As soon as they arrived at the gymnasium, Dennis could see so many students watching, perched in the glass-enclosed mezzanine that circled the entire gym like a stadium. Their voices couldn't be heard because of the thick glass, but Dennis could see them talking by the movement of their mouths. Then, Dennis and the others stood across from the team of Ivan, Sasha, Brad, Hyunjin, Minji, and Akira, who were already prepared with their armor and weapons.
When he saw Brad, Dennis gasped in surprise because Brad's face looked like that of someone who hadn't slept in days; dark bags were clearly visible under his eyes. He appeared thin even though it had only been a few days since they last met, and his hair looked messy, as if he had stopped taking care of himself. Brad looked small, even though his body seemed normal, like someone who had already been defeated by something. But when his eyes met Dennis's, he immediately looked away, whether out of shame or something else.
