26. Ships (4)

26. Ships (4)

- instructions -

• Boys are prohibited to step on the white floor

• Girls are prohibited to step on the black floor

"what do you guys think this means?" Aria asked

When Lex, Mio, Arthur, and Aria arrived, Aria the one in the lead, the first one to realize, they're a group of people stood still beside the cafeteria's entrance for a while

What's they find is an announcement board with instructions written on them,

"Hmmm…, maybe it's some kind of rule we need to follow inside the cafeteria?" Arthur was the first one to answered

"we're only having a dinner here right, what rule needed there?" Lex replied

"but in high class society, there's some kind of etiquette that needed to follow which can be called the unspoken rule too"

"so you mean, this is some kind of test for us?" Aria said as she twirled her hair with her finger

(I know this is not the time to think like this, It looks like Aria habit when she's thinking but aren't that gesture too cute!?)

(Kuh! I always love long hair in my past life, but this short hair… not bad)

(Ah! It's corrupting me!? Dangerous!)

"maybe, I think even as a guest it's not easy to enter one of the tops mercenary in the world training camp, if we think it logically it's normal to have some kind of taste because there's too many participant" Arthur replied

(Somehow… I've just heard something very incredible just now, and somehow…I've got a feeling that I'm misunderstanding a very big thing….)

(Ahaha there's no way right… mercenary….)

"hey, there's number here" for the first time Mio joined our discussion

Following Mio's Call they found a number on top of the cafeteria's entrance

"1-205" Aria muttered while twirling her hair.

"how about we check the other room too?" Lex suggest

SS.Maria with its humongous size, its normal to have more than one cafeteria inside, but this time the ship had been prepared special for this occasion, there are ten big hall like room, which turned to cafeteria.

When the four reached the second room

"it's the same instruction, but the number is 206-410" said Arthur

"Oh!" Aria shouted, Aria have found some kind of connection between these room "you know, other than us 'Guest' given number like code, I guess this is for that, so our name and room must be in the last room"

Believing Aria hypothesis, the four quickly made their way to the tenth cafeteria, there are number 1848-2000, and two announcement board, one for instruction and another one for… list of names

"Whoa! It's as Aria said our names listed there" Lex praised, but the praised Aria didn't bother to answer his praise nor talking to him at all, she immediately entered the cafeteria

After Aria went inside, Lex quickly glare at Mio

(It's all your fault, how do you fix this!)

Mio answered with a gesture ('sorry sorry') ('I don't think it will become a big problem like this') she thought,

While Arthur give the rest a dry laugh looking at the awkward situation

Thus the four of them went inside the cafeteria

As expected it was a normal hall room, which decorated to be like cafeteria

(It's like standing party in my past life)

The three then find the Aria who immobile in place

When they reach her they found out, just one step away from Aria, the floor divided into black and floor.

The floor had a stripe motif black and white with an interval of 50 cm, and then at every 5-7 meters, there some kind like bridge which connected the stripe with the width of 30cm, so it's easy to go from one lane to another, without any jumping needed.

"so this is what's the instruction for…" said Arthur

They all decided to follow the instruction, there are two reasons first the four of them didn't know what system working behind that instruction which they don't know what will happen if they violated it, while the other reason is the instruction is easy to follow, which don't need any much work or bother them much, they went inside in order Arthur and Lex behind him, while Aria beside Arthur and Mio beside Lex

The tenth cafeteria is huge, you can see that the room can easily accommodate more than two hundred people inside at the same time, there's food stand in every corner every part of the cafeteria, there are some chairs for resting too.

"I don't see them at all" Lex muttered in small voice

But looks like Mio who's walking beside her "see who?" Mio asked

"those black suits men"

"now that you say it" Arthur joined the conversation "we don't see them at all after they divided our rooms"

"Aria came a bit later from us, do you saw them?" Mio asked

Aria shook her head "no, the same as you all I never seen them after that, but is it important?" Aria look at Lex

"No…, it's just my curiosity"

"then don't bother me" Aria said prickly

(Uwaa… she really hated me… but it's Mio's fault not me!!)

"ahaha" Mio patted Lex shoulder to cheer him up, "I'm hungry let's go" then she changed the topic

There are many other children in the cafeteria, but not many who know each other, they all came from different place because of that, the children inside were divided in group of four, they all only talk to their roommate, the same Lex and others

When Lex saw all those different kids in the same place Lex caught on something strange

(There is no… language barrier! Right! I missed it too! I can easily guess Mio came from japan, from her name and the language she often used, but we all fluently talk in English! Did she learn it? But how about Arthur and Aria they too fluently talk in English, is this their mother language? Or they learn it too?)

(Then what about the other children? Maybe the room divided by the language we know? Or maybe these two thousand children all learned and can fluently talk in English? I don't have any way to make sure of it! The mystery keeps increasing! Language… mercenaries…)

When the four reached the nearest food stand, it is a drink stand, there are black tea in glasses neatly arranged in 10x10 rows and columns

"there some instruction over here" Arthur said pointing sign in the middle of table

- instructions -

• Boys can only take from odd rows

• Girl can only take from even rows

"what's their purpose making all these things?" Lex muttered as he fell on the deep thought like Aria and Arthur

"Hey!, there are instructions over here too!" Mio called from the other table. With her call the three of them quickly approached the next table, and of course they still follow the first instruction while walking, girls on white, boys on black.

- instructions -

• Every one can only take 1 thing from here

The table consists of dining utensils there are different size of spoon, fork, chopsticks, knife, etcetera

"one thing? What about chopsticks" Mio asked "do we take one pair or really one chopstick?"

With Mio question they all fell on deep thought once again

"how about we walk around the cafeteria to see what kind of make instruction there" Aria suggested

(hmm… I agree with that, if this table the only one consists utensils in this room, then we can't choose any other than spoon, which can be used for any kind of food, and there will be no one choosing a knife too.)

As everyone agreed with Aria suggestion, the four of them makes a round the cafeteria, there are many other instructions at every tables, like

- instructions -

• Boys can only take from front rows

• Girl can only take from back rows

- instructions -

• Only girls can take food from this table

(all of them were easy to follow, but it starts to make others annoyed when following the instructions, just what's their purpose preparing something like this…)

even if there many who's annoyed with all these instructions, but everyone still followed the instructions diligently, and there are many tables which consist of the same thing, like utensils if you can only take spoon from here, you can take fork from other table, so it's fine but still annoying as they needed to walk in black and white.

***

"Ack!! Spihy spihy!!" Mio cried then she immediately drank a full glass of milk

"uuuu... I thought I'm going to die… no one said this food is spicy! They should mark the spicy one!!"

It was in the middle of their trivia conversation, the four of them had checked all the instructions, they just understand it be a bit inconvenient but they still can easily full their stomach with so many kind of food inside.

After taking their own chosen food, they discussed what's the purpose behind this annoying instruction when Mio suddenly cried, and of course Lex, Aria and Arthur seen her actions

(Hmm… chance!!)

"oya oya, what happened to you Mio" Lex said with an angel smile on his face, at least that's what Lex thought. While the others can easily see something sinister behind it

"!??, nothing! Ha ha! What are you talking about?" Mio laughed as she avoided Lex direct gaze

"haha" Lex laughed too "Mio, you told me about senior culture in your country before right?"

"….umm" Mio felt something wrong here, but as she can't guessed what Lex trying to do she can only answer it sincerely "yes…" she answered timidly

"then, onee-chan" Lex called with an upturned eye at Mio

"~~!"

(Haha! I know my appearance in this world is above normal, don't think it's only you who can take advantage of your appearance!)

"onee-chan, aaa…" Lex said, as he brought the 'Sate' [an Indonesian food, which usually sweet and spicy] to her mouth

At this time Mio has guessed pretty much what Lex trying to do, but she has no way to escape from it

"umm…, how about a truce?" Mio said

"aaaaaaa…."

Mio take a glance to her empty glass "…L-Lex" Mio called begging with tears in the corner of her eyes

"AAAaaa~~~!"

"uuu~~"

At last Mio given up her fate and slowly opened her mouth "aaa"

*nom

"uuuuwaaa spihhhyyyyyy!!!!!" she quickly swallowed the chicken meat, but the spice still caught in her mouth

"ahahaha" Lex laughed as he offered his own drink

Which Mio quickly accepted "uuu… cruel..." Mio said after she drank another glass of black tea, she glared at Lex hatefully

"haha, sorry sorry"

"No! I won't forgive you, as your Onee-chan I order you to take another drink for me!!"

By what Mio said Lex pick another 'sate' in his hand "aaaaaa~~~!"

"Hi...!!??" Mio screamed

"ahaha" Lex laughed out loud once again, and only at that time both of them realizes the strange gazes directed to them form Aria and Arthur

"and you said this is the first time you two met" Arthur said accusingly to Lex and Mio

"we really just met before right" Lex said while Mio agreed with that

"but aren't you two too close for someone who's just met" Arthur accused more strongly while Aria didn't say anything, her eyes telling the same thing as Arthur

"no, it's just a coincidence that we're similar" Lex said "then I'm gonna take another drink, is black tea fine with you?"

"un, thanks" Mio answered

Then Lex went to take another drink for both of them

"you really didn't know each other" Aria asked Mio once again

"un, we really just met on that room, the same as you two" Mio said it clearly to stop another same kind of question

('after all…') Mio thought

(After all…) Lex thought as he went to get another drink

('We both have the same kind of outer shell')

(We both have the same kind of outer shell)

It's said that human have different kind of face according to the one who's their faces, the face which only shown to his/her family, the face which only shown to his/her close friend, the face which only shown to his/her enemy, the face which only shown to his/her stranger, etcetera

And it's only a coincidence both Lex and Mio have the same kind of faces which shown to stranger, they both able to easily converse like a close friend to a stranger, but they won't ever be close friend in the truest sense.