Spaceship Situationship

02 - Kari

"It doesn't matter if you're hungry or not. You need energy," she insists stubbornly. Why is she so annoying? I can't tell her that if I take a bite out of anything I'll probably throw up over the side of the rooftop.

"Kassia's right," Rina nods her head. "You should have about 400 grams of fruit per day, since you're still growing."

"At least I hope you're still growing," Kassia quips. "Or you'll be short forever."

I lightly hit her shoulder with the back of my hand. "Fine, fine, I'll eat."

I grab the fork from her and stuff it in my mouth. I hold my breath as I chew, then swallow it down. By the time I'm finished, there's another strawberry being waved in front of my face. I yield and eat that one as well. Soon, I'm finished the entire bowl of fruit salad.

Kassia smiles and pats my head when I'm done, much to my annoyance. Then, she and Rina start rolling up the blankets on the ground and placing all the empty plates on a tray.

Before we go, Rina folds the egg into the toast and stuffs it in my face.

"Okay, let's drop this stuff off at home base then head to the Arena Hall for check-in," Kassia stretches and slings the blankets over her shoulder before getting onto her hoverboard.

She rides over the edge of the rooftop, looks around to check if the coast is clear, then drops down, her ponytail flying vertically upwards. Rina follows her carrying the tray of plates and cutlery. I finish eating the bread before I accompany them.

As we ride back to home base, I realize that the nervousness I was possessed by earlier has mostly disappeared. I still feel it tapping at the back of my head, but it's died down considerably.

Lance swings the door open for us, straight out of the refresher with wet hair and the fragrance of soap. I help Rina put everything back where it belongs, then the four of us wait for Xander to get ready so we can leave for the Arena Hall.

"What is he doing in there?" I point at the refresher door after 20 minutes.

"Hair," Lance and Rina chorus in a monotone. Kassia nods her head in assent from the couch, where she is currently scrolling through the Xiole Forum with terrible posture.

I give her a look of exasperation.

She shows me some memes.

Finally, the hero emerges into the common area, his hair looking exactly as it did when he first woke up. As he walks towards us, I tell him this. He looks crestfallen.

Kassia shamelessly cackles, whereas Lance and Rina cover their mouths in an attempt to hide their laughter. Xander looks at me with wounded eyes, and I do feel an ounce of sympathy for his wasted effort.

Finally, with his hair done, we're able to arrive at the Arena Hall.

---

There are two other teams here: R-22 and Y-26.

I instantly recognize Aristina Y-26, since we're both in psychology, but also because she's famous in our section for being very pretty. She has a heart-shaped face, clear blue eyes, and long honey brown hair. She also walks with this sort of ethereal air and speaks in a pleasant voice.

Kassia goes still at the sight of her, but when I call her name, she breaks into a smile and asks me what's wrong. I'm about to ask her why she suddenly zoned out, when Aristina is joined by her crewmate Jaune. Complement to his name, he is also donning a bright yellow Y-26 jacket.

Suddenly, the doors to the Arena Hall open. I smirk when I see Xander flinch beside me, but before I can call him out on it, Dione and Milo step out.

Dione's pink hair has started to fade a little at the roots, revealing her natural dark hair color. "Good morning R-22, Y-26, and Z-64. Are you ready for the second round of the Games?" she asks. We all unenthusiastically cheer. There's some lingering animosity after the deadliness of the first round.

"Today's challenge will be something a little different," Milo gives us finger guns, which has now become his signature move, and used as a symbol by citizens far and wide when imitating him. "Our future leaders must prove their skills in collaboration, so for today, you will work with members of other home bases."