Back in the vent, we crouched near the gap and waited. Below us, the guards’ canteen was still empty. Clean tables, untouched food, and a ticking wall clock counting down seconds.

   Fifteen rested his chin on his arm as he peeked through the vent. “You might be quite a prankster, you know that?”

   I looked at him. “Does that mean to be a compliment?”

   Before he could answer, the door to the canteen opened.

   A group of guards entered, laughing and talking as they lined up at the buffet. They filled their trays casually, unaware of anything unusual.

   We both watched in silence as they sat down and took their first bites.

   It didn’t take long before the show started.

   One of the guards stopped mid-chew and made a face. Another grabbed his cup and drank like his mouth was on fire. Several of them looked around, confused, fanning their mouths, reaching for water. The mood shifted quickly—confusion turning to frustration, then straight into chaos.

   I reached for my own food and started eating. Beside me, Fifteen opened his bag and dug in.

   For some reason the food tasted even better while watching the guards melt down.

   And all because I added a little pepper to all the meals in the buffet.

   Fifteen laughed with his mouth full, nearly chocking.

   We ate slowly, enjoying both the meal and the show.

   “By the way, how did you know what time it was?” I asked. "There was no clock in the isolation room, right?"

   "Hm?" Fifteen didn’t look up from his food. “Most of the guards wear watches. You can catch a glimpse if you pay attention.”

   I frowned. “That’s it?”

   “Well,” he said, swallowing, “you also have to learn to count seconds. After a while, it becomes automatic. Just keep track, and you’ll always know the time.”

   "..."

   Easier said than done. Normal people usually can't do that. Is he some Anime character or what?

   I blinked. “Seriously?”

   “Yep.” He grinned. “So go ahead. Praise me as much as you want.”

   “...I regret asking.”

   He just laughed at it.

   Still, the thought stuck with me.

   Maybe I should try too. I mean, if he can do it, then probably I also can, right? Might be useful in the future.

   After we finished eating, both of us thanked for the meal, while looking at the guards, still in pain. Then we decided to move back.

   We crawled back through the vent, retracing our path. On the way, we reached another vent opening, right above a garbage container.

   We dropped our trays and bags through the gap. Those landed perfectly inside the trash container. 

   We kept going until we reached the destination and jumped back into the isolation room.

   The second we hit the floor, we dropped onto our backs with full stomachs.

   Even though my stomach was screaming in pain from overeating, I felt strangely peaceful.

   Then, without thinking, I started laughing.

   Not a dry exhale. Not a smirk.

   Actual laughter.

   I don't remember when I did that last time. It was probably the first time in my whole life.

   Fifteen looked over and smiled.

   Noticing that, I silenced for a moment.

   "...Sora" I said quietly.

   He turned his head. “Huh?”

   “You asked about my name the first time we met, right? It’s Sora.”

   "...I see." He said with dissapointed look on his face.

   "What? Do you have problem with my name?"

   "No... It's just... When you were so hesistant to tell me your name, I assumed that it will be something funny. Now it turns out, it is quite normal. I won't deny that you ruined my expectations a little."

   And to believe that I just started looking at him in new light...

   "You know that you are annoying, don't you?"

   "People say that a lot." He answered with a smirk, not caring about my comment at all. "By the way, my name is Zeno."

   "Sounds like an Anime character."

   "Thanks for the complement."

   "I wasn't complementing you."

   With that we both bursted in laughter.

   That was how I met Zeno, my first real friend.