The Bathroom Nightmare

That afternoon, Anton lay flat on his back, staring at the popcorn texture of his apartment ceiling. In the background, he could hear the steady hum of the shower.

Alice was in there. She didn't actually need to bathe—her synthetic skin was self-cleaning and her internal systems didn't sweat—but she told him she liked the "sensory simulation." She wanted to feel normal, even if it was just an act.

Anton sat up and checked his watch. 5:00 PM.

If I catch the Nozomi Shinkansen, I can be in Kyoto in two hours, he thought. I could face my parents. I could demand the truth instead of waiting for another monster to jump through my wall.

The bathroom door clicked open. Alice stepped out, steam clinging to her skin. She was wrapped in nothing but a single white towel, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders.

"Whoa!" Anton yelled, shielding his eyes with both hands. "Alice! Manners! Use them!"

Alice let out a melodic laugh, the sound echoing in the small room. "Oh, Young Master, don't tell me you're shy? I'm an android, remember? This is just hardware."

She walked over and crouched in front of him, her eyes scanning his face. "I detect a spike in your emotional levels. Your heart rate is climbing. What’s the plan, Anton?"

Anton peeked through his fingers, his face burning. He quickly explained his plan to take the bullet train to Kyoto.

Alice tilted her head, a playful smirk dancing on her lips. "The train? Boring. It’s expensive, crowded, and the view is always the same. Why take a train when we can take a bike? I’ll drive, you hold on. We take the expressway. We can stop whenever we want. Isn't that better?"

"A bike?" Anton blinked. "Whose bike? I don’t even have a bicycle, let alone a motorcycle."

Alice stood up, and before Anton could protest, she let the towel drop. He squeezed his eyes shut again, but he couldn't help but peek—just a little. In a flash of blue light and pixelated energy, the towel vanished, replaced instantly by her white sundress.

"You saw me pull a katana out of thin air, didn't you?" Alice asked, her voice brimming with confidence. "I’m a high-end Android, Anton. My body is packed with nanites. If I’ve seen it and scanned it, I can project it into reality. Matter reconstruction is part of my 'Sacred Shield' kit."

She grabbed Anton’s hand, pulling him toward the door. "Now, put on your shoes. Let’s go to Kyoto."

Behind the apartment building, in a dark, secluded alleyway where the trash bins shielded them from view, Alice stood with her eyes closed.

"What now?" Anton asked, looking around nervously.

"Patience, Young Master. I don't want anyone seeing this. We don't need to go viral on TikTok today—that would just make us a beacon for the Underworld."

She tapped her wrist interface. A holographic blueprint flickered into the air, and suddenly, black particles began to swarm and solidify. Within seconds, a futuristic black sportbike stood before them. It was sleek, aggressive, and bore a counterfeit license plate. On the seat lay's two black leather jackets and two full-face helmets.

"Put these on," Alice commanded, tossing a jacket at him.

She mounted the bike, the digital display glowing to life with a soft hum. The engine roared—a smooth, predatory sound that vibrated through the pavement. Anton climbed onto the back seat, feeling awkward and stiff.

"You want to fall off, dummy?" Alice shouted over the engine's growl. "Wrap your arms around me. Tight."

Anton hesitated, then gingerly placed his hands on her waist.

"Tighter!" Alice teased. "I'm about to break the sound barrier!"

She kicked the bike into gear and vroom—the front wheel lifted off the ground for a split second before they blasted out of Ginza and onto the expressway. Anton let out a wild, high-pitched laugh as the speedometer climbed: 180... 220... 250 km/h. Tokyo’s lights became a blur of neon streaks. For the first time in his life, Anton felt like he was flying.

"Faster, Alice! Go faster!" he yelled like a little kid.

Alice laughed, the sound piped through his helmet’s intercom. "Careful what you wish for, kiddo!"

An hour into the ride, the adrenaline started to fade, replaced by a very human problem.

"Alice! I... I have to pee!" Anton shouted.

"Seriously?" Alice teased. "We’re making such good time! Can't you hold it with your 'Sacred Willpower'?"

"No! My bladder doesn't care about destiny! Stop the bike!"

Alice sighed. "Fine. There’s an exit ahead. We’ll find a Seven-Eleven."

They pulled off the highway and found a lonely convenience store sitting on the edge of a darkened rural road. It was 7:00 PM, and the place was deserted, save for the hum of the refrigerated aisles.

Alice parked the bike. "Go on then. Don't be long. And get me four cans of something cold when you’re done. I’m thirsty."

"You got it," Anton said, hopping off the bike and sprinting toward the restroom located on the side of the building.

The bathroom was quiet—unnervingly so. Anton picked the furthest urinal, wanting some peace. But just as he started, the faucet to his right turned on by itself. Then it stopped.

The air grew cold. The humming of the fluorescent lights ceased. Time stood still.

Oh no... not again, Anton thought, his stomach dropping.

The door of the stall behind him shattered into two jagged pieces. Anton fumbled with his zipper, his heart hammering against his ribs. He tried to scream, but his voice felt like it was trapped in a box. His legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed onto the floor.

Standing in the doorway was a nightmare in a woman’s shape. She had unnaturally long, matted black hair that moved like snakes. In her hand, she gripped a massive, rusted scythe dripping with fresh blood. Her tongue rolled out of her mouth, slithering across the floor toward Anton’s feet.

"Sacred Blood..." she hissed, her voice sounding like wet gravel. "Come to me..."

"Alice!" Anton tried to yell, but it came out as a pathetic whimper.

CRASH!

The bathroom wall exploded as Alice kicked her way through, already in her combat armor. Her katana was drawn, the blade glowing with a deadly blue light.

"You’re a particularly ugly one, aren't you?" Alice said, her eyes narrowing.

The demon shrieked. Her hair erupted, splitting into dozens of sharp, spear-like appendages that lunged at Alice. Alice moved like a dancer in a cage, her blade a blur as she sliced through the hair-spears one by one.

The space was too small. Alice grabbed the demon’s throat and threw her through the exterior wall, sending both of them tumbling into the empty parking lot.

The demon swung her scythe, a massive arc of red energy tearing through the asphalt. Alice dodged, her armor sparking as a hair-tendril grazed her side. She didn't slow down. Her nanites began repairing the wound instantly as she charged.

"Lullaby... of Rage!" Alice whispered.

She spun, her sword catching the moonlight. The demon tried to shield herself with her hair, but Alice’s blade cut through it like a hot knife through butter. With a final, brutal lunge, Alice took the demon’s head.

The body collapsed, and like the tiger before it, the remains dissolved into black mist.

Time snapped back. The crickets began to chirp again.

Alice walked back into the bathroom, looking perfectly normal in her white dress again, though her eyes still carried a trace of the battle's heat. She found Anton still sitting on the floor, trembling.

"Hey. Grab your drinks and let's go, Ton," she said, offering a hand.

They walked into the store. Alice looked at him, then looked down. Anton was holding a pair of new pants he’d grabbed from the 'salaryman emergency' shelf.

"Why the new pants?" Alice asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Anton looked away, pointing at the dark stain on the front of his jeans. He hadn't managed to finish his 'business' before the demon attacked. He had, quite literally, wet himself.

Alice burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Oh my god, you really are a baby! You got so scared you couldn't even finish?"

"I wasn't scared!" Anton defended himself, his face turning a shade of purple. "I was in the middle of it! It’s a biological reaction to a surprise scythe-lady!"

"Sure, sure," Alice teased, poking his shoulder as they headed back to the bike.

For the next two hours of the ride, Alice didn't let him live it down. She teased him over the intercom, calling him 'Little Piss-Knight.'

Despite the embarrassment, Anton didn't let go of her. He held on tight, his face pressed against her back. Amidst the terrifying world of demons and destiny, the warmth of Alice’s synthetic body felt like the only safe place left in the world. As the signs for Kyoto began to appear, he closed his eyes, grateful for his loud, teasing, and deadly bodyguard.

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