SMELLS LIKE FEET

Like all new contestants, Lirzod had finished removing his footwear at the allocated location nearby the ice dumpster. Sariyu, however, shut her nose so hard that blood amassed in that location. The drifting smell of shoes and socks shook her whole being. The word "unpleasant" wasn't enough to describe the stink that winds wafted onto her.

While her nose was sealed, the biting odor in the air still slipped through the tiniest gaps and left a godawful taste in her throat. She didn't smell something so rueful in so long a time that it almost made her faint.

Though Lirzod and Burton were calling her, she couldn't open her mouth as the last thing she would want was succumbing to her senses at such a spot. More and more men arrived at the location to keep their boots, thereby intensifying her ailment. All she had to do was remove her footwear and leave the place like the rest, but she couldn't find the strength to do so. It took her all to keep her nose shut.

Her feet gave off almost no odor, but others could choke a crow with theirs. It took both Lirzod and Burton a few seconds to notice her struggle, and they hurried to her, grabbed her arm, rested it on their shoulders before wasting no time in removing her sandals.

They brought her away from that spot and let her breathe well.

"Are you feeling better?" Burton asked with a change in the pitch.

While she nodded in response, Sariyu's face still showed redness.

Lirzod looked at her face and leaked out a tentative smile. "Looks like I was wrong. I knew you hated certain smells but didn't think that it was because you were allergic to them."

Sariyu's gaze shifted sideways and upward at him. "Will you keep your mouth shut?"

"Yeah." Lirzod closed his mouth, but a second later, he leaned closer and whispered, "Want me to cool down your cheeks with a kiss?"

Sariyu ground her teeth as her lips pressed into a white slash. "Dare it if you don't fear death."

"Let me have a taste then," Lirzod giggled and closed his eyes before stretching his lips, forming a heart symbol with them as they neared her cheek, startling the heck out of her. However, something came in between, and Lirzod ended up kissing it—the nasty taste of which opened his eyes only to have them enlarged upon seeing Sariyu's sandal in front of his face.

Burton, who was holding the sandal, looked coldly at Lrizod in a mouth curled with dislike. "How did the dirt taste like, brother?"

Lirzod spat down multiple times, trying to get the dirt out of his mouth. It brought a faint smile upon Sariyu's face who seemed to be struggling till then.

"Let's take a rest for now," Burton told her, "we'll participate three rounds later."

"No, I'm ready," Sariyu said, taking in steady and deep breaths.

"Are you sure?" Burton's voice turned a little quieter.

"Fully," Sariyu's eyes glowed, her face giving off a comfortable warmth. (Maybe half.)

"Alright, then."

The three of them went together and crossed the checkpoint where their tickets were collected and got themselves glued with a sticker—that which showcased each of their numbers—on their backs.

Sariyu felt strange when her eyes met the pool, and one of her hands clutched her bicep. "Sunlight burns the skin, but the cold burns deeper," she muttered under her breath, her voice showing some lack of self-assurance.

As they were heading in groups toward the starting spot, Lirzod was right beside Sariyu. While staring at the leveled water in front, he said in a slightly appetent tone, "What comes to your mind when you look at this pool?"

"It's not a pool," Sariyu said, "it's called ice dumpster."

"Yeah, ice dumpster. What's coming to your mind when you see it?"

"Nothing much. It's too cold for a swim, too."

"You want to know what's coming to my mind?"

"No, I don't."

"Only one thing's coming to my mind." Lirzod casually said in a somewhat ardent voice, "One can pee wherever they want without anyone finding it."

Sariyu's faced warped upon hearing those words. Her impression of the ice dumpster changed drastically in an instant. Strange imaginations of people doing strange things flooded her mind and later blanched her face before bringing a compulsion to flee. She swiveled back at once and scuttled away, trying to get away from the ice dumpster, but she got stopped by the hollow guards who didn't let her come out of the contest without participating in it.

Left with no other choice, Sariyu came back to those two and exchanged a blank stare with Burton but a smile with Lirzod. Forthwith, she grabbed Lirzod's throat. "Die!"

Lirzod, taken by surprise, couldn't put much resistance. After many attempts of trying to get out of her efficacious grip, he acted as if he was dead. Only then, Sariyu let go of him but still fumed. "Thanks to you, whenever I look at that ice dumpster from now on, it will always remind me of piss!" Her voice went up in volume as she exposed more of her teeth. "And I have to enter that thing now," she clenched her fist but stomped on the ground once. "Seriously, why do you act so moronic at times?"

"Ugh, ugh, Lirzod was being Lirzod," Lirzod hesitantly made eye contact with her, "that's all, ma'am."

Sariyu clenched her fists even harder and did her best to control her rankling rage from elevating the body temperature. "Tch, then I don't want to see this type of Lirzod on this ship, understood?"

Lirzod didn't reply, but the corners of his lips curled down.

"Are you deaf?" she placed her hands on hips, and her voice went up further in sonority.

"I'm not deaf." Lirzod turned away quickly.

"Then..." Her attention snapped after he hid his face, and her muscles jumped under the skin. "Answer me!"

Spots flashed in Lirzod's vision as a painful tightness culminated in his throat, "Got it."

A moment of silence spread in the space between them.

"Good," Sariyu got her hands off the hips and turned her body at an angle instead of facing Lirzod straight. "Repeat something like this and see what will happen."

From behind, Lirzod appeared to be rubbing his face.

"Got hurt from just this much, huh…" Burton slightly smiled with a somewhat long face. "Sariyu is not like Primera or Duera. She's not your maid to bear every foolish act you do."

Lirzod's lower lip grew heavier by the second. He waved his hand without looking at them, telling them to leave.

"Stop crying over little things," Burton blew air through his nose. "You are not a child anymore. At least, face us when you are crying. Do it how a faceless clan member does things."

Lirzod pressed his lips hard against one another as he turned back and looked at them both, exposing his incarnadined eyes. "You two can leave. I'll participate in this by myself."

Burton let out a contentious chuckle. "Fine, suit yourself." He looked at Sariyu. "Let's go."

Sariyu stared at Lirzod for a moment, but he looked away, breaking the eye contact. She took a deep breath. "Geez, you are as sensitive as you can be." She walked to him and held his hand. "Let's participate together, okay?"

Lirzod shook his head, his lower lip covering most of his upper lip. "I don't want to. You two make a better group without me anyway."

Sariyu sighed. "I agree. I was a bit harsh on you, but you…" She stopped for a second. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want your sorry," Lirzod hastily replied in repressed voice, still looking elsewhere.

"Then, what do you want?" she asked, forbearingly.

Lirzod slowly turned his head and looked at Burton. "I want HIM to say sorry."

"Huh?" Burton pulled his head back a bit. "Why should I apologize?"

Sariyu turned toward Burton. "It's just a simple sorry. What's wrong with telling one?"

"I didn't do anything wrong," Burton stated with certainty. "I don't owe any apology to anybody."

"Yeah, you don't owe a sorry," Lirzod quickly said, "but only if you also taste the dirt just like I did." Lirzod's body bent down involuntarily to pick up his slipper.

Burton was taken aback reflexively.

However, they were standing barefoot at the time, so Lirzod looked around to find other's footwear.

"We don't have any footwear around," Sariyu said, staring at Burton, "so a sorry should be fine."

"I'll let you be favored this time," Lirzod eyed Burton, expecting him to say that one word.

"I don't owe anyone anything," Burton turned around and strode away.

"Wait!" Sariyu called Burton in a pressing tone, making him pick up his pace. Lirzod fleetly followed her with a sapless smile on his face.

777, who had been observing the three of them, got utterly puzzled. "Those three… Just what the heck are they doing?"

"Having a chat even after going inside?" Hundred, on the other hand, covered his face with his palms. "They aren't taking this seriously at all. I shouldn't have placed a bet."

"Kah-haha," Tarkan laughed. "At least they don't seem to be daunted as most first-time triers would."

Though Tarkan stated those words, he couldn't cast away the doubt lingering in Hundred's mind. (Will they win? Deck tests like these are places where it's okay to be dirty, where it's okay to play. There aren't a lot many tests on this belt that gives full permission to break other's bones if need be. And this place isn't as spacious as the Crippling Circle either. Forget about winning, even reaching anywhere close to the finish line without getting tackled by some fatty would be considered a rare thing.) After scratching his head multiple times, he screamed on the inside. (AHHH, screw it. Whatever happens, will happen. I can't change anything anyway.)

As the three youngsters reached the starting spot—the place from where all the contestants spring into the ice dumpster, thereby signaling the start of the test—Burton was the first to stop, and the rest replicated his movements. More than seventy contestants already stood in ten lines with at max ten members allowed in a single line. The silence subsisting in that spot restrained the voices of the three youngsters.

Most men were on shorts and undershirts, promulgating pretty much all of their pumped-up assets. Injuries of all sorts—some striking and some not—plagued many of those mortal men, but none of their eyes showed a shred of fragility. They didn't seem like the wolves simply set focused on winning, but rather like the wolves that would tear apart any foes who had the backbone to stand in their way to the triumph.

Their malign gazes swept all over the three youngsters and attempted to wear them out pensively; howbeit, Lirzod was the first one to step forth and stop near the first line made by the men.

"What's this?" one of them glanced at Lirzod and spoke in a power-packed tone. "Trying to stand among us wolves when you don't even look like a dog? I'd say that's rude. Nobody on this ship likes brats much less rude brats like you."

"Hey, puppy," another man said with a smile on his face. "Get back before you hurt yourself."

Lirzod ignored them and stepped ahead, but a man's hand blocked his path. "Why's the puppy still coming this way?"

"Maybe it's deaf," another man spoke, making the others around chortle out loud.

"Now, now, deaf or not, that's not possible," he pushed away Lirzod.

Lirzod stared at them fixedly, displeasure dwelling in his eyes.

"What are you looking at, son?" a short-braided man popped his knuckles as he stepped closer. "A new entry must learn to keep his eyes to the floor when looking at a superior." He placed his hand on top of Lirzod's head and pushed his head down. "Humph. Leave just like that." Saying that he turned back and began to walk to his place.

Lirzod raised his head and stared back at the short-braided man, who scrutinized the faces of the other men, which made the man turn back.

"Someone here is in dire need of an ass whopping," the short-braided man stepped closer.

"Let's join the rear lines, Lirzod," Sariyu's voice came from the side.

At that time, the man, who was stepping forward stopped in mid-stride, stopped. "Lir...zod? Where did I hear that name?" he took a gander at Lirzod.

Lirzod walked away while maintaining eye contact with the short-braided man.

As the three youngsters headed to the rear end of the lineup, some other men eyed them from head to toe.

"Wooo, look at her, isn't she young and dishy?" a brown-bearded man said in an enraptured tone.

"Right," the gray-haired man beside the brown-bearded man nodded as he caught the fly that landed on his shoulder wound and ground it between his teeth. His eyes broadened upon seeing the red-haired girl as she walked past him. "What's up with those cheeks? They look like they'll swell for a season if we went for a rough kiss. I want to have cheeks like those."

"You muttonhead," the brown-bearded man guffawed. "Forget about brutes like us... Even among young folks, only a few have those cheese-like cheeks."

"But I want those cheesy cheeks!" the gray-haired man tapped his heel offtimes.

"If you want them so badly, then all we have to do is walk off with them by the time the test ends." As they spoke, their eyes were wholly on Sariyu, who did hear their words but didn't stop at the line those two were at and continued on to the next one.

Though Lirzod and Burton were visibly displeased from hearing those men, Sariyu was more worried about something else—her fuzzy head. (Everyone smells like feet.)