The increase wasn't announced.
It didn't need to be.
Numbers Change Before Voices Do
Aria updated her mental ledger at dawn.
Supplies: stable.
Energy: conserved.
Demand: rising.
The math concluded itself.
When the first buyer approached, she spoke the new number calmly.
"…Seven hundred."
The contestant blinked.
"…Yesterday it was five."
Aria nodded.
"…Yesterday is over."
Shock, Then Silence
Word spread faster than hunger.
"She raised prices."
"Again?"
"Can she do that?"
People gathered at a distance.
No one shouted yet.
They stared at her like a rule had been broken.
💬 [LiveWatcher]: PRICE HIKE??
💬 [EconomicsProf]: Predictable under scarcity escalation
The Cameraman Asks the Obvious
"…Why raise them now?" he asked.
Aria poured water.
Drank.
Set the cup down.
"…Because the cost increased," she replied.
"Cost of what?"
"…Being wrong."
Someone Pushes Back
A contestant stepped forward, jaw tight.
"This is insane," he said.
"You're profiting off people starving."
Aria looked at him.
Not cold.
Not defensive.
"…No," she replied calmly.
"…I'm pricing certainty."
"That's the same thing!"
She shook her head.
"…Starvation is free," she said.
"…Avoiding it is not."
The words landed like a stone.
The First Refusal
One person turned away.
"I won't buy."
Aria inclined her head.
"…Understood."
She didn't chase.
Didn't persuade.
Didn't discount.
The refusal stood.
For now.
The First Purchase Anyway
Minutes later, someone else paid.
No comment.
No eye contact.
Just a transfer.
Aria handed over the food.
"…Eat slowly," she said, as always.
The buyer did.
The refusal looked smaller.
Chat Fractures Again
💬 [EthicsDebate]: THIS IS PRICE GOUGING
💬 [InvestorBro]: THIS IS TEXTBOOK SUPPLY CURVE
💬 [SurvivalFan]: She warned them yesterday
Screenshots of the price change spread.
So did clips of people hesitating.
Then paying.
Producers Monitor, Not Intervene
In the control tent, a producer asked quietly:
"Do we cap it?"
The director shook his head.
"She's not breaking rules."
"…She's bending the audience."
The director didn't deny that.
Aria Sets a Boundary
Another contestant asked:
"…Can I pay later?"
Aria didn't even look up.
"…No credit."
"But I'll owe you."
"…Owing changes behavior," she replied.
"…I don't want that."
The answer ended the conversation.
Closing Beat
As the sun climbed, fewer people approached.
But those who did—
Paid.
Aria adjusted her traps.
Checked her water.
Didn't look at the chat.
"…Raising prices isn't cruelty," she murmured.
"…It's calibration."
Above her, drones hovered steadily.
Below her, people recalculated survival.
And hunger—
Learned a new number.