"Ughhhhh!"
Sera let out an annoyed sigh. She was obviously sulking. A bit embarrassed, even. Losing the argument had left her feeling awkward, even if he said he didn't mind—it still made her feel a little "heh…"
Come to think of it… this guy… he's kinda deep, huh? Hmph—wait, hold up!
"Did you just call my butt fat!?"
"…Did I?"
"Don't play dumb! You think I forgot!?"
"Oh no, how terrible…"
"You little—!"
She raised her hand, ready to smack his butt again—but her conscience stopped her, reminded of their recent conversation… so she hesitated.
Mickey saw that and said something—a line that made Sera's eyes sparkle and changed her mind instantly.
"You know… in the end, it really depends on the person."
"…So what do you think?"
"I don't mind. I've been through worse. Getting smacked by you is just child's play. But just be ready for payback."
And he smiled. Naturally, Sera smiled too.
It was a clear declaration that he didn't mind her smacking him.
"Yessss~! That's the spirit, Mannix!"
SMACK!
Before he could even finish the sentence, Sera gave him another one.
But this time, it was different—Mickey didn't even flinch. As if he'd known she would do it.
He smiled. That's all. He didn't say a word.
And that's when she noticed—this elevator ride was taking longer than usual. The doors still hadn't opened.
"...…"
"Where are we going?"
"…I wanted to show you something…"
"…Show me what…?"
Vwooop—!
When the doors finally opened, Sera found herself staring into a white laboratory.
She'd never been here before.
It wasn't like the medical floor where she'd gotten a checkup. It wasn't full of medical equipment, but it was clearly a biological science lab.
Mickey walked up and scanned his fingerprint.
Wheee—click!
The lab door unlocked. He walked in, and Sera followed, glancing around curiously…
There was more to this place than she expected—animal remains stored in cases, fossils of insects and all kinds of species.
"…Is this a museum?"
"This is a research agent's working area," Mickey said.
"They study living organisms here—fossils, insects…"
"…Weird. Why not let scientists outside do that? Why duplicate the effort?"
"It's necessary," Mickey replied.
"We do our own research—but the difference is, we don't go public with our findings. That's why our tech is way ahead. This organization had wireless comms since the Civil War."
He walked to a shelf of specimen tubes and picked one up, opening the lid. The corner of his mouth curled up.
"…I see… So why bring me to a lab anyway? I thought you were taking me to an art gallery or something."
"Oh, there's an art gallery—but not here. You gotta consider preservation conditions."
"…So why here, then?"
"Are you scared of bugs?"
"Huh? What do you—AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Sera let out a scream that echoed across the floor.
Mickey had just thrown a brownish-black blob at her.
He smiled softly, chuckling to himself. In his hand was a tube labeled: Blattodea. A cockroach. Or as it's more affectionately called:
Mr. Brown.
"M-M-M-MICKEY!!! YOU—YOU ASSHOLE!!! NO—AHHHHHHHH!!!"
She shrieked, a high-pitched screech of true terror—nothing like she'd ever made before.
But Mickey didn't stop. He picked up Mr. Brown from the floor and slowly advanced toward her.
"Heh… Knew you'd hate cockroaches…"
"No!!! No no no no no!!! Mannix!!! Mannix!!! You brought me here for THIS didn't you?! Don't come closer!!! MICKEYYYYYY!!!"
She tried to run—but slammed right into the lab's fingerprint-locked door.
BANG BANG BANG!JIGGLE JIGGLE!
If she had been thinking clearly, she might've realized she couldn't leave without a scan. But her mind was in full panic. Pure terror took over.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably, sweat smudging the glass door with her fingerprints…
Her heart pounded. Eyes wide and quivering. She slowly turned to look—
And Mickey was right there.
"MICKEYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! NOOOO!!! GET IT AWAY!!!"
"Told you to be careful."
In that moment, Sera realized—he'd planned this. From the elevator, this had all been Mickey's elaborate setup…
Her legs buckled. She couldn't run. She was frozen. She shut her eyes, slid down the wall, and collapsed.
She covered her face with her arms. The yelling stopped. She curled into a ball against the wall like Gollum.
"…Mickey… take it away…"
Her voice was faint, barely audible. But Mickey didn't stop.
He flipped Mr. Brown over and extended one of its legs toward Sera's shoulder.
She could sense what he was doing… but her throat was tight and dry. She couldn't speak. Her body trembled. Her skin burned with heat.
"..."
Then—just as Mr. Brown's spiny leg brushed her shoulder—her body jolted, and a sound escaped her lips:
"Nggh… hic… hic… sniff…"
"…?"
Mickey paused. He pulled Mr. Brown away.
…Was that… sniffling?
"…Sera?"
He started to realize—something was wrong.
"…Sera?"
He called her name again and touched her shoulder.
She flinched, curled tighter, tried to stifle the noise—but it was no use.
"Sera… are you crying?"
"..."
"…hic… hic… sniff…"
He looked at her arms shielding her face—and spotted it. Clear streaks mixed with black smudges—tears mixed with eyeliner.
Mickey quickly placed Mr. Brown back in the specimen tube (it was dead all along), and returned it to the shelf.
The atmosphere had shifted.
"…Sera?"
He gently tried to pry her arms away—but she resisted, refusing to let him see. As soon as his fingers touched her skin, Mickey knew—
She was really scared.
Still trembling.
"…I put it away. It's gone. It's dead…"
"hic… hic… sniff…"
He slowly pried her arms apart—
And there it was.
Sera's tear-streaked face, eyes swollen and lined with streaks of smeared black makeup.