The three had a trio of names left, and stepped up to the first the next day. A neon sign overhead read 'RAYAKA'S HUGE PRICKS', and a placard in the window read 'NO PUSSIES'.

"Charming." muttered Mia.

Desks of antiseptic bottles were along the walls inside, a chair & recliner at the center, and two cubicles at the back. Someone black-haired, wearing a white coat & collar was sitting in the chair, attending to his shirtless client in the recliner.

"Excuse me." said Aimee, forty feet separating them as the man glanced back. "We're Urasaria students - wanted to ask you a few questions."

"The sign said 'no pussies'." he said, resuming his work. "I count three. Probably."

Aimee muttered something as Rider's tendrils burst from her wrists, and in the next instant -

- her blade was at his throat, herself standing right behind him. "Tell me if you fucking know anything, or -"

" - if that's how you want it!" he shouted, and in the next instant -

- Aimee swept back just in time for a serpent to burst out of the ground underneath his feet -

- and swallow him alive in the next. One bottle shuddered at Mia's left -

- but her & Marisa swept back just in time to avoid the man bursting out of it, laughing as he landed between the two & the one; Rider's tendrils went taut again -

- and the serpent swallowed the man again before she could swipe, Aimee appearing where he'd just been as he reappeared at the other end of the parlor, pool of green saliva dripping on the wall, forty feet separating them from him again.

His client's head was in his hands, laughing as he discarded it. "Mizuchi." The serpent's full form swayed up out of the pool, fangs dripping and head swaying. As he shouted a time limit of five minutes to spare, Mia noticed the scarab tattoo on his neck, and in the next instant -

- half of the antiseptic bottles burst open in showers of liquid and covered the floor -

- and the three swept with the speed of light back as Mizuchi burst out of the midfloor streak, Rayaka still laughing behind, serpent's head swaying as Rider's tendrils dipped in Mia's veins. Enhancement in her now, her scarabs flew in to the liquid -

- and set it alight; Mizuchi screeched as its home burst in to flames -

- but a swift hack of saliva doused it as the rest of the alcohol burst in to flames, fire shooting up the walls, Mia wincing as smoke filled the room -

" - enhance!" shouted Aimee, reaching for Marisa's hand -

- and a dozen Boudoir balls doused a dozen fires in an instant, smoke's advance slowing as the three stepped back, Mizuchi still swaying ahead -

" - what a fucking firebrand you are, Mia Schultz!" laughed Rayaka -

- and the keen end of one antiseptic bottle hit Mizuchi's maw; a scarab followed -

- and burst again in to flames; Rayaka shrieked as he staggered back - " - and - and a f-fucking thief, too!" he shouted, and in the next instant -

- Mizuchi burst up out of one drop of liquid behind her; Aimee enhanced her as her sword spun -

- and cleaved a quarter through the rabid beast, venom shooting out of its vicious wound -

- but a swift scarab boiled the venom to steam and away, three safe as Mizuchi retreated again. Aimee felt its saliva hit her back -

" - Boudoir!" shouted Marisa, sweeping her gloves across Aimee's back, and Boudoir absorbed the saliva. They noticed their foe had disappeared ahead -

- but groaned as they heard the tattoo needles rumble ahead; before they could react, the needles burst open in showers of ink, Rayaka appearing in the clouds of liquid ahead. Bullets erupted from Marisa's palms to try to absorb the sudden volley, but in the next instant -

- Mizuchi's shrunken head appeared out of the sweat on Aimee's neck -

- but her Riderhand gripped it tight, knife in the other as she stabbed clear through, and as the blood burst out of the serpent, arcing over her -

- Rayaka appeared above her -

- and flew in to one saliva pool on the wall in the next, disappearing as the three kept their eternal step back, Mia trying to dissolve what she could, Boudoir trying to absorb -

" - please, go ahead - go ahead!" they heard his voice laugh, Mizuchi's head slithering out of every drop of liquid it could - " - I've got fucking gallons here! Can bring in some other fucking friends, too!"

- Mizuchi's head burst up ahead -

- and disappeared just in time for Aimee's vicious swipe; a swarm of scarabs followed her -

- but couldn't match Mizuchi's speed, serpent bouncing and appearing around for another minute, three sighing but unable to lose their focus, saliva replacing whatever ink was dissolved -

" - time's up, dykey-dykes!" shouted Rayaka behind; they turned -

- and saw Mizuchi swallow him whole, three sets of eyes still turning for where he'd appear next, no calm until two minutes had passed without him -

" - for fuck's -" groaned Aimee, relevantly -

" - how the fuck do you even catch that?" winced Marisa, Boudoir forming bandages for their wounds.

"I - we need something with better range or something, fuck." sighed Aimee. "Maybe - ugh, maybe Makoto or someone. Matoi or - fuck."

"I - I'm sorry I can't boil his saliva, either." sighed Mia. "I didn't -"

" - no, u-uh, hey." said Aimee, coming over. "You didn't.. you did the right call, yeah."

"Yeah, Mia-Mia." nodded Marisa. "Just need to - yeah, like. I bet someone with good range could hit him, too."

"Yeah." Aimee nodded to Mia. "Don't, uh, don't beat yourself up about it."

Admittedly, Mia hadn't been, but she'd known Aimee to be overly kind to (who she assumed was) every student.

"It's alright." smiled Mia, and Aimee too.

"…yeah. Just, uh…" She sighed. "…maybe Makoto. She's got pretty good range. Can blast him unconscious from across the room."

"That'd be good." grinned Marisa. "What are we gonna do now, though?"

Aimee nodded. "Let's, uh - check around here, and... two other guys we planned, too. Just to make sure."

"I… er, hope this is enough progress." sighed Mia as they started.

"I bet it will be, yeah. Plus, um. Got swap week next week."

"Yeah." said Marisa. "Uh - you get a different mentor for the week, but, like…"

"Er, y-yeah." said Aimee. "Uh. Can exempt you if you want, yeah. Wouldn't want to - yeah."

"That's alright." laughed Mia. "Er - if I can, I-I would like to participate, yes."

"Cold." murmured Marisa mock-ruefully, and the three laughed.