Mr. 5563667543999323.
The ancient tale spoke of a ritual where, before a mirror, you must say his name three times while sipping a Bloody Mary. And behold, he shall materialise before you, ready to grant your deepest wish.
But heed this warning—any mistake could be dire.
(•ω•)
Lillian realised she had just been in the house of a notorious contractor, a man whose true name remained a mystery to all. Known only by his code name, "5563667543999323," even getting one number of his name incorrect when repeating it could result in hefty consequences. Thus, to be safe, most people simply called him "The man with the long number." Interpret that however you will.
His reputation preceded him—a ruthless figure who didn't hesitate to eliminate anyone who so much as glanced at his dog the wrong way. Isolated and dwelling alone in that old house, he scared off any potential companions due to the fear he instilled in them.
The man dealt with all types of poisons and medicines. Nobody knew how he infected his targets; it could be via their drinks, a little pinprick to the arm as they passed by, or even via his breath. Regardless, when he infected someone with one of his custom poisons, most of the time, they didn't know they were poisoned. They exhibited strange symptoms, such as being unable to sleep at all and staying up all night. Extraordinarily pretty people became excessively conscious of their looks, losing all their confidence overnight and hiding even if they had a single blemish. Additionally, disturbing allegations linked him to the sudden addiction of non-compliant eBunnee protestors who seemingly succumbed overnight to the platform's magnetic pull.
He must have been really relaxed to wear a pink, polka-dotted robe. It then clicked in Lillian's mind that all those strategically placed polka dots matched up perfectly with his vital organs, like some twisted game of pin-the-organ-on-the-dots. They all made perfect targets for a gunman, but he was having fun tempting fate by flaunting it. She thought it was done in a way to mock people, like a peacock displaying its bright feathers. Lillian had to admit that this guy had guts, both metaphorically and probably literally. It was like going into a battlefield wearing a neon sign saying, "Aim here!"
If only people knew he was a crazy Cosmic Lunar Vixen fox-girl fanatic who was visually impaired. Despite that, all the urban legends surrounding him overrode these aspects. Even the postperson and any delivery service flat-out refused to go anywhere near his house.
Well, she wasn't even going to speak his name and would try to forget about this encounter for good. She didn't think he had looked at her, ahem, face well enough to remember her. She hoped to NEVER encounter him again.
Her house was at the far end of the block, and, to her relief, the street was deserted. With nothing on her feet to protect them from potential hazards, she tightly wrapped a towel around herself, lowered her head, and started pacing down the street, making every effort to obscure her face from view.
I felt vulnerable without Larisa beside me. It was as if my memory was as fleeting as that of a goldfish. After all, she was the one who got me into this awkward situation in the first place!
As I approached my house, which was now in sight and just a couple of yards away, a smile began to form on my face. My relief quickly turned to anxiety and dread as I spotted Eliza standing outside my place. To my surprise, she was not alone; Ashlyn Starr, the so-called fashion icon I'd never heard of, stood by her side, exuding a snobbish demeanour. I had no interest in knowing someone like Ashlyn, given her reputation, and I wanted to keep my distance. The intensity of their gazes on me only deepened my curiosity about their presence outside my house. I wondered what could possibly have brought these two together.
Remembering that Eliza mentioned bringing a friend when we planned to meet later that night, I initially assumed she meant Kai. However, it seemed he was occupied with VR training, which explained why he wasn't with her. Eliza and Kai were usually inseparable, so seeing her with someone else, especially Ashlyn Starr, made me wonder if they were close friends.
The situation felt incredibly uncomfortable, especially because Ashlyn already had a low opinion of me. Now, she was witnessing me walking down the street wearing nothing but a towel with a cartoon fox girl on the front, and I feared she would mock me mercilessly. My anxiety intensified, and a sense of dread weighed on me. My instincts told me to avoid confrontation, urging me to simply push them both aside, avoid eye contact, and ignore anything they might say. Perhaps treating them as if they were invisible would be the best way to handle this awkward encounter.
As I prepared to do the walk of shame, I felt piercing eyes gazing right into my soul. Ashlyn Starr pulled down her shades and exclaimed, "Lillian! I was wrong about you!"
"I... umm... emmm... eish," I mumbled incoherent nonsense. I really didn't care what she had to say. She was wrong about me? She clearly had a lot of opinions about me that I did not want to hear.
"You... you... are so darn beautiful! That outfit... you look like a goddess in it!" Ashlyn's phone rang, and she instantly shouted, "Shush!" at it and pressed a few buttons on the touchscreen to turn it off.
Can this girl please just leave me be?
"She looks so gorgeous in this getup; does she not, Eliza? She has been prettified by the gods."
So now the sarcasm begins.
Ms. Eliza couldn't be mocking me as well. I finally lifted my head and looked into their faces, and to my surprise, I didn't see mocking, insincere expressions from either of them. I saw Ashlyn and Eliza both with wide eyes of admiration.
I mumbled, "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? You are pulling off this look flawlessly!"
"But... why are you outside my house?"
Eliza commented, "Because you didn't answer your phone or my messages, Lillian Rosemarie Steele. I got worried."
Ashlyn cut in abruptly, "We were worried."
"'We'!?! I don't know you!"
"I am Ashlyn Starr! Duh, everybody knows me, Neko-chan," Ashlyn replied.
"Oh my gosh!" Eliza exclaimed. "She just called you 'Neko-chan'! She only calls people she really, really likes 'Neko-chan'. I've been friends with Ashlyn for over two years, and she has only called me 'Neko-chan' once."
"You were friends for two years? Then why have I never seen you two together before?" I asked.
"She is a busy girl, Lie-lie," Eliza explained.
"I took a few photos of you when you weren't looking," Ashlyn boasted, her face beaming with pride and joy as she extended her phone to show me the pictures she had just uploaded on eBunnee.
Perfect—perfect beyond words. This incident was etched in infamy for all eternity. At that moment, Lillian found herself devoid of any motivation—not even able to sigh as she observed what Ashlyn had done with her photo and the accompanying text. "Ashlyn Starr's fashion choices revive each week with captivating, one-of-a-kind style. Discover a summer outfit that belongs in your wardrobe, perfect for those days when you're unsure what to wear." Another sentence read, "An outfit fit for royalty, so grandiose and majestic, it would make even the heavens themselves bow in awe."
These headlines couldn't be serious. I knew people would buy anything endorsed by a famous person on eBunnee. If a fashion icon like Ashlyn promoted someone wearing bubble wrap, a bin-liner, or a cardboard cereal box, people would still lap it up and wear it. "'A summer outfit that belongs in your wardrobe'? It's a towel! What crazy person would put a darn towel in a wardrobe?"
Eliza stepped forward with a disgruntled face and said, "Lillian, why so negative? Let me tell you, despite your doubts, you look absolutely stunning in that stylish outfit! It's the first time you've tried something like this, and I can see the effort you've put into it. Your creativity and sense of style amaze me. I'm grateful to have you as a close friend."
I still couldn't tell if this was just some elaborate joke or not. I might as well just embrace it and laugh along. With a swift adjustment of the towel, I channelled my inner cute fox-girl, and as I swayed my hips, the towel's face danced in sync with the syllables I pronounced.
"Hey there, Ashlyn and Eliza! Or should I say, Ashliza? Kon. Now, prepare to be amazed as I whip some magic out of my sleeves. Wait, there are no sleeves! I must've left it in my pocket! Oh no! No pockets. Kon, owo!"
Eliza and Ashlyn shared a quiet moment for a few seconds before they burst into laughter in the most endearing way. Eliza gushed, "Whoa, Lillian, I had no idea you could be so cute!"
Ashlyn exclaimed, "She's right, you are incredibly..." A notification on her phone interrupted her sentence, and she quickly resumed tapping on her phone.
Eliza clearly sensed my irritation over the unexpected dismissal by Ashlyn. Comfortingly, she explained, "Don't worry, it's probably a new sponsor reaching out to her, eager to have her promote their latest product! She's in high demand, and anything associated with her name becomes an instant success."
"You should really check your eBunnee channel. She just made you super popular. You really need this boost after that awful Heart-ling Forest blunder."
"People loved my cake!" I retorted, barely registering the rest of her words.
"Yes, for about five minutes. Why did you pick that class if you weren't good at baking cakes?"
Her use of the word "baking" instead of "making" was a little disheartening. I snapped, "Training!"... because we're not just 'baking' anymore!" I meant to say "training a cake"... "we train them with machines to be masterpieces. The class is about using your imagination and coming up with cool concepts and ideas for cakes. But explaining that now just feels like too much effort. Cake-making has evolved; it's no longer just about following recipes. Anyway, I'm freezing standing out here."
Now, both Eliza and Ashlyn were tinkering with their phones and not even paying any attention to me. Fair enough—it was time for me to get away and put on some clothes. Ashlyn could make anything popular. As I took a step away, Eliza—with the intuition of a hawk—immediately noticed my movement. I let out a gasp and went, "Aargh, rarr!"
"Blehh... ehhh... arghh... Seriously? You should check out your page right this instant. Okay!!!" demanded Eliza assertively, mimicking the silly noises I made in her own way.
I groaned and mumbled more noises: "Blehh... ehhh... arghh... ughhh... Blarghh." I looked in Ashlyn's direction; her gaze lifted towards both of us, and confusion reflected on her face while she continued her conversation on the phone.