CHAPTER 44
They spent several hours exchanging information and stories about their classes and, most especially, their instructors.
"No way! You got a Captain teaching you?" Van exclaimed in shock.
"So did I. You didn't?" Kai asked with a confused look on his face.
Van shook his head while rubbing his hair awkwardly.
After they exhausted the stories of their classes, they transitioned into getting to know each other better, trying to forge a stronger bond between themselves.
Soon enough, it was time for dinner, which was served at 5:30 pm.
They got their meals and sat at a table, eating together under the frowns of other Aspirants who disliked the fact that a high grader was seated with low graders.
But as usual, Kai didn't mind.
He kept striking up conversations with his friends as they ate quietly, before eventually deciding to head back to their room.
This time, Ray was tired of talking.
He lay on his bed silently, gazing at the ceiling for several minutes.
In fact, an entire hour passed and it was already 7 pm without him moving an inch. He just stared at the ceiling while thinking about how he would perfect his kicks.
'... At this slow rate of learning, how would I grow stronger fast enough before another attack strikes? Or worse, before we get sent on a mission.'
He was deep in thought when a loud rumble broke through the silence, snapping everyone out of whatever they were thinking as their gazes turned toward Ray.
The sound was also enough to drag him out of his thoughts as he glanced down at himself—specifically, his stomach.
It growled loudly, causing him to wince in embarrassment while clutching his abdomen.
"Ohoy~ you still hungry?" Kai asked with a mild chuckle.
Ray sat upright on his bed, his cheeks flushing red.
"I think so."
"Why don't you head over to the Corps' shop and get yourself something to eat? The cafeteria is closed by now," Kai suggested while staring at Ray, who nodded slowly.
Turning to his wristwatch, his credit balance stared back at him ominously.
'Just thirty credits, eh? Will it be enough to get—'
Noticing his hesitation, Kai swiftly stood up and yanked Ray's hand.
Before the boy could say anything, Kai placed his own watch over Ray's, transferring a total of fifty credits.
"What the hell? Why did you do that for?" Ray asked as he pulled his hand back, staring at Kai in disbelief.
Kai simply shrugged.
"You're hungry, so I sent you money so you can get something to eat. I can't sleep with growling noises in my ears."
Ray rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"I... I can't take this."
Van exhaled while pinching the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.
"Just take the money and go get yourself something."
Another growl from Ray's stomach cut him off before he could argue further.
He slowly stood up from his bed.
"Thanks. I'll pay you back."
"Whatever," Kai dismissed while waving his hand as he collapsed onto his bed.
Turning around, Ray bolted for the door.
"Don't stay out too late. Wouldn't want you missing curfew!" Van worriedly shouted behind Ray's back as the door closed shut.
*****
After leaving the room, Ray could be seen walking briskly while following the directions on his watch.
His mind was so consumed by hunger that he hadn't realized that, as soon as he left the building, four people caught sight of him.
And they began trailing behind him.
'I wonder why I'm suddenly hungry? I ate a full plate of dinner just an hour or so ago, so why?' he pondered as he passed through the Corps' forest, which was cleared of any danger.
The forest was relatively safe and was only a few dozen metres away from the main Corps.
It was a spot for Aspirants to do whatever they wanted because the place was quite hidden.
Jogging through the forest, he passed it by, and after a few more minutes, he found himself at the shop.
Walking in, he could see it was a medium-sized building serving different things for the Aspirants' use.
Ranging from snacks to utilities like masks, whistles, and so on.
Without wasting a second, Ray walked to the snack counter and picked up quite a number of snacks ranging from cookies, popcorn, hot dogs, and even a chocolate bar for a reason.
He placed them on the counter with an eager smile.
"That will be sixty-five credits."
Ray held out his hand and did the transfer, leaving him with a total of fifteen credits left.
He waited for three minutes as the owner of the stall began packing his snacks into a polythene bag, while Ray had already impatiently begun munching on the chocolate bar.
"Here you go," the man said as he handed the bag over to Ray, who collected it with a gentle smile.
"Thank you."
With that, he walked out of the shop, the cool air rustling through his hair as he looked up to stare at the half moon peeking from the night sky.
With a shrug, he continued munching on the chocolate bar while slowly walking back to the Corps.
He was already done with the chocolate by the time he got to the forest.
Dipping his hand into the bag, he pulled out a packet of cookies and began devouring it as he walked into the forest.
He had just covered a considerable distance from the entrance of the forest and had about seventy metres left to get back to the academy when he sighted four people loitering in the forest, chatting together.
He was unable to clearly see their faces, but the glow from their wrists gave them away as Aspirants.
Not really minding them, he shrugged and continued on his way, determined to avoid them as he kept munching on his snacks when—
"What guts you have to be casually walking around by this time and eating?"
Hearing the voice, Ray froze in his tracks instantly.
He slowly turned around to stare at the speaker, and realization dawned on him.
"Flinn?"