Chapter 36

"The first thing you say is 'Damn it'? You have a seriously bad waking-up habits. You don't just kick non-stop. You swear non-stop, too." Isaac covered Rona's ears.

"..." I ignored Isaac and kept silent.

Isaac was shocked that I didn't argue back. Isaac and Rona looked at each other and said. "You don't think she has finally lost it, right? I mean, I knew her brain was small to non-existence, but now her brain is gone? We're in danger, aren't we?" Rona hugged Isaac in fear. "Poor Lil." I turned toward Isaac and Rona. They jumped and moved back a few steps.

"Seriously, guys? I was just thinking, and you guys assumed I lost my brain?" I glared at Isaac. "Small till non-existence, huh?"

Isaac gulped and said. "I didn't say that."

Rona opened her mouth and said. "But you did." Isaac immediately closed Rona's mouth and said. "Rona doesn't know what she is talking about."

I raised my eyebrow. Isaac continued. "What? I've done nothing wrong. Don't look at me like that." I rolled my eyes. "I met Lyndall and Master just now." Rona looked at me in confusion. "But you've been here the whole time. Sleeping and nothing else like a sloth." Isaac whispered to Rona. "She has lost it. Nothing can cure her, not even medicine." Rona looked at me in pity. "Oh, Lil."

"Stop putting weird thoughts inside Rona's head."

"She's already weird in the beginning. What's the problem with adding more?"

I raised my fist at Isaac, and Isaac quickly moved behind Rona.

"Coward, shorty."

"Scatterbrain." Isaac insulted back.

Isaac and I glared at each other. Rona just watched us and thought. 'Rona's friends are all weirdos. Rona is the only sane one here. Looks like Rona got to resolve this.'

"Rona thinks -" I interrupted Rona. "Let's stop fighting. It's tiresome. And I got something to tell you guys."

"Everything is tiresome to you," Isaac smirked.

Rona stared at Isaac and me. 'Did Rona manage to solve the issue without doing anything? Rona is so awesome!' Rona started doing some weird dances.

Isaac and I looked at Rona. "What's wrong with Rona?" Isaac asked.

I shook my head. "No idea."

After a while, we finally settled down, and I told them about my conversation with Master. "What do you guys think?"

"Hmm... Do you really think your Master will be able to find anything about Rona's parents? It's kinda absurd if you ask me."

"It's better than nothing. Oh, and I'm sorry, Rona, if I asked my Master about your parents without your consent."

"Rona is fine. Maybe Rona will be able to find Daddy and Mummy sooner." Rona felt happy and started making weird movements again.

My heart felt prickly all of a sudden. "???" I rubbed my chest.

Isaac pondered. "Continuing on. For the 3rd game, it's a maze, right?"

"Yup. My nemesis." I clenched my fist hard.

"Anything else besides that?"

"My master said something like if you turned blind, rely on your other senses?" I was puzzled.

"..." Isaac frowned in silence.

I was confused. "Why would I turn blind?"

"Lil has Isaac and Rona!" Rona suddenly jumped into the conversation.

I laughed. "Yup. I'm glad I have you all. With Isaac's intelligence and Rona's luck, we'll win first place."

"Lil has great stamina, too!"

"And plot armour," Isaac added.

"I do not have plot armour. If I do, I wouldn't be yelling for my life all the time."

"Rona doesn't know what's plot armour."

"Plot armour is an event where the main character of the story miraculously survives in every dangerous situation, so the story would continue forever," Isaac explained.

"Look like someone is jealous." I grinned.

"And someone is in denial." Isaac looked at me.

"Hey. We ain't living in a story, so don't go plot armour or main character on me."

"What if we are?" Rona asked.

I raised my fist and started hitting at the wall. "Then I'll write my own story. I ain't letting some unknown person determine my fate."

"I was just joking. There is no need to go to 'crazy nut job' mode." Isaac backed away. "And stop hitting the wall. Everyone is staring at you."

I pouted and stopped punching the wall. "Fine. By the way, when is the 3rd game?"

"Tomorrow. So let's rest up. I bet the maze isn't going to be as simple as it sounds." Isaac laid down and closed his eyes.

Rona rubbed her stomach. "Ya. Maybe there will be monsters for us to feast on."

I stared at Rona's stomach. "Is food all you think about?"

"Yup!"

Suddenly, we heard a monster sound. "Growl..."

"A monster is here?" Isaac got up and looked everywhere for the monster. The children who were sitting near us heard Isaac and started screaming. "Monster!"

I quickly ran toward the children and said. "False alarm. There's no monster here. Don't worry." I reassured them. Although they stopped screaming, they were crying and trembling in fear.

"No monster? Are you sure? I definitely heard a monster sound." Isaac asked.

"Yup. It was Rona's tummy." Rona appeared behind Isaac. "Rona's tummy went goo goo."

"Your tummy didn't make such a cute sound, trust me. It went growling like a huge bear hunting its prey." I patted the children to calm them down. Rona laughed.

Isaac grumbled. "That was Rona's stomach making noises? Didn't you just eat?"

"Rona don't know. All Rona knows is that Rona is hungry." Rona pouted.

Isaac whispered to me. "I hope we can live long enough to see tomorrow."

"She won't eat us. We're her friends, and humans don't eat flesh."

"You forgot she ate worms?"

We glanced toward Rona and saw Rona staring at us with her mouth filled with drool. We moved back, and I said. "Oui... You might be right. She might eat us. What do we do?"

"Knock her out. Knock her out." Isaac said in desperation.

"Who? Me?"

"Who else? You soloed a humongous bear. You can do this. I believe in you."

"You only believe in me when you want me to do something you don't want to do."

"I know. Now go."

"Oh... you..." I clenched my fist and slowly approached Rona. "Rona... Ermm... Hello?"

"Knock her out already," Isaac whispered.

"Oh shush! If you want to hurry it up, why not you do it instead?" I whispered back.

"Rona thinks you all are weirdos." Rona looked at us and shook her head.

Isaac walked toward Rona. "Weirdos? Us? We were trying to save ourselves from your raging hunger."

"Rona don't understand."

"You were trying to eat us!"

"Rona won't eat friends."

"Words are assuring, but your drooling mouth isn't!"

"Oh..." Rona wiped her drool off. "Done."

"Oui?! As in our life is done?"

"It's okay. If Rona hibernates, Rona won't feel hungry."

"What are you? A polar bear?"

"Rona is going to sleep now. Goodnight!" Rona laid down and fell asleep.

"Do you think we'll be safe even if she sleeps?"

"One way to find out is whether we live till tomorrow."

"Oui..." I laid down nervously beside Rona. 'She won't eat me, right? What if she does? What am I going to do? Oui! I'm too nervous to sleep tonight!'

The next day.

"Yawn~." I woke up stretching my aching body. "Oui! I had a great sleep, excluding the ache all over my body." I cracked my neck.

Crack. Crack.

"Ah~ That feels so much better. Hmph! And I was wondering if I could sleep or not, but I slept like a baby. Shame on me." I looked to my side and couldn't find Isaac and Rona. "Hmm? Where are those two chipmunks?" I looked up and saw Isaac and Rona sleeping far away from me. "..." I stared at them. 'Why are they sleeping so far from me?' I got up and walked toward them. I squatted and stared at them. They were sleeping so peacefully. I felt guilty for waking them up, but the 3rd game was coming up. I pinched Isaac's cheek. "Wake up, shorty. If you don't, you'll stay as short as you are now."

Isaac turned away and said. "Go away, shark."

"Shark?" I smacked Isaac's back as hard as I could.

"What?!" Isaac got up and saw me. "Uh oh."

"What do you mean 'Uh oh'? And why do you guys sleep so far away?"

"Why? 'Cause you were biting us in your sleep. That's why!" Isaac showed some bite marks on his leg and arm. "Rona got some too."

"Oui... I didn't know I bite in my sleep."

"And I was worried about Rona. It should be you, I'm worried about."

"Ugh... Sorry." After that, I poked Rona's cheek. "Wakey, wakey. Time to get up." Rona opened her mouth and bit my finger.

"Ouch!" I retracted my finger.

Rona stuck out her tongue. "Revenge."

I hugged Rona. "Sorry, my little sweet squishy. Still hungry, Rona?"

"Nope!"

A big blue screen with a smiling emoji appeared.

[Well, well, well. It seems my little bunnies had woken up all by themselves. I'm such a proud father. Sniff. Sniff.]

Rona exclaimed. "Mr. James!"

"Father? Father wouldn't kill their own children." Isaac mumbled.

[Now that my little bunnies are all prepared. Shall we proceed to the 3rd game?]

The blue screen disappeared. A blue light pillar appeared from below, and our bodies were slowly disappearing.