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Part 7. The Third Dust - A Key's Fragrant Pounce
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The two entered the interior of the upside-down house and found a set of L-shaped sofas and a coffee table set up normally. However, the rest of the stairs, ceiling, furniture, and l am pstands were all flipped upside down.
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The stairs were divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower. Each level had a door located behind the coffee table, beneath the left staircase (upside from their perspective), and above the right staircase (downside from their perspective).
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"Between the Names of Noses." Jasky looked at the sign hanging from the ceiling (actually the floor) with the countdown timer for the water pipes below it. The title read:
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The Third Dust - A Key's Fragrant Pounce: Please find a tulip in the garbage heap. The upside-down house will collapse in 1 hour.
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"This time, we have more time compared to the previous two levels. In the first one, we had to draw, in the second one, we had to listen. Now we're supposed to pick up trash?" Toosb sounded somewhat discouraged.
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"Don't let one-sided words mislead you..." Due to the recent conflict, Jasky had no energy left for critical thinking. He noticed the lit door on the right, indicating that someone had entered.
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Observing the other two doors that hadn't lit up yet, Jasky called out to Toosb, "Hey, silly rabbit, this time we have more time. Let's each choose a door to enter and assess the situation."
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"Oh, I agree. Anyway, I'm not good at thinking!" Toosb happily agreed.
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"However, the difficulty might have increased. Little bird, keep an eye on that silly rabbit for me." Jasky said to Mido, perched on Toosb 's shoulder.
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"Wait! I can watch out for myself..."
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Thud!
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With that, Jasky walked towards the middle door and closed it behind him.
"Chirp chirp?" Mido tilted its head at Toosb.
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"Don't underestimate me, the Rhythmic Hairstylist! What's difficult about finding a tulip in the trash? Watch me be the first to clear this level!" Toosb swiftly ran up the left staircase, turning the doorknob but momentarily forgetting that it was upside down. He quickly adjusted and turned it upwards.
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Upon opening the door, he found himself in what appeared to be a sickroom. The medicinal smell made him slightly queasy. The walls were all white, and in the center was a sickbed surrounded by curtains. A putrid smell emanated from it.
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"A hospital? Ew, it stinks here! How can a tulip be in a place like this?" Toosb held his nose and cautiously moved forward. He pulled back the curtain, revealing various medical instruments inside, such as a heartbeat monitor, IV drip, and the sickbed itself. On the bed lay a patient covered by a blanket, with flies buzzing around its emaciated feet, making it look like a corpse.
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Toosb made a disgusted expression. "Gross..."
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Beep───── Beep───── Beep─────
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The instruments beeped rhythmically. Toosb pinched his nose and tentatively lifted a corner of the blanket. More unpleasant smells wafted out, but unlike the smell of a corpse, this scent made him feel drowsy, like he was under the influence of heroin.
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"Could it be..."
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Beep───── Beep───── Beep───── Beep── Beep── Beep── Beep──
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The instruments accelerated as Toosb 's heart rate increased. Taking a deep breath, he mustered the courage to pull back the blanket entirely. The sight of the patient's face filled him with terror, and the insults from the electronic devices in the previous level echoed in his mind:
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Laughing heartily while injured. Is this kid sick?
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I heard his father suffers from hysterical laughter syndrome. It must be hereditary.
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What a disgusting little child. I wonder if he'll end up doing drugs like his father in the future?
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"Hahaha... Hahahaahahaahahaahahaahahaaha──"
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The sickbed clanged, and the patient, who had been motionless until then, suddenly burst into a crazed laughter. The intense smell of decay and heroin filled the air.
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Toosb covered his face and began laughing hysterically as well. The entire sickroom echoed with their manic laughter.
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"Hahahahaahahahaaha──"
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Toosb fled back to the upside-down house in panic, leaning weakly against the closed door. The lingering odor and laughter left him trembling. He covered his face with his hands and continued to laugh uncontrollably and self-mockingly.
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"Hahahahaaha... Why... is he here..."
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★ ★ ★
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Elaborate carved furniture, Victorian-style decor, ornate crystal chandeliers—this was the house where Jasky grew up. He was currently hiding behind a curtain in the hallway, peering into a dimly lit wall where two shadows were arguing vehemently. One was a female figure, and the other was a man wearing a top hat.
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The man was carrying a large suitcase and seemed unable to hear any sound due to the peculiar structure of the room. However, it was evident that their argument was intense.
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"Are they making fun of me?" Jasky was well aware that the two shadows were his parents. The scents of perfume wafted from them—one was the perfume his mother often used, but the other was the scent of an unfamiliar woman's perfume.
This was likely the reason for their heated argument. Jasky had long heard about his father's affair due to his pursuit of magical dreams, which he couldn't handle under his mother's reprimands. This had happened even before he entered elementary school.
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The mother's figure was in a physical struggle with the father's, both trying to take the suitcase. The father held onto the mother's hand tightly, constantly explaining, but the mother was on the verge of a breakdown. Furniture and decorations around them were scattered due to the conflict.
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Clash! Thud!
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Memories of the past flooded back, and after forcefully closing the door, Jasky realized he had escaped back to the upside-down house. The scents of the two perfumes from the night of their divorce lingered, and he was sweating profusely, pressing his hand to his forehead. He looked up at the still-floating "A Key's Fragrant Pounce" title in the air and muttered, "What a lousy title. Are they fooling with me?"
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