Chapter 43: Countdown
The cafeteria was already packed by the time we arrived.
The smell of freshly cooked food drifted through the hall as hundreds of students filled nearly every table. Conversations blended together into a constant hum that echoed beneath the high ceiling. Somewhere near the back, someone laughed loud enough to make half the room look over, while another group was already arguing over whose turn it was to buy lunch.
Ryan stopped just inside the entrance and looked around like a hunter searching for prey.
"There."
He pointed toward an empty table near the windows.
Before anyone else could react, he took off running.
"Move! Move! If we lose that table, we’re eating on the floor!"
Daniel sighed.
"...He treats lunchtime like a competitive sport."
Marcus nodded once.
"He kind of does."
By the time the rest of us reached the table, Ryan had already claimed it by spreading his backpack across two chairs.
He looked absurdly proud of himself.
"I told you. Strategy."
Ethan dropped into the chair opposite him.
"No, that’s called cheating."
"It’s only cheating if someone catches you."
Marcus pulled the backpack off the extra chair and handed it back.
"It’s still cheating."
Ryan accepted it without the slightest bit of shame.
"Worth trying."
The five of us split up to grab food before meeting back at the table a few minutes later. Ryan had somehow managed to return with a tray stacked far higher than everyone else’s.
Daniel stared at it.
"...Are you feeding yourself or an entire village?"
Ryan looked down at the mountain of food.
"I got hungry."
Marcus pointed at one of the bowls.
"That’s your second curry."
"I couldn’t decide."
"So you bought both?"
"I solved the problem."
Ethan laughed.
"I hate that your logic somehow works."
Noah quietly placed his own tray on the table. Compared to Ryan’s feast, his lunch looked painfully simple.
Ryan frowned.
"That’s all you’re eating?"
"I’m fine."
"No, you’re definitely not."
Ryan picked up one of the fried chicken pieces from his own tray and dropped it onto Noah’s plate.
"There."
"Protein."
Noah looked at the chicken for several seconds before sighing.
"...Thank you."
Ryan grinned.
"Don’t mention it."
Daniel watched the exchange with a smile.
"You know, if someone didn’t know you two, they’d think Ryan was the responsible one."
The entire table burst into laughter.
Even Noah couldn’t stop himself from smiling.
"I sincerely hope nobody reaches that conclusion."
Lunch passed much more peacefully than the morning classes had. The conversation drifted from games to movies, then somehow turned into a debate about whether old horror films were scarier than modern ones.
"The older ones are creepier," Ethan insisted.
Ryan shook his head immediately.
"No way."
"They look fake."
"That’s exactly why they’re scary."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"...That makes no sense."
"It makes perfect sense."
Daniel joined in.
"I think atmosphere matters more than graphics."
Ryan pointed his fork dramatically.
"Exactly!"
Noah calmly took another bite of rice before speaking.
"Psychological horror consistently receives higher audience ratings than films relying exclusively on visual effects."
Ryan blinked.
"...You just said my opinion in a way that made me sound smart."
"I did."
"I appreciate that."
The table dissolved into laughter again.
For a while, I simply listened.
It was easy to forget everything else while sitting here.
No system windows.
No hidden quests.
No countdowns.
Just friends arguing over horror movies during lunch.
I almost wished time would stop.
Unfortunately, it didn’t.
As we finished eating and began returning our trays, a familiar voice called out from behind us.
"Noah."
We all turned.
A middle-aged teacher wearing a brown blazer was walking toward us with several folders tucked under one arm.
He stopped in front of Noah.
"I’ve been looking for you."
Noah straightened slightly.
"Professor Ellis."
The teacher smiled.
"I reviewed your club registration."
"It was approved faster than I expected."
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Professor Ellis looked around at the rest of us.
"So these are your members?"
Noah nodded.
"Yes."
The professor gave each of us a quick glance before continuing.
"I came to remind you about the exhibition."
Ryan raised his hand.
"We know."
"We’ve already started planning."
Professor Ellis looked pleasantly surprised.
"Already?"
Noah nodded again.
"We intend to create an interactive mystery investigation."
The professor adjusted his glasses.
"...Interesting."
"Most new clubs settle for a slideshow."
Ryan looked horrified.
"A slideshow?"
Professor Ellis chuckled.
"I’ll take that as enthusiasm."
He opened one of the folders and handed Noah several papers.
"These are the room reservation forms."
"You’ll also receive a small activity budget."
"Spend it wisely."
Ryan immediately leaned closer.
"...How small is ’small?’"
Professor Ellis smiled politely.
"You’ll find out."
Ryan looked disappointed before he’d even opened the envelope.
The professor laughed quietly.
"I’ll leave you to it."
"Oh, one more thing."
Everyone looked at him.
"Judges from outside the academy will be attending this year’s exhibition."
That immediately caught Noah’s attention.
"Outside judges?"
"Representatives from universities, museums, research organizations, and several private sponsors."
Ryan slowly lowered the envelope.
"...So this is actually important."
Professor Ellis nodded.
"Very."
"A strong presentation could earn your club additional funding next year."
"And outstanding students occasionally receive internship offers."
The easygoing atmosphere around our table changed almost instantly.
Even Ryan looked serious now.
Professor Ellis gave us one final nod before walking away.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Daniel finally broke the silence.
"...Well."
"This suddenly became a lot bigger."
Marcus nodded.
"We can’t throw something together at the last minute anymore."
Ryan looked toward Noah.
"So..."
"What now?"
Noah glanced down at the reservation forms in his hands.
"Now..."
He adjusted his glasses.
"...We start taking this seriously."
Everyone nodded.
As we left the cafeteria together, I quietly slipped my hands into my pockets.
The system had been silent all afternoon.
That should have made me feel better.
Instead...
It made me nervous.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, the countdown kept ticking.
Forty-seven hours.
Soon it would become forty-six.
Then forty-five.
Whatever was waiting at the end of that timer wasn’t getting any farther away.
I looked at the four people walking beside me.
Ryan was already talking about buying fake blood.
Daniel was wondering whether they could borrow old police tape from the drama club.
Marcus was trying to figure out how to build a believable crime scene without getting into trouble.
Noah had already started making notes on one of the reservation forms.
Watching them plan something so ordinary made me smile.
For the moment...
I’d let myself enjoy it.
Whatever the system had planned could wait until tomorrow.
At least, that’s what I told myself as we headed toward the afternoon classes.
Deep down, though, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the exhibition wasn’t simply another academy event.
It was the next stage of the story.
And whether I liked it or not...
The countdown had already begun.