Entering the classroom first, Horst saw the unsightly horror that was Otie’s desk. Filled to the brim with melon muffins, all Horst could think was… “What the hell! A cheap joke? Nah… It’s a yeast plant. Hmm, wait…maybe they just forgot to cancel the deliveries over the break.” Brushing her hair as she whistled down the hall, Cherry with gay stride picking up her feet.

  “Ah finally found you. So this is where you are.” With rosy cheeks she hung by the door’s frame. “I’ve been looking all over the place for you.”

  “Cherry! Looking for…me?”

  Twirling her hair, Cherry responded with nervous fidgeting. “Didn’t we have an appointment? But you always go and stroll around somewhere…”

  Horst began to sweat, confusion plaguing his face. “What? We had an appointment?”

  “You're such a meanie! This will show you I forgive you…”

  An hour after Cherry had vomited onto Horst… Sitting at their desks were Taiga, Cherry, Fester, and Horst. With Cherry and Fester expressing their exhaustion.

  “So what’s up with the muffins?” Taiga asked.

  “Cherry and Festy ate them, but are acting weird…” Horst came closer to Taiga, whispering, he spoke his concealed thoughts. “I think they may be drugged, those muffins smell sweet, but there is this odd alcoholic scent mixed in as well.”

  “Huh? Cherry you ate them too? So you’ve met the unicorn too?” Fester asked.

  Holding her head, Cherry replied sluggishly. “Unicorn? To be honest I can’t really remember anything…”

  “…” Horst kept still.

  “Eurig, pretty sure he ate one as well,” Cherry said.

  “Eurig…” He’s probably now… Within Horst’s imagination was a sky-nine Eurig who thought he was on top of the world.

  Out at the park was Eurig stripping, shouting at the top of his lungs, he screams the whims of kingship. “I’m the King! The Golden Surfer! Worship me…” To his mountain of ants.

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  “Good god, and you just let him be? Looks like I need to be going, I have a few jobs I picked up this summer… This is a waste of time, I got better things to do. Same goes for these melons,” Taiga said as he cleaned up Otie’s desk.

  “You're really going to take those along?” Horst asked. “That stuff’s dangerous.”

  “You know I hate wasting food. I’m gonna share them with my co-workers.”

  Poor co-workers. Horst thunk. “Wait Vephkia, I didn’t call you here for just that. I’ve finally found what Urjo’s been doing these days. Say, what do you think?”

  “…”

  “He’s been going ‘hunting’. Hiding his face with his signature bandana, he’s been targeting participants in the previous Zodiac Palace. One by one, starting with the lowest ranked ones… And he’s literally hunting. He’s been garnering a pretty bad reputation.” On Horst screen were messages across online forums.

  Dodog: I don’t know how he’s doing it. Lighting jips on fire, beating them with a baseball bat. Fucking shitter.

  Reggie: Lousy, just lousy, right?

  Letcher: So who is it?

  Kiaros: Some student from the regional academy not too far from the bridge.

  Letcher: Wow! Middle-school kiddos really are brutal these days.

  Dodog: Oh, btw, gonna go to Starvation.

  Reggie: What’s that?

  Kiaros: I think I will join you.

  “He’s already assaulted the top dogs at Nogatish middle, fucked em up real bad. Cowardly, from the shadows.”

  “But why does he do that?” Cherry asked.

  “He’s trying to get approval for a quest. He’s trying to enter the Zodiac Palace,” Taiga said.

  “Exactly, but if this goes unchanged…he’d better see…that he’s soon gonna be the aim of other people’s vengeance.”

  With a straight face, washed of worry, Taiga said proudly, “I don’t give a fuck about Urjo!”

  “Doesn’t matter if you care or not. If this keeps up, you will be in the crossfire soon,” Horst replied logically. Don’t you remember the vice-champion of the last Zodiac Palace tournament: Taiga Vephkia.”

  With dull eyes, Taiga turned around pushing up his glasses, letting the air vent blast over his shaved head. “Whatever… I don’t get into fights for no reason.”

  That is probably what differentiates you from the tournament’s winner. Horst thunk. Everyone here is foolish… Horst looked down at the stripped sleepers, Cherry and Fester.