading around the room. I… I really want to talk with Hunley… I-I want to stay with him, passing the evening with him. He… he's the only one who can make me smile.
I wonder what Hunley is doing now… if he's getting himself into trouble, the only one to blame is myself. I'm way smarter and attentive than this… I-I should have known this was all a trap ever since the beginning. If only I sent him a hint, maybe he's now on his way to save me.
Saving me… … who I am to pretend such request? I'm the one who fell into the abyss of mediocrity, I'm the one who will rise from it, reaching perfection once again. I want to rise… I want to prove that Mirii Hanache is still strong, even when tied up in a depressing room!
… my brother would know for sure what to do in such case. He's always so wise and humble… I wish I could hug him once again, so I have that push to try again and again. My mother… she would be so disappointed, if she would look at me right now. I-I need to prevent such fate… so I can prove to still be worthy! Worthy of knowing the perfection art!
Come on, Mirii… I know so well this is possible! I just need to be patient… the laces will cede in front of my genius! Th-that technique wasn't wrong… it was my momentary prejudge!
Come on… come oooonnn… … … … phew… it's so nice seeing my wrists again. My dominance will be fully complete, once my feet can walk away from the chair… … there, it's done. I'm finally standing above the mediocrity, once more. I wish I could record such feat, since it's something truly sublime… but my words would be enough, for now.
Mirii rose her head, turning her irises left and right.
"This room looks like a small lab." She turns around. "I can see machines behind me, with the monitor showing circular graphs and numbers around it. Well, it's true that escaping is a priority… but if I also retrieve some useful information from this experience, I could redeem something from this waste of time."
The girl walks towards the machine on the right, which buttons were located under the monitor. Her hands fell on the edges near the buttons, as her irises were resting on the monitor.
"Hmm… it appears this machine is tracking down my previous experiment with that helmet. The numbers are showing a value which I cannot really translate… but judging from the graph, my mind presented a high temperature."
The girl frowned, as her teeth showed a bit and gritted.
"Those mischievous Squids…!" Her right hand formed a fist. "If I was still wearing that helmet any longer, my mind would had melted…! No one ever goes to mock perfection, getting away with it!" Her right fist hits the machine's right edge. "I hope that scientist is still around this building, so I can arrest her and send her in a jail for treating me as rubbish!"
Her head turned to her left, seeing another machine identical to the right one.
"This one…" She walks in front of it, standing in her previous position. "… it seems based on the Mall activity. … WHAT?!" She bends forward, as her irises shrunk. "Testing the subjects inside the building?!"
She walks backwards, as her posture lifted and her jaw dropped.
"Oh no… th-they took completely over the mall…? Th-that means…" Her eyes were getting watery.
Her head shakes, as her face frowned.
"Change of plan: I'll immediately get back inside that mall!" She turns behind, while sprinting towards the door. "Hunley and the others are still inside that mall, probably in danger…"
Her left hand grabbed the door handle, pushing it down then pulling the door. Her ears rose.
"… I prefer not getting any attention now, so I can avoid needless fights and save a lot of time and energy." She bends forward, as her head turned left and right.
The hallway had some doors on each side of the two walls. Slowly, Mirii pulled the door from behind as she starts walking to her right. Her ears were still up, her heart starts beating faster.
"… walking will do me no good: that also counts as wasting time." Sweat covered her forehead. "At the same time I can't ignore running without a care: I might fall in a trap or in an useless fight! I need to find a better strategy… … nngghhh…"
Her eyebrows were up, as her mouth was trembling.
"Wh-why I can't concentrate all the sudden?!" She swallows silently. "I-I have this feeling of hiding under a desk for a while… s-someone must be watching my steps…"
Slowly, the girl turns behind seeing the hallway continuing in the darkness which was only interrupted by some light bulb.
"… actually… it would be far better to meet a friend of mine, at this point…" Slowly, she returns forward. "… most likely Hunley, s-so I can get rid of this huge anxiety stuck in my throa"
BUM, BUM, BUM!
Mirii gasped, as she jumped and retreats her fists on her chest: she starts trembling, as her eyebrows were up, her knees were touching each other and her heart skipped some beats.
BUM, BUM, BUM!
"… ack…! Aaaaccckkk…!" Mirii's irises shrunk, as her face was turning blue and her right cheek was twitching. "… it-it was coming fr-from that door on th-the right… or it-it was it fr-from the left?!"
BUM, BUM!
The girl kept walking backwards.
"Aaaaahh… th-the pain is so strong… I-I can't yell though, otherwise whoever i-is knocking on the door w-will"
BUM!
CRAAAASSSHHH!
Mirii screamed, as her tentacles stretched diagonally up! She did a back-flip and starts running, as small tears were forming around her expanded eyes, while her teeth were gritting.
"Run, run, run, RUN, RUN, RUN!" Her head rose. "INSIDE A ROOM! QUICK!"
Mirii turned to her right, facing a door which she pushed immediately. The door closed, as her eyes were seeing a small room composed by a desk in the middle of the room and a small shelf composed by blue files, sitting on the top-left corner.
The girl jumped over the desk, crawling under it. She was sitting down with her arms hugging her bended legs, while trembling and staring forward with her eyebrows up.
"I… I-I think I'm safe… th-this desk is perfectly covering myself… away from undesirable eyes…" She sighed silently. "… … Mirii Kelpshell… hiding under a desk?"
Her mouth opened, as she stops trembling.
"I'm hiding like a seachicken…? M-me of all people?!" Her irises shrunk.
Her eyebrows went down.
"What I have done to my reputation… no, this cannot be how progression will proceed!" Her eyes squeezed. "I'm the one who knows perfection more than anyone else… even Hunley is extremely close second to that!"
Quickly, she gets away from the desk, standing up and clenching her fists.
"I'm scared of nothing! My prove of it comes now, without any doubts!" Her head starts turning around. "I have the talent to get out of this terrible situation… and I do not intend wasting it now!"
Her eyes rested on a broom leaning on the right wall, standing above a green scoop. Her head rose.
"Although, let's be cautious…" She walks to the left, passing the desk and walking towards the broom. "… I want to finish this impending fight as cleanly as possible."
Her hands grabbed the broom, as she lifted it up and rose her head.
"Uhm… using a broom sounds so improvised and ridiculous." A sweat drop appears on her head's right side, as her eyelids lowered. "Unfortunately, this is the best I can get now."
Her ears rose, as her heart starts beating faster: her hands grasped the broomstick even more, as her face frowned and her irises turned towards the door. Slowly, she walks a bit towards the front wall, while turning herself over the door and slowly raising her broom.
The door handle was moving, until it went down: the door starts moving forward…
FUM! BAAAAM!
Someone fell on the floor, releasing a louder noise on the impact. Mirii's eyes were looking down: suddenly, her irises shrunk and her face became extremely pale. Lying on the floor, with a bump on the head… Hun! His eyes were closed with his eyebrows lowered.
The broom fell on the floor, as Mirii's hands were a bit opened. She kept her position for a moment… when her right cheek twitched.
"… no… n-no, you are wrong…" Her head shakes slowly. "… yo-you are s-saying th-the impossible… I… I-I wasn't there that time… nooo… I was… s-somewhere else! Yo-you can't prove th-the opposite… no way… I-I swear I-I'm saying th-the truth!"
Her irises fell on the broom, as her mind was seeing liquid surrounding it.
"Wh-what?! Th-the w-weapon itself?! Th-the broom?! Nonsense! Nooon… no one c-can use th-that as"
Her mind was seeing fingerprints on it. A flash appeared around Mirii, as her teeth were gritting, sweat covered her face and her eyes grew even wider.
"F-fingerprints?! M-my fingerprints a-are there?! … … …"
Mirii smiles a bit.
"Eh eh… what… weapon?!" She grins a little bit.
Her hands picked up the broom, as she runs away while jumping over Hun. The girl sprinted towards the door in the front, as she enters inside and closes the door. Loud noises were heard coming from there.
"NO WEAPON! THERE IS NO WEAPON, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! YOUR MOTIVATIONS ARE AS NULL AS YOUR STUPID BRRRAAAAAIIIIINNN!"
Immediately, the girl went out of the room: her back leans on the door, her arms were wide opened stretching sideways, her face expression was the same while her mouth was breathing loudly.
"Th-there is nothing to look at! Take my name off th-that suspect list! I-I'm not a suspect do you hear? I'M NOT!" She grins a bit, as her head slightly rose. "I… I-I'm still… perfect… yes… p-perfect…"
Hun was still down on the floor. Mirii's mouth downturned: her hands started to touch her pockets.
"No, no, nooooooooooo!" Her hands pulled her jacket down. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! OF ALL THE TIMES… I-I HAD TO FORGOT TH-THAT POWER HEALTH!"
She kept stomping the floor, as veins popped out from her forehead.
"Curses, curses, cuuurrsseeeesss!" She jumped, stomping the floor with both her feet.
The girl kept breathing, while her head was looking down.
"… m-my head… it hurts so much…" Her right hand rested on her forehead. "… I… I don't know if I can justify this one… f-for keeping my worth… … no… not now!" Mirii rose her head, while frowning. "Now it's the time I give cures to those I truly care!"
The girl rushed, jumping over Hun and picking his hands: slowly, she pulls the boy towards the left. Quickly, she sprinted towards the door, pushing it back. Her hands picked him, turning the other way around. She starts bending down, leaning her right ear on his chest.
"… he's breathing…" Her smiling mouth opened, as her eyebrows were up. "The most wonderful of the news! That means he only needs a wet towel on his head and he'll turn back in shape!" She stands up. "I need to be quick, since the faster Hunley heals the faster I can hear his voice!"
Her right hand grabbed the door handle.
"Let's still be careful, though: someone mischievous might still lurk around the hallways… especially after that scene I made which I'm luckily forgetting it, since it's really frightening my soul." She swallows silently, as her right hand pulled the door. "Concentrate now, Mirii, before tripping again on inexcusable mistakes!"
The girl bended forward, turning her head left and right. She nodded, stepping out and closing the door behind her.
"Uhm… I wonder if one of those rooms have a towel." She walks to her right. "Searching around would waste my time and expose my position even more."
Her head rose.
"Still… after all that scene, no one ever showed up." Her eyebrows rose. "What kind of place I ended up to…?"
Tonk… tonk…
Mirii stands still, as her arms stretched down, her teeth gritted even more.
"Wh-what was that?!" She turns around, even behind. "Hopefully, anything who's far, far away from me."
Criiiick.
The girl resume her walk, as her sweat jumped out from her head.
"Nnnggghhh… I-I do not even know wh-what fear is! I-I follow perfection, after all!" Her eyes closed. "C-come on, Mirii… focus! A towel, a towel… maybe… maybe in a bathroom?" Her eyes opened. "It might be ridiculous since I'm not in a house… but it's still worth a try, since it appears more logical and safer."
She swallows silently.
"I-I mean, someone can't really infiltrate inside a bathroom… right?!" Her irises were turning left and right.
Two doors were rather closer to each other: the left one has a blue Squid on the top-center, the right one has a pink Squid on the top-center.
"F-finally something who doesn't go horribly wrong!" Mirii smiles, sighing. "I can finally say some optimistic words!"
The girl's right hand pushed the door: she jumped, while gasping. An Inkling woman with a fringe covering her eyes and her tentacles entering inside her white coat had her head pointing at the mirror. Mirii's face became extremely pale as her eyes kept seeing the woman, while walking a bit backwards.
"… I never thought to see another form of life walking around the void." The woman kept staring at the mirror.
The girl stopped, as she breaths loudly.
"To think I was sure to know everything about the void… this was a pleasant surprise seeing such phenomenon. It really gives me a reason… to look away from this mirror." Slowly, the woman turns over Mirii.
Mirii was trembling, her legs were bending.
"... welcome to the void, Squid. I have a question to ask…" The woman starts walking, a bit stumbling.
The girl swallows silently, as sweat starts coming down from her face.
"S-stay away from me…" Her fists rose in front of her face.
"… do you have a place in this void…?" The woman stops at the bathroom entrance.
"I-I'll kick you in another pl-place if you try attacking me…!" Her fists were in front of her eyes, as her eyebrows lowered.
"The answer is no, then… so, you are another one of those visitors, coming here and out." The woman was a bit stumbling.
Mirii took some steps to her right.
"But… is it right you are playing the visitor role? No… it's utterly wrong. You can't just visit the void… you must accept to live in the void. I have the chance to stop talking to the mirror… and talk with another person." The woman's head slowly turns over the girl.
"Wh-what's your problem?! Are you nuts?!" Mirii frowned a lot.
"… you don't know anything about the void." The woman rose her head. "It's worse than be stranded on a deserted island… which I eventually got used to. You are talking to me… you are not thinking I'm the meaning of asocial attitude."
"Is this woman… trying to be my friend?!" Mirii's eyes squeezed. "But I told her those menaces… how can she still try becoming my friend?!"
"… please… help me." The woman whispered a bit. "Help me stop talking to any mirror I see…"
"Wh-why are you doing that?!" Mirii bended forward. "Talking to a mirror is nonsensical!"
"… the mirrors are my only friends… I can say everything I want, without feeling stupid afterwards. When no one is here… I tend to visit this bathroom… training my attitude to become as friendly as possible. Ever since the beginning, I improved a lot. I can talk… a bit louder than before." The woman took two steps forward.
"This woman… it's just frustrating to hear her story." Her eyebrows were up, her mouth downturned. "I… I can't stand seeing a person struggling with a problem all alone."
Mirii coughed once.
"Listen, I understand you are trying to be friendly… but you must understand that my place is out of the void." Her head rose. "That's where I truly belong."
"No… not anymore." The woman's head lowered. "You are now in the void… you must accept your fate. If it's too hard for you to do so…" She starts walking towards Mirii. "… I can help you understand better the void."
Mirii starts walking backwards, as her face went pale and sweat covered her face.
"W-wait! I-I'm not saying such th-thing because"
"I never had a friend before… I can't wait talking with you, like true friends would do. For a long, long time… I can say that I also have a friend." Her arms stretched towards the girl. "And maybe… from there, everyone in the whole universe will stop looking at me as an asocial Squid."
"Nnnnngghhh!" Mirii swallows silently. "I-I was wrong… you are completely nuts! Desperation took over yourself!"
"Desperation is my enemy… it's watching me, waiting for you to run away from the void. No matter what you will do… you are now someone I can talk to for the eternity. You… and that other boy who followed you." Her head rose, as her fringe went a bit up, showing her left irises being black with lines of red coming from its edges.
Mirii's irises shrunk. She frowned a lot.
"DON'T YOU DARE ATTACKING HUNLEY!" She sprinted forward.
The girl threw a kick with her right leg towards the woman: her foot passes right through her. Mirii gasped loudly, as she jumps backwards. The woman was standing still.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Sweat was jumping from her head. "I-I kicked you!"
"… in the void, you can't attack anyone… no one." The woman starts floating a bit.
Mirii's jaw dropped.
"… nngh… a-as if this pl-place w-wasn't terrifying enough." The girl trembles.