Wait, we're already at Chapter 2, right? Let me recall where I left off... Ah, right! We were at the moment I followed Theia. I know I'm taking my time, I just forgot for a second. Let's continue.
If I remember correctly, when I stepped out of the classroom, Theia was about 7 meters ahead of me. I tried to follow her quietly to avoid being caught. I made sure to time my footsteps with the sound of the Kaiju explosions outside. Why? If you have a brain, you'd know! Obviously, so the sound of the explosions would mask my footsteps.
I tried not to take my eyes off Theia, but the longer she walked, the faster she became. It seemed like she was sensing my presence. But that shouldn't have been possible. From the way she acted before leaving the class-leaving without hesitation-it seemed she thought no one would notice her departure. Maybe she thought the same about me.
I kept following her without trying to overtake her. If anyone else saw this, they'd definitely think I was a stalker. Due to the Kaiju's impact, the power in the school was failing; the hallway lights flickered on and off, making it difficult to track her. From back here, for some reason, I felt a chilling aura from Theia. She felt as terrifying as a ghost.
I followed her for several minutes, still having no idea where she was going. She seemed to be circling the hallways repeatedly. Was she making sure no one was following her? But with that trick, she should have caught me ages ago.
Dargh! It sounded like the Kaiju outside had been handled by the heroes. Hearing that sound distracted me for a moment, and I didn't realize that Theia had vanished from my sight. I tried running toward where I last saw her. It was a bit stupid; you'd think that by running, she'd notice me, but I didn't care! That's what panic does to you.
When I reached the spot, there was nothing there. I looked left and right. To my right was the door to the school library. I thought there was no way she'd go there now, but then again, maybe she thought the library was safer than the classroom.
I entered the library. Pushing the door open, I saw nothing. I went inside, closed the door, and began searching. Hallway after hallway, but there was no sign of Theia. I was confused but kept looking.
At the very end of the library aisles, I saw Theia standing in front of a bookshelf. She was touching several books as if entering a code for a secret room. She also began muttering in a strange language. Was it an ancient tongue? Babylonian, perhaps? I had no idea.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the room, knocking books off the shelves. The wind pulled me toward Theia until the bookshelf in front of her shifted, forming a doorway to another room. My guess wasn't wrong. I followed her inside.
The moment I entered, everything turned bright, making me dizzy. Then, suddenly, the room went pitch black and transformed into a tunnel. I followed Theia through the dark passage. For some reason, time felt longer in there than outside-like a slow-motion recording.
Finally, Theia reached the end of the tunnel, which was a dead end. However, in the center of that dead end were three elevators leading who-knows-where. I waited for Theia to take the first elevator. As soon as she stepped inside, the doors closed. Immediately after, I took the second one. Inside, there were no floor buttons, only a button to close the door.
Once I pressed it, the elevator began to descend. Strange anthems of the nation's heroes played inside, which felt bizarre. The light was a golden yellow, and the air smelled fishy and a bit musty. It felt damp and eerie.
The elevator opened onto a floor I didn't recognize. All I knew was that this place was weird. It was a single long corridor with dim overhead lighting. The floor was slightly wet, and there was a faint scent of apples and pineapples. I walked down the straight path. Was I in some kind of city sewer? It was creepy, but not filthy like a typical sewer.
A strong wind blew from the end of the corridor. I ran as hard as I could. Gradually, I saw light ahead. Was it the end? I could hear voices talking. I couldn't hear them clearly, but they weren't using that strange accent from my dream.
As I ran, my mind raced. I began to regret following Theia. But finally, the light revealed the end of the hallway: a massive hall with a conference table in the middle. There were about seven people in strange costumes, and one of them was Theia.
I shouldn't be here! Who were they? I immediately hid behind a container near the exit. They were discussing ways to defeat Kaijus. Based on their costumes and conversation, I could conclude one thing: they were The Circle Of Freedom.
The Circle Of Freedom, or simply The Circle, is the national hero association. It consists of twenty heroes from various cities, funded by the government. It seemed my luck had run out; I had stumbled into their secret headquarters. All I could do was wait for the meeting to end and then escape.
One big question burned in my mind: Why was Theia here? Had she been a hero all this time? The Theia I knew was just a beautiful class president. Since when? She often asked for eight minute breaks from class. Was that enough time to be a hero? Since time seemed to move slower here, my assumption might be right.
Which hero rarely appeared in public? Oh right! Rezt Guard! The only hero whose news was rarely heard. There was a high chance Theia was Rezt Guard. But from what I remembered, Rezt Guard was one of the most ferocious heroes in the association-the total opposite of the kind Theia I knew.
Accidentally, I bumped into the container behind me quite hard. The noise alerted the heroes. My heart hammered against my ribs. I heard them standing up from their chairs. I braced myself... 5... 4... 3.. 2... 1... I ran as fast as I could!
Thud! I tripped and fell right in the middle of the heroes' meeting table. My heart felt like it was going to stop. I looked at the faces around me; they looked like they wanted to devour me. A crazy plan flashed through my mind. I immediately screamed at the top of my lungs while flailing my body like a baby. My hands and feet hammered against the table repeatedly. I could hear some of them getting annoyed.
Suddenly, my body went stiff and I couldn't move. My mouth was frozen shut. One of them began to speak:
"Hey! Who are you, kid?"