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"Hunley! Hunleeeyy!" Mirii frowned, while running after the boy. "Would you please slow down?!"
"Bu-but that woman said to go…!" He stopped, flipping behind and almost tripping on the carpet below.
"She never said to run like that!" Mirii panted, as she was now stepping towards him. "Besides, why would you listen to a complete stranger and not me?!"
"Well, I didn't wanted to cause any trouble…" Hun sighed, making a sad face.
"You never even caused any trouble in the first place!" She frowned. "Next time, try looking around yourself more before taking actions." Her head rose. "Understand?"
"… ok, Mirii." He nodded. "So… she said to reach this changing room, right?" He returned behind. "Are those over there?" He pointed at two doors on the left side.
"No, at all…" Her head shook, as her arms folded. "There is a fork on the hallway, which shows the direction for the male and female changing rooms, respectively."
The girl resumed her walk, passing near Hun.
"Follow me. I'm sure there is a map stand nearby…" Her irises pointed at the right corner in the distance. "… something tells me we will find"
"Are you crazy?! Ouch!"
Her head immediately turned over the closed door on the left. Hun dashed towards it, while frowning.
"Ha ha ha! You flew like a fly!" A male voice was coming from the door.
The boy stopped, turning his shoulders behind and watching Mirii.
"Should we enter inside?" He whispered.
Mirii's hand lifted, showing her palm.
"Indeed! Ha ha ha!" A female voice was now emerging from the door.
"… it's the same voice who called for help…" Her eyes squeezed a bit.
"Let's do it again!"
"You gotta believe more in your throws, though. You have to make me scream more!"
Mirii's eyes went back to normal, as her face went slightly paler.
"Wh… what in the world is going on inside that room?!"
Thump!
Laughs were coming from the room. Hun began stepping backwards, while staring at the door…
"Ehm… I'm confused about this…"
Mirii grabbed his arm and pulled him with her.
"Forget about it!" She stepped rapidly. "That's a ridiculous antic made by a bunch of childish Squids, anyway!"
She swallowed silently.
"… I still remember that statement regarding this building at night…" She took a deep breath, releasing Hun's arm. "It's odd, though, how the previous rooms didn't had anything wild into them…"
Her mind was seeing the coat-wearing Inkling man holding a clear bottle, as he smiled towards her. She shivered, raising her eyebrows.
"… ok, there is something wild about them." She sighed. "At this point, it's better to just follow this course and not try anything that's not included. Speaking of that…" She turned behind. "Hunley, could you please give me the papers?"
He passed the papers, while smiling. The girl grabbed them and immediately began reading the top paper's words mentally.
"… there is quite a list of machines to try. They also have their respective room numbers, which let us be even more precise instead of relying on luck… good." Her hands lowered the paper down. "I have conceived the perfect plan to utilize…"
Her eyes squeezed a bit.
"Project Neo… your days of terror are counted. Perfection is going to purify your evil roots… one structure at the time."
"Tee hee hee!"
Kelly was jumping forward, while waving her arms and smiling.
"This place is making me sooo happy… I'm happy!" Her eyes closed. "Which room I'm going to share my happiness with?!" Her head turned around. "There are so many of them, all around…"
Laughs were coming from a room to the left. The little girl stopped instantly, quickly tilting back and forth like a crazy spring!
"… sniff, sniff!" She grinned, while turning over the source of all those laughs. "What a nice scent of fun and energy!"
As she left a ricochet sound, Kelly rushed so fast, she was already inside the room! Her eyes were seeing Squids who were spinning on themselves, while lying down on the floor. Others were jumping on short platforms and a few more kept switching in between the two floors. Screams and laughs were filling the air, together with a rhythmic music who was coming from a tower of various buttons and little levers.
Tables with short legs were spread around the floor, as most of them had opened bottles on them. A strong smell was entering the little girl's nostrils.
"… this…" Kelly opened her mouth. "… this…"
She turned into a Squid, as she began spinning clockwise.
"Wwweeeeeeeeh!" She laughed loudly. "Ha ha ha! Ih ih ih!"
She jumped over the right, then on the left… and the music went off as soon as she landed on the ground.
Are you gettin' happy, Squids?!"
"Yeeeeeeesss!" Everyone, except Kelly, shut their previous movements.
Kelly aimed her sight over the tall tower of speakers…
I caaaaan't here yyoooouuuu…!
"YEEEEEEESSS!" The Squids, except Kelly, jumped as highly as they could.
Thaaat's better! If it wasn't for that 'yes', I would think to hear a typhoon instead of energetic Squids!
The public laughed, as some Squids flipped on their backs.
But enough talkin'! Keep getting yourself happy! You know we got you covered!
The music returned louder than ever! The Squids resumed their dances, coupled with chuckles and yells! Kelly returned to her humanoid form, as she spun and bounced around.
"The Squid dance is haaaard work for sure!" She panted a bit. "How can they do it?! Tee hee hee! Those crazy sweeter waters people…!"
She kicked in the air, then she swung her arms wide. Her eyes went wide, as she immediately kept the improvised pose she had in the moment.
"… oopsie! I almost forgot!" Her hand brought Mirii's smartphone in front of her face. "Uuuuh, that's indeed a scary thought…!"
Her irises pointed at a short table.
"… eh eh eh!" She smiled. "Why I didn't thought of that before? Tee hee hee!" She gently knocked her head with her free hand. "It's not like a sweeter water toy can escape my little table…"
ZIP!
…
ZIP!
Kelly's hands shook off, while smiling widely and closing her eyes.
"Now that I secured it… let's daaaanncceeee!" Her fists clenched, as she waved her arms up and down while chuckling and standing on one feet.
"Finally."
Mirii was looking at a wall depicting two Inkling figures: an Inkling girl one posing in a running stance towards the right side, with an arrow above pointing in the same direction… and an Inkling boy one sharing a running position over the left side, as a left-pointing arrow was situated above.
She stopped, as her forefinger pointed over the wall's left side and Hun followed it with his eyes.
"Hunley, go there and store all your valuables."
"But I don't think I have any valuables…!" Hun's hands went on his pockets, as he pulled his lips inside and looked forward. "… I don't have anything"
Mirii shushed, as the boy turned his shoulders over her.
"Do you think I have the time to hear your jokes, Hunley?" Her eyes squeezed a bit, as her head rose.
"… am I supposed to pretend having something valuable to store…?" He stretched his mouth. "Uhm… maybe I should just explore this changing room aaannd… learn it?" He grins a bit.
The girl kept staring at him… before smiling and widening her eyes.
"Even to this day, I still admire your self-learning attitude…" She nodded. "Knowing about your surroundings is truly a valuable gift you should store in your mind, forever."
"Ok!" He chuckled a bit, as he walked to the left. "I will explore the changing room for a"
"Hunley!" Mirii frowned. "Where are you going?!" Her wrists went on her sides.
Hun rose his shoulders, as he jerkily turned behind.
"T-to the left side… j-just as y-you"
"Look carefully!" Mirii pointed once more in the same spot. "Can you see the path?!"
The boy moved his sight over a path in between the two walls.
"Oh… ooooh! Now I see!" His hand went on his forehead, while smiling. "I didn't noticed it!" He walked towards the path. "Thank you for that, Mirii!"
The girl shook her head slowly.
"… don't take too much time, please." She began walking as well, moving over the other side. "Those activities are meant to be done together, after all."
…
She blushed a lot, passing in between the walls and lowering her head.
"… doing activities while under that pure form… an experience I have never tried before…" Her blush increased, as she was now stepping on a checkered floor. "… truly fascinating. Especially if we manage to be alone, while we try those machines… … WHAT I'M SAYING?!"
She stopped while frowning a lot.
"This is enemy territory! Those machines are meant to bring down anyone who follows perfection!" She grimaced. "Grrrr… such slip shall never happen again! Never… again." Her eyes closed. "I just need to find the perfect self-punishment I could inflict over"
Her ears caught an unknown noise, as her eyes opened instantly. In the distance, a shadow was bending down over a locker. A little flame appeared below the head, revealing the face of a woman.
"… I can do this!" Her head pointed over a bench. "Below that bench!"
The girl went down on her stomach, as she crawled rapidly yet silently towards it… until she was under the bench, observing the woman and the flame, which was also revealing a white candle as its base.
"Now… Kelly! Come!" Her arms pressed the floor. "Take pictures of that suspicious Squid!"
The Inkling's hand went above the flame, keeping it high enough so its tip does not reach her palm.
"… she's up to something, I know she is!" The girl gritted her teeth, as her free fist clenched. "Kelly! Are you taking those pictures?!"
The hand moved back and forth, as kindly as Squidly possible…
"… KELLY!" She frowned like never before, while snorting and turning her head around. "Curses! This is what happens when technology is not on my side!" Sweat began conquering her forehead. "I can't let this mistake dictate my plans… I want to see a collection of evidences safely stored in my laptop, not a collection of nothingness!"
She sighed silently.
"Where is that cursed Squid…?!"