Kidnapped

There appeared to be something Kenji didn't want to talk about, but he spoke up nonetheless.

"My tests were all simply tests of brute strength, from grip strength, forcing open a door, to shattering a boulder. While he may only be a child, from what I have seen, his strength should be enough to pass the test."

Mia muttered with a finger to her lip.

"That leaves the test for hearts... I wonder what that one would be."

Kenji spoke under his breath, almost like he was trying to tell a secret.

"From what I've heard, the fewest people are able to pass the trial of hearts for whatever reason. I've gathered that whatever the test is, simple strength or wits is not enough to pass."

Jessica furrowed her brows.

"Hopefully he didn't choose hearts then..."

Kenji gently shut his eyes and let out a rather long sigh.

"Regardless, you can't wait here forever, whether or not he actually ends up passing the test. Decide sooner rather than later when you will consider him dead. While I can't be sure, I've heard that the grand majority of people fail, so the fact that even two of you had succeeded is already a good outcome."

Mia furrowed her brows and looked down.

"I... I understand, but he doesn't seem like someone that would fail here of all places."

Jessica seemed particularly stressed out, grabbing a handful of her hair and grinding her teeth.

"No! He can't possibly be dead... There's no way!"

Kenji only remained silent, though he didn't have the highest of hopes. After all, going through the test made the difficulty very clear to him, and according to others, his was far from the hardest as well.

"If you decide to leave, whether because you've given up or wish to check up later, you can come with me. While I do not know everything about this place, I do know the essentials. Ah, also the protection provided changed a little bit."

Mia widened his eyes slightly.

"Eh? You mean the hub protection?"

Kenji nodded and looked off in the distance.

"It lasts for twenty-four hours now, and if it is completely depleted it will take twenty-four hours to fully recharge. However, it is more flexible than that. You could see it as an energy meter with a twenty-four hour maximum."

Mia took out her red deck, and on it was indeed a timer that was just below twenty-four hours. His words were the truth.

"...Despite everything, I believe that Jack will be fine. However, it would probably be best not to waste time while he is still taking the test. If you could please, show us around. And thank you for all the information earlier."

Kenji simply nodded before turning around.

"Then follow me."

He first brought them along to one of the skyscrapers. There were people coming to and fro from the building, which had several entrances. A few shot glances over in their group's direction, but there were no direct confrontations.

As they walked inside, Kenji began to explain the function.

"This is essentially the living quarters. To gain access to a room, you will need to pay with cards to temporarily rent one. There is a very wide difference between the lowest room, costing a single 3 for a week, and the best, which costs a 7 for a week."

He tilted his head left and right, cracking his neck, pointing towards a line of wooden doors. Some of which had a very faint barrier around them.

"There are a lot of different reasons and benefits to get the better ones, but the main thing is the storage it provides. Higher tiers provide better storage, as well as protection for the items you keep. If it's a lower tier one, then it will be easier for someone to break in and take things."

There were a few shady people stepping around and looking at the doors rather intently, seemingly intent on trying to steal when the opportunity presented itself.

The doors themselves appeared quite dirty, clearly not in the best of conditions. Next to them was either a small holder to put a card in or a number, if it was already occupied. The lines of doors were in hallways that extended out both to the left and right. There was also an elevator system across the entrance, presumably to get to the higher floors.

Although there was more to look at, Kenji had turned around to lead them to another place. He showed them various shops, some of which had different kinds of survival supplies, others that provided food that wasn't jerky and lemon, and even a clothing/armor store. While whether or not it could be considered a shop depended on one's definition, there was also a fortune-telling section.

However, one thing that stood out compared to the normal shop, was that the specific suit mattered for the purchase, such as being three 2 of clubs for a hamburger. While the normal shop did have restrictions on suits, it was more flexible. So long as repeated numbers were different suits, the purchase would go through.

Their trip had gone on for a while, and in the middle of it, a flash of light appeared near the center before Jack had appeared.

He almost looked like a doll with his strangely pretty looks. A young woman who had been using the main shop was startled by his sudden appearance. Though after just one look, she felt compelled to move over to him.

"Hey there, little guy. What is your name?"

Jack was still a bit disoriented, looking around at the huge new place he suddenly found himself in. However, he recovered fairly quickly before looking at the woman and responding.

"My name is Jack!"

The woman's eyes glazed over slightly, it appeared that they could no longer see anything other than him. She had short blonde hair, though it appeared as though it had been long not too long ago with the blackened ends. Along with that were clear blue eyes, which stood out especially because of her face that was dull from dirt and a few smudge stains, like Kenji.

Her clothes were not as exaggeratedly ruined like Kenji, though there were holes in them along with stains.

 While holding onto Jack's shoulders, she nervously spoke up.

"M-My name is Lila. If you wouldn't mind, I'll take care of you. You'll be safe with me!"

She eagerly hugged and lifted him up, swaying side to side ever so slightly. As for Jack, he appeared a bit confused, looking at Lila strangely. Still, he didn't seem to dislike being treated like that.

"Safe? But it's always safe! Are you worried about something dangerous?"

It was Lila's turn to be confused. She thought that it was a given that this place was dangerous, but her logical facilities weren't exactly working the best in the current moment.

"Ah, you haven't seen it, but the outside could be dangerous, since anything could be out there! But... even if it is, I will protect you, so that you won't have to worry."

As this was going on, Jessica had spotted the two of them from a distance. She rushed over, prompting Kenji and Mia to follow along. Jack saw this and waved with a big smile on his face.

Though Lila looked at them cautiously while holding Jack closer to herself.

"What are you doing? Stay away!"

Jessica furrowed her brows rather intensely.

"Let him go! Why are you holding onto him?"

Lila tightened her grip and took a few steps backwards.

"No! I can tell what you're trying to do... you want him! B-But, I saw him first, so you can't have him! Jack only needs me."

She tilted her head to look at him.

"T-That's right, isn't it?..."

Jack blinked a few times rather cluelessly, tilting his head to the side.

"Um... I don't think so. Eating is still pretty important, and those are also my friends!"

Lila's face paled hearing those words. Jessica was still angry, but also a bit smug.

"Did you hear that? Now let him go! We were with him far longer than you."

For a few moments, Lila looked between Jessica and Jack. A moment of hesitation overcame her before she suddenly began sprinting away, with Jack in tow. In reality, Jack could've easily broken free even if he only had the strength of a toddler, since the hub protection was currently active.

Though he didn't see a particularly strong need to do so. In the end, he paid more attention to his surroundings, admiring all the big buildings.

Jessica freaked out while chasing after her.

"Bastard!"

Mia and Kenji followed suit. Both Mia and Kenji didn't look particularly optimistic, considering what they could actually do was limited due to the hub's protection. Lila had brought Jack to the main living quarters, quickly renting a room and bringing the two of them inside.

She appeared to cool off a bit, setting Jack down. With a slight jitter, she put her hands on his shoulders while gently stroking them.

"You... I want to be with you. Just the two of us. C-Can we?"