⇲ 𝐊𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐎𝐄 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘,
𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄    〉 𝐉𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐍 !
XXXX.      ✿      CIRCA JUNE 2012.
𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐘
SZA.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Ken fidgeted nervously in his seat, his face beet-red as Seiko inspected him like he was a malfunctioning device. His earlier explanation about the "missing parts" had been met with mixed reactions—Odette's amused smirk, Momo's uncontrollable laughter, and Seiko's scowl of irritation.

Odette sat cross-legged on the hardwood floor, scrolling aimlessly through her phone. Her curved pinkish-orange acrylic nails tapped rhythmically against the screen, filling the room with soft, idle clicks. She glanced up when Seiko, standing with her signature air of authority, gestured toward her.

"That's why I told you to show me the other night!" Seiko berated, her tone sharp as she wagged a finger in his direction.

"How come you didn't notice? They're your balls!"

That set Momo off again. She collapsed onto the floor in a fit of laughter, tears streaming down her face. Odette, chuckling softly, crawled over to where Ken sat and hugged him from behind. Her arms wrapped loosely around his neck as her cheek brushed his, her breath warm against his ear.

Ken shrank in his chair, wishing he could vanish. "When I checked and saw that my shaft was back," he muttered defensively, "I felt reassured and didn't notice the balls."

Seiko's jaw dropped as she threw her hands up in exasperation. "Shaft? Stop making it sound like it's large! Yours is nothing more than a pencil!"

Momo, who had just calmed down, burst into laughter again, clutching her sides. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she pointed at Ken, her voice shaky from amusement. "He called it a shaft! Oh my God, I can't breathe!"

"This nigga called it a shaft. Please," Dot snorted, shaking her head.

Seiko, unfazed by the mockery, rolled her eyes. "You've never even seen it," Ken shot back defensively, his voice cracking slightly.

"No choice," Seiko said, standing abruptly. "Gotta take a peek."

Ken leaped up, his instincts kicking in as he shielded himself with both hands. "What?! You're gonna look at it?!"

"Relax, idiot," Seiko grumbled. "I ain't gonna look at your weiner!"

"It's okay, Kenny," she whispered. "You'll survive this."

"I'm gonna peek into your soul," Seiko announced, fixing Ken with a serious expression.

Seiko's sharp voice cut through the playful moment. "Back up, Dot. Don't want you to get smacked in the crossfire."

Odette raised an eyebrow, amused but compliant, as she shuffled over to sit beside Momo on the couch. "Fine, fine," she said, waving a hand dismissively.

Momo, curious as ever, sat upright, a quizzical expression on her face. "Wait a minute," she said, tilting her head, "can you look into the soul of someone that has the reaper spirit?"

Odette blinked at the question, her curiosity piqued. It wasn't something she'd ever thought about, but it suddenly seemed important. She turned to Seiko, waiting for an answer.

"That's a good question," Seiko said, folding her arms. "Don't know exactly what it'll do. But I tried it on her grandmother once, years ago, and let's just say..." She paused for dramatic effect, smirking. "It ended with a hole blown straight through my shrine."

Odette's laugh was immediate and loud, her head falling back as she clutched her sides. "That's so Grandma for you," she said between giggles, picturing the scene in her mind.

Momo snorted, her laughter quickly joining Odette's. "Your family doesn't mess around, huh?"

"Nope," Odette said proudly, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "And I bet she didn't even apologize."

"Not even close," Seiko said, rolling her eyes but not upset about the memory.

Seiko stared into her mirror, her brows furrowed in concentration. Ken sat stiffly in a wooden chair with his feet soaking in a washbowl. The tension in the room was thick as Momo stood nearby, clutching a maneki-neko doll with a talisman stuck to its back.

"Deep breaths, Ken. You can do it!" Odette said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Seiko nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if you die, at least you'll do it with dignity."

Ken paled, swallowing hard as he gripped the edges of the chair. "D-die?!"

Seiko ignored him, smacking his head with a harisen. "The lines in the kanji for 'person' support each other!"

Ken yelped, clutching his head. "What was that for?!"

"Stop moving and don't talk, you rotten tangerine," Seiko snapped.

Seiko raised the mirror to her eyes, muttering incantations under her breath as she examined Ken's soul. Her expression darkened. "Something's in him," she announced, her voice ominous.

The talisman on the maneki-neko began to smoke, catching Odette's attention. Her eyes widened as the porcelain cat blinked suddenly, its painted eyes coming to life.

"Did that thing just move?" she asked, leaning closer.

Before anyone could react, the doll lunged at her. With lightning-fast reflexes, Odette flung it to the side, her heart pounding. "What the fuck?!"

Seiko cursed under her breath, grabbing her harisen. "It went that way! Come on, catch it!"

The group chased the maneki-neko through the house, its tiny porcelain feet moving impossibly fast. Momo used her psychic powers to track the spirit's dark aura, leading them to the storage room.

"It's in here," Momo said, slowly opening the door.

The Maneki-Neko lay motionless on the floor as if it had been waiting for them. "Let go of me, damn it!" it shrieked, its tiny arms flailing.

Momo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, it speaks too! And that voice... it sounds familiar."

Odette crouched beside the toy, poking its face with her finger. "Could this little shithead be Turbo Granny?"

The doll froze, its tiny porcelain jaw tightening. "Who else would it be, you brats?" Turbo Granny snapped, crossing her arms like she was lounging on a couch.

Ken's jaw dropped. "But we defeated Turbo Granny! She went to the afterlife! How is that possible?!"

The tension in the room thickened as Turbo Granny—trapped within the small maneki-neko doll—mocked the trio. Her tiny porcelain limbs moved as she gestured dramatically, puffing out her chest in defiance.

"Who'd be defeated by some youngins like you? Don't underestimate the elderly!" she boasted with pride, her voice gratingly smug.

Momo crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Doesn't she look kind of cute like this?" she quipped, glancing at Odette, who nodded approvingly.

"Super Cute!"

"She doesn't seem to be the Turbo Granny we dealt with before," Odette observed, crouching slightly to get a better look at the doll. "She's just a spirit locked in a neko toy now." Her tone was casual, but the comment seemed to strike a nerve.

"I just told you not to underestimate me, punks!" Turbo Granny shrieked, her tiny porcelain face twisting in outrage.

"Relax, Grandma," Odette said with a grin, leaning back on her heels. "It's time to drop the 'I'm scary' act."

Ken, standing next to her, muttered nervously, "We should still be careful going about this..."

Turbo Granny's eyes narrowed, her tiny fists shaking. "Damn right, you should! I still haven't lost! There's no way I'd lose to some idiots like you!" Her voice rose in pitch, and she pointed at Momo. "Especially you, you tacky brat! I'll snap all your bones!"

Momo snickered, tilting her head with a mocking grin. "Heh! The only thing you're snapping these days is a stick off a tree."

Odette couldn't help herself and burst into laughter. "Like we won't just beat her ass again like we did the first time!"

Turbo Granny's anger flared, and she stomped her tiny porcelain foot. "Shut up, you're getting on my nerves too, punk!"

Momo crouched slightly, her expression serious now. "Do you understand your current situation?" She moved aside, revealing Ken holding a talisman in his hands.

Turbo Granny's confident smirk faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered, crossing her tiny arms. "You think that gives you the upper hand? If I die, your balls will never go back to normal!"

The realization hit the group like a brick wall. Odette's eyes narrowed, and Momo's smirk disappeared. Ken's grip tightened on the talisman, his face growing pale.

Turbo Granny seized the opportunity, her tone dripping with malice. "So, boy, you have a choice. Go grab a kitchen knife... and kill those girls!" She pointed her tiny arm toward Odette, her grin widening at the shocked expressions on their faces.

Ken stiffened, his body trembling slightly. "W-what?"

"You heard me! Do it! You have no choice but to obey me. Hurry up!" Turbo Granny barked, sensing his hesitation.

"Okarun..is something wrong? You're acting funny again.." Odette asked, stepping toward him cautiously. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, her voice filled with concern.

Ken's head hung low, his shoulders tense as his breathing quickened. Suddenly, his entire posture shifted. When he raised his head, his expression was eerily calm, his voice a low monotone. "Murder Cat's got me stressing now. Makes me sick."

Odette's jaw dropped. "You can still transform? How is that even possible when Turbo Granny's not in your body anymore?"

Momo stared at him, equally shocked. "Yeah, we literally drove Turbo Granny out of him?"

Even Turbo Granny seemed stunned, her porcelain face contorting in disbelief. "Impossible! What's going on?!"

Seiko, who had been watching silently, finally chimed in. "Although Turbo Granny's consciousness was ejected from his body, her power left a lingering imprint. Her unwillingness to be freed left traces of her energy behind."

Turbo Granny began to sweat bullets, her confidence visibly cracking.

Seiko smirked, folding her arms. "By the way, I'm the only one who can put you two back together. Do you see the situation you're in now ya' rotten tangerine?"

Without missing a beat, Seiko struck Turbo Granny with her harisen repeatedly, each hit accompanied by a string of insults.

Odette lightly bit her lip, her eyes scanning Ken's face as she stepped closer. Her fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt, a rare flicker of nervousness crossing her features. "You know," she began softly, her voice low, "you look so much more attractive without the mask."

Her words carried a weight of admiration and the soft smile that followed only made the moment more intimate.

Ken froze for a moment, his Turbo Granny transformation giving him a slightly taller and more confident appearance, but her closeness unraveled him. "T-thanks," he stammered, his cheeks tinged with pink as she stood on her tiptoes.

Before he could overthink, Odette closed the gap, wrapping her arms around his neck. The warmth of her touch sent a shiver down his spine, and his heart thudded loudly in his chest. She leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Wanna hang out after all this? Your house or mine?"

Ken's gaze softened, his usual awkwardness melting into something more assured. For a moment, he simply looked at her, the corners of his lips curling into a small, mischievous smile.

He winked at her, the gesture smooth and playful. "Your place. You've got better snacks."

Suddenly, his form shimmered, and he switched back to normal. Momo gasped in awe. "That was amazing! How did you do that?"

Ken shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. I just got pissed at the moment and then boom, I transformed."

Turbo Granny, who had been playing dead on the floor, sprang to life and made a break for it. "I'll get you all next time!" she shouted as Seiko chased her around the room with her harisen.

Odette leaned against the wall, shaking her head with a grin. "And I thought today couldn't get any weirder."

Ken sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Why can't anything in my life be normal?"

Momo shrugged, smirking. "Because normal's boring. And let's face it, you'd miss us if things were normal."

Odette chuckled, giving him a playful nudge. "She's not wrong, you know."

The tension in the room had shifted after Turbo Granny's shocking revelation of her past. For the first time, Momo's sharp-edged attitude softened, and she sighed deeply, addressing the spirit.

"You know," Momo began, her voice quieter than usual, "I can't bring myself to fully hate you. Not after learning about what you did for those girls who died in the tunnel."

Turbo Granny blinked, momentarily stunned. She cocked her head, clearly trying to gauge Momo's sincerity.

Despite their past chaotic encounters, Odette found herself nodding in agreement. She folded her arms, her expression thoughtful as she spoke. "She's right. I've been thinking back to that moment outside the tunnel when we prayed for those innocent girls. You're not inherently evil, Granny. I mean, you're definitely something else when it comes to men, but..." Her lips curved into a small, teasing smile.

Turbo Granny scoffed, rolling her porcelain eyes. "Tch. Don't get all sentimental on me now..."

Momo stepped forward, her tone lighter as she attempted to bargain. "So, let's all be friendly here. If you give Okarun his balls back, we'll return your powers. Okay?"

Odette added, her tone warm but firm, "It's a win-win, Granny. We'll all walk away happy no complaints."

Turbo Granny regarded them suspiciously for a moment, but the offer tempted her. "Tch..." She huffed dramatically, her tiny porcelain body stiffening as if reluctant to give in. But then, her lips curled into a sly grin. "Fine. Deal."

A collective sigh of relief filled the room.

"Alright! It's settled!" Momo exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "Now hurry up and give him his balls back!"

Odette chimed in, wagging a finger at the spirit. "And we don't mean just one. We need both. You hear me?"

Momo nodded emphatically. "Both!"

Turbo Granny's sly grin twisted into a mischievous smirk, her eyes glinting with a hint of malice. "How ironic," she snickered. "I was gonna tell you something important... I, uh, lost his balls."

Silence.

"Say what now?" Odette's voice was flat, her eyebrows furrowing in disbelief. A few strands stuck out of her ponytail in shock.

"You heard me," Turbo Granny replied nonchalantly, waving a tiny porcelain paw as if it wasn't a big deal. "I dropped them somewhere."

Ken's face went pale, and his knees buckled slightly. "You... You what?"

Momo pinched the bridge of her nose, her expression somewhere between exasperation and disbelief. "Dropped them? How do you just lose something like that?"

Turbo Granny shrugged, her tone maddeningly casual. "It's not my fault! They might've slipped out of my grasp when I was moving between vessels or when you guys set me on fire. Happens all the time."

Odette rubbed her temples, her patience hanging by a thread. "You're telling us you've turned this whole house upside down, caused us all kinds of stress, and now you're saying the thing you used to bargain with is just... lost?"

Turbo Granny tilted her head smugly. "Pretty much."

Momo sighed deeply, glancing at Odette. "So, what's the plan now? Search the whole house?"

Odette smirked, cracking her knuckles. "Nah, I say we make Granny help. After all, this mess is her fault."

Turbo Granny froze, her cocky demeanor faltering. "Wait, wait, hold on! You can't make me do the grunt work!"

"Oh, we can, and we will," Odette shot back, her smile sweet but her tone deadly.

Momo smirked, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Well, on the bright side, at least you still have the, uh... shaft." She burst into laughter again, making Okarun groan and bury his face in his hands.

Ken looked like he was on the verge of passing out. "I don't know if I want to cry or scream right now," he muttered weakly.