"Haiii. It's so hot. Someone turn on the AC." "No, please. It's too cold." "And I'm telling you it's hot!" "…No, I will really die if you make it any colder than this. This is just right." A war had broken out in the small office. Despite being smaller than the main guild, the branch guild was still large enough to accommodate everyone. Not only that, but the selected squads for the World Congress each received their own office room. While it was smaller than the one in Malovia, the members of Seth's Squad were still satisfied. That was until a problem arose. "What the fuck do you mean you'll die? Are you that weak?" "I am. I... really am." "Ah, you fucking..." Nora stopped herself, covering her face while mumbling, 'Why am I even wasting my energy and time with her? She's obviously mentally impaired.' "Hey..." Mia frowned, feeling the urge to retort, but held herself back when she noticed Nora's glare. In the end, she could only force out a weak reply. "No, you." "....." For a moment, the office turned silent. Nobody said a word, a series of eyes turning towards the increasingly embarrassed Mia. But that silence lasted until Niel suddenly spoke up, his finger reaching for the bridge of his glasses as he pushed them up. "Actually, I agree with Mia on this one. Joanna, it's really a bit too cold." Mia's eyes lit up. Although she wanted to say something, feeling Nora's gaze, she held herself back. Still, her eyes said it all. Go, go! Let her have a piece of your mind! "You guys are young, I'm old. I'm more sensitive to the temperature than you two." "That's nonsense. You're practically the same age as us." "Mentally, I'm not." "Actually, I agree with Nora on this one." Oh no. Mia looked at Joanna, who had suddenly entered the conversation. Damn it, this traitor! Pinching his sweater and flapping it lightly, she added, "It's kind of hot in here. It wouldn't do any harm to change the temperature to make it a little bit cooler." "Well, there you go." Nora looked at Mia and Niel with a victorious grin. "Since the acting Squad Leader has spoken, you two don't have any objections, right?" "That…" "…Joanna…" The two looked on the verge of breaking down. Desperate, the two looked around before eventually settling their gazes on Min, Sarah, and Ariel. Faced with their pleading gazes, Min and Sarah hesitated. The large boy wasn't one to speak much, and neither was Sarah. With Joanna's and Nora's eyes added to the mix, the weight of it all felt suffocating. Their bodies remained still, their faces tense, while their eyes darted around, unsure where to settle.
They looked pitiful. Only Ariel truly looked indifferent. With her fist propping up her chin, silver hair cascading down her shoulder, she glanced at the group only briefly before looking away. It was a familiar sight, one that didn't bother anyone, and they all quickly averted their eyes.
There was nothing to doubt about her strength. However, even in the months that they had spent together, she never opened up to them. She felt like a robot. "Do you have something to say, Sarah, Min? Do you also have a problem with us turning on the AC?" "....." "....." The two hesitated, turning to look at each other. For a moment, it almost felt as if steam were rising from their heads. Then, just as they opened their mouths to speak, the door burst open.
Clank! A pair of haggard eyes appeared. In that instant, everyone in the room fell silent, turning to look toward Seth as he entered. Feeling everyone's gazes, Seth paused. However, he soon realized something. "It's pretty warm here." ".....!!" "—!!" Mia's and Niel's faces changed drastically while Joanna's and Nora's faces lit up. It almost seemed like the two wanted to laugh out loud. But their joy merely lasted a few seconds. Cra Cra Craaa—! "Nnn!? Hieeek!" "...W-wait, Squad Leader. I think that's a little too much." "Yeah, I think it's a little too much." "Is it?" Seth replied, tilting his head while taking note of everyone's reaction. Even the usually indifferent Ariel was staring at him as though he were some sort of animal. "I... I get that it's warm. I do. I really do, but... isn't this a bit too much? Like, do you have to power it to the maximum?" "T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-ooo much." Hugging her body, Mia's eyes shook. Seth looked at everyone's reaction and then nodded. "You guys are probably right." "Then...!!" "Then, what?" Seth tilted his head and took his seat. His desk wasn't as big as the one in Malovia, but it was still quite nice as it stood at the end of the room, facing everyone else. Interlocking his hands seriously, he began speaking. "We have more important things to discuss. I'm here to talk about the upcoming Congress. We'll be participating as a team, so we need to start preparing."
*** There was something about the way my squad was looking at me that felt strangely pleasing. Seeing their trembling bodies and resentful expressions, I felt a strange tingle inside my chest. I quietly clenched my shirt. '...It's happening again.' It was becoming increasingly harder for me to hold my urges. Just the thought of seeing people suffer made me feel a certain way. 'I need to stop this. I'm not like this. Yeah, I'm not.' I smacked my lips. That said, I wasn't dense enough to miss why they were glaring at me. It was true. The AC was cranked up to full blast. But it wasn't without reason. The cold helped keep me awake. After not sleeping for the past day, I needed something to stay alert. That, and the fact that my body had become noticeably less susceptible to the cold.
Perhaps due to the knife or the fact that I was still not quite used to this body, I was a lot less sensitive to the heat and cold. Even my sense of smell was not quite there yet. Thankfully, my sense of taste was still fine. Pushing those thoughts aside, I turned my attention back to my squad.
Their glares felt even more piercing. "As I was talking about earlier, the World Congress is coming soon. We'll need to start practicing together soon, and with the ranking announcement coming soon, I'll be busy a bit. Nevertheless, I'll still be able to attend the practices." I hadn't been too keen on attending the World Congress in the past. There just didn't seem to be a lot of tangible benefits. But things were different now. Not just sponsorships, but fame and all other things. I was now prepared to do everything in order to earn more money. The Cognitive Shard, while taken care of for now, still existed. I wasn't allowed to stop growing. I needed to continue to grow. Not just games, but also in individual power and experience. I couldn't stall. I came to this realization not long ago. And staring at my Squad, I made a firm decision in my mind. It was unlikely. The chances were extremely low. But... As unrealistic as it seemed, I wanted to reach the top. I didn't want to settle for the middle packs. Even if it was where we were most likely headed. I suddenly felt the urge to smile. But for some reason, the moment I did, everyone started to flinch. Was my smile that scary? Surely not, right? "I've made some adjustments to my previous game. I've been looking for some people to test it out. It's a lot better than it was before, and—" CLANK! I was abruptly stopped by the sound of a chair falling. When I looked up, several trembling eyes were directed at me. Even their faces were pale. "T-that... can't we just go into Gates?" "Yeah, gates are good." "Right? Gates? Has to be Gates." "Mhm! Yes. I love Gates. Heck, give me a high ranking one too." Opening my mouth, I soon closed it and nodded. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but for now, Gates are off-limits. That's why we don't have much of a choice. Consider this good practice."
"——!!" "!!" A clear look of despair appeared on the faces of a few before me. Seeing them like that, I really did feel the urge to smile. This job... I was really starting to like it.