The smell of fried, baked, and roasted meat wafted through the air, drifting toward me. It was like a hook made of aroma, tugging at my senses and pulling me in.

  If this sensation was even half as captivating as sex, I could understand the obsession with it.

  Unfortunately, a pure, maiden, non-hormonal being like I could not comprehend it at the slightest.

  I straightened my posture and kept my frame composed, trying not to look foolish.

  "So… could you take us in? Please?" I asked.

  "Yes! Let's go in already, great teacher!" Hessien cried, almost dropping to his knees, but Vacinay caught him by the shirt collar just in time.

  Ghomas was so absorbed in the scent of the food that he didn’t notice anything else. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, making strange noises of appreciation.

  What the hell?

  Is this guy… no, I don’t want to think about that.

  "Of course," Yamanda said, awkwardly pulling a purse from her armor.

  That thing definitely wasn’t designed for pockets.

  Good luck, miss. We don’t have a single coin.

  Speaking of which, shouldn’t that old man have given us some money?

  What was wrong with him?

  Maybe because we’re the first reality defenders, there were no established customs, and he just had no clue how to treat us?

  Honestly, considering he tried to control us with that evil manifestation—whatever her name was—I could believe it.

  Speaking of her, I’m surprised she’s still in Hessien. Does she have some insane sleep schedule, or is she hiding? If she’s out in the open like this, the knights would definitely try to kill her. And since they share… whatever they share, Hessien would be a target too unless she blows them apart with that mouth blast of hers.

  Back to Yamanda. Her purse is... interesting. Completely black, adorned with skulls, spiders, and coffins.

  She’s a goth, isn’t she?

  "Hmm..." Yamanda wore a complicated expression as she rummaged through the purse, running her finger along the corners and crevices as if looking for something hidden.

  Don’t tell me...

  Vacinay muttered, “You’re poor too?”

  Yamanda froze, her posture stiffening as if a piece of her soul had died. "No... I just don’t see the value in money!"

  I mean, it’s one thing not to love or value money, but it’s another entirely to have not a single coin—even if you seem to have an important job.

  Hessien dropped to his knees, crushed. “No... this can’t be... She’s useless. It must be a trade-off for being so beautiful...”

  Ghomas snapped out of his food-induced trance, stepping back in disbelief. It was as if he’d been betrayed.

  “You mean... you brought us here for nothing? No, you planned this!” He pointed at her, his voice full of accusation. “You knew we were weak to food, hungry... so you made us happy, gave us hope—DAMN hope—only to tear it down!”

  Okay… what the hell did he mean by ‘we’?

  If I remember correctly, he was the only one who ate breakfast!

  I wanted to shut him up for that, and for the weird looks we were getting because of his dramatic outburst.

  Thankfully, the stares didn’t last long—except from a few kids and adults. Most people were too busy, which was a relief.

  Yamanda stepped back, alarmed. "No! I can explain!"

  Ghomas glared at her with such hatred that if looks could kill, she’d have exploded on the spot.

  I stepped forward. "Ignore him. He isn’t on his meds, so he can be a little unhinged sometimes. Now... I know you’re not a bad person. The wonderful president who’s treated us so well wouldn’t send us someone incompetent to help us navigate this world."

  I did my best to suppress my disdain for that man and gave her a warm smile.

  Her face lit up. "Yes! Exactly. Thank you for trusting me."

  I nodded. "Of course. Now… what was your plan for bringing us here? I’m sure you have a way for us to get something to eat."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Ghomas shouted, “She better!”

  Shut your damn mouth! Ugh, I want to curse him out so badly.

  Yamanda crossed her arms. "Well, yes. I normally get free food here. So... since you’re all my students, I’m sure that kindness will extend to you as well."

  ...Is she just a freeloader?

  Vacinay whispered to Hessien, "Is she... ******? Or did her brain wire wrong?"

  Hessien rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Excellent question.”

  She looked confused. "What’s the issue?"

  Vacinay replied, "Well, this is a business, not a charity. They’re not just going to give four random people free food—especially since we don’t look like starving homeless kids. Except for Lumine, of course, but that’s not the point."

  Please, get your ass sting by a nest of bees.

  "Oh..." Yamanda looked even more confused.

  Oh, for heaven’s sake. She was the definition of incompetence! How was she supposed to train us!?

  She shrugged. "Trust in me."

  She entered, and we exchanged glances before reluctantly following her.

  Ghomas was still seething with rage, looking like he would fight anyone who dared to glance at him for too long.

  I expected a long wait once we entered, but that didn’t happen.

  Did we skip the line?

  Oh no, no, no! Instead... she brought us to the line for... disabled people.

  Oh my god. There’s no way this is happening.

  Was this how she always got free food?

  You know what? Maybe I’ve judged too quickly.

  Disabilities weren’t always visible on the outside. I felt like trash for having thought poorly of her...

  She turned toward us and waved us over.

  Vacinay said, “My moral compass is pretty messed up, probably the worst of the four of us... but I don’t think I want to take advantage of a system meant for disabled people. Sorry for thinking negatively about you earlier. I just thought you... made some really strange choices.”

  How thoughtful of her.

  Yamanda asked, “What are you talking about?”

  I said, "Well... this line is for the disabled. So..."

  “Ah, yeah, I know. It's a trick to get free food. So, come!”

  "But we don't have disabilities," I said.

  She shrugged. "So what? Neither do I."

  … Ah…

  I couldn’t tell if she had been too oblivious to understand what she was doing or if she was just dumb. Maybe it was both.

  Vacinay blinked a couple of times, clearly baffled.

  She then asked, “You… are fully able?”

  “Um. Yes…? Why are you asking such dumb questions?”

  Vacinay gave me a blank stare.

  Yamanda moved forward in the line, still waiting for us to join her.

  The stares of the people around us felt sharp, focused.

  What do I do, I wondered. Be a jerk or get some damn food? What was more important? I mean, we were just joining a line, right? Forget about everything else—it was just a line.

  … But they would be looking at me with such disapproving eyes. Like I was scum.

  Vacinay talked about morals, but what about our reputation as individuals?

  But my stomach…

  Hessien wore a stoic expression as he marched toward Yamanda.

  I grabbed his hand. “Don’t embarrass us.”

  He muttered, “I need food…”

  “Wait a second. I’ve got a plan.”

  Hessien eyed me suspiciously. “What’s the success rate?”

  “100%,” I said with absolute confidence.

  Hessien shook Vacinay. She was still in disbelief.

  He said, “Lumine came up with a great idea.”

  I called Yamanda, who looked definitely annoyed when I asked her to step out of the line.

  “I don’t understand you all,” she said.

  I snapped my fingers. “Do you have any stat-boosting drugs?”

  She nodded and tapped her side, making a black bag appear. From it, she pulled out a syringe.

  “Ah, I only have a skill booster,” she said.

  Probably even better.

  I took it from her, but before I injected myself, I asked, “What are the side effects, and is the needle clean? I don’t want to catch any wild viruses.”

  “The only side effect is that the energy drain lasts longer and feels stronger. And yes, the needle is clean…”

  Please, let my biology be strong enough to fend off everything in it.

  I pierced my skin with the needle. It stung, but not as much as I had expected.

  I pushed the plunger, and soon a strange burning and cooling sensation spread through my shoulder, slowly working its way up to my brain.

  You know… maybe I should’ve listened more carefully to what she had said. She probably fried her brain 'cause of this.

  She asked, “So… what was that for?”

  I took a deep breath. The weird sensation wrapped around my head. I wanted to know if my brain was going to explode before I answered her.

  After a moment, the sensation settled. With that done, I looked ahead at the line.

  “Number 0321? Your meal of one.”

  I focused on the male waiter handing out packages to people.

  “Number 02143. Your meal of two.”

  Not good enough.

  Yamanda was tapping her forearm, clearly confused.

  The other three tried their best to act like they didn’t notice the intense stares directed at us.

  Vacinay muttered, “They can't tell we're broke, right?”

  Other than Yamanda’s stunt, they were probably looking at us because we didn’t have flow patterns.

  Then, the waiter announced the right number.

  With a snap of my fingers, I activated time freeze.

  Immediately, the world halted, and I made sure to seize the opportunity.

  Using my level 10 speed, I dashed to the side of the line, skillfully avoiding the crowd.

  One second passed.

  I wasn’t sure how fast I was moving, but it was probably something like 30 MPH.

  Not fast enough!

  In that second, I’d only cleared about a third of the distance.

  My feet hit the ground, and I immediately pushed forward, using all my force.

  Three seconds passed.

  Then the fourth second hit, and time was still frozen!

  I cleared the remaining distance and grabbed the package of six meals from the waiter.

  The world returned to normal—time freeze!

  Immediately, I reactivated the ability.

  A strange sensation hit me, like my brain had been struck with a hammer, draining all my energy.

  Sluggish…

  I almost collapsed, but I steadied myself with my hand, quickly grabbing the package from the waiter.

  I dashed toward the door.

  My focus was terrible—like I hadn’t slept in days.

  I reached Vacinay and the others in four seconds.

  Time resumed, and I stood there, holding the large package in my hand, my expression almost zombie-like.

  “Huh? What the? Did someone steal the order for #02148?!” the waiter shouted.

  The people who had been staring at us now noticed the package in my hand.

  “What’s that number?” one of them asked.

  Hessien was quick to create a mist, though it didn’t do much. But hey, it was the thought that counted.

  Yamanda looked confused, then seemed to have a realization. “Ah… time manipulation.”

  With a confident smile, she snapped her fingers. “It seems you all would truly be fun to train.”

  Huh? The crowd and the building suddenly vanished, and we were now standing on a massive field surrounded by enormous black walls.

  “What…?”

  With a flick of her finger, she said, “It's a bit disorienting for first timers. I apologize.”

  Shitty morals, but powerful skills... What a person.

  Hmm, I stole from a family... but I wasn't caught, so meh.