A strange box—yellow and white, with noticeable eyes and a mouth—was suddenly summoned at the center of the room, gathering everyone's attention.
Caeson gave it a side-eye while Hawker glared at him. After a long silence, Caeson swallowed and cleared his throat.
Reu looked confused and asked, "Where did this box come from? Was it always here, or did it fall from the roof?"
All the kids began staring at them, including Reu, hoping to hear what explanation Caeson would give.
Caeson was thinking hard about how to cover this up.
Meanwhile, Hawker was desperate to escape from the situation.
Caeson took a breath and started making up an excuse.
"This… is a trick. A mere show."
The kids and Reu looked confused. Even Hawker was confused for a moment, but soon realized that Caeson was trying to cover things up.
"And this is not the surprise," Caeson continued dramatically. "I have a bigger one."
"Oh my almighty scrapbox, you who own everything in this world! Rooting with imbeciles befall you—grant the wish that these kids desire!"
One of the kids quickly asked, "Any item?"
Caeson stretched a smile and purposely made his voice deeper.
"Yeah… but only one. So you all have to choose wisely."
The kids looked confused about what they should ask for, and whether it could really happen.
Reu stared into Caeson's eyes suspiciously and gave a slight nod, silently asking for an explanation.
Caeson waved his palm low and twitched his eyes toward him, signaling him to wait.
The kids began giving suggestions.
From one side, a boy with pink glasses shouted, "Bring tons of soft toys!"
Another girl wearing a black hat immediately rejected it. "Nah… maybe an elephant!"
The kids began arguing with each other.
"Huh? What are you talking about? An elephant?"
Another discussion started.
"One should ask for a ladder to the clouds!"
"No way! A rope to the moon would be better!"
"What about the heart of nature?"
Caeson listened to their ideas and thought,
What are these absurd wishes?
Hawker stared at him from the table. Travelling his throught with cloud of mind place
This was your idea. I'm not Santa, and even Santa can't pull out these supernatural wishes.
At the far corner of the room, a small hand slowly rose.
It felt different from the other kids. The gesture was calmer, more thoughtful—something more reasonable, like the world where Caeson and Hawker originally came from.
Reu noticed it and said, "Yes, Instewl. You can give your suggestion."
Instewl stood up. The scar across his face was clearly visible from the opposite side of the room.
It was understandable if a child felt embarrassed by something that made him look different from others.
But Instewl straightened his posture confidently, aligning his body proudly despite the scar.
Then he spoke calmly.
"How about… better foodstuff?"
The entire room fell silent.
Then slowly, the children began nodding.
They had finally realized what the most important thing actually was.
Food with good taste.
Caeson also understood it instantly.
Yeah… food.
Since coming here, I've only eaten figs. Nothing decent. Good thing I stored plenty of canned food before everything happened.
Hawker also nodded slightly, signaling that it was possible.
From the front desk, Uru raised her voice.
"Good water would also be nice. I often feel dizzy after drinking the duct water came from lakes."
Some of the kids disagreed with her idea, saying that water was something normal for them.
But Caeson understood the real value of water. Without it, nothing could survive. Could that be why farming barely existed here?
He decided to think about that later.
For now, food was the easiest solution.
He spread his arms dramatically.
"Alright! Foodstuff it is!"
Reu still believed this was just a trick. Nothing miraculous was going to happen.
Inside the mind palace, Caeson asked Hawker,
"How many canned foods do you currently have?"
Hawker replied with a smug smile.
"You spent quite a lot on those supplies, believing that someday you would end up alone during an apocalypse or disaster."
"Well… the total is two hundred and fifty-three cans. Burgers, soup, ramen, sandwiches."
Caeson nodded.
"That's way too much. Let's not overdo it… twenty cans should be enough for sixteen kids."
Suddenly—
A bright shining light burst from the top of Hawker.
All the kids and Reu covered their eyes from the brightness.
When the light faded, Hawker had disappeared.
In his place, twenty metallic boxes of different shapes and sizes were neatly placed on the table.
Reu was stunned.
From the beginning he believed this was only entertainment for the kids.
But now… it had actually happened.
Caeson casually said, "Well, Reu. You can serve them. Since this is my first class, consider it a present."
Reu carefully picked up one of the boxes.
It felt strange in his hands.
The kids also looked confused.
The boxes only had pictures of food drawn on them.
How were they supposed to eat this?
Caeson grabbed one box.
"There's a metal strip here."
He pulled it open.
Instantly, hot steam rose from the box.
Inside was ramen.
One by one, Caeson opened the cans while Reu distributed them to the kids.
Soon the room filled with excitement.
The children's faces lit up with happiness.
Seeing those smiles, Reu felt deeply joyful.
Caeson handed him a can.
"Try it."
Reu hesitated.
"But the kids—"
"They already have theirs."
The kids laughed.
Finally, Reu and Caeson each opened a can and started eating together.
At the same time… far beneath the ground.
In a dark underground cavern, a river quietly flowed through the darkness.
Three figures stood near the water.
One of them bent forward in mid-air, dipping a long black rotten tongue into the river.
Another creature dipped its five red skinless fingers of both of his hands—each larger than a human hand—into the water.
The third one simply stood beside them silently, staring into the flowing current.
The creature with the red fingers spoke.
"Hey… don't just stand there. Come help us."
The long-tongued creature tried to speak.
"If you help, it will finish faster—"
But the sound came out as
"Blah… blah… blah…"
Half of its tongue was still inside the river.
The silent figure finally moved.
He exhaled slowly.
Then his body twisted and expanded.
He transformed into a massive creature.
A giant mouth with swollen lips, Five eyes.
Green flesh covering its entire body.
Suddenly—
He vomited directly into the river.
White smoke rose from the disgusting liquid.
Slowly, the substance dissolved into the water and became colorless.
The river quietly carried it away.
Toward the lake.