CYCLE 12:00: THE WARMTH OF THE MESS HALL
The four of them closed their eyes simultaneously as the small piece of chocolate touched their tongues. For a moment, the stifling noise of the Sector 7 mess hall seemed to vanish, replaced by a burst of sweetness they hadn't felt in a long time.
"What's wrong with you all? Is it poisoned?" Nugia asked flatly. He stared at his friends in confusion, his hand still gripping his fork in a defensive stance.
Meyra took a long breath, her face looking much more relaxed. "It's not poison, Nugia. It's called happiness. It's so good, I feel like crying," Meyra replied without opening her eyes, letting the chocolate melt slowly in her mouth.
"Damn... I feel like my soul, which flew away during the marathon, just came back to my body," Amae muttered, his cheeks bulging with chocolate. "If it's like this every day, I wouldn't mind being beaten unconscious by Jean's mannequins."
Zilla only gave a small nod, enjoying her portion more elegantly, though her sharp eyes softened for a moment. Meanwhile, Reyna clutched her metal tray as if afraid the chocolate would fly away if not guarded.
Nugia stared at the piece of chocolate on his own tray. He popped it into his mouth, chewed three times, and swallowed. "Sweet. But it doesn't make me want to cry? Nor does it give me extra strength like the sausage did," he commented innocently.
"Robot!" Meyra teased with a short laugh—a rare laughter that finally broke out at Unit 009's table.
Instantly, the days filled with dust, the smell of sweat, and the grinding of machine chains faded from their minds. Time seemed to spin faster when their stomachs were full. Cycle 13:00, filled with close-quarters combat simulations, passed with the remaining energy from that glucose. Finally, the great bell of Sector 7 tolled five times.
CYCLE 18:00: RETURN TO THE DORMITORY.
The blood-light of the moon never faded on the high walls of PETERUMMAN, leaving a crimson sky that looked deadly. Unit 009 walked side-by-side toward the dormitory block. Although their legs felt as heavy as lead dragged over concrete and the eternal darkness began to grip them, their spirits were far stronger than they had been during the opening cycle.
The dormitory door swung wide, welcoming them with stable indoor air. Before entering, Jean distributed their room access cards. Zilla, as the leader of Unit 009, stepped forward to take the card on behalf of her friends.
"Dismissed!" Jean commanded. "For Unit 009, you will receive a dinner package and a small gift from me! Congratulations for fighting and giving your best results!"
They smiled, glancing at each other. To them, those were the most beautiful words they had ever heard in this rigid world. The four of them stood there, watching Jean's back until the instructor's shadow completely disappeared at the end of the hall.
Inside the dormitory, their footsteps echoed softly in the silent corridor. The resonance seeped into their bones, which were desperate for rest.
"Ever since the striking practice, I haven't seen Varkas. Did you notice?" Meyra asked, breaking the silence.
"Thank goodness," Zilla replied flatly. "Our Cycle 13:00 sparring was saved because he wasn't there. At least he didn't have the chance to pull any tricks on our unit today."
"Enough, just open the door. I'm exhausted!" complained Amae, who was almost falling asleep while walking.
Zilla pulled out the access card and tapped it against the panel of room number 009.
Beep.
The scent of clean mattresses and the distinct aroma of the three girls immediately dominated the air, welcoming them with a soft greeting that made all four of them close their eyes in comfort.
"What's wrong with you all? Are you still chewing chocolate?" Nugia asked, tilting his head. He didn't need much time to recover his energy; his body immediately pushed past the doorway.
"Hey... wait!" Meyra swiftly caught Nugia's shoulder just as he was about to step further into the room.
"What?" Nugia turned back, looking at Meyra in confusion.
"Why are you asking? I should be the first one to enter this room as the Room Leader!" Meyra said with a forced tone of arrogance.
"Didn't Zilla receive the access card earlier?" Nugia asked with piercing innocence.
"Nugia..." Amae tried to mediate. Slightly nudging Meyra aside, he grabbed both of Nugia's shoulders and turned the boy to face him. Amae raised an eyebrow, then closed his eyes with an air of mock wisdom, like a grandmaster giving an important lecture.
"Nugia, you have to understand the feelings of a bossy, fierce girl like her," Amae said, his voice lowered as if whispering a state secret.
"She feels like our leader now because during the striking practice, her strength was the highest, 650 N. While Zilla was only 480 N," Amae continued. "So, she's starting to link that score with her ego and feels entitled to be—"
Suddenly, Amae's throat seemed to lock. He felt a dark aura creeping up from behind his back—a demonic shadow that seemed to grow and swallow all his light.
Meyra hissed behind him. The sound of her fist clenching until her knuckles cracked was clear in Amae's ears. Cold, sharp, and deadly. Instantly, cold sweat poured down Amae's forehead.
"Oops, someone's inner thoughts leaked out," Zilla whispered softly while covering her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her laughter.
"Come on Reyna, let's go in first. Leave them be!" Zilla pulled Reyna past the threshold, covering the shy girl's ears with both hands—leaving a frozen Amae and a Meyra who was ready to explode like a storm in the corridor.
In the corner of the room, a pitiful sight unfolded. Nugia and Amae were kneeling neatly with their heads bowed. On the crowns of their heads, a red lump stood tall—clear evidence of Meyra's 650 Newton strength.
Meyra stood before them, pacing back and forth with her arms folded across her chest, looking exactly like Instructor Varkas in a prettier, yet far more terrifying version.
"Listen!" Meyra shouted, her voice thundering in the cramped room. "Outside, Zilla might be the unit leader. But the moment your feet touch the floor of this room, you enter my territory! You must follow my rules!"
Amae tried to glance at Zilla for help, but Zilla seemed busy inspecting something on the table, pretending not to see.
"The shower schedule, food distribution, down to the laundry—I decide it all!" Meyra continued, pointing sharply at Amae. "Amae, your job is to wash all our dirty clothes. Nugia, you are responsible for the cleanliness of the room floor. And Amae... the bathroom must be scrubbed until it shines!"
Amae was about to open his mouth to protest, but Meyra had already leaned her face in close.
"I will check every corner. If there is even a tiny stain in the room, on the floor, or on the clothes... I'll make sure those lumps on your heads become two-stories high!"
Nugia only blinked innocently, his fingers touching the warm lump on his head with pure wonder.
"Two-stories? Can lumps have levels, like a snail shell?" he murmured softly. His eyes looked up slightly, trying to imagine what his head would look like if it actually became a multi-story building from Meyra's punches.
"Do you want me to build it right now?" Meyra challenged, her voice a low hiss as her aura darkened once again.
"Don't say weird things, Nugia! Do you want us to literally become snails?!" Amae whispered in a panic. Without waiting for an answer, Amae immediately grabbed Nugia's collar and pulled him up. He hurriedly dashed toward the bathroom before Meyra's 650 Newton storm could truly explode and create a snail-shell housing complex on their heads.
CYCLE 19:00. A deep red light suddenly flashed from the sensor above the room door, followed by a piercing synchronous vibration from the bracelets on their wrists. Tension instantly froze the air. The room door would lock automatically if they weren't outside within seconds.
The entire unit moved frantically. Nugia and Amae, who had just come out of the bathroom with water still wet on their necks, immediately grabbed their uniforms.
As they hurried to put on their boots, Nugia's movements suddenly jammed. His hands, usually steady when holding a weapon, were now clumsy when dealing with his boot laces. He pulled them haphazardly, making the laces a tangled mess.
Zilla, already standing ready, turned and caught the sight. She took a long sigh, then walked over.
"Here," Zilla said briefly. Without much talk, she knelt in front of Nugia, observing the pile of messy shoelaces.
Zilla began to untangle the mess with patience, while the red light above them continued to blink, applying pressure. "Every time, you can't tie your own shoelaces or button your own shirt, Nugia," Zilla said softly, her eyes focused on the knot she was making.
"You have to learn, Nugia. Out there, a trivial thing like this could cost you your life."
Zilla tightened the knot, then looked up to meet Nugia's eyes for a moment before standing. Under the glow of the red light that pressed upon their minds, Zilla made sure her unit was ready—even for something as small as a shoelace—before they stepped out to face the silence of the night.