W1 (6)

A flurry of punches rained down on Jerry's face, none lethal enough for permanent ruin, yet hard enough to create a torturous experience for the tormented.

Jerry felt his head ring. It stung! It really, really stung!

The speed at which each punch arrived left him disoriented, and a frightful feeling of his head being too heavy for his neck hovered.

The end of a blow connected to a new one, and the lack of even a millisecond rest in between left Jerry heaving, he couldn't catch his breath and was suffocating.

He felt blood rush into his head and a metallic tingle in his mouth. Blood dripped from his nose, and his face was covered with bruises.

"What?" A light slap snapped him out of his semi-conscious daze caused by a dire lack of oxygen, and he responded by parting his lips in a desperate attempt to take in air.

Jennifer laughed while unsheathing her claws, and then a sharp slap sent Jerry's face drooping to the other side.

A deep gash formed on his cheek, and Jennifer made a yuck face on noticing the blood on her claws—the slap had drawn blood, albeit lightly.

Jerry's blurry gaze landed on Jack, who had now been 'promoted' from a table to a horse. Watching Jessica 'ride' the teen about, even ordering him to neigh, a smile appeared on his face—a smile of sarcasm.

"You're laughing?" Jennifer's tone spiked in anger. "I guess I don't need to go easy on you then!"

Jennifer only stopped when the male in her hands seemed seconds away from passing out. He choked with every inhalation, and his every gesture was filled with pain, now she was truly satisfied.

Looking at his heavily brutalized face, she felt even more satisfied. A Normal shouldn't be so pretty. Now he looked exactly as he should be: ugly and fucked up!

But then her smile turned to ashes with Jerry's next gesture. This crazy bastard was actually smiling!

"Hah—!" Jennifer clenched his collar with a rage-filled grin.

"Not bad, not bad at all for a Normal! To push me this far… you'll definitely pay for it!"

A slender pair of hands, with the grip of a giant and sharp claws digging into his flesh, encircled Jerry's neck.

This person's neck was thin, fragile, and pretty, just as he was. Jennifer hated it. Something about creatures beneath her having such perfect features repulsed her.

She had nearly lost herself when a cold grip snapped her out of her thoughts.

Looking at the male with a dimming gaze and breath, her eyes widened in horror. But just as she was about to pull away, the pages were suddenly flipped, and her hands were grabbed.

"Hey, what are you—!"

To her surprise, she couldn't escape the iron grip no matter how hard she tried. And just as a sense of panic abounded, Jerry's crooked voice came.

"Don't stop…."

"What?" Jennifer asked wearily, being so easily suppressed, when a maniacal response came.

"I said…" the dim eyes shone with a blinding madness, "Do not stop! Choke me harder, strong enough to leave me on the edge of consciousness!"

Jerry's eyes shimmered brighter. "Or better still, keep beating me till I pass out. Or slash my neck and bleed me half to death."

His grip tightened, startling the red-eyed girl who stared back at him with a terrified gaze.

"Anyhow you can… leave me half-dead!"

Saying she was in euphoria was an understatement. Dina had never felt joy this distilled in a long time!

IT had truly disappeared! Zero wasn't lying... that pesky little pest was nowhere to be seen!

She almost couldn't believe it, but after having her consciousness actually slip away for a full minute and nothing happened, it was confirmed. And as soon as it was, Dina went mad with joy.

IT had two major times when it reared its head: either when she met certain people, or whenever her consciousness dwindled.

Then IT would take over, making her life a living hell.

But not once, but three times, had she lost consciousness mid-beating—AND THERE WAS NO IT!!

'Hahahahaha, Zero?'

"...Yes?"

Even he was stumped by Dina's oddness.

'You didn't lie… I'm so happy. You really, really didn't lie.'

Zero confirmed, "Of course. It won't be capable of interfering in your affairs, and if you manage to meet the necessary requirements, you can wish it away forever."

'Forever!' Dina exclaimed with glee. 'Oh, the joy!'

So IT truly was nowhere to be found? Control… she now had complete control over herself!

"Won't you," Jerry laughed heartily, sharp pink eyes fixed on Jennifer's trembling red ones, "please leave me half-dead?!"

"Fuck!"

Jennifer hissed before forcefully tearing her hands away from Jerry's grip with a grim look.

"Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! What kind of freak are you?! I hope you die and burn in hell!"

She cursed fiercely, her erect tail and ears looking like a spooked cat trying to appear as intimidating as possible.

She spat angrily at Jerry and, with a stomp, reached Jessica in a few steps. "Let's go, Jess."

"Wha—"

She was barely allowed to grab her makeup kit before being dragged away by the flustered girl.

A calm quietness soon filled the air with their absence, and after a minute or two, Jack stood up from his position, staggering a bit before regaining stability.

He strolled towards the heavily beat-up Jerry, whose face had been thoroughly devastated—from bruises to swells, and even to the nasty gash across his cheek.

However, the owner of the face seemed to care less, lying on the floor giggling with a maniacally happy expression while staring into space blankly.

…Had his mind broken?

In fact, Zero also wanted an answer to that question.

***

"Hey kids!"

"Yes, Aunty?!"

"Do you know the best solution to anything in life?"

"Candy?" "Aunty!" "Friendship!" "Love!" "Kindness!"

"All amazing answers! Come, come my kittens. Here's a kiss for you, and you, and you—especially you, Dina! Love is a brilliant answer!"

"Thank you, Aunty!"

"But do you know the real answer?"

"What??" Curious voices of children echoed simultaneously.

"A smile!"

"Huh?"

"Sometimes kindness, love, friendship, candy—" she winked at the child who said "candy," leaving them giggling, "won't solve the problem!"

Dina wowed. "But a smile would?"

Suddenly there was silence, and the eyes of the pretty teacher with freckles blanked out.

"Aunty?" the children called out, garnering a bountiful laugh.

"Oh, sorry kids! I dozed off." She ruffled Dina's hair before replying, "And you made a slight mistake, Dina."

"Really?"

"Yes! A smile doesn't solve the problem! But with a smile, it makes it a bit more manageable. So never forget, children—"

A large smile blossomed on the lady's face, a direct contrast to her dead eyes.

"Smile!"

"No matter how tough the situation is, smile!"

"No matter how painful it may seem, smile!"

"If it gets difficult to do so, then practice your smiling face in the mirror every day until it becomes a habit."

"Remember this at all times, in all places. When you smile, everything becomes much better!"

"Never forget to—?"

The children echoed mechanically, "Smile!"

***

"Ughh—!"

Jerry woke up with a start, feeling a slight sting on his face. He touched his cheek and suddenly went pale before rushing to the mirror.

Dina's heart tumbled, and a series of alarms blared through her head. On reaching the mirror, she felt disgusted.

The pretty face had been viciously bruised; swells and traces of abuse littered it. The pink light in his eyes had dimmed, casting a despairing look.

However, something was bizarre—no, downright disturbing.

The reflection in the mirror was smiling. His lips were pulled up into the widest smile ever, but the contrasting state of his other facial features made it appear extremely creepy.

'...'

Dina sighed exhaustedly in her mind. What a terrible, terrible thing habits were.

After managing to wash his face through the sting, Jerry eventually settled down—treating his injuries with a first aid kit.

"…You're still smiling."

Zero pointed out, to which Dina shrugged, "Bad habits. Simply ignore it."

Zero was silent. How deeply ingrained was such a habit that even inside a new body, it remained as muscle memory??

His thoughts were cut off by Dina's sudden statement. "I'll work hard."

"What?" Zero asked, a bit lost on what she meant.

Dina spoke again, this time with a firmer and more determined voice,

"I'll work hard. I'll make sure to fulfill all missions with a high rate of success, and I'll get that wish of mine."

Dina's words stirred with a deeply ingrained obsession. "IT. I'll get rid of it, even if I have to dance the devil's tango or become a devil myself. Do you or the Bureau have any command to give? Say it and I will fulfill it—as long as I can get rid of IT…."

"…My soul is a small price to pay."

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