Silence followed.
This time—
Tia had no answer.
Later.
The drinks were nearly finished.
Joshua's face had turned slightly red.
His words were beginning to slur.
He pointed at Tia.
"You know..."
"Hic."
"...you're kinda stupid."
Tia slowly looked at him.
"What?"
Joshua nodded seriously.
Then hiccupped again.
"You keep acting..."
"Hic."
"...like you're alone."
Silence.
Joshua rubbed his eyes.
Clearly losing the battle against sleep.
Then—
he smiled.
Small.
Genuine.
"Aren't we friends?"
Everything stopped.
For a second—
Tia couldn't breathe.
That word.
Again.
Friend.
Joshua didn't notice.
His head slowly dropped onto the table.
Fast asleep.
Just like that.
Like he hadn't sad a word.
Tia stared at him.
For a long time.
Then—
"...Idiot."
His voice cracked slightly.
Barely audible.
Mr. Lee glanced at him from behind the counter.
A faint smile appeared on the man's face.
But he said nothing.
Some things didn't need words.
Tia stood.
Joshua unconscious beside him.
"I'll be on my way."
Mr. Lee nodded.
Tia lifted Joshua onto his shoulder.
Then headed for the door.
The cool night air greeted him again.
*****
IN THE ACADEMY.
"Agh..."
Tia wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"If I'd known you were this much of a lightweight, I never would've let you drink."
Jay responded with an incoherent mumble.
Tia sighed.
For the past ten minutes, he'd been dragging the drunken boy across the academy grounds.
And he was starting to regret every second of it.
"You're seriously annoying."
He let go.
Jay immediately collapsed onto the nearest bench.
Or at least tried to.
Instead, he slid halfway off and nearly fell to the ground.
Tia stared at him.
"...Unbelievable."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The night air felt strangely cold.
Mr. Lee's words lingered in his mind.
The academy isn't as simple as it looks.
Tia lowered his gaze.
"...So what am I supposed to do now?"
Silence answered him.
Then—
DING.
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
[Unread Messages: +99]
Tia froze.
His exhaustion vanished instantly.
"... this again."
The screen remained floating silently.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Jay."
"Hm...?"
The drunken boy barely opened one eye.
Tia pointed at the screen.
"Can you see this?"
Jay stared blankly.
Then yawned.
"See what...?"
Tia's expression twitched.
"The screen."
"No response "
A pause.
Jay squinted at him.
" you're drunk too..."
"..Hehehe."
Then he rolled over and immediately went back to sleep.
"..."
Tia stood there quietly.
Then sighed.
He glanced around the quiet academy grounds.
No threats.
No movement.
Jay was unconscious, but breathing.
"…He'll survive."
Tia stared at him in silence.
Not anger.
Just exhaustion.
"I don't have time for this tonight."
I'll deal with you tomorrow."
He turned away.
---
Click.
The dorm room door closed softly behind him.
The silence felt comforting.
Tia walked toward his bed.
Slowly.
Tired.
Very tired.
Then—
DING.
The screen appeared again.
[Unread Messages: +99]
Tia stared at it.
"...Alright."
He sat down.
Then read it again.
And again.
"...What sort of nonsense is this?"
His brow furrowed.
Was this because of the alcohol?
A hallucination?
Whatever it was—
he wasn't dealing with it tonight.
"I'll investigate it tomorrow."
A yawn escaped him.
The exhaustion he'd been ignoring all evening suddenly crashed into him.
His eyelids felt heavy.
Too heavy.
Without another glance at the screen, he dropped onto the bed.
A few moments later—
his breathing steadied.
Sleep claimed him.
The screen remained suspended in the darkness.
Silent.
Waiting.
Then—
DING.
[System Resistance Detected.]
A pause.
[Beginning Forced Synchronization.]
[System Awakening Progress: 45%]
[Estimated Time Remaining: 00:20:00]
Tia never saw them.
He was already asleep.
The countdown continued.
00:19:59
00:19:58
00:19:57
...
The room remained silent.
Until—
00:00:01
00:00:00
DING.
[Forced Synchronization Complete.]
[Emergency Survival Protocol Activated.]
[Host Mortality Rate: 99.97%]
[Host Relocation Initiated.]
The room disappeared.
A new message appeared.
[WELCOME,SECOND CHANCE HOST.]
[BEGINNING FIRST TRIAL.]
The screen flickered.
.