I guess it's to be expected that she didn't follow me. I had shown her something extraordinary in human standards… it makes sense to be cautious.
As for the gyarus, I hope they're okay. Earlier, when she threatened me with the explosive doll, she implied that it's better to say her name than to die in an explosion. So, perhaps 'disappearing' doesn't mean 'death'.
Closing the door behind me, I took a deep breath.
"Ah. You're here?" Kusuo peaks out of the living room. His smooth, blonde hair stood out in the dull colours of the dorm. "Uwah! You're drenched! Let me get a towel." He ran to the laundry room.
It's as if the dorm's colour was exchanged for its size… the dorm was shared by Kusuo and Leon, it's the size of a luxury apartment with almost all commodities. Of course, it's quite expensive, but the rent was covered by Leon's parents.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice. We won't take much of your time." Leon stated while adjusting his glasses. His face held a mysterious smirk.
"Yeah. I've to maintain my on-time to part-time streak, or I'll lose this month's bonus." I said with a poker face, catching the towel Kusuo threw at me.
Looking at Kusuo's confused expression, Leon clarified, "In short, he's busy." He turned around and rushed into the living room.
Kusuo shakes his head, "I was just surprised that you'd get a bonus for being on time…"
"Well, the manager is a kind woman."
"Introduce me to her." His expression turned serious for a moment.
"No."
-----
"So, what you're saying is…" I rub my chin, looking at the whiteboard in front of me.
"What we're saying is, Aliens exist! For real!" Kusuo slaps the whiteboard.
Apparently, Kusuo had been 'researching' Aliens for the past two weeks relentlessly, and the ever-so curious Leon had joined him in the pursuit of extraterrestrials.
"And where did you conduct this 'research'?"
"At the house of the supernatural; The Occult Club, of course!" Kusuo raises his arms in glory as Leon adjusts his glasses.
I take a deep breath and sigh. "First. Why would information about ALIENS be at the OCCULT CLUB?" I took a seat on the couch, my fingers intertwined near my chin. "Second. The very members of the Occult Club don't trust their own information. Why would you?".
My brows furrowed. "And finally, your 'evidence' looks fabricated!" I slammed the table before me, on which multiple photographs were kept.
"But…Look!" Kusuo pointed at a photo clipped to the whiteboard.
The picture was of a red sack attached to a wall at its open end. Some kind of black tentacles came out of it, digging into the wall. To give it the feel of authenticity, it was taken from behind a bush. Too bad it's easy to tell that it's fabricated!
"The picture may look fabricated…however, the information is authentic!" Leon throws a file of papers onto the table, looking proud.
"The name of the aliens we got to know about is 'Gremlin'!" He starts to make poses to exaggerate what he's saying.
"There are three types of them: a Gremlin, a Higher Gremlin, and a humanoid Gremlin!" Kusuo join in. "All of them wear a red sack as clothing or a cloak."
"A Gremlin is the foot soldier. They're usually around 30-50 centimetres tall. Whereas a Higher Gremlin is the superior, they take the role of a leader and are usually around a metre tall." Leon continues.
"And finally, a Humanoid Gremlin! They're considered inferior to Higher Gremlins but above normal Gremlins. Also, looks like they aren't very well-received in Gremlin society." Kusuo finishes.
"I-I see… but it could still all be made up…" I shrug, maintaining my poker face even though my voice gave away my surprise. 'What kind of 'research' did these guys conduct?'
"That's what I would've thought as well…If these documents hadn't mentioned their lifestyle, their cuisine, societal norms, and more in detail!" He pulls out another, thicker folder.
"And had a 'classified' mark stamped on it." Kusuo tunes in.
…
"Seriously? Well, then it does seem a little bit more believable…" I say, propping my chin up with my fingers.
"Right?! That's because these documents; they're not from the occult club! They're from a desk in the Principal's office!" Kusuo jumps, sparkles in his eyes.
…
"HUH? Wh- The Principal's office?!" My poker face breaks.
"Yep! I was called to the office after I was caught skipping class again, and when the principal went out for a moment, I checked her desk and found these!" his smile was bright enough to blind me.
"After all, the Queen of this land surely isn't unaware of its inhabitants!" Leon adjusted his glasses with a grin.
"This is…getting kind of believable. There are Aliens in our academy?" I shift uncomfortably. 'The principal has always been kind of shady.'
"Higher Gremlins hold the ability to shapeshift into humans. Although imperfect, they're alike enough to blend in. And Humanoid Gremlins are…Humans of gremlin lineage. So, they blend in perfectly." Leon explains after reading the documents.
"The only way to identify them while they're in human form is this!" Leon pulls out a red cloth kept in a plastic cover in the folder.
"All of them wear a red-coloured cloth at all times in one way or another!"
Then it clicked. Tsiene, who was always wearing a red mantle, was an Alien! Exploding dolls, super speed, as well as the ability to make people disappear…
I had thought she was an ability holder like me, but her being an alien actually makes more sense.
Not to mention, the doll she held looked similar to Leon's description of a Gremlin.
I look up at them. "I might have—"
The sound of winding rustling disrupted me.
"What was that?" Leon turned to face the balcony.
A loud crash was heard as the balcony was filled with a bright light. Pieces of glass scatter everywhere, and Leon and Kusuo take cover immediately.
As the artificial light faded, it revealed two figures: Tsiene and…a Higher Gremlin, standing on Tsiene's shoulder.
"Gremlins?! No way, did they come here simply because we got to know about them?" Kusuo lost his mind.
Leon hides behind the couch. "Please ask them not to destroy everything! This dorm is expensive, my parents are gonna kill me!" his voice trembled.
Since I took cover behind the sturdy table, I was unscathed.
"You mentioned a strange human…which one is it?" a rasped voice resounded in the now silent room. It was the Higher Gremlin.
I peek at them.
Tsiene slowly raises her arm, pointing at me.
"Ah!" I yelp.
"Hm? Hooh…" the red sac on the Gremlin's face suddenly split open, revealing an eye with a green pupil. "Indeed, he does seem to be special. The root of the primordial is missing within his soul…but if so, what's occupying it?"
A grin grows on its face, tearing through the sack. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy enough to make me fall to my knees and kiss the ground.
"Perhaps…the combination of a principle born from matter's reluctance to perish and a theoretical definition of God, you hold the rumoured 'Perspective'." Hearing the Higher Gremlin's voice felt like sandpaper was being rubbed against my eardrum.
A sudden rumble shakes the room, and in an instant, countless Gremlins flood the dorm, surrounding us.
"Miss Alice, I think we'd better take the special one alive." Suggested Tsiene's monotone voice.
"That was my plan, Humanoid." The raspy voice stated, starting to sound a little annoyed.
At this crucial moment, I mustn't hesitate. Self-defence doesn't count as violence…I think.
I get back up on my feet. "Discharge."
-----