"What?!" the three screamed, their mouths gaping in apparent surprise.
"Uh?" Code froze, blinking nervously.
'Why do they look like they've seen a ghost?' he wondered.
"C-Code?" Van's voice trembled. "I-is that you?" His eyes were wide with disbelief.
Code turned to him. "Yeeeahhh…" he answered, confusion dripping from his tone.
"Is there something different about me?" he asked, furrowing his brows.
"No…" Van shook his head, though his lips twitched. "It's just…" He raised his hand to cover his mouth as a chuckle threatened to escape.
'What the hell is wrong with these people? Do I look like a clown to them?' Code whispered to himself, his gaze drifting toward Nara.
Nara looked like he was on the verge of bursting—not from pain, but from the opposite. He strained to hold in his laughter.
Hina, standing beside him, had her eyes half-lidded, her cheeks flushed bright red.
'Her too?' Code worried. He bit his lip. 'First day here and they already think I'm a joke? Nonsense!'
Shaking his head in frustration, he exclaimed, "You know what? I don't understand whatever's happening here. It'd do me a whole lot of good if you explained!"
"He hasn't even noticed yet?" Hina whispered between muffled giggles.
"Uh?" Code blinked, even more confused.
Van slowly raised his hand and pointed at something behind him.
"What's…" Code's eyes widened as he turned—
—and froze.
"Ugh…" His breath caught.
Right in front of him was a glass screen mounted on the wall.
But it wasn't the screen that stunned him.
It was what was reflected on it.
He was standing naked.
"What the hell?!" Code staggered back, cheeks flushing crimson.
"Puhahahaha!" Nara and Hina instantly exploded into laughter, their voices echoing through the room.
"Lord have mercy, how'd this happen?" Code stammered in disbelief.
"Good grief!!" Van chuckled, shaking his head.
"Oi, you really brought us a clown this time, Van!" Nara shouted, still laughing uncontrollably.
I wish I could sink into the ground right now, Code thought bitterly.
"And it had to be in front of…" His gaze flicked to Hina.
She was laughing so hard that tears sparkled at the corners of her eyes.
"You don't see comedians this good anymore," she giggled, wiping her face.
"Jeez, my ribs hurt so bad," Nara groaned, clutching his side but laughing all the same.
---
Minutes—maybe hours—of laughter later, the noise finally died down.
Now clothed, Code sat at the dining table, opposite Nara, who sat adjacent to Van. Their eyes were still swollen from laughter.
"My first day in front of the highly esteemed Van Ackerman had to be this bad?" Code muttered grimly. "Who knows what's going to happen next…"
"No need to feel so bad about it, bro," Nara said, patting his shoulder. "It's not your fault. Everyone's first day is usually blue…"
The sunlight through the window fell on Nara's back, his words carrying a quiet warmth that reached Code. For a moment, his eyes softened, misty with relief. That was exactly what he needed to hear.
Then Van spoke.
"…except yours went a little too south."
He and Nara burst into fresh laughter.
'Do these people know any better than to mock others?' Code thought with a frown.
"Hey, stop teasing him," Hina's voice cut in. She turned toward the table, her tone a strange mix of pity and humor.
"Ohmigosh…" Nara huffed. "I've never laughed this hard in my life."
Suddenly—
Bang!
Code's head snapped up in alarm.
"Ouch, what was that for?!" Nara yelped, clutching his head where Hina's kettle had landed.
"Okay, that's enough," she said coldly, shooting a sharp glare at Van. His laughter died instantly.
'Woah…' Code thought. Just one look from her had silenced the room.
Then, just as suddenly, her eyes brightened.
"Code, want some coffee?" she asked with a smile.
A chill ran down his spine. He knew refusing wasn't an option.
"Oh-uh, yeah. Thanks," Code said quickly, nodding frantically.
Hina turned back to the cabinet.
"Phew…" Nara sighed in relief the moment her gaze left him.
From their expressions, Code realized Hina ruled the room.
"By the way," Nara grinned, "the name's Nara. Don't ever forget it."
"Oh, Nara," Code nodded. "I'm—"
"Don't worry, I'll never forget yours," Nara cut him off smugly. "Not after today."
"So, Code…" Van leaned forward, his tone sharp. "You know you slept for five days, right?"
"F-five days?" Code stammered.
"Yeah, for real," Nara nodded. "I was as surprised as you."
"We all thought you were dead…" Nara added.
"Yeah," Hina said, handing Code a steaming cup. "If not for the punches I knocked into their heads, you'd be six feet under by now."
Code's eyes brightened as he accepted it. He took a sip, warmth steaming against his cheeks as they flushed red.
"It's… really sweet," he whispered, taking another.
Coffee was a rare luxury in Tenebrous—grown only in Nefaria, imported at ridiculous costs. Code had never dreamed of drinking it.
A smile tugged at Hina's lips as she sat beside him.
"Sleeping that long isn't normal," she said, pouring herself a cup.
"Way too abnormal," Van added, his voice serious.
Code raised his gaze toward the white-painted ceiling. "Maybe… it was that place," he muttered, as memories of the corridor flickered in his mind.
"What place?" Hina asked, curious.
Nara paused mid-motion, his hand frozen above the sugar cubes.
"The first time I woke up," Code began, setting the cup down with a soft clack. "I stepped out of the room, but instead of here, I was stuck in this never-ending corridor—rows of identical doors and identical rooms, stretching forever. It was maddening…"
Suddenly—
"Uh?!"
Code froze at their expressions. Nara's face was rigid. Hina's eyes were wide.
"Wha-what? Why are you all frozen?" Code asked nervously.
"Do you realize what you've done?" Nara's voice thundered.
"N-no… Did I do something wrong?" Code panicked.
"You… you entered a singularity!!" Hina cried.
***
TBC
I'm very sorry for the slow update, guys. I've been having a lot of exams lately. But I promise, as soon as I'm done, I'll upload as many chapters as possible.