"This rule is definitely good," Quinn sighed.
Kai raised a brow.
"Maybe.. But This rule just avoids human-to-human elimination. That means elimination indirectly is still possible, and it also doesn't stop bullying," Ren added.
There was silence for a moment until Quinn spoke up.
"I'm bringing us some food. I'm a bit hungry."
Kai glanced at Ren, then her weapon, and then at Quinn. "Okay, I'm coming with you."
There were two reasons Kai had volunteered.
First—he didn't want to let Quinn go alone.
Second—he didn't feel comfortable sitting alone with a girl.
"Alright, let's go," Quinn smiled as they moved away towards the canteen.
When they were at a good distance, two boys occupied their seats with wide grins plastered across their faces.
Seeing this, Ren's hand instantly gripped the hilt of her sword.
"Is that a basic-tier beast weapon? Impressive," the boy with grey hair whispered, while the other one, with a slightly fat body, licked his lips, which made Ren feel more than uncomfortable.
"Don't f*cking disturb me…" a lazy voice trailed in the end. "Where is the jungle boy and that monkey with glasses?" Valen said, rubbing his eyes and wiping saliva from the side of his mouth with his sleeve.
____
They both slowed down the moment they entered, eyes scanning the place the way someone would scan a battlefield—except this one smelled like oil and sugar.
The canteen was quite huge compared to what they expected, with many types of colorful food items packed behind glass containers. Neon lights glowed softly at the edges, giving it a premium vibe. It was a bit noisy due to the newcomers.
"…So," Kai said, breaking the silence, "what do people usually eat before risking their lives?"
Quinn blinked. "I… don't know. Food?"
That didn't help.
They stopped in front of a refrigerated section. Inside were rows of frozen cups, bars, and sealed desserts with labels that looked like they'd been designed by someone who thought eating was just another rule to enforce.
Kai leaned closer.
"Why is everything glowing?"
Quinn frowned. "Isn't that… normal?"
They stood there for a few seconds longer than necessary.
Quinn reached for one cup, hesitated, then pulled his hand back.
"What if she doesn't like cold stuff?" he muttered.
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Ren doesn't strike me as someone who complains about temperature."
"That's not the point," Quinn said seriously. "What if it's… too sweet?"
Kai considered that for a second.
"Hmm," he said. "That could be a problem."
Quinn ignored him and picked up a different cup. The label read: Frozen Nutrient Supplement – Berry(?) Flavor.
He stared at it.
"…There's a question mark."
Kai nodded. "Bold move."
Quinn put it back immediately.
They moved down the aisle. Half the freezer was empty, the remaining items either half-melted or cracked.
Kai sighed. "At this point, survival odds are better than food quality."
Quinn finally grabbed two identical frozen cups—plain, dull, no strange colors.
"These," he said, decisive now. "They look… safe."
Kai tilted his head. "That's your criteria?"
"Yes," Quinn replied without hesitation. "If we all hate it, it balances out."
Kai paused.
"…That's oddly tactical."
Quinn glanced at him. "You think?"
Kai smirked faintly. "Yeah. Shared suffering builds teams."
Quinn nodded like that made perfect sense.
They also took some packets of food pills.
Paying quickly, they turned to leave.
A little away from them stood two boys in DMI uniforms, which implied they belonged to 'Squad AP.'
"They took ages just to buy ice cream," one of them scoffed. "I thought they were negotiating a peace treaty."
"Shut up!" the other boy spoke. "Inform them!"
As they walked back, Quinn adjusted his grip on the cups carefully, like breaking them would be a failure on his part.
But just as they were about to enter the dining area, a slightly fat boy struck Quinn's side, making him stumble. One cup fell from his hand, although Kai caught it mid-air.
The fat boy kept walking like he didn't care who was in his way. Another boy with grey hair followed him.
"That was fast," Quinn commented on Kai's reflexes, which made Kai remember adding points to his agility. Shoving the thought aside, he looked at the boy's back.
Squad AP, huh…
They continued to their table like it was nothing, especially Quinn. It was quite common for him—back in school, he was treated even worse. This was nothing.
Kai noticed it but said nothing.
They took their seats.
"What took you so long?" Ren asked.
Kai glanced at Quinn before answering. "Well… someone was too concerned about taste."
Quinn passed the cup and some other snacks, ignoring Kai's comment.
"Who's gonna wake him up?" Quinn asked, looking at the sleeping Valen.
Before anyone could answer, Valen spoke lazily.
"You talk too much."
He grabbed his part of the snack.
He popped a bite into his mouth, chewed slowly, then shrugged.
"Yep. Definitely edible. Just… barely."
What's wrong with this guy? Kai thought before taking a bite. Can't blame him.
After finishing his snack, Valen yawned, stretched his arms, and instantly went back to sleep.
"Wake me once you're done with your strategy parade."
After finishing their meal, it was time to talk about the rules again.
Putting her silver ID in the middle of the table, Ren turned on holographic mode.
"Let's see what the second rule is," Quinn leaned slightly forward.
"This one is pretty useful," Kai commented. "Slide to the next one."
<20% points are tradable (Mutual Consent required).>
"Hey…" Quinn spoke. "What does that mean?"
"I think it means we can donate a part of our ranking points to another squad in exchange for a favor, if all members of both parties agree," Ren explained.
"Twenty percent is no less," Kai added. "Alright, let's move on."
Another rule appeared as Ren slid across her ID.