One hundred twelve two, one hundred twelve three, and here it is—Wow, this house is huge! Am I at the right place?

I take the paper out of my pocket and check the address once more.

Yes, there is no doubt.

The sun was setting, and I was facing a fenced-in lot. The house there was about three to four floors high, which is surprising since houses like that are not easy to find on the streets of this city. It certainly stands out from the rest.

Is this where Lamya lives?

I drop my eyes down the fence and—

Hm? Murakami family?? So it’s her house?!

Ding Dong!

Strange, I'm ringing the doorbell, but no one appears. No sign of Lamya either...

I look down and see a padlock on the ground.

Is it open?

I push the gate a little and the chains holding it slide until they fall.

...It seems so.

“Hello! Is anybody home??” I shout, but no one answers.

...Ok, it's been 15 minutes already, but no one has shown up yet. I'm starting to think that the best decision would be for me to enter this house. I know, it might sound like a stupid idea, but the more I think about what could have happened to Murakami, the more I worry. A fallen lock? Does no one answer the bell? No sign of Lamya either? ...You know what? I'm going in.

I approach the house and, just by knocking on the door, it opens.

——Coff! Coff! What is that? Gas?! Where is it coming from??

I cover my nose with my forearm and start to wander around.

Most of the lights were off, but there was one room with a light on—it was the kitchen.

What—

I approach the place and soon I got scared. There were two bodies passed out. One was of a woman, who was resting on the floor beside the sink, and the other was of a man, who had his head over a newspaper, on the table.

Shit! What happened here?!

I run towards them and place my hand on their foreheads.

They were cold and sweating a lot, but still breathing with some difficulty.

Tch, it must have been the gas!

I grab their arms and drag them outside the house.

Okay, they should be fine for now. Now, more importantly, I need to find her!

I start looking for her nonstop in every corner possible.

“Murakami! Where you are?! Coff!”

I was already on the second floor looking for her, but still no clue so far.

Hm?

I come across a locked door and soon after I hear some footsteps behind me.

“Look if it's not my snail~”

“Lamya?”

As soon as I turn around, I find her wearing a mask. Her lunatic green eyes were shining amid the gas.

“You — Cough! Are you the one behind this?!”

“Me? Behind what~?”

Is she playing dumb?! ...Shit! I'm not feeling well...!

“It seems like you're resisting the tide a lot, my snail~, but don't worry, soon everything will pass. The storm is only temporary.”

Tide? Storm? Is she referring to the gas?! Argh! What the hell? I don't have time for her pranks!

“Murakami! Coff! Where is she?!”

Lamya twitches her brows at my question. “Why? Why do you keep calling for the frog? Can't you see the beautiful mermaid right here in front of you~?”

Damn it...! This is too intense...!

I fall to my knees on the floor. My legs could no longer support me.

“Don't worry my snail~, as soon as the tide calms down, I'll show you the frog you so much want, and you'll see how horrible it is. You'll change your mind... I'm sure~”

Lamya's image begins to warp in front of me, and little by little, everything goes dark. Suddenly, I hear a loud ringing in my ears, and I immediately open my eyes.

What a headache...

“Oh, my snail woke up just in time! Look! The show is about to begin~”

...A cauldron?

Lamya was stirring a wooden spoon in a foul green liquid—The smell was unbearable!

Behind her, I saw several cupboards and several shelves. They all contained pots and jars. In some, they had eyes, in others insects.

“Lamya…you! Where am I?! Where is she?!”

I try to move towards her, but my arms are soon restrained. Both my hands were completely stuck to the wall.

“Why the hurry? Oh! The frog, isn't it? Yes, yes! Look, look!”

Lamya walks over to a voluminous robe that was in the middle of the room and—

ZOOM!

She pulls it away, revealing the person standing there.

“Murakami!!”

That bitch! What did she do to her?!

Murakami had her hands tied up, hanging from a rope from the ceiling. Her lips were dry, and her eyes were dull.

"Ry... Ryouzen...? My... my sister...”

She was trying to say something, but I couldn't hear.

Lamya fills a vial with liquid from the cauldron and puts it in her mouth.

"Come on~ drink it all~"

“Hey! Stop that shit! What are you giving her?!”

“Oh! This? You must be dying to drink one of these, right~? Sorry my snail, but this is frog food! Just wait for her to finish drinking, and soon enough you'll see that she's nothing but meat on bones~”

Shit…! Shit!! This can’t be happening!

"Oh, what's with all that hate on your face? Ah, it's your concern, isn't it? I have an idea! Let's play a game! If you say you love me more than any other woman, I can give her the antidote, and let her go, what do you think??”

Lamya lifts the vial she had and begins to shake the blue liquid.

“Yes! I... I... hate you!”

Wait… That's not what I wanted to say!

“Um…so that's it…” Lamya lowers her face.” I thought it wouldn't be necessary to make you eat that soup, but I'm glad I did... Thanks to it you're telling me what you really think about me...”

Soup?? What did she give me when I was out?!

“What a pity, what a pity! What a pity!! Balzebear's master will be angry if I kill more than one human. She stays silent. “But whatever! You, my ex-snail, have just turned into an alligator!”

This girl is insane!! Is there nothing I can do?! Think, think, think!! ——!! That's it! If I had that much strength in that fight with Hashimoto, then that means if I try hard now...!

I start to put strength into my muscles, and cracks start to form in the wall.

“You, Lamya!! I will catch you!!!”

Lamya frightens by my state. “Whew, what an excellent force! As expected of an alligator! Too bad you're just an animal!!”

Lamya stretches her arms and ghostly hands emerge from behind her back, reaching for my throat to hang me.

“Gah!!”

Blood spews from my mouth.

She... Urgh! How did she do that?!! What kind of power is this?!

“Don't worry, your grave will be next to a lake!!”

She squeezes my throat even tighter.

Like this, I’ll... here... for a freak like that? How does she have power...? Is she really a human? No... impossible... Human? Don't make fun of me... With that kind of power, she could only be a…

"Baku, come... eat my... dreams..."

“Hihihi! Are you calling for that chimera?! Do you really think it will come!?”

"Baku... come eat my dreams!"

"You're wasting your time!! This chimera was turned into a statue 1200 years ago!!”

“Baku! Come eat my dreams!!!”

“See?! I told you!! This creature doesn't—"

ZOOM!!

Before she could finish her sentence, a huge red portal opens in the middle of the dungeon, and Baku appears like a hungry dragon, ready to devour anything.

He glares at Lamya, who shudders.

“How...”

She tries to say something but is soon swallowed completely by him.

“Hoho! Thanks for the snack, friend!”

Gratefully, he jumps back into the rift, which then closes.