Kiyotaka Ayanokoji gave me a slight nod. "Wherever he is, he might need some help." He answered but with a effortless composure. Impressive...
"That's true, but I wouldn't worry about him for now since he's got friends," I said, kneeling while staring at the floor. And there they are, faded shoeprints, difficult for others to discern but quite simple for me.
I rose and sighed, looking around. Mr. Jin Woo Sung was already a distant away, leaving a trail of torn and discarded wrappings. He went from shelf to shelf, opening these things and then tossing them to the floor, disappointed.
I picked up a rectangular box; it had a colorful cover design along with an orange striped animal serving as some sort of idol. It was a cereal box, and there were these 'flakes' inside.
I reached for a few flakes and ate them.
Bland... It tasted of nothing. No, maybe similar to paper and wood?
I guess this wasn't the usual taste because even Kiyotaka was confused when he ate some from the other cereal flakes.
It seemed like a cruel taunt, all this food, it's all fake and bland. Or maybe whoever created this understood that it was meant to be eaten, but forgot that it should taste good too? Well, whatever, I am not that hungry anyway.
Kiyotaka then followed Mr. Sung. I told them about the shoe prints, but the two of them didn't seem to quite care. Ah, right, the shadows are doing the scouting anyway. They're bound to come across them eventually.
I followed the shoeprints anyway. I can't leave everything to the shadows since their main priority was looking for the exit. If it exists.
...
...
...
Breathing. Hitched breathing, I could hear it. After some time of following the shoeprints, I've finally found the three of them. They were all huddled in this room called 'janitor's closet'.
I can tell from the breathing alone that one of them was almost emaciated; they clearly need help. I was about to open the door when they then retreated further away from the door. That's a surprise. I made sure to erase my presence.
I opened the door, revealing myself. Another student with an odd outfit, it wasn't even a uniform at this point. It was akin to a combat armor. The student had dark green hair and freckles on his face.
This must be the person who saved Kiyotaka.
The student was wary despite my friendly appearance. So, I gave a small wave.
"I am not a threat. Are you all hungry? I have a friend who can help. My name is Reinhard van Astrea, and we're looking for a way out."
The two other students behind slowly revealed themselves. A magenta-haired student with bruises on his face and figure. This must be Kiyotaka's competitor.
Then, a dark-haired student whose hands were primed for a counterattack of some sort. Both of his arms were forwardly extended with clenched fists. I can sense some kind of energy within him, similar to that of the humanoid.
Most likely related.
Mr. Sung appeared from behind, along with Kiyotaka riding Tank. Mr. Sung raised a brow, whereas Kiyotaka just stared at the magenta-haired student.
"Are you all working for that woman!?" The black-haired student shouted, surprising us for a moment.
...
...
...
"My name is Midoriya Izuku." The green-haired student introduced himself.
"Kakeru Ryuen..." The magenta-haired student with a bruised face introduced himself, glaring at Kiyotaka.
"Megumi Fushiguro..." The dark-haired student with an all-black uniform said, his tone was extremely cautious.
Mr. Sung gave them some rations and water. They were hesitant, but after some time, they all decided to eat the rations.
It's a miracle that they've survived for this long. This Megumi student was obviously here for a longer time because of his current condition. Megumi and Midoriya aren't normal students. Whatever they are, they can handle themselves.
This Kakeru seems to be normal. He's still glaring at Kiyotaka. That glare was doubly toned; he's both scared and furious. No way that they're just mere competitors.
I should clarify this later. This Kiyotaka is hiding something.
"Why did you ask if we're working for that woman? What do you mean by that, exactly? Who is this woman?" Mr. Sung broke the silence after the three students had their fill.
"That woman..." Megumi said. "She has red hair with these bright orange eyes and, for some reason, has these little rats following around her."
"The two of them traveled for a while before eventually breaking up," Midoriya said, pointing to Megumi.
"I've also had a run-in with her; it wasn't pleasant." He said with an apologetic smile towards Kiyotaka.
"I apologize for leaving you alone. By the time that I've managed to lose her interest, I went back for you, but you were already gone."
"It didn't feel smart staying there, so I had to decide to run away," Kiyotaka said with an understanding tone.
"She's bad news; she apparently tries to control you or something," Kakeru said.
"Did you guys find the exit or maybe any clues?" Kakeru said, looking at Mr. Sung.
"No exit thus far, but I have my allies to go look for them." Mr. Sung said, gesturing for his shadows. Even right now, they were relentlessly searching for the exit or any clues.
A rabbit then jumped onto Megumi's lap. He ignored it and kept on eating an extra ration.
"Those are yours? They're not real rabbits, right? I've met a couple of them back in that yellow place and even here." Mr. Sung said.
"Yeah, I am using these to spread them out and look for an exit, but no luck."
"Time is of the essence; we're all trying to look for the exit. So, let's all work together, yeah?" I said with a beaming smile and had I not come for these three? They would've lost any kind of hope and would've slowly killed themselves.
The room was silent for a second; the only source of light, a single bulb, was buzzing. They eventually accepted but were still hesitant. No matter about their reluctance.
With these people, maybe finding the exit was now guaranteed. The more eyes we have, the better. I made a silent wish, another blessing to help me look for the exit, anything will do.
[ Divine Protection of Instant Exit. ] = The ability to leave these infinite liminal rooms. This protection finally vanishes after leaving.
Huh...?
What about the others...?
END OF REINHARD'S POV.