“Ume-chan!” Rui exclaimed.

I was still on the floor, having not yet recovered from being blinded. Once my noh-eyes adjusted, I saw a room that was pink, bright and cheery. It looked like a magical girl’s room. The walls were covered with colorful flowers and green vines. There were potted plants here and there, making it seem like a private garden. Piles of stuffed animals sat on the bed and in corners. Despite what I’d seen in the store, it surprised me that not a single creepy doll could be seen. Every animal I knew was present, and even some I didn't know. Every single one, ranging from Aardvark to Zyzzyva, frolicked in the garden-like room.

Rui embraced Ume, a tremendously cute girl around the size of Rui, except unlike her, her body possessed a third dimension. On top of having those supreme breasts, her silky-looking black hair was tied up into twintails, which Rui lacked to complete her loli-ness. In essence, she was far cuter than Rui, making Rui look like a tomboy by comparison. Her bangs gently swayed above fine arched eyebrows.

If that wasn’t enough to make her amazingly cute, she was rocking an immaculate perfect goth loli dress with a red skirt which flowed like a creek until reaching her knees. Ruffles of black lace splashed along the hems of the fabric of the dress. The shoulders poofed up a bit more than the hem fringes. A bow rested upon her hip and another more delicate one cinched below her impressive bosoms to frame and display. Slashes of red ribbons crossed her chest, further emphasizing the crease between them.

Cradled between hung a rosary of black iron with an equally onyx chain. A glinting crimson gemstone, which I hesitantly identified as a ruby, was set upon its cross joint. Along the chain other trinkets stood out. They were shaped like occult-looking pentagrams, Egyptian symbols, yin-yang, shide and such. She wore black lacy knee-socks which slipped into a set of beautiful black leather boots embroidered with blood-red gemstones. Her wrists were encircled by lacy wristlets which were studded with bright sequins. She was the epitome, the physical embodiment, the ideal image of the perfect goth loli.

“Rui-Rui!” The girl beamed brightly. “What brings you today to my humble home? I’m so happy to see you!”

I blinked, wondering if she owned another business inherited from her parents, like Rui. If so, it was a very strange store for a girl to run on her own. They might be connected by similar circumstances. It was clear to me that they had to be very good friends.

I smiled, enjoying watching them together. It was extremely cute, but time was ticking and I knew just sitting here doing nothing wouldn’t fix my situation. I had to know just how serious Rui still was about our investigation, so I intruded, “Are we visiting here so you can hang out with your friend?” Snatching my cell phone from my fanny pack, I held it up impatiently to display the clock. “It’s fifteen o’clock… We don’t have much time, do we?”

Rui sighed and glared at me. “Didn’t seeing Ume-chan’s merchandise out there in her store clue you in about why we’re here? Fool. Ume is a contact, even though she’s my best friend!”

Ume smiled warmly at me and bowed. “Gosh, I love Magiranger! You’re so cool! You look so authentic! Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday!” She stepped towards me. I gasped, blinded by how sweet and friendly she was. Her eyes shone a bright amber like honey. She was pure kindness. My thoughts were interrupted when I noticed that her eyes were literally glowing. You could lose yourself in those most beautiful gems. No, they were literally glowing, it wasn’t just her bubbly nature showing through.