A crowd of students walked with a sluggish step, exiting the main hall in this skyscraper. Florence, Aisling, and Stella stood before Renee, sleeping on a bench. Florence raised her eyebrows, her jaw dropping open simply because Renee didn’t bear any resemblance to Jack at all.

“Seriously, wake up, Renee,” Aisling said.

Renee curled herself into a ball, hiding her pale face behind her arms.

“Hey,” Aisling said, shaking Renee. “If you don’t wanna wake up, then there won’t be any pancakes left.”

Renee jetted up from the bench, stretching her arms and legs. She rubbed the back of her ear, opening her red eyes as she gazed at Aisling.

“Finally, you’re awake,” Aisling said.

Renee rubbed her red eyes. “There ain’t any pancakes here. Could you give me at least a few more minutes to sleep?”

“Pardon me, how are you certain this is Jack’s daughter?” Florence asked.

“Jack? Where is he?” Renee yawned, cupping her mouth. “Whatever, I’m going back to sleep.”

“Not again. Don’t you dare,” Aisling said.

Renee slumped her shoulders and closed her eyes, snoring out loud.

“All of you are gonna break my back at this rate,” Aisling said. She picked up Renee and gave her a piggyback ride.

“Nifty.” Florence scratched around the forming scab on her forearm. “If I guess, we’ll have to take her back to Jack.”

“Actually, we’re gonna be taking her to school,” Aisling said.

Florence blinked at Aisling. Florence stuffed her hands into her apron pocket, raising her eyebrows. Didn’t Renee attend class during the evening?

“Renee, come on,” Aisling said. She waddled towards the glass doors. “You’re going to be late.”

“Late?” Florence asked.

With her head inside the duffle bag, Stella shifted from left to right, wobbling the guitar on her back. She waddled away from Florence, Aisling, and Renee.

Florence pulled her hand out of her pocket, reaching and grabbing Stella’s wrist.

Stella screamed, trembling her body.

Aisling wheeled around, hopping back to Florence and Stella.

Stella fidgeted her fingers, lowering her head. “Sorry.”

“If we are not going to Jack,” Florence said. “Do not tell me we are taking Renee to morning cram school.”

“Nope.” Aisling turned back to the glass exit doors. “But it is kinda close enough.”

Renee drooled, leaning closer to Aisling. Aisling pulled up her upper lip as Renee’s saliva trickled down Aisling’s neck.

Florence clasped her hands together. “How about I help you a bit, Aisling.”

“Nope, I’m fine,” Aisling said. Her feet tapped across the floor towards the glass door exit, carrying Renne.

“You do not look nifty,” Florence said. She followed Aisling, guiding Stella with her.

The door slid open, and they walked outside. The metal and glass skyscrapers reflected under the sun, causing Florence to close her eyes half shut. The beeping and blaring of sirens rang in her ears. Her head spun. The red warning sign flickered above her. The crowd of players bumped into her.

“Pardon me, why couldn’t Jack pick up Renee?” she asked.

Aisling glanced at a camera with a speaker high up on the pole. “Maybe one day, he might do it himself.”

“Go, pony,” Renee said, her eyes shut closed. She sluggishly pumped her fist into the air, wobbling on Aisling’s back. “Run… and be free.”

Aisling laughed, weaving her way between the Players. “That kinda sounds a lot like a dream,” she said.

“Just like how I want to return to my home with my sister instead of being here,” Florence said.

“Me… too,” Stella said. “The home part… I think.”

“Florence, I’ve kinda repeatedly told you the same thing.” Aisling glanced over her shoulder. “You can only go back if you complete a contract as an occult detective. Then, if you’ve done it, I’ll tell you how.”

“So, why are we doing any investigation?” Florence asked. She looked at one of the shops selling fish tanks within one of the skyscrapers. A whistle rang in her ear canal. But she stopped in her path, bumping into Stella behind her.

Those bodies wearing a helmet and army uniforms were trapped inside the fish tanks, banging their fists on the glass. Their glossy red eyes stared at Florence. Bubbles of air escaped through the bodies’ mouths and noses. Within Florence’s stomach, the bile rose up, burning her throat. She choked, holding herself together.

Stella shivered in her blouse and skirt.

“Hey, are you guys alright,” Aisling said.

Florence shook her head, reliving the buildup of pressure. “Absolutely, I am fine.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Florence blinked. But those bodies vanished. The door of this fish tank shop opened.

Stella fidgeted the side of her skirt. “Yeah… I’m fine… I think,” she said.

Aisling smiled, continuing down the pavement with Florence and Stella following along.

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Florence looked behind her, and fifty inches away from her stood those bodies amongst the crowd. She quickened her pace, tugging Aisling on the arm.

“What’s it,” Aisling said.

“They are following us,” Florence said. She pointed at those bodies.

Aisling spun around. Her face paled, widening her eyes. She stopped in the middle of a street with her hands trembling.

“Guys, why are we stopping?” Stella sniffed the duffle bag covering her head. “I can… I mean, I can’t see anything. So, you know.”

Aisling coughed, covering her mouth. “Florence, are you seeing things?”

“I wish I was,” Florence said. She blinked, but those bodies didn’t vanish. “They are absolutely still there.”

“What’s happening?” Stella asked.

Aisling continued on forward with shuddering steps. “Well, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Florence followed Aisling, pulling Stella along. A single droplet dripped down those bodies’ chin, splashing on the concrete ground below. Those bodies stretched their arms out, pursuing Florence, Aisling, Renee, and Stella.

“We have got to go now,” Florence said.

“Yup, we kinda have to hurry up a bit,” Aisling said.

“Any plan in losing them.”

“Nope.”

Renee wrapped her arms around Aisling’s neck.

Aisling wheezed and then coughed. “Can’t breathe.”

After a moment of those bodies following behind them, Florence, Aisling, Stella, and Renee stopped at the gate of another skyscraper. Beneath their feet, the maw of the storm drain opened wide. Players dressed identically to Renee slogging past them and entering the building.

Florence read the sign hanging above the entrance. “Wellor High School,” she said.

“Yup, this is where Renee has to be,” Aisling said.

“I don’t want to,” Renee said. She yawned, stretching her arms out.

“I’m sick.” Stella sniffed, pulling her blouse. “My tummy… I mean, my stomach hurts.”

“You didn’t even eat anything, Stella,” Aisling said. “Would it even be possible for you to have a stomach ache?”

“How about I check on you later, Stella?” Florence asked.

“No… I’m fine.” Stella clutched her abdomen. “I think that will be the case.”

“It would be kinda nice if Florence treated me like that,” Aisling said.

Those bodies inched closer behind Florence, Aisling, Stella, and Renee.

“We gotta hurry,” Aisling said, patting Renee on the thigh. “Hey, it’s about time.”

Renee snored, rubbing the back of her ear.

“Seriously, why now?” Florence asked.

“Same.” Stella raised her hand. “I mean… I want to go home and sleep.”

A droplet splashed on Florence’s neck, tickling her back. Her bones clattered. A shadow in the shape of those bodies loomed over her from behind. A puff of gas blew, rustling her hair. This chill grasped and clawed around her throat, preventing air passage.

A hand rested on her shoulder.

“Help… me,” those bodies said. “Why?”

She wheeled around. However, those bodies vanished. In their place, a gal with curly hair dressed in the sailor uniform stumbled backward, retracting her arm from Florence.

“Are you a cosplayer?” the gal with curly hair asked.

“Summer, what’s up,” Aisling said. She aimed a finger gun at the gal with curly hair.

Florence raised her eyebrows. “A cost player?”

“It’s not cost player,” Aisling said. “Is cosplayer.”

Florence scratched the back of her head.

Summer pointed at Florence. “You look like a maid from one of those gacha games.”

Florence pointed at herself. “Me?”

“Yep, I’m talking about you.”

“But I am not a maid.”

“Yep, whatever. Could I take a selfie with you?”

“Pardon?”

Summer reached into the pocket of her sailor uniform, pulling a phone out. She wrapped her arm around Florence, raising the phone up. The screen showed Florence and Summer standing in front of the high school. Summer tapped her thumb on the bottom of her phone as she smiled. But Florence didn’t grin.

“Why so serious?” Summer put the phone into the pocket of her sailor uniform. “Couldn’t you at least smile?”

“Pardon me, what is a selfie?” Florence asked.

“Boomer.”

“A bomb where?”

“Gosh, you’re even worse than a boomer.”

“Slow down. I do not understand a word you are saying.”

Summer crossed her arms, glaring at Florence.

“It is either me or you that is having a stroke,” Florence said. “By the way, is there a hospital nearby?”

“Good, keep stalling.” Summer leaned closer to Florence’s ear. “I don’t want to be here at all.”

“You still have to go,” Aisling said.

“Wait, you can hear me?”

“Yup.”

Summer squinted at Aisling, tightening her lips.

Aisling wheezed, clutching her abdomen, lowering Renee to the pavement. Renee yawned, cuddling Aisling’s leg.

“You gotta listen to me,” Aisling said. She shook her leg, failing to get out of Renee’s hug.

“No.” Renee drooled, trickling saliva down to her chin. “Give me a few more minutes.”

“Seriously, you gotta go to school now.”

Renee snored, digging her nails into Aisling’s skin.

Aisling downturned the corner of her mouth. “You gotta be kidding me,” she said, pinching Renee’s cheek.

“How about I help you wake her up, Aisling?” Florence asked.

“Nope.”

“Look, I do not want to stay here forever. I am on the same boat as Stella.”

Stella shrugged, pointing at herself.

“Absolutely, just like Stella, I need to return home immediately for my sister,” Florence said.

“Same.” Stella nodded, fidgeting her fingers. “I… I mean, I agree. But not the sister part.”

“Stella, ignore Florence,” Aisling said. She scratched her nape. “Forget about it; she is talking about other stuff.”

The bell rang, vibrating Florence’s eardrums.

Renee jolted up, wiping a saliva trickling down from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes closed half shut. She pounded her feet across the path, dashing towards the high school entrance.

“Renee, remember to take care of yourself.” Aisling waved her hand. “Also, did you forget anything important?”

“Sorta,” Renee said.

“What do you mean sorta? Get back here right now.”

Renee wobbled side to side, waving her hands as she entered the skyscraper that was apparently a high school.

“Nice, see you guys later,” Summer said. She quickened her pace in following Renee.

Aisling slammed her face onto her palm. “Unbelievable,” she said.

“Pardon me, what about we get on with our investigation?” Florence asked.

Stella crouched, hugging herself. “I… I need the bathroom, seriously.”

“Yup, we’ll get on with the investigation stuff,” Aisling said. “If nothing is gonna happen, as in more part-time jobs.”

“You have got more.” Florence widened her eyes. “Is this not enough?”

“Actually, we have five of these part-time jobs… I think,” Stella said. “Well… I mean, there are five for her and four for me… I think.”

Florence’s jaw dropped open. Unbelievable. How could Aisling, Yuze, and Stella work so much?

Aisling smiled, chuckling in a small voice. “Yup, you’ll get used to it.” She patted Florence’s shoulder.

“But I did not say anything just now,” Florence said.

“Well, gonna be honest, it’s kinda written all over your face.”

“Pardon me, could we get on with the investigation?”

Florence turned away from Wellor High School. These bodies stood inches from her face this time, grinning from one corner of her eye to another. Those bodies inhaled and exhaled, nodding their heads. Their faces melted, streaming into the maw of the storm drain beneath Florence’s feet.

“What was that?” Florence said. From the corner of her eye, Aisling gripped the handle of her dagger, unsheathing it halfway.

Aisling put her dagger back into its original place. “Let’s forget about that for now.”