Ծʊɨɛʀ աօʀʟɖ

"Oh, could you pass that plate to me? Thank you! I really like that dish."

To describe the atmosphere in the house right now, it's like being a middle child in a home with an older and a younger sister. Chantal behaves like the eldest, caring for Natsumi - an 'alien?', while Bianca passes a plate to her across the table with a smile. You and Kaya sit quietly, eating and watching the scene unfold, which seems normal to everyone except you.

“If you need more, we have enough food to cater to our small guests. I'm glad you enjoy it this much," Bianca says with a joyful smile. You'd never seen this kind of happiness on her face before, aside from her usual quirky expressions. Now, she seems genuinely content with her mysterious hospitality, much like Chantal. However, you're not quite accustomed to this 'new' version of Chantal.

"Yes, sister. It's good that we made plenty. It's actually for parties too. I was worried that we might not eat it all, but judging from our guests' praises, I think we'd be more than happy to make more if you want,” Chantal says, Bianca supporting her words with a smile. You look at Kaya, who has been staring at Natsumi almost without blinking. You've never seen Kaya's real face, but as she watches the small teenage girl before her and you, you can tell she shares your confusion about the situation. The two people sitting next to Natsumi seem perfectly capable of handling any problem as if she were a real person, a real human.

After watching her for a bit, Bianca nudges you with her elbow. You turn to her before she leans in and whispers softly.

“Dude, what the heck is going on?” Kaya asks. It's a bit strange to hear her say this, but you were thinking the exact same thing.

"Yeah, I was about to ask you the same thing," you reply, glancing back at the two of them taking care of the young Japanese guest, or pretending to be Japanese, and enjoying their dinner.

“Yeah, I can tell from your face. By the way, is your hand healed yet?" Kaya asks. You look at your hand, still marked with Natsumi's handprint.

"It's not hurting much anymore, but it's still numb and slightly swollen. She squeezed my hand when I stuck it into the metal hydraulic pump and thrusted it into the G-****...that hurt. It's probably my shoulder that got hurt more than my hand and arm."

You move your shoulder, looking for damage, but stop when it hurts.

"Hey, don't **** it! It'll only get worse if you push too hard,” Kaya gently grabs your arm. You look at her hands and then her worried face.

"Huh? What's wrong?" she asks. You smirk and chuckle.

"Nothing... it's just... I almost forgot that you're a guy when I saw your face just now. And I remembered that you're my copy... So it's funny, you know."

You chuckle again before being gently slapped on your shoulder by Kaya. You feel intense pain at the point of impact even though she didn't hit hard.

"If you can still joke around, you're probably fine," she says, turning away. Her gesture makes you bite your lip, trying to hold back laughter so she won't see and get offended.

Dinner passed without incident. The wine that Natsumi brought was exquisite, like nothing you'd ever tasted before. Kaya was speechless after taking a sip.

“I'm full. Your food is delicious. If I have a chance to reciprocate your hospitality, just let me know. And thank you very much for taking care of me today, everyone." Natsumi says before bowing. You nod, but the mood changes as soon as Natsumi sits back down.

“Okay, it's time to stop playing the innocent girl. Let's talk business, Mr. Lasse," she says. Her voice is the same, but her tone has changed. It's serious, almost intimidating, as if you're being assessed by a wild animal that's taking the form of a young Japanese woman. The same person who was just happily enjoying dinner.

“gulp Okay?" You manage to reply, your throat suddenly dry. You realize that every word you utter could potentially put you in danger if you're not careful with what you say in front of her.

"sigh First of all, I'm sorry about your grandfather. I learned from my assistant that he did everything he could to protect his work and that his actions unfortunately led to your current predicament,” she says. You remain silent, prompting her to continue.

“I haven't heard much about you, other than what my assistants and colleagues have told me. Did he tell you his name?" Natsumi asks. You answer her directly.

“Paul, he said his name was Paul. But that wasn't his real name. He kidnapped me, told me I was half-alien. He said I was being hunted by a group of people like you who wanted to experiment on me... something like that. He also gave me this,” You pull out the remote from your pocket, show it to her, then place it back on the table. She looks at it briefly, her expression one of mild surprise.

“Hmmm, seeing this brings back memories. I didn't think it would still be around. This is equipment from Incident '143'. No human should be able to open the box that it came from if they don't have our bloodline in their DNA. Clearly, you've been able to use it well, right?" She glances at the three girls around you, then back at you.

"Well... yes, somewhat. But it also depends on the transfer of memories and feelings... that's all," you reply, looking at Chantal who sits beside Natsumi, appearing worried. Natsumi seems to notice your gaze.

"....So?" She lifts her chin, a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

"So, you're... an alien, right?" Kaya finally gathers the courage to ask. You turn to look at her, impressed by her bravery.

"Oh, you're curious... that's okay. It's normal to ask considering my appearance might be puzzling. But are you... ready to face the truth?” Her voice remains soft, like a teenage girl's, but you can feel the pressure building. Overcoming your fear, curiosity prompts you to nod.

"Yes, I want to see," you say, though your voice trembles slightly.

Natsumi smiles, a slightly terrifying grin on her face. She slowly reaches for the back of her neck, the same spot where you remove the skinsuit's face. She picks at the ridge of her neck and pulls it off. You hear the sound of skin tearing. Something begins to emerge from the back of Natsumi's head.

Tentacles, resembling those of an octopus. They writh around seemingly out of control, slimy and glistening. Chantal and Bianca nearly jump out "Calm down...Calm down, you'll be okay. It's just....a normal night."

Even though it's really not.

Natsumi smiled, a slightly eerie grin on her face, before slowly reaching for the back of her neck. It was the same location where one would remove the face of a skinsuit. She pressed at the ridge of her neck and tore it off. You could hear the sound of skin being rent apart. Before you could comprehend, something emerged from behind Natsumi's head.

Tentacles, similar to those of an octopus, swarmed around chaotically, coated in slime. Chantal and Dummy Bianca nearly jumped out of their seats, backing away from Natsumi to sit next to you. As for Dummy Kaya, she was still in shock, her eyes wide with terror. You felt goosebumps crawl up your skin as you watched Natsumi, or whatever she had become, peel her face down until it dangled from her chest.

“Ak... It's hard to speak clearly with so many tongues in my mouth. But being able to temporarily remove this mask is good."

Its face was an unsettling shade of green, the entirety of it covered with sticky mucus. Its eyes were wide, as large as a goose's egg, shiny and black. There were no whites in its eyes, no nostrils, and its protruding eyes barely blinked. Its mouth was gaping, stretching to where a human's ear might be. At first glance, it looked as though its mouth had been sliced open, resulting in a constant, eerie grin.

"Grrrrr This is what you wanted to see, aliens in the flesh! Do you find me cute?"

The creature's booming voice questioned you. You were too stunned to respond. Your silence persisted as you felt the bodies of Dummy Bianca, Chantal, and Dummy Kaya pressing against you, their fear palpable. The alien's eyes were fixated on you, as though preparing to devour you. Then it let out a noise that could be best described as a snort.

“Grrrr, you guys make me a bit jealous…. I was just teasing. Watch, I'll put it back."

With that, it reached for Natsumi's face, which hung from her chest, and pushed it back onto its head. It readjusted her features until they were far from perfect or beautiful. Then, it tucked all the tentacles back behind her nape. The entire process was accompanied by a series of unpleasant sounds, akin to a scene from a horror movie where an alien entity possessed a human body.

But this wasn't a movie, and you were only two meters away from the spectacle. The shock made you forget about the pain momentarily, until Dummy Bianca squeezed your arm tightly, causing a sharp sting. The alien then introduced itself.

"Ta-da! You may not believe it, but I used to impersonate a freak at P. T. Barnum's. It was quite scary, and four or five customers even had heart attacks. I fled before they could discover my secret.

Life was quite thrilling back then, even if it wasn't as provocative because people were starting to become more civilized."

She turned to look at you. You were brought back to the moment by a sharp pain in your shoulder, caused by Dummy Bianca's fingernails. You yelped, startling her, and she quickly released her grip and apologized. As she checked your shoulder, Natsumi laughed at the scene.

"Hahaha, this never gets old. I can tell you have many questions for me. Would it be better if we move to a more comfortable location to talk, or should we clear the table first? I'll help either way. What do you think?" Despite the innocent smile she gave you, the horrifying scene from moments ago still lingered in your mind. As you watched her collect plates and ask Dummy Kaya for directions to the kitchen, you recited a mantra in your head.