Cain walked the path to the cafeteria alongside his four comrades. Their destination was the cafeteria, aiming to fill their stomachs after the strenuous run.
From the back of the group, he watched his four teammates engage in small talk, mostly about the training they had done during Cain’s absence the previous day.
Louise snuggled closer to Rika; her voice was calm.
"Rika, how can you manage to imbue that power into your weapon already?"
The red-haired girl on her side scratched her cheek.
"Well, I’ll teach you later."
On the other hand, the boy’s side. Peter wrapped his hand around the clueless Abel; his voice was almost like a whisper.
"...Psst, Abel, what do you think about the girls in our group?"
Abel tilted his head, wondering what the meaning behind those questions was.
"...Hmm, they are good people."
Cain almost facepalmed upon hearing the blonde boy’s innocent reply.
Seeing there was no problem amongst them even when he was absent, yet his presence became thin after leaving them for a few days.
He wondered why.
When he looked at his comrades’ faces, they showed neither dissatisfaction nor anger. Even if it wasn’t on their faces, their thoughts could be another matter entirely. Cain thought that they probably kept their grudges inside.
If that was true, then there was no way Cain could figure it out. He shrugged, letting his gaze avert to the horizon, muttering internally.
’Well, you reap what you sow,’ he thought.
While Cain was lost in his swirling thoughts, his comrades occasionally stole glances at him, careful not to be caught.
The reason for Cain’s silent treatment was not because they held a grudge against him. They were aware of what was happening yesterday when Senior Luna invited him into her house.
It was regarding her sickly mother.
They heard the situation from senior Chloe when the two left the cafeteria. The four were shocked to receive the news that senior Luna’s mother had been bedridden for years.
Even though they didn’t know the details, the four of them became hyper-aware of Cain’s presence right now. They wanted to ask what happened to the senior’s mother, but had already promised to senior Chloe that the news was confidential and swore to never speak it in public.
That was why the four tried to act as usual, talking about their training and taking a distance from Cain, afraid that their mouths would unknowingly reveal the information they had received.
As the group arrived before the building, the red lens above the door turned green. It hissed, prompting the group to enter a long hallway.
Their footsteps bounced across the corner until eventually they arrived at the branched path. Cain followed his teammates’ steps; the four of them were now shrouded in a deafening silence.
He wanted to open his mouth, but shook his head and focused on getting his meal before going to the library to finish what he started.
Cain and his friends entered the crowded cafeteria. The place buzzed with the sound of cadets joking and enjoying their break after the harsh training.
Arriving at the counter, Cain took four packs of chocolate-flavoured jelly. He tore open a pack and squeezed the bouncy, sweet jelly directly into his mouth before swallowing it in two efficient gulps.
Not wanting to waste his time, the grey-haired boy slurped the rest of the jelly in his hands, making his comrades’ eyes widen in shock.
"Cain?"
Rika’s confused voice attracted his attention. Cain wiped his mouth with the back of his palm.
"Sorry, you can enjoy your lunch without me. I have something to do in the library."
"Library? What book do you want to read?"
Cain stopped for a moment. He stared at the red-haired girl’s face, then answered.
"Well, I was trying to search for a fiction to chase my boredom, or probably some book that took my interest."
He saw Rika exchange glances with the three, then nod to him.
The grey-haired boy was about to turn around when he heard a gasp from Rika, making him stop midway and turn to her side. Cain stared at her stiffened expression, waiting for a while for what she was going to say, but saw her shaking her head.
"Nothing, see you later."
Cain lingered for a moment, watching his comrades weave through the crowd in search of an empty table.
After ensuring his friends were seated, Cain threw away the withering packs into the hole near the counter before leaving the place.
Entering the long passage, the boy quickened his pace. He was eager to obtain as much information as he could.
Several times had passed, and he arrived before the door that led him toward the library. The door slid away, exhaling a cool breeze that carried the scent of old paper and polished wood into his nose.
Cain stepped inside, and, as he was familiar with the interior, the boy strolled toward the counter, where a female librarian greeted him.
He studied the woman for a second, noting her professionally welcoming expression.
’Wait, Is she the same woman who greeted me that time? Hmm, ...nevermind.’
Without any hesitation, he took out the card in his pocket and showed it to the female. She raised her brows, then turned toward the boy. Her gaze lingered for a moment, then she looked at the card.
"May I see the card?"
The boy placed the card on the table, allowing the woman to take it. She scanned the card by placing it on a cube-shaped device.
A moment later, there was a loud ’beep,’ followed by a flash on the monitor computer that flickered like a lantern. The female librarian sat in her seat and began to check the information displayed on the screen.
"Authorization from the central office has been completed. Which book would you like to borrow?"
Cain placed his hands on the counter and asked.
"Can I get a book related to the Martial Art manual?"
The librarian adjusted her glasses with a practiced tap of her index finger, her voice as dry as the pages she tended.
"Which one? There are many variations of weapon manuals from longsword, dagger, axe and many more. There’s also a complete manual for a firearm..."
He stared at the woman, not wanting to skip the explanation. After hearing all the information he needed, he coughed to clear his throat and hesitantly opened his mouth.
"Can I get a manual book of Martial Art: Kenjutsu and a book containing information about firearms, especially handguns?"
"Alright, is there anything you wanted to borrow?"
The grey-haired boy put a hand on his chin, deep in thought. But a couple of seconds later, he turned toward the woman behind a desk and spoke.
"Can I get the map of the eastern region, or the world if possible, also the structure of civilization beside Babilonia, also...."
Cain listed his requests; each was essential for his survival: combat skills, geographical knowledge for navigation, hoping the information would be helpful as he explored the world.
After the librarian had input the information into the computer on her desk, she took a connector cable and plugged it into Cain’s smartwatch. And with a single click of her finger, she began transferring the data to his smartwatch.
He pulled his hand, along with the card, from the woman’s hand. The boy looked toward the display on his watch and smiled.
’I get what I need. It’s time to absorb it!’