The elevator doors opened.

Aries and Maika stepped out. Morning on the 9th floor was noisy and bustling. People were walking back and forth, chatting and eating breakfast. Some were wearing uniforms similar to those Aries had seen when she first arrived at the base.

"It's so crowded..."

Maika was surprised, standing behind Aries and looking around. Aries nodded slightly. The food counter was long and abundant. It seemed to be a self-service cafeteria. The freshly cooked dishes emitted fragrant aromas. Aries smelled a dish she liked...

"Aries!"

Aries startled, turning to see Victor. He looked happy to see her again.

"There you are, where have you been?"

"...I was sleeping."

"Is that so? You must have been tired."

Victor grinned, then noticed Maika hiding behind Aries. He frowned in surprise.

"Aries, who's this?"

"My friend... Vanessa."

Aries paused slightly, almost saying Maika's real name. Victor seemed to notice, but he didn't pay much attention.

"Is that so?"

Victor looked at 'Vanessa', tilting his head to observe her for a moment.

"...Hello."

"I didn't mean to scare you, I'm Victor, Aries' friend."

Victor smiled friendly, and Maika nodded slightly with a small smile. Aries sighed softly, now hungry and wanting to quickly grab something to eat.

Victor looked at Aries, smiling.

"They have braised pork with quail eggs here, let's go eat."

Victor pointed towards the far end of the food counter. Aries blinked, confused. How did he know she liked braised pork with quail eggs?...

Oh well, no need to ask too much, she just wanted to fill her stomach because she was hungry.

"Yeah, let's go."

Aries took Maika's hand and led her to follow Victor. Maika seemed surprised when Aries held her hand, but she said nothing.

They grabbed trays and approached the end of the food counter. After Aries took the braised pork with quail eggs, she looked over at Maika, seeing her looking around the counter.

"Don't know what to choose?"

"Ah... there are so many dishes, I don't know what to pick."

Maika smiled awkwardly. Aries looked at the food counter for a moment, then pointed to a tray full of fried fish.

"Eat this, you need a lot of calories right now, so eat a lot."

"Ah, okay..."

Maika put the fried fish on her tray. Aries then looked around the counter for something else, when Victor nudged her hand gently.

"The stir-fried broccoli is at the beginning of the counter, you go pick a table, I'll get it for you."

Then he glanced over at Maika.

"Do you want anything else?"

"Ah... if there's lettuce, get me some, please."

"Okay."

Victor smiled and headed towards the beginning of the counter. Aries watched him, frowning in confusion. How did Victor know she liked broccoli? Aries blinked, then thought: 'Could Victor have the ability to read minds?'.

She shook her head. That's not right. According to the Shine Ability System, you have to be at level 3 to have that ability, and Victor is at level 2. But if you suspect without evidence, it's awkward, and it could cause misunderstandings...

"What's wrong, Ari?"

"Ah, nothing... let's go pick a table."

Aries led Maika away. But, could it be that Victor also likes them and guessed? But he didn't take braised pork with quail eggs at that time.

...So confusing. Aries sat down at a table near the window, Maika sat next to her. The windows here were quite large, allowing a view of the outside; people with a fear of heights might feel scared.

A moment later, Victor returned. He placed a bowl of stir-fried broccoli on Aries' tray and a bowl of lettuce on Maika's tray.

"Oh, almost forgot."

Victor suddenly ran off again. Aries and Maika looked at each other, looking bewildered. Soon after, Victor returned with 2 glasses of orange juice.

"Hey Vanessa, I didn't know what you liked to drink, so I got you orange juice like Aries."

"It's okay, I like orange juice too."

Although Victor and Maika felt normal, Aries was the most surprised. Once again, how did Victor know she liked orange juice?!

"What's wrong, Aries?"

Victor's voice startled her.

"No, I'm just still tired, so I'm a bit out of it."

Aries smiled, then ate her food.

"Is it good, Ari?"

"Ah, it's good."

Aries nodded slightly, looking at Maika. Aries glanced at Victor, seeing him looking at her food tray.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"Can I try some of the braised pork?"

"Sure."

Aries nodded, but couldn't help but wonder. Victor used a spoon to scoop up some of the sauce and tasted it.

"How is it?"

"...It's so salty."

Aries was stunned.

"Of course, it's supposed to be salty...?"

"No, it's saltier than usual."

Aries was suspicious, and she also tasted a bit of the sauce.

"Ugh... cough cough."

Aries coughed violently. It was intensely salty. Maika startled, worriedly patting Aries on the back.

"Drink some orange juice."

Aries took a sip of orange juice. She sighed softly. Victor also looked at her with concern.

"Hey, eating too salty isn't good, how about we switch?"

"...I don't like sour things..."

Aries glanced at Victor's food tray. Ceviche, to easily imagine it, it's like salad mixed with raw fish. Although she had never tried it, she absolutely didn't like sour food... If it were sweet and sour ribs, that would be fine.

"This isn't too sour."

"Who knows?"

Seeing that Aries refused to switch food, Victor just sighed softly.

"Then I'll go get something else."

"No, it's okay."

Aries looked at her tray of braised pork with quail eggs. She picked up a quail egg and ate it.

"...The egg isn't too salty, so I'll just eat the eggs."

"But you have to go through inspection later, eating only eggs and broccoli isn't enough."

"Eat your own."

Victor watched Aries eat, he sighed softly, said nothing, and ate his portion. Maika looked at the two of them, and she didn't dare to speak, so she quietly ate her food.

Aries thought: 'Victor is right, eating only eggs and broccoli isn't enough, so what to do? But they stipulate that you can only take 3 items...'

Where is this regulation? It's pasted on the wall behind her.

[5. Only 3 items allowed: Fiber, protein, and liquid.]

An idea suddenly flashed in her mind. There was still a box of curry rice in her room. Luckily.

"What time do you two start gathering?"

"We don't know, probably there will be an announcement later, what time do you gather?"

"7 o'clock."

Victor looked at the electronic clock on the wall.

"15 minutes left."

Aries finished her portion and drank all the orange juice. Maika looked at her, then looked at the braised pork that was still left over there.

"Is it okay to leave leftovers?"

"...Probably not."

Aries looked at Maika's tray, she had eaten everything. Then she looked at Victor's tray, also clean. Aries glanced at him, seeing him looking at her.

"...What?"

"Give it here, I'll eat it for you."

"But you said eating salty food isn't good."

"We also shouldn't waste it."

Aries sighed softly. Oh well, no more arguing, she nodded and pushed her tray towards Victor.

Although he didn't say it, Victor's slightly uncomfortable expression when eating the remaining pork made Aries feel guilty.

"Hey, you don't need to force yourself so much..."

"It's okay..."

Seeing Victor still forcing himself to eat, Aries said nothing more, while Maika looked at them with curiosity. After eating, Victor immediately drank all his water.

"Salty up to my brain!"

"I told you not to force yourself too much..."

"You two..."

Victor and Aries looked towards Maika, seeing her looking at them with curiosity.

"What's wrong, Vanessa?"

"You two are so close, Victor even knows what Ari likes to eat."

Aries blinked, looking surprised.

"Ah... I didn't mean anything..."

Maika quickly waved her hands, Aries was also curious, then she looked at Victor.

"It's nothing, those dishes are very nutritious, so I chose them for Aries, I didn't even know Aries liked them."

Victor's explanation sounded reasonable, but it still made Aries suspicious. She didn't seem to believe what Victor said.

"It's almost 7 o'clock, I'll go first."

"Alright."

Victor smiled, stood up, and quickly left. Maika also smiled and said goodbye to him, while Aries simply nodded and said "Mm."

After Victor left, Maika turned to look at Aries.

"Ari, we should also go downstairs."

"Mm."

Aries nodded, smiling a little. She and Maika went to the elevator and went downstairs...