"Hey—Luffy?" Ryo said.

  "...Yeah?" he replied, already wary of her tone.

  Ryo's eyes sparkled mischievously."You might wanna come ter. Lilith would be completely naked in the bath~ Who knows? Maybe she'll invite you to join~ You're gonna see a very naked Lilith in five minutes. Try not to nosebleed into a coma."

  Luffy's face turned crimson."Ryo, you damn ghost, stop spreading nonsense! I'm not going. That's messed up!"

  But Ryo just giggled and phased through the wall.

  Meanwhile, Lilith, moving toward the bath, paused. She could feel Luffy's flustered presence."Oh man… what was that?"

  Luffy rubbed his temples."These girls are gonna kill me before the curse does…"

  Just then—THUMP. The air shifted. The lights flickered.

  And from behind the closet, a loud screech echoed—wet, raspy, and furious.

  Luffy turned on instinct."Oh come on, I just absorbed a cursed slime!"

  The closet door bsted open, flying across the room and smming into the wall.

  From the shadows, something crawled out.

  No—slithered.

  A giant snake-like creature made of dark ooze surged forward. Its mouth was wide open, full of needle-like teeth, glowing yellow eyes fixed on him.

  Luffy's cursed mark pulsed again—hotter than before.

  "NOPE!" he shouted, backflipping off the bed and nding in a crouch."Why do cursed things always show up after everyone leaves!?"

  The ooze snake hissed, coiling like it was ready to lunge.

  But then—CRASH!Lilith burst back in, wearing only a towel and dripping wet.

  "I just got in the tub, dammit!" she growled.

  Luffy turned, face going beet red."G-GAH! LILITH?! T-T-Towel!!"

  Lilith didn't care. Her eyes locked on the ooze monster."You dare interrupt bath time?"She unched forward, towel fpping dangerously."DIE, YOU HISSY BATH-BREAKER!"

  With a single glowing punch, she smmed her fist into the creature's side. It screamed, part of its body bursting into bck mist.

  But it reformed instantly.

  "Great, regenerating snake. As if bath hair clogs weren't cursed enough," she muttered.

  "Lilith! You're gonna lose your towel!" Luffy shouted.

  "Oh, please. Grow up, baka! You've already seen worse."

  Luffy stammered, but then—his cursed arm lit up.

  Bck and red fmes crackled down his fingers.

  He threw his hand forward.

  "EAT THIS, CURSE SUCTION!"

  The mark activated, and part of the snake monster was sucked directly into his arm.

  But something was different.

  A warmth flooded Luffy's body.

  Too warm.Too... stimuting.

  His eyes widened.

  "O-Oh no. Not again. NOT THE WEIRD FEELING—"

  He stumbled back, knees shaking.

  Lilith blinked."Seriously?! AGAIN?! Are you absorbing evil or… something else?!"

  Luffy covered his face, muttering,"I hate this curse."

  The monster screeched, now smaller.

  Ryo reappeared midair, floating zily with popcorn."Whoa. He's getting cursed and turned on. This is better than drama club."

  "Stop watching this like it's a live show!" Luffy yelled.

  Lilith kicked the rest of the ooze into the wall and finally tied her towel tighter. She walked over and poked Luffy's forehead.

  "You alright, pervy baka?"

  "I—I didn't choose to get cursed by weird-feeling slime!"

  "Sure, sure," she grinned. "Bet you're starting to enjoy these hauntings."

  Luffy groaned into his hands.

  Ryo floated by and gave him a cheeky pat on the head."At least you're not dead~ And hey, bonus: you got an early peek at towel Lilith. I call that a win."

  "CAN WE JUST STOP TALKING ABOUT THE TOWEL?!"

  Lilith smirked as Luffy's yell echoed through the dorm.

  She casually tossed her wet hair back. With one st cheeky gnce his way, she turned on her heel and walked out, towel still barely hanging on.

  "I'm finishing my bath. No more cursed slime interruptions."

  Luffy muttered under his breath, face still pink."This house is cursed… by chaos and bakas."

  As the door closed behind her, silence returned.

  Ryo floated halfway through the ceiling, chuckling."She's so dramatic. I love it. Anyway, I'mma go spy on her bath just for fun—"

  "NO, YOU'RE NOT!" Luffy barked.

  Ryo winked and vanished with a cackle.

  Now alone, Luffy sighed deeply and colpsed backward onto his bed, arms spread wide. He stared at the ceiling.

  His mind was a storm—monsters, curses, girls yelling, shadows, past memories, weird feelings and noises—what even was his life anymore?

  "Just a normal school dorm, huh..." he muttered.

  But then…

  His eyes shifted.

  Something on the shelf caught his gaze—half-hidden behind his crumpled bzer.

  The Book.

  The same creepy old thing, wrapped in red string, that appeared in his bag yesterday.

  He hadn't dared touch it since.

  Luffy reached out.

  The red string uncoiled itself.

  The cover opened on its own.

  His name was scrawled inside—written in blood.

  As he touched it, the blood felt ice-cold—like it had been waiting for him.

  His breath caught in his throat."I forgot about you…"

  His fingers brushed the page.

  "Alright, cursed book… let's see what secrets you've been hiding."

  The words weren't written in any nguage he knew… but somehow, his mind transted them.

  "To the bearer of the curse: Welcome to the first Trial."

  A sharp tingle ran through his palm.

  His eyes widened.

  Wind shifted in the room.

  The lightbulb flickered.

  His cursed mark pulsed softly—like it recognized the book.

  Luffy turned to the next page, and read—

  ?? 65 Days Remain…

  End of Chapter 6