Rrrrr...

The crystal creature loomed over me. Little Shit pressed against my back, trembling.

"Sae," I grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, keeping my voice low. "Is that what I think it is?"

Sae nods.

"Oh wow, that's such amazing cosplay!"

Kurumi bounced past me like she was greeting an old friend. She circled the crystal creature, examining it from every angle.

"This reminds me of that villain from... what was it called? My cousin used to watch it all the time. You know, that Super Zentai show with the crystals and everything!"

I wanted to scream at Kurumi to get back, but my voice caught in my throat.

"Anway, you're just in time! A few minutes later and we would've been closed. Good thing we still have one table set up!"

Kurumi grabbed what passed for the thing's hand - a collection of sharp crystal shards arranged like fingers - and pulled it toward our last decorated table. The creature let itself be led, settling into the chair as she pulled it out.

"Here's our menu!" Kurumi held out. But when the creature tried to take it with its crystal-like fingers, it slipped from her hand and landed with a soft plop on the table.

"That's okay! Just point at what you'd like!"

Just then, a strange sound cut in, like wind chimes in an echo chamber. The crystal creature was... vibrating?

Then the sound grew clearer.

"Rrrrr... Rrrrr... Rrrrr..."

"Oh!" Kurumi checked the menu. "I don't see anything starting with R... Wait! Koyuki-chan, could you heat up one of the omelets?"

"What does an omelette have to do with-" I started, but stopped myself. Trying to follow Kurumi's logic was a one-way ticket to headache land.

Koyuki set down a steaming omelet, its golden surface gleaming under the fluorescent lights. Kurumi skipped over with a ketchup bottle and squeezed it with way too much enthusiasm, drawing what I guess was the letter R.

"There! That's what you wanted, right?" Kurumi beamed, sliding the plate closer to our crystal guest.

The creature's faceless head tilted down at the omelet.

"Oh! I get it! R must be your name!"

"Kurumi, it's getting late. Maybe we should show R out and call it a day." Koyuki said.

As if responding to Koyuki's words, R rose from its chair, now looming over me. It took a step forward, and I instinctively threw up my arms. Behind me, I heard the familiar pop of Rhino shifting from balloon to battle mode. But R didn't move. It just stood there, unmoving, like some abstract art piece that had wandered into our classroom.

After what felt like forever, I lowered my arms.

"I… I don't think it wants to leave."

"Then they can help clean up!" Kurumi chirped.

***

I waved goodbye to Kurumi and Koyuki as they headed off.

"Come on, let's go home." I adjusted Little Shit on my shoulder, but R was standing in front of me, silent and still as a department store mannequin. When I moved, it moved too.

"Are you planning to follow me home?" I asked, not really expecting an answer from something without a mouth.

The crystal chimes sounded again - that weird "Rrrrr" sound that maybe meant yes?

I matched pace with Sae, who walked beside me while Rhino bobbed along. Her hand hadn't left the string tied to her arm since R showed up.

"Hey, about that S-grade kaiju Haruka's been researching about… Do you think it's got something to do with R?"

Sae shook her head. "I called him earlier. He's as lost as we are. Though I suspect we're about to learn more, whether we want to or not."

Wow. Even that pervert doesn't have answers?

Little Shit squeaked and pressed close against my back. I reached up to pat his head. "There, there. At least it's not trying to eat your melon bread."

As we walked down the sidewalk, I watched the setting sun filter through R's crystal body. Light scattered like it was passing through a giant prism, painting rainbow patterns across the sidewalk. It was kind of pretty, in a weird way. I was just relieved it wasn't trying to kill us.

***

I trudged up the apartment steps, already bracing for Gran Gran's inevitable rant about the electric bill would spike with yet another freeloader.

"I'm home."

"Ahhh, you come back!" Gran Gran's voice drifted from the living room.

She shuffled into view wearing her ratty pink bathrobe, her face slathered in some green goop that made her look like a swamp monster. Two cucumber slices covered her eyes as she felt her way along the wall.

"You bring snacks or not? That vending machine. Empty again. Pah! Useless thing."

Chimes filled the living room. "Rrrrr... Rrrrr..."

Gran Gran froze mid-shuffle. "Ryūka... you bring home another strange monster again?

"Not... exactly? It kind of followed me back."

Gran Gran peeled off her cucumber slices and squinted up at R.

"What on earth? First that cross-eyed potato, then that useless space heater... now what? A rock man?" She waved her arms dramatically, cucumbers flying. "Heaven help us! Monster come to eat people, not pay rent!"

Then she stormed off toward the kitchen, muttering about (yup, you guessed it) the electricity bill. I didn't stick around to hear the full lecture. Instead, I headed to my room and collapsed onto the bed, phone already in hand, and Little Shit curling up against my side. Time for my nightly ritual of scrolling through Chirper until my eyes burned.

Mizuki's photos popped up first. For once, I didn't feel that familiar stab of envy. Hard to be jealous of someone's perfect life when you've got a crystal giant looming in your bedroom corner.

Speaking of which... I scrolled to the trending section and nearly dropped my phone. Videos of crystal beings identical to R filled my feed, filmed in cities across the world. Paris, New York, Mumbai - everywhere people were posting clips of these things just... standing around.

Another tag caught my eye: #TheyDisappearanced. My thumb hesitated before tapping it. Thousands of reports flooded in, about people vanishing without a trace. A businessman in Seoul, gone mid coffee break. An entire family in Nigeria, dinner still warm on their table.

"The crystal beings are taking them!" one post screamed.

I didn't take these posts too seriously though. The internet really would connect two random dots if it means chasing clout.

Little Shit snuggled closer, his warmth seeping into my bones. Between the exhaustion of the Bukusai and Little Shit's heating service, sleep pulled at me hard. Even with my new creepy roommate standing silently in the corner, watching, I let my eyes close.