After Tsukuru was done, the clear container was empty on the table. Tsukuru then turned to his two Summons. He picked up one plate at a time, and handed it to both of them. He took his seat directly across from them.
Over the course of the next few minutes, the three began to eat. As Tsukuru ate the lasagna, he felt a sense of deep satisfaction, his hunger being sated. Once he was done, a System message appeared in front of him.
[Your hunger has been sated. Your HP will no longer decrease.]
His plate empty, he watched the two Summons eat.
While the Amazon seemed hesitant to eat, the Harpie had chowed right down, attacking the food like a starving child.
Once they were done, Tsukuru dismissed the Summons. He then repeated his process with his two new Summons, the ones he had "bought" from the Battle Arena's "Exchange Corner".
When the Hobgoblin and the Dark Elf had appeared, they had both assumed the same pose as the Amazon. They knelt down in front of him, their left arm resting on their right knee, and their right fist pressed against the ground.
Like with the Amazon, the eyes of the new Summons both widened in shock, and their heads snapped towards each other. As they sat at the table, they both hesitantly ate their servings, not sure what to do.
When they were done, Tsukuru dismissed them, and they unsummoned themselves. His stomach now full and it now late at night, Tsukuru stretched his arms up in the air, and yawned.
"Welp, time for bed." He replied.
Tsukuru headed back towards the Glathrium rectangle. Once he reached it, he stopped. He turned around, and held his arm out.
"Summon." He replied.
The sound of electronic interference could be heard. Soon, pixels began to appear. The pixels clustered together into the shape of the Haunted Knight. There was a flash of light, and the Haunted Knight fully manifested. She stood there in her "Knight Sentry" pose, awaiting orders.
"I need you to stand guard while I sleep. If any Beasts try to attack my sleeping chamber, deal with them." He replied, his eyes then narrowing. "However, don't kill them. Injure and incapacitate them. I'll deal with them when I get up. After all, I don't get XP from when you kill a Beast."
The Haunted Knight nodded.
Tsukuru then pressed the protruding rectangle, causing the lid of the chamber to shoot up again. As he stepped inside, he noticed that, despite the interior being the size of a car, he didn't have to kneel down due to his short stature. As he entered, he glanced back, and saw that there was a handle built into the inside of the lid. Like the interior of a car door.
Tsukuru grabbed it, and used it to wrench the lid all the way down, laying it flat against the opening, sealing it completely. An audible "click" was heard as the locking mechanism engaged.
Tsukuru then mounted the bed. It was a large, full-size bed with a memory foam mattress covered in bedding of a soft, luxurious fabric. The pillow was the same, as well.
'Man, I never completed today's Daily Quest.' Tsukuru thought, as laid back on the comfortable bed. 'Oh well. It's not like 10 XP is really gonna help me at this point, anyway.'
Tsukuru closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
***
Earlier that same day, back on Military Base 1…
***
The duo of Layla and Erin walked around the school. Trying to see if they could find any signs of Peter anywhere. However, they had been unable to find him. They had knocked on the dorm room a few times, but there had been no answer.
Due to the security scanner on the doors, they could only be opened from the outside by the students actually assigned to them.
So the only way in was for it to be opened from the inside. They could wait outside, but the longer they waited, the more Layla started to worry about Quinn. Vorden and Tsukuru…they would be fine. But Quinn was the true issue. If he was unable to get blood, she knew first hand what would happen.
As she thought this, her hand subconsciously rubbed the spot of her neck in the spot where Quinn had bitten her. They continued their search. They hadn't found Peter, but they had found a group who might know where he was. It was the group of Earl and his friends.
Seeing them, Layla narrowed her eyes.
"Haven't I seen them hanging around with Peter in the canteen?" Layla muttered.
Earl's group was currently inside one of the training rooms. This one in particular, was the same one Erin had taken the group to be "re-tested" at. While the wristwatches were able to detect a person's Mutant Cells, and thus automatically increase the displayed "Ability Level", the "sub-numbers" were a different story.
If a student tested themself on the machines and got higher scores than they got on their Placement Test, they could write it down, and give it to a staff member. After verifying the validity of the increased numbers, the number displayed on the student's wristwatch would then be updated.
If Layla had been on her own, she would have never approached Earl's group by herself. After all, his Ability Level was twice that of her own. However, right now, she had Erin with her. And she was a Level 6 Ability User now.
"Hey, guys." Layla said, as she approached the group.
Glancing down at Layla's wrist, Earl's face scrunched up in disgust as he saw the "Level 2" displayed,
"What do you want?!" He spat.
Seeing this, Layla's eye began to twitch at Earl's rotten attitude and tone of voice. However, like most"Low Levels", she was used to it at this point. Layla let out a sigh, calming herself down.
'Let it go, Layla.' She told herself. 'This is about Quinn, not yourself.'
Layla flashed a smile at Earl, but it was strained and forced.
"We're looking for Peter." Layla replied. "Do any of you know where he is?" She asked.
Instantly, the boys all turned to each other. Then, they burst out laughing. Seeing Earl and his friends laughing, Layla narrowed her eyes.
'Looks like they really weren't his friends after all.' Layla thought bitterly. She thought back to the faces of Quinn, Tsukuru, and Vorden at the canteen. Every time they saw Peter hanging out with Earl's group, they always had a look of suspicion on their faces.
"Peter?" Earl said, still laughing. "I wouldn't be surprised if he had tried running out of the city by now!"
Behind him, one of his friends spoke up.
"Yeah, Earl." He replied. "I can't believe he actuallydid it! If I had done that to one of my friends, I'd never be able to live with myself!"
Instantly, Earl shot him a death glare, signalling him to "shut up".
The boy gulped.
At his words, Layla narrowed her eyes.
"What does that mean?" She asked.
Earl grit his teeth.
"Fuck off, Low Level!" He snarled. "We ain't telling you shit!"
Layla stood there, tightening her fists in anger. Layla knew there was nothing she could do. Even though she wanted to stand her ground and beat the information out of them, Earl was a Level 4. And even the boys behind him were a higher Level than her, each being in the "Level 3" bracket.
Suddenly, the group heard footsteps from behind Layla and Erin, and one of Earl's friends began frantically tugging on his sleeve.
Earl snapped to him, a look of pure annoyance on his face. However, before Earl could snap at his "friend", a voice filled the room.
"Oh?" A feminine voice replied in a low tone. "Is that so?"
Layla's heart jumped. She knew that voice.
Instantly, a thick tension filled the room. A cold dread ran down the spines of everyone except Erin. Them all feeling like wounded prey in front of a predator.
Slowly, Layla turned. And when she did, she saw Tsukuru's sister, Sergeant Hikiko Shizuka, entering the training room. However, she didn't have her normal smile on her face. Her face was twisted in rage, and she wore a death glare on her face. She looked absolutely livid.
Earl and his group all wanted to run, but they had all instantly found themself unable to move their legs. Additionally, they all felt both a large weight and a sudden cold covering their legs. Looking down, they all saw thick ice covering their legs, from halfway up their thighs, all the way down to the floor. Ice also spread out around them, freezing the floor and anchoring them in place.
"Where do you think you're going?" Erin said coldly.