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"I'm… a happy Squid… I'm… a happy Squid…"
Mirii's eyes squeezed a bit.
"What's she saying…?"
The woman's eyes were glued on her hand, as some sweat was forming on it.
"… no, she's nuts." The girl's head shook. "I can't gather anything important from this… in fact, I should stop this madness!"
Mirii put the papers on the floor, as she began crawling away from the bench, standing up carefully when she was out from it.
The woman turned her shoulders in her direction, as she gasped and hit the flame with her hand. She screamed, while standing upwards, shaking her burnt hand repeatedly and letting the candle fall down on the floor.
The girl's forefinger pointed at the woman, while snorting.
"You!" Her head rose. "Reveal the reasons behind your nonsensical acts!"
Sweat jumped out from the woman's head, as she rested her arms on the wall behind.
"Wh-what do you want from me?!" The woman frowned a bit. "Go away!"
"If you are daring to kick me off, then expect me to mention your suspicious actions over the reception…" Mirii's arms folded. "Are you still considering worsening your situation?"
"G-grrr!" The woman walked away from the wall, as she was aiming over the changing room's exit. "You stupid girl! You should belong in a darn"
Mirii jumped in front of her.
"You chose poorly…" She frowned. "… now you have to face the consequences."
"Leave me alone!" The woman's hands were rushing towards the girl's shoulders.
Mirii jumped backwards, as the woman growled.
"Leave me alone already!" She rushed forward.
Mirii jumped on the side, receiving a push on her forehead.
"You insolent!" Smoke came out from her ears, as she ran after the fugitive. "You will pay for attacking me!"
She moved out from the changing room, finding herself in front of the now-empty hallway. She turned around herself, seeing the usual doors and very few furniture around…
"… those papers will be seen as rubbish, if I keep them down." She lifted her posture, while sighing. "… where is Kelly?! Why she's not coming?!"
She snorted, as her head shook.
"Mirii."
Her head turned to her right, watching Hun walking towards her.
"As I was exploring the changing room, I heard voices coming from yours…" He downturned his mouth. "Is everything alright?"
"No, it wasn't." Her eyes closed for a moment. "A woman escaped the changing room, after I caught her doing… something with a candle."
"Oh?" Hun kept his mouth open.
"I do not know much more than that, Hunley…" She walked away, moving over the female changing room's entrance. "… I'll be right back."
"Alright." He nodded. "I will wait, then."
He watched the girl going behind the wall.
"… so, there is a candle even in their changing room…" He massages his chin, while frowning a bit. "But in my case it was off… … should I still tell Mirii about it? I'm not even sure if that candle has anything to do with this… seeing Mirii going off track isn't a pleasant thing to see either."
He turned behind, admiring the hallway extending in front of him. A shadow figure was standing a bit far from Hun's right side.
"So many rooms to explore…" He scratched the top of his head. "It's going to take the whole night…"
The figure walked behind a corner on the left side. A group of Inklings was coming from the end of the hallway, as the boy enlarged his eyes a bit.
"Look how many Squids are coming this way! I wonder why…"
The Inkling in front of the group reached a door to the right side, opening it and entering without stopping. The rest of the group followed by, while talking with each other.
"You can just enter inside a room like that? Huh…" He smiled a bit. "In that case, I wouldn't cause any trouble if I try exploring a little room on my own…!"
He began walking, moving towards the first door on the right side.
"I think I will try this one first…! Quick enough so Mirii can find me back in front of the wall."
His hand reached the door handle, opening the door and quickly entering inside the room. The door closed…
Mirii walked out from the changing room, reaching the front of the wall… as her eyebrows went up and rapidly turned all around.
"Hunley?" She twisted to the left. "Hunley?!" She held her breath for a moment. "Hunley?!"
She shivered.
"D-did he went back inside the changing room…?" Her sight aimed at its entrance. "… for what reason? That's an inappropriate question!"
Her head shook, as her arms folded.
"Of course if I keep standing here, I will lose time… … perhaps, Hunley found that runaway Squid? In that case…"
Mirii looked to her left side.
"… I should focus more on those machines and let Hunley take care of that crazy being."
She began walking in that direction.
"Since it's a full course, I can also try solo machines as well… or at least, that's what the paper is declaring." Her eyes closed. "In any case I have to find Hunley, anyway… and my smartphone too."
She turned over the corner… as the first right-side door opened.
"Nothing…" Hun sighed, as he closed the door back. "Just some sweeter waters furniture, at the end…"
He walked towards the drawn wall.
"Well, I used my opportunity… now I have to wait for Mirii."
He leaned on the wall with his back, as his hands went behind his neck.
"I'm sure she's going to walk out that changing room in any seconds by now…"
Mirii's feet stepped on a carpet reading 'Welcome!'. A sweat drop grows on her head, as she was looking at it.
"It's better to not wonder certain matters…" Her fist went over the door, knocking it twice. "Being perfect means to control your own curiosity, after all."
The door opened, as a vertically-standing Squid was now posing in front of the girl.
"You here to try out the fun?" He folded his tentacles.
"I'm here to utilize a machine…" Her head rose. "Being perfect also means to not lose your temper, Mirii…"
"Hhhhhmmm…" The Squid squeezed his eyes a bit, as his irises tilted up and down. "… you don't look fresh enough…"
"The usage of any 'cool' term does not affect me in the slightest…" Her eyes closed.
"Try being your true self!" He opened his tentacles wide. "Like me."
"Like you?" Her eyes reopened. "… were you trying to imply that using this form is not fresh?"
"No, not fresh…" His head shook. "Not fresh 'enough'."
A vein popped out from her forehead.
"Hmpf! If only you would see me wielding my trusted Splat Charger… I will make your mind twist about the interpretation of freshness."
"Right now, only purists can access… that's the deal." He shrugged. "What you want to do?"
"I would like to hear the reason behind such rule…" Her head shook. "It can't be that all machines cannot be utilized with this form!"
"This one is no exception… and if you don't deal, then let me seal." His tentacle went behind the door. "I'm missing out the fun!"
"... I might as well see the craziness they are storing in this room of foolishness." She turned into a Squid. "Here."
The male Squid blushed a bit.
"Wow… you look totally fresh!" He rubbed his tentacles, as he bounced on the side. "Go in, please…"
"… sliding on a floor?! Me?!" She frowned a lot. "You foolish Squids! Let me walk towards the machine, at least!"
"The floor is clean, lady…" He nodded. "Look for yourself!"
"… the floor…!" Her eyes stretched in its direction.
Squids of various colors were sliding over a floor filled with Inkling water, leaving waves around them. The floor also had hills drenching under such liquid. Almost all Squids were wearing a pair of diving masks full of Inkling water.
"Isn't it grand?! The irony is that you haven't even seen the best part!" His tentacle pointed over a short, but large table with plenty of diving masks lying around its surface. "It's highly recommended to wear one of those babies, before sliding on the floor-pool."
"VR glasses?!" She jumped up in the air. "I-Impossible! Th-they can't"
"Wwwwhhhoooaaaa…!" His irises shrunk. "VR glasses would have been so fresh… submit your idea to the receptionist, lady!"
"I would rather eat junk food than contributing to such catastrophe!" Her eyes squeezed almost all the way down.
"Hey, no need to be mad…" He moved his tentacles back and forth, while aiming in front of Mirii, for a brief while. "… besides, we wouldn't have the courage of ditching off those simple, yet fresh diving masks."
"Why I should wear one, exactly…?" Her tentacle rubbed the floor gently. "… so comfy…!"
"It's utilized to enhance the experience… the Squid experience!" He began sliding away. "Watch me playing with one of them and see for yourself!"
Her eyes observed the Squid stopping in front of the short table, as he jumped and grabbed a diving mask located near the edge. He wears it, as he performed a high jump while flipping backwards.
Splosh!
As he landed on the Inkling water, he started sliding faster and faster, passing near other Squids and aiming at the shortest hill of the room. He accelerated, as he sprung off the hill and almost reached the ceiling…
"Woooooo!"
He flipped frontally during his fall, as he stopped just before he would hit the Inkling water.
Splosh!
The other Squids began clapping.
Niiiiice!
Do mooore!
Mirii's head shook.
"Curiosity is a gift if utilized rightly…" Mirii began sliding towards the short table. "… besides, it has an appeal that I can't still identify properly…"
As she reached the table, she bounced and grabbed a pair of diving masks.
"So primitive… where's the elegance of sporting a small platform to stand on?!" Her tentacles wore the mask on her head.
The first thing she sees is Inkling water everywhere.
"… this reminds me of that VR nightmare… except I'm interacting with real life." Her face went paler. "Could this be… a true prototype of the VR technology?!"
Music was playing in her ears… as her tentacles went each on a diving mask's side.
"This music… it's Splatattack!" Her irises shrunk a bit. "… I can't even remember the last time I ever listened to this music. Was it in a Turf War match…?"
Her head aimed at the floor-pool… as she jumped high and dived inside the Inkling water.
"Aaaaaahhh…!" Mirii's eyes closed. "This Inkling water is… is perfectly balanced! Not too cold, not too hot…"
She waved her tentacle on the Inkling water, seeing other Squids jumping from short hills or sliding all around the floor. Soon enough, she began sliding rapidly.
"… the Splatattack music playing in my ears… the Inkling water who's so versatile… the nice-looking effect on the lenses… … all those elements are really contributing to the whole floor-pool theme, this room has."
Mirii increased her speed, as she surpassed nearby Squids.
"There is… something fascinating about sliding like this… but what is that, exactly?" Her eyes squeezed a bit. "Better concentrate on all the contents present in this room… I might find the answer I'm looking for."
Squids were dancing and jumping, while hearing a loud music. They scream and laugh, as three of them were heading over the room's door. Kelly was leaning on a wall, while smiling widely and sitting on the floor.
"Tee… hee… hee… …" Her eyelids lowered to the middle. "… this room is soooo great… ..."
She yawned loudly.