The training field was quiet now.
Except for the sound of Shunya chewing.
Two lunchboxes. Two girls. One very confused boy.
He didn't know which lunch to eat first.
Vikoria's was simple: rice with light herbs and a boiled egg shaped like a bunny.
Naomi's was... fiery. Spicy meat rolls with green pepper shaped like angry faces.
"Uh... Maybe I'll alternate bites?"
Vikoria gave a tiny nod.
Naomi crossed her arms. "Do whatever. Not like I care."
So Shunya took one bite from Naomi's box.
His eyes watered instantly. "S-Spicy... My soul's doing push-ups..."
Naomi smirked. "Good. Builds mental resistance."
Next, he took a bite from Vikoria's egg rice.
"Mm... That's... soft. Like eating a nap. In a good way."
Vikoria blushed slightly and looked down.
Naomi coughed.
Jean, from the corner of the field, watched with a smile.
"Never thought I'd see the day a guy got into a lunch war before learning to punch properly," he muttered.
After eating, Shunya laid on the grass, arms behind his head, looking at the sky.
"Two weeks ago I was sulking about my sixth book rejection... now I'm here. Breathing air that smells like pine and burnt mana."
He turned to Vikoria.
"You said something about money and ranks last time. Can we go over that again? I still don't know if I'm rich or poor."
Vikoria nodded. She opened her notebook.
"There are six power ranks used in cultivation societies here," she said gently. "They're simple. Easy < Normal < Hard < Rare < Extreme < Mythic."
"Mythic? That sounds illegal."
She chuckled. "It's not officially confirmed. Some believe it's a legend."
He sat up. "And I'm... Hard level?"
"Yes. That's quite high for a newcomer."
Naomi added from the side, "Too high, if you ask me. Suspiciously high."
"Hey, the system tested me! Blame the floating voice!"
Vikoria turned a page.
"As for money, our region uses a version of the old Ashokan currency. It goes like this:
1 Kārsha = base unit (like copper)
16 Kārsha = 1 Mashaka
20 Mashaka = 1 Suvarna (silver)
10 Suvarna = 1 Pana (gold)
5 Pana = 1 Svarna (platinum)
You received 3 Pana as support funds."
Shunya did some finger math.
"So I can afford food, rent, and... maybe a flying squirrel?"
Naomi sighed. "Just don't waste it all on weird scrolls."
"I wanted to buy a pet frog that explodes on command."
"...I changed my mind. Waste it."
Later that evening, as the sun dipped, Shunya walked with Vikoria through a side path of New Fornia.
"Thanks for helping me with all this," he said. "I feel less like a tourist now."
Vikoria nodded. "I don't mind. You're... honest. It's nice."
He smiled. "People back home didn't say that often. They said I was 'too much.'"
"I like 'too much.'"
Shunya paused.
Was that...?
Before he could respond, Naomi leaped from a tree branch above.
"Are you slacking off again!?"
Shunya yelped.
Naomi tossed him a scroll. "Combat scroll. For beginners. I was going to burn it, but you can have it."
"...Aw, thanks?"
She looked away. "I'm not being nice. I just don't want you dying and making our city look bad."
Vikoria smiled. "You're kinder than you pretend to be."
"I'm not!"
"Mm-hmm."
Shunya was now very aware that both girls were standing very close on either side of him.
His internal system popped up a notice:
[System Warning: You have entered a Romance Triangle Zone. Please proceed with caution.]
"Too late," he whispered.