Rain, Rain, Rain
"Oh my goodness, Jeff. Did you not use the bug spray?" Amy, who had returned early in the morning, said as she looked at me.
At her words, I began to inspect my body here and there. The red marks covering my skin were proof that the bugs had thrown a wild feast on me that night.
"I did spray it, though..." I muttered softly, rubbing the back of my neck. The red marks showed no signs of fading.
"Am I the only one who got bitten?" I asked, looking back at Shine and Rain. Rain gave an awkward nod, but Shine lifted her arm to show me. Her arm was dotted with several marks just like mine. It seemed Shine had been bitten by the bugs too. However, unlike me, the marks on her body were extremely sparse.
"You didn't get bitten on your neck or tummy?"
"Yeah. I think I only got bitten a little on my arms."
"Should we use a stronger spray?" Amy murmured softly, looking at me. At that, Shine hurriedly stood up and spoke to Amy.
"Um... wouldn't a stronger chemical be bad for her body?"
"The ones they make these days are harmless to humans, so it's fine."
"But still, the chemicals could seep into her skin." Shine was desperate. I had no idea why she was being so desperate, though. If we used a stronger repellent, the bugs wouldn't be able to sink their teeth into me anymore.
"I'm fine with it." It didn't hurt or itch, but the problem was that other people could see them. I placed a hand around my neck and nodded. I definitely needed a stronger repellent.
"Jeff." Shine's intense gaze pierced into me. Meeting her eyes, I tilted my head. I couldn't understand why she was looking at me like that.
"Shine, do you want me to get bitten more?"
"It's not that, but..." Shine replied to my question. Yet, the emotion radiating from her was the exact opposite. She really didn't want us using a stronger spray.
"Hey, Rain. Did you happen to see the bug that bit me? Or maybe saw it flying around the room?"
At my question, Rain flinched, her mouth hanging open. Her eyes darted rapidly left and right, bypassing Amy and Shine.
"Huh? Yeah. I did see it, but..."
"Really?" At Rain's answer, everyone's eyes locked onto her. Shine's gaze was particularly intense, causing Rain to startle and flinch.
"Did you really see it, Rain?" Shine asked, stepping closer to her. Rain hurriedly opened her mouth.
"W-well, it was dark, so I couldn't see it very well."
"But you still saw it, right?"
"No, well..." The more she answered, the redder Rain's face became. It seemed she hadn't fully recovered from her cold yet. I grabbed Shine's hand as she pressed closer to interrogate Rain.
"Jeff."
"Shine, Rain is still sick. Don't push her so hard."
"But she said she saw it."
"So what if she did? She said she couldn't even see it properly because it was dark."
"But..." Shine hesitated for a moment before nodding at my words and sitting down on the edge of the bed. Rain let out a small sigh of relief at that.
"Alright, Rain. What did the bug look like, roughly?"
"It was dark... so I couldn't see it well." Amy began to question Rain about the bug's appearance.
"What about the size? Was it big? Small?"
"Um... it was pretty big."
"How big? Like a thumb?"
"Ah..." The more the questions continued, the more difficult it became for Rain to answer. She started glancing nervously at Shine. Ever since Amy started questioning her, Shine hadn't taken her eyes off Rain for a single second. Amy's twenty-questions-style interrogation showed no signs of ending. Letting out a small sigh, I headed toward the bathroom. Since Amy was here this morning, I had to brush my teeth.
I picked up my toothbrush, which was completely dry since I hadn't used it yesterday, and squeezed some toothpaste onto it. Today's toothpaste had a gentle lemon scent. It was the kind of toothpaste that promised a refreshing start to the morning.
With the toothbrush in my mouth, I stepped out of the bathroom, only to run right into Shine, who was just about to enter.
"Is Amy done questioning her?"
"Yeah."
"I wonder what kind of bug Rain saw." Shine didn't answer. Our eyes locked for a long moment. Surprisingly, Shine was the first to look away. Normally, she would stare at me until I was the one to avert my gaze, but she was acting strange this morning for some reason. Avoiding my eyes, Shine scurried into the bathroom as if she were running away.
"Are you brushing your teeth?" *Brush, brush.* As I was vigorously moving my hand to brush my teeth, Amy walked over and asked. Since my mouth was full of foam and I couldn't open it, I simply nodded in response. Carefully brushing every corner of my mouth just as Amy had taught me, I eventually couldn't hold the overflowing foam any longer and rushed back into the bathroom.
Shine was standing on the step stool, brushing her teeth. She looked back at me and asked,
"Spitting it out?"
I nodded and practically hopped onto the step stool beside her. *Ptooey.* I spat out the mouthful of foam and rinsed my mouth. A faint, refreshing scent of lemon lingered. I flashed a bright, gummy smile, showing off my sparkling clean teeth.
"Jeff. Don't smile like that just anywhere."
"Why?"
"People will see."
"So what if they do?" Shine frowned at my answer. She seemed displeased with my response and pondered for a moment before spitting out her own foam and speaking.
"It's weird."
"Are you saying my smile is weird?" After a brief hesitation, Shine slowly nodded. I was shocked. Did my smile really look that strange? I used my index fingers to pull the corners of my mouth upward, examining myself in the mirror. But to my eyes, it just looked like a cute girl acting adorable.
"It's not weird," I muttered, stepping down from the stool and leaving the bathroom. My morning prep was mostly done. Now, I just had to change, go to work, and eat breakfast. Shedding my dinosaur pajamas like a snake casting off its skin, I picked up the clothes Amy had prepared for me. A neat, black-and-white dress fluttered slightly in my hands.
"Hmm..." I stood in front of the mirror, inspecting my body from various angles. It really was severe. There wasn't a single spot untouched by the bugs, even in places that weren't easily visible. They had even bitten the undersides and backs of my thighs. Wait, was this from today, or did I get bitten a few days ago? Tracing the now-fading marks, I began to put on my clothes.
"Amy, is today a rest day from training?"
"Yes. You probably won't be training for the next few days." I nodded. On days without training, I had no choice but to wear clothes heavily influenced by Amy's personal taste. Since Amy was the one who provided clothes for Shine and me, I couldn't reject her kindness. Still, that didn't mean I liked it. At least these kinds of dresses were easy to put on. I just had to slip it over my head from the bottom, pull my arms through, and straighten it out. The dress was white around the arms and just below the neck, turning black from the chest down. A large red ribbon sat right on the border of the black and white, swaying cutely.
"Jeff, do you not like tights?"
"Yes." I declined the tights Amy offered and picked up the white knee-high socks lying next to them instead. The texture of tights felt a bit strange and uncomfortable to me. Knee-highs, on the other hand, still felt like regular socks, so they were much easier to tolerate. The sensation of them pulling up past my knees to lightly cover my thighs was also a bit odd, but far less bothersome. I took an objective look at myself in the mirror and did a little spin. My hands naturally pressed down on the fluttering hem of the skirt, a gesture that felt surprisingly familiar now.
"Hmm..."
"Well? Do you like it?" I nodded at Amy's question. The reflection itself looked pretty and nice. But accepting that reflection as me was a slightly different story.
"Why? Is something uncomfortable?"
"Mmm, no, it's nothing." Mumbling at Amy's question, I let out a small sigh as I answered. Amy looked at me with a satisfied expression and nodded. Shine, who had finished washing her face, came out wearing the exact same outfit. Standing face-to-face in identical clothes felt like looking into a mirror. The only difference was the faint red marks visible on my neck. Shine's pale neck was completely flawless.
Rain had gone back to her own quarters, saying she needed to change. Now that only the three of us were left, we stepped out of the room and headed toward the office. The hallway was quiet, as usual. Where did all those people go? I wondered, looking around.
"What are you looking for?"
"Um... nothing." The friendly-looking man who always greeted us at the exact same time was nowhere to be seen. I didn't know his name, but we were familiar enough to recognize each other. Other people we had grown close to were missing as well. Where had everyone gone? We walked past the cafeteria, which was filled with delicious aromas. The dark, empty lounge looked strangely out of place. Finally, we reached the office sector. The hallway, which would normally be buzzing with the chatter of employees, was dead silent. Not even the common sound of clicking heels could be heard. It seemed very few people had shown up to work on time, as many of the offices we passed were completely dark.
"Ah..." The moment we stepped into the office bearing the Team Harmonize emblem, I gasped. The interior was an absolute disaster. From the small desks used by Shine, Rain, and me, to the larger desks belonging to Amy and Victor—every single drawer had been pulled out and thrown onto the floor, and neatly organized files were scattered everywhere. It was a shock, through and through. Did we get robbed? As I stood there frozen, Amy let out a sigh and spoke.
"Looks like we have some cleaning to do." Amy didn't seem surprised at all. She spoke as if she had already expected this.
"Who... who did this?" I asked, clutching Amy's leg. She looked down at me and answered.
"Some very bad people."
"Bad people?"
"Yes."
"Who are they?" Amy stroked my head as she replied.
"The people who kept you locked up." A fire of vengeance ignited inside me at Amy's answer. In the center of the ruined office, the large drawing of a Tyrannosaurus Rex I had drawn lay torn to pieces, stamped with a dirty footprint.