The words hit the chat before they hit the clearing.
Loud.
Capitalized.
Certain.
The Accusation Goes Public
💬 [EthicsDebate]: THIS IS PRICE GOUGING!
💬 [OutrageNow]: THIS SHOULD BE STOPPED
💬 [Watcher]: I don't like this anymore
The phrase spread faster than hunger ever could.
Clipped.
Bolded.
Turned into headlines by accounts that had never watched the stream.
The Confrontation Becomes a Show
A contestant finally snapped.
He walked uphill with purpose, voice raised before he even stopped.
"You can't do this!" he shouted.
"This is exploitation!"
The drones leaned in greedily.
Drama always sold.
Aria looked at him.
Waited until he finished.
"…Continue," she said calmly.
The calm made him angrier.
"You're taking advantage of people who don't have a choice!"
She nodded once.
"…Everyone here has choices," she replied.
"…They just don't like them."
Crowd Forms, Not a Mob
Others gathered.
Not to attack.
To watch.
To see what would happen if someone finally challenged her openly.
The cameraman held his breath.
"…This is going to get ugly."
Aria shook her head.
"…No," she said.
"…Ugly is loud."
The Definition Nobody Likes
The man pressed on.
"You're charging insane prices for basic needs!"
Aria tilted her head slightly.
"…Then don't buy," she replied.
"That's not fair!"
"…Fairness is not a resource," she said calmly.
"…Time is. Energy is. Knowledge is."
Silence rippled outward.
Someone shifted uncomfortably.
Chat Splits Down the Middle
💬 [MoralPanic]: SHE ADMITTED IT
💬 [EconomicsProf]: No monopoly. No coercion.
💬 [SurvivalVet]: People confuse discomfort with injustice.
A poll appeared:
Is this price gouging?
—Yes
—No
—I don't know anymore
The third option climbed fastest.
Aria Refuses the Easy Power
Someone shouted from behind the first man:
"Just lower it a little!"
Aria shook her head.
"…No."
"Why are you so stubborn?"
She met his eyes.
"…Because changing rules under pressure rewards noise," she replied.
"…Not preparation."
The crowd fell quiet.
They felt it.
Even if they didn't like it.
The Cameraman Asks What Everyone Thinks
"…Do you care what they call you?"
Aria paused.
"…Names don't change hunger," she replied.
"…They just make people louder."
The Accuser Runs Out of Fuel
The man who'd started it all stood there, breathing hard.
Not from walking uphill.
From arguing.
Energy wasted.
Aria waited.
He looked at her prices again.
Looked at his wristband.
Then—
He turned away.
Didn't buy.
Didn't win.
Just left.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
Closing Beat
As the noise faded, Aria returned to her work.
Resetting traps.
Filtering water.
Existing.
The chat kept arguing long after the clearing went quiet.
But hunger didn't debate.
It didn't tweet.
It didn't moralize.
It waited.
And tomorrow—
It would ask again.