I was finally face-to-face with the dressing room Bunny entered so long ago. With some luck, she would still be inside. I’d heroically pick her up in my arms, carry her out of this terribly cursed import shop, and rub it all in Rose’s face. I think that would be kinda dumb, though.

Not rubbing it in Rose’s face, that’s a great idea. Rather, the part where I would rip down the dressing room curtain. After all the bullshit I had to drag myself through to get this far, that feels like walking face-first into a shotgun barrel. I have to be sneakier about this. It’s like tackling a dungeon full of traps—where’s a ten-foot pole when you need one?

Oh, there’s one over there. It’s a plastic rod covered in clothes hangers. It looks pretty easily detachable from the stands on either end. It’s pure white, a contrast to the flamboyant pinks of the clothes hanging from it. I instinctively reached out to a seifuku top to pull it off the rod, the pulled my hand back. It felt like reaching to a hot stovetop, it’s really hard to make yourself do. Was this an omen?

Something similar happened like this, once before. That time I was compelled to break into that building on 17th street. But that was the opposite, though. I didn’t want to follow them into the building, but some force made me. This time, I want to take action, but I feel like I can’t.

I pushed my arm in harder. I couldn’t even get close to the rod. Fine, I’ll do it the violent way. I still had the sword in my hand, and I gave it a flick across all the clothes. They fell to shreds instantly, dissolving into a puddle of mercury on the floor. It seems the sword had no problem connecting to the rod. After clearing off all the hangers, I noticed mysterious words strobing on the pole.

WEST SKIM SEND THUG FORE TOTE BOMB OBEY FAKE MIND FOOL

I sat down criss-cross on the floor, resting my chin in-between my thumb and index finger. This is certainly not the first time I’ve been stumped by a string of four letter words, but it’s been a while. “TOTE BOMB”... There must be a bomb waiting to go off in here somewhere… No, it’s not here, the thug is going to be toting it in! Probably the thug who’s coke stash we found. Wait no, Bunny stabbed him. But maybe he lived!

Jumping up, I frantically searched around my immediate surroundings for anyone approaching. I didn’t see anything, but after calming my breath, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. There was only one option left.

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I had to hide.

In the closest spot available.

Which was that dressing room.

I tumbled inside, and only then realized the lethal mistake I had just made. Any second now, some horrific interdimensional angel was going to suck my soul out of my nose. And Bunny’s not even in here!

My hyperventilation attack was abruptly stopped by a human hand grabbing onto the dark blue curtain. I squealped in fear (squeaked + yelped) at the sight of my murderer-to-be.

Wait, no, that’s Biologist.

“Hey Mina… you don’t look so good.”

“Yeah I’ve been, uh…”

“Paranoid and delusional?” (That was Rose piping in.)

“Yeah, that.”

Biologist pressed her forehead against mine and closed here eyes.

“You’re panicking. It’s okay… you’re okay.”

She reminded me of my mother. At least until I saw the purple thing wriggle in her purse.

“She’s not okay, Bio—she’s gone nuts! Did you see her fight herself trying to grab that pole? What were you even gonna do with that? Poke the monsters to death?”

I started to formulate a response about how my rapidly declining mental state is actually all her fault, but I didn’t have the energy. I didn’t even have the energy to respond with sarcasm. I was too drained. Biologist pulled a tissue from her purse to wipe the sweat off my neck, but I politely declined (I saw purple residue on it.)

I probably was creating all those problems in my head. The cryptic message, the pole’s forcefield, the murdering—I wonder if spacetime bunny was real. (Well, even if she was, she isn’t anymore, so that one is out on a technicality.)

I soon noticed Rose had something wrapped up in a shirt. She noticed me staring.

“Oh, this?”

Right on time, the thing in the shirt started to squirm. Then suddenly—out pokes a tiny white rabbit’s head.

“I found Bunny.”