The farce in front of the dormitory building was resolved single-handedly by Tanktop Master.
Although many still harbored resentment in their hearts, they no longer dared to voice it openly.
Mumen Rider and Glasses spent 1 Point to rent a large tent. Grabbing their luggage, they headed to a grassy area outside the dormitory and, along with many of their peers, began pitching their own tent.
By the time they finished the trivial chores, dusk had fallen. Having only eaten a boxed lunch at noon, they were both dizzy with hunger.
"Mumen-senpai, why don't we go to the cafeteria for dinner? I found the camp map on my smart watch; the cafeteria isn't far from here," Glasses said, checking the directions after opening the map.
"Sounds good. Glasses, you may look young, but you're much more thorough than a senior like me," Mumen replied. He was a few years older, and after being addressed as such repeatedly, he had grown accustomed to the title of 'Senpai.'
"Not at all. It's because I'm slow that I've made it a habit to figure everything out beforehand; otherwise, I can't get anything right. I have a lot to learn from you, Senpai," Glasses answered earnestly.
"Well, let's learn from each other then." Mumen really liked this junior's personality; it seemed they wouldn't have many issues getting along.
Taking their lunch boxes, the two followed the map to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria wasn't large and was packed with people. However, it wasn't due to another disturbance, but simply because it was dinner time and the crowd was at its peak.
They found a line and waited for over twenty minutes before it was finally their turn. Just like lunch, it was served cafeteria-style.
"I'll have one saury, two meat patties, a bowl of miso soup, and extra rice, please. Thank you!"
For this dinner, Mumen Rider spent 5 Points, undoubtedly much cheaper than outside.
Since there were no seats left in the cafeteria, Mumen and Glasses decided to take their food back to the tent. On the way, they noticed quite a few people had spread large cloths on the lawn, enjoying a picnic.
"Hey, Mumen Rider! Want to join us?" It was Tanktop Black Hole, who was among them and extended an invitation.
"No thanks, I'm not used to big crowds," Mumen declined politely, then looked at Glasses. "How about you?"
Glasses shook his head; he also preferred not to have too many people around while eating.
The two carried their lunch boxes back to their tent, using a suitcase as a dining table to enjoy their meal. Once their stomachs were satisfied, Mumen stretched and looked around, suddenly unsure of what to do with himself.
"Glasses, do you want to go for a walk outside?"
"No. From what I've observed, there are no streetlights, and it's already late. It would be easy to lose our way in an unfamiliar place. Let's wait until tomorrow during the day to explore; I want to get familiar with this place as soon as possible too."
"...Fair point." Mumen abandoned the idea.
"If you're bored, Senpai, how about looking at this with me?" Glasses handed Mumen a book.
He took it and saw the title: A Beginner's Guide to Grappling. Opening it, he saw numerous illustrations of stick figures.
"I was thinking about improving my combat skills, so I bought this to study. If the two of us spar together, it should be easier to master. Of course, if you're not interested, Senpai, feel free to say no. I won't mind."
"That's a great idea! Actually, I bought a book before too and specifically studied joint-lock techniques." Mumen laughed happily. "No problem. Since we have nothing else to do anyway, let's learn together."
"Right!"
…
Time slipped away as the two studied diligently. Once the noise outside faded from a dull roar to silence, Mumen and Glasses bid each other goodnight, tucked themselves into their blankets, and drifted off to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, the two were suddenly startled awake from their deep sleep by the shrill blast of a horn.
Mumen sat up straight, confused. "What's happening?"
"It sounds like an alarm. Let's get outside and look," Glasses said, throwing off his covers.
"Right!"
They threw on some clothes and stepped out of the tent to find many others already outside. By the faint glow of flashlights, they saw it was only two o'clock in the morning. Everyone's faces were masks of confusion.
Just then, the alarm cut out, replaced by a broadcast: "This is Aomori. All heroes are to assemble at the outdoor stadium from this morning immediately. I have an important announcement."
"It's Chairman Aomori!"
No one dared to delay. They scrambled through the darkness toward the stadium. Following the morning's formation, they instinctively found their places.
Large floodlights lit up the viewing platform. Aomori stood there with a solemn expression, flanked by a lean man in camouflage fatigues.
"What on earth happened?"
Infected by the tense atmosphere, many felt their hearts pounding, fearing something terrible had occurred. The few who had caused trouble in front of the dorms earlier turned pale, worried they were the ones in the crosshairs.
Amidst this agonizing wait, Aomori finally stepped to the microphone. "From the first alarm to the moment the last hero arrived here, thirty-eight minutes have passed. Thirty-eight minutes... Do you know how much time passed when my parents were killed by a Monster?"
"Three minutes and forty-nine seconds."
Looking out at the sea of people below, Aomori's cold voice echoed through the stadium. "What use is it for you to arrive after thirty-eight minutes? To collect the bodies? We are heroes! Protecting the citizens is our duty. Don't give me that 'justice may be late but never absent' crap. The price of being late is paid in blood and lives. That represents our failure!"
Under his reprimand, many heroes didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
"Since this is the first time, I will forgive you. For all future assembly notices, I expect everyone to be present within five minutes. If you can't do that, then don't be a hero. You aren't cut out for it. Go back to just doing good deeds in your daily life; that's enough."
The heroes living on the upper floors of the dormitory looked miserable. Without elevators, just getting downstairs took two or three minutes.
"Is everything I've said understood?"
"Understood..." the voices were scattered.
"Is it understood?!"
"UNDERSTOOD!"
Seeing no one raise an objection, Aomori nodded and continued, "This assembly serves as our first lesson. Besides teaching you the importance of time, I want to introduce a heavyweight instructor."
He pointed to the man beside him. "The former Chief Instructor of the Police Guard, code-named 'Locust.' He will serve as your Chief Instructor in the coming days."
Instructor Locust had salt-and-pepper hair, a face as sharp as a blade, and an indifferent gaze. He stepped into the spot Aomori vacated and spoke in a flat tone: "Hello, everyone. I am Locust. Chairman Aomori paid a high price to bring me here, so I will be diligent in my duties. Please do not defy my orders. Let's make this a smooth parting when the time comes, alright?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Very well. Then my first order is: everyone assemble here at six o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. Any problems?"
"No, sir!"
"Good. Get back to sleep. You'll have plenty to keep you busy tomorrow."
The heroes subconsciously glanced at Aomori. Seeing he had no further comments, they slowly dispersed.
"Chairman Aomori, shall we proceed as planned tomorrow?"
"You're the Chief Instructor. It's your call."
Only a fool would believe that, Instructor Locust thought, nodding. "I understand."
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If you want to read ahead of everyone, head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]