The bus comes to a halt at the last bus stop before exiting the city. She makes sure to take it, not wanting to go out of town. Cities that are bigger than there are out of her area of expertise. It’s a curiosity of hers to see them someday, but certainly not today as she takes her leave from the shuttle. Her friends are all sitting down at a nearby bench as Keiko waves at her.


    “Hey! Over here, slowpoke! Follow the red brick road! It doesn’t really have the same ring to it, does it?”


    The crosswalk is a red paved road, a symbolic gesture given to the town long ago. A showmanship of good luck, hovering sun over the people of city hall and the townspeople. Having such a grand gesture in a town with little significance always felt odd, but perhaps that’s what makes them into cities Takei used to contemplate. Her venture forth across it is shadowed by the looming city hall. It casts down on the buildings below, ranging from bakeries, bookshops, cafés, and the nearby park. It is a cozy area where various people gather for town events or just to unwind.


    “This is… is anybody else feeling this, this… like, heaviness in their chest?”


    “Okazaki, come now. You’re always talking yourself up, so now you have to live that out.” Ishimoto is surprised to see him so out of it. Okazaki has a reputation for being a daredevil.


    “Hey, shut up! I know that, but it’s like… I ain’t ever done anything like this before. It’s bound to be nerve-racking. Sure, I, like, live dangerously, but I reckon there’s less danger in that then this.”


    “Yeah, I have to say the same here for me. I mean, I have been in dangerous situations and all that stuff, but I was never putting myself directly into it. More so, trouble found me instead of the other way around,” Usagi agrees. Even her involvement with the cult isn’t fully voluntary, though it became like an addiction to the money.


    “Ah, you all are making me nervous. It’s making me think, what if one of those Remnant guys is in there!?” Keiko confides. “I mean, I have seen those old news rules too. Remember that one bones girl? She killed that one guy so brutally, even if it was censored…”


    “Keiko, don’t assume like that. It’s highly unlikely. Besides, we gathered as much as we needed to make sure this mission is a success.” Ishimoto lays a satchel on the bus stop bench. Laid out in front of them all are the necessary tools to make sure everything goes smoothly.


    “We got the matches, Usagi, though I am unsure why you needed these.” He hands them over to her.


    “For his tail,” Usagi said.


    “Come again?”


    “I sure hope it doesn’t,” Keiko remarks.


    “W-what are you saying, Keiko?” Ishimoto says, dumbfounded.


    “Mr. Pond. One of Mr. Nuke Happy’s lower lieutenants is responsible for kidnapping and bounding those he needs to disappear or prove a point. I am remarking on his hypothetical tail, meaning I will burn him.”


    “Wait. But isn’t he water with a name like that?”


    “That is true, but there is a flaw in his abilities. He isn’t what he used to be, and his power resides in a pond, more accurately, a reek pond. From what I understand, he can be burned better than he can be hit.”


    “I believe I understand. Remnants are complicated, though. They hurt my brain to understand.”


    “Just imagine oil in water, same effect,” she answers.


    “Oh!” she said enthusiastically. “I don’t get it.”


    A hard pinch clasps onto the side of her cheek, leaving a sharp pain.


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    “Ow! Usagi!”


    “Oi, you can be such a dummy at times, Keiko.”


    “I know! Just let me be a dummy peacefully!” The veil of worry is lifted with their antics, and their bodies are more relaxed and ready for action. Takei stares up at the building, the beginning of a dangerous life-and-death situation.


    “Guys, focus!” Ishimoto gets more uppity, his attitude more serious.


    “We got one shot at this. We can’t screw it up.”


    “Got that right. Let’s hope we don’t need those matches.”


    Usagi reaches into her pocket. She takes out a lighter with a skull design on it, pitch-black and brand new.


    “And what good is a plan without a backup plan?”


    “Woah, that’s some sick artillery you got there!” Okazaki says, stoked at the design.


    “Yeah, I know, and redundancy breeds certainty.”


    “Hehe, breeds.” Keiko snickers.


    “All immaturity aside,” Ishimoto declares.


    “The time has come.” Indeed, the time is now upon them. The weight of their friend''s life is in their hands. The first to step forward onto the staircase of city hall is Takei.


    “Let’s save our friend.”


    They scan the entrance, and the door is shut tight. There’s another one to the left, which is used by media people and politicians to enter. It is closed. However, the group has a sneaking feeling. Okazaki takes charge, turning the knob and creaking open the door. The hallway is far-reaching, and there are dozens of doors. It brings up another problem for them.


    “Coast is clear, but there’s a hella lot of doors. Where do we begin lookin’?” Okazaki whispers.


    Ishimoto makes headway in calculating his options. Nothing is out of place. The whole world inside here is almost untouched.


    “They know how to cover their tracks. It’s almost like nobody is here at all. Yet the door was open. Cation is an order.”


    The deaf hallway is concerning. Spotted around the upper walls are cameras recording their movement.


    “Oh hell, cameras! Why didn’t we think there would be cameras?” Their faces are for sure sealed in footage now.


    “Clearly, we didn’t think of everything. Well, there’s nothing we can do but press forward now.” Glaring ahead of everyone, Ishimoto investigates the doors. Everyone follows suit. Noticing the same wood, the same structure of all but one of them has a colder, wet chill.


    Ishimoto makes his way over. A smooth line of water is underneath.


    “This is probably it.” Before he can start turning the knob, Usagi grips his wrist.


    “Don’t be hasty.” She removes his hand from it, taking the initiative herself. A turn to the right, and the door begins to open. A dripping of water lingers down from the sides of the door frame, and a swoosh. “I think we found our room.” The door pushes open to a wave of water flooding the ground. A lingering scent of fauna follows.


    Inside the room is an overgrowth and seeping liquid from the walls. The signs of Mr. Pond are written all over. The speakers used for the amplification of the mayor’s speeches have wires sticking into the water.


    “Careful, everyone. That could be a hazard.” Ishimoto peers around the room in search of danger. The speaker is still plugged into its socket, and the wires are live.


    “I take it this was no mistake. This seems to be a trap for anyone who may stumble in by accident. We need to find a way around it.”


    “If only we had something like a zipline or whip and hat, we could be like an adventure and bound over it seamlessly!”


    “Yeah, but that’s going to happen, Keiko. We need something more realistic,” Ishimoto says.


    They all search around the immediate room. There isn’t much they can explore with the amount of water, but the first to spot something useful is Takei. She points over to a wooden pallet.


    “We can use that to get over.”


    “Seems it’ll be out only option, but hell, if that isn’t risky,” Okazaki warns.


    “True. But only one of us needs to get over first.” Ishimoto points to a breaker box used to control the room''s electrical equipment.


    “If one of us can shut the power off, we can all cross safely.”


    “I’m taking the lead on this one, guys. I got Shoji into this; I’m going to get him out.” Usagi immediately reaches for the pallet and reels it in. She tests the durability, throwing it onto the floor and getting on it. It’s holding well enough despite a few creaks.


    “Good enough, let’s get it.” With a splash, the pallet is set into the water. She takes her first step on, and the second weighs on the boards, which are rickety things. Before she can move, a third foot is placed.


    “Not so fast. Take this.” Ishimoto hands over a broomstick.


    “Use it to push you along. I checked it. It’s all wood, so you’ll be safe,” he says.


    “Oi, thanks.” With a salute to them all, she pushes herself from the door. They''re all reminded of a pirate on a grand adventure, the way she skids along object to object, pushing off the desk, large chairs, and getting closer to the breaker box.


    The breaker box is unlocked; it is likely that whoever activated it before didn’t bother to close it back. There’s a hint of incompetence in this, making Usagi more confident than before. She reads out the switches, flipping them off one by one. The electrical current whirling in the water dies off, making it safe to cross.


    “All right! Usagi did it!” Keiko yells.


    “Hell of a job!” Okazaki encourages.


    “Didn’t doubt her for a second,” Ishimoto says.


    “That’s wonderful news.” Takei grins.


    The fearless Usagi is the first to make landfall on the ground. A puddle flings up, and she is completely unscathed.


    “That’s a mission accomplished for this part. Now let’s go find Shoji before he gets bored waiting for us.”