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Tonna raises from her office chair, as her hands pushes her laptop's screen down. Her eyebrows were up, as her mouth downturned.
"Groan… the amount of work is really splatting me, today. This could be a chance to test out my little theory…"
The woman walks around her desk, then proceeding forward, while smiling a bit and whistling.
"Aaah, yes…! I will pretend to be ill and snatch an entire day of relax!" Her eyes closed. "My forehead feels hot… rigging that thermometer is going to be"
Knock knock.
Tonna stopped, as her eyes expanded.
"No. N-no!" Her face went paler, as she began walking forward. "Not now!"
Her right hand went on the door handle… pushing it down and pulling the whole door. Her eyelids lowered to the middle.
"… you…"
Mirii's eyebrows went a bit down, as her shoulders were wrapped with the bag straps. Slowly, Tonna turned to her left.
"I will make it brief." The girl took four steps forward, pushing the door back and closing it, while pointing her head towards the woman. "I'm here to"
BONK!
Mirii's eyes expanded: Tonna's forehead was standing on the wall…
"… hurry up, please…" Her eyes closed.
"Are you insane?!" Mirii rushed in front of the woman's left side, as her hands pushed Tonna away from the wall. "If you are injured, those Agents will accuse me!" She snorted. "And I can't deal with"
"Buuuaaaah!" Tonna's head rose, as a stream of tears came from her closed eyes. "Wh-why I can't have a day where you are not pulling me into another, longbass bureaucracy work?! As if I hadn't enough of those already!"
The woman sobbed, sniffing loudly.
"... I must get out of this room, before I will start scolding her for many hours!" Some veins popped out on Mirii's forehead, as her arms folded. "I'm here to report a negative case."
"D-darn it, Mirii!" Tonna's watery eyes opened, as her face frowned and her arms opened wide. "I have lunch to eat! I can't compile your stupid re-HUH?!" Her eyes expanded. "Wait… did you just said… negative case?" She bended forward.
"Yes." Mirii sighed, as her head lowered and shook, while her eyes closed. "I have found nothing of interest…"
"… really?" Tonna's mouth opened. "R-really?!" Her mouth smiled.
"No." The girl's head rose back.
…
"Of course I have found Agents working inside the building… but they are not our enemies." She nodded. "Those Agents are using a Project Neo lab for freeing innocent Inklings from their wall prison." Her head turned to her right. "Although, I haven't found the reason why those Inklings were found as paintings, in the first place… it would be interesting to"
"Inklings trapped within walls?!" Tonna's right fist went in front of her mouth. "How did that happened, exactly?"
"Unfortunately, I do not have any decisive evidence for learning the story behind such event…" Mirii's eyes closed. "But we could speculate that those were all Project Neo cavies, who were testing the prototype of the same machine who could turn Inklings into living paintings…"
"… Ursula…" Tonna's eyes blinked. "… d-did you find Ursula?!"
"I have seen only one room, Tonna." Mirii's head rose, as her eyes opened. "Also, those Inklings appeared in a deformed form too… I wouldn't even recognize my dear brother, if he was depicted in such abstract way."
Tonna's mouth sealed, still staring back at the girl for at least 10 seconds… then, her face frowned.
"Could you tell me where this building is? And why we have to lie about the building?"
"I was told that the Headquarters kept hiding reports of missing Squids… the same ones who are recognized on those walls." Mirii's right hand went on her right tentacle, caressing it.
"How come you claimed to never been able to recognize those deformed Inklings, then?" Tonna's left hand pushed her bangs upwards, while her eyes squeezed a bit.
"… well, perhaps I could if I look carefully… but those Agents possess the missing reports." Some sweat formed on Mirii's head. "Sooo… th-they have certain tools for detecting similarities?" She smiled a bit, as her eyebrows went up.
"… could be…" Tonna's right hand went on her face's lower side. "I'm not sure myself, but I can't deny how we keep improving our technology in such short time…"
Mirii sighed silently, as her eyes closed.
"In other words, those Agents are operating inside the building, without the Headquarters' permission… adding also their decision of censuring anything related to it, you can see why they asked me to create a fake alibi, so they would continue their attempt to save those innocents, without being interrupted by the Headquarters."
The girl took a quick breath, before opening her eyes.
"… hmm.." Tonna's eyes closed. "… I don't know..."
"Hmm?" Mirii's head turned to her right, as her irises were pointed at the woman.
Tonna's head shook.
"I know that the Headquarters aren't that trustworthy, since they cooperate with Project Neo establishments in secret... at the same time, I can't really trust the words said by mere strangers." Her eyes closed, as her arms folded.
"… I see what are you trying to say…" Mirii's head rose. "I came to the same conclusion, earlier, before I would get my hands on decisive evidence."
"You have?" Tonna's eyes opened.
Mirii's shoulders took off her bag straps, as each of her hands went on the respective bag's side. Her right hand went on the zipper.
"One of the Agents handed me their journal." Her irises were looking down, as her hands were operating on the bag. "I haven't read all of them, I have to admit. However, one of those journal pieces contains an information which proves their innocence."
Tonna's head lowered, pointing at the girl bending on her knees and picking up a paper. Mirii rose her knees, as her right arm stretched forward: the woman's right hand picked the paper, carrying it in front of her face.
"Journal n. 1975: I was about to test the newly found Ink mechanism, when I received a call from M.W. I wasn't really in the mood of hearing news from him, but I couldn't ignore the possibility that something wrong was pending in our case." Tonna's eyes squeezed a bit. "I answered the call, greeting him and listening to whatever he had to say. Apparently, the HQ has added me in a list, secured in a fold case known as 0145329."
Tonna's eyes expanded, as her mouth flattened.
"He was whispering at me, actually. Something I would never expect from him. I tried to know more about this case, but he kept saying to not ask him about this anymore and nor even mentioning this number code to anyone in the HQ. I knew that our operations already put our roles into jeopardy... but sheesh! I gave up and closed the call. I was thinking about it for a while, until I focused back on the Ink mechanism. Aside from this, there aren't any news to report. Jak."
The woman's mouth opened.
"It can't be…!" Her hand lowered the paper, as her eyes pointed at Mirii. "This code number was supposed to be known by very few Squids!"
"So, I was right..." Mirii's head rose. "Once I saw such detail, I asked Jak for more information about it… he couldn't answer me."
"I'm kind of involved as a Supportive chief." Tonna's right hand waved the paper. "Basically, this case is related to Project Neo… more specifically, it's a list of people who could potentially meddle in said project."
"And now you are reporting such thing to us?!" Mirii's head lowered, while frowning and stretching her arms downwards, along her sides.
"I-I recently learned that it was Project Neo-based!" Tonna's hands went back in forth, in front of the girl. "I wanted to announce it, once the entire Inkinators squad would be present… and with some papers related to it as well." Her head shook. "I found out that taking those from the case, would break some vital rules set only for the chiefs."
"I see…" Mirii's eyes squeezed a bit.
"Do you have a photo of Jak?" Tonna turned behind, walking towards the desk. "I decided to learn most of those mugshots, so I would find potential friends… or crooks." Her right hand put the paper on the desk.
"I forced him to take a photo with my smartphone, since I didn't fully believing those mere journal entries alone." Mirii bended down. "One moment."
Tonna sighed, as she walked towards the girl with her arms semi-folded and with each of her hand grasping the closest elbow.
"No way I will return to office, now…" Her head lowered. "Groan… if I had hints of fever, earlier on, now I must have a full one."
"After this brief discussion, I will go to the Shrine." Mirii's right thumb was pushing her smartphone's screen, as her eyes and head were pointed at it.
"Why?!" Tonna's eyes expanded.
"The building was cursed by a Demon Squid." Her head rose back, as her right hand twisted.
Her smartphone was showing Jak, smiling widely and with his hands behind his back. The device was pointed at the woman, as she bended forward.
"… yes, I saw him!" Her mouth opened wide. "So, they are really saving those innocents, since the case wasn't reporting situations of illegal profit."
"This curse was preventing them from using the antidote on the turned Inklings." Mirii's right arm retreated, as her head rose. "I have successfully repealed the curse… now those missing citizens can be finally saved."
"But why going to the Shrine…?" Tonna frowned a bit.
"The same Shrine Squid who helped me, said that Hunley needs me in the future… thus, I'm going to save him." Mirii nodded.
"… ugh… I really have to stay on the bed." Tonna's left hand went on her forehead. "Just don't stay away from the Headquarters too long, ok?
"I will return as quickly as possible." Mirii's right forefinger pointed towards the ceiling. "Tonna, can I eat lunch outside the Headquarters? I will eat it inside the"
"Sure, sure, no one is going to bat an eye on that." Tonna walked past the girl. "Enough talking for now, Mirii."
"… alright." Mirii turned behind. "… Hunley… I'm coming." She began walking in the same direction.