Cheating?

When I arrived at the cafeteria, I found the dining area completely empty with the lights still on, only faintly hearing the sounds of footsteps echo from out of the kitchen.

I quickly and silently walked across to the kitchen door, opening it.

"Uh, hi, nice to meet you," I nervously greeted the 2 workers there.

"Wow, he sure works fast," said the big black lady in a white apron and a hair net.

"Yeah, the message just got here." Said the tall white man with short brown hair in the same uniform that was cutting vegetables on a counter behind her.

"So I'm guessing you're the one with the cafeteria birthday reservation," she spoke again.

"Yes," I confidently responded. "Also, I was wondering if you could make a birthday cake for the party."

"A birthday cake?" She thought for a second. "Miguel!" She yelled to the back of the kitchen, "Do we have the ingredients to make a cake!"

"What," A darkly tanned man stepped out of the backroom in no need for a hair net, considering he lacked any.

"For a cake," the other man clarified.

The bald man looked back in the storage room, moving his head around. "We do. The only thing that would be missing is the frosting and the topping." He popped his head out after checking. "Why? Oh, the registration."

"Yeah, this young man wants a cake for it."

"We can make one," he eagerly proposed. "It's been a while since."

"If he's in, then I'm in," the brown-haired man agreed.

"Just how many will be at the party," the lady asked, turning back to me.

"12, and you can join if you want," I finished, smiling.

"Alright, so bring the frosting and topping as well as the candles before dinner."

I left the cafeteria after they generously offered to make the cake to buy the last things needed.

One problem came up, though. Where do I find Stella? I actually don't know where she could be.

I walked into one of the supermarkets on the island.

'Um, did you do something to make the others mad at you or something?'

Rose sounded concerned, which I was somewhat weirded out by.

'What are you talking about?' I walked down one of the shopping aisles.

'The others, they're staring at you.'

'Not sure what I could have done to get that much attention.' I took a look at the frosting options they had, picking the pink color, thinking it would be a good joke.

When I walked out of the aisle to go to a different one, I noticed them, unrecognizable faces looking at me, some staring as if they were annoyed and angry at just my presence.

'They must be from a different section of the island; I don't recognize any of them.'

They continued looking and whispering to each other throughout my walk inside, with some turning away as soon as I made eye contact with them.

'It's so weird,' I mentioned to him. 'It feels like I'm walking in a conservative Elvin neighborhood.'

The security cameras, as well as the employees inside the store, deterred any of them from actually confronting me. Which was a relief considering that I was outnumbered and knew no one there.

After I paid and left, I began walking back to the cafeteria, bag in hand.

Footsteps, 4, no, maybe 5 pairs? Are there people behind me?

'Rose, are their people following me?'

'Who knows, maybe there are, or it could just be your imagination,' he jokingly replied.

Annoyed, I ducked into the closest alleyway, hoping to confront them with no one around.

"Now was being alone such a good idea," the one in the middle, presumably their leader, arrogantly said as they turned the corner.

He had casual clothes on as well as silky black hair that contrasted with his tan skin.

"Why are you following me?" In total, I counted 5 of them, 4 guys and 1 girl, all looked around my age, maybe older.

"Surely you know by now." He had the expression of a cocky fighter ready to get into another match. "You can't be that oblivious to the rumors going around."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I continued in an irritated tone.

"Wow, this guy's an idiot," the one to his right said.

"Hehe," I chuckled. "Congrats on speaking up," I continued, changing my tone to a cockier one, "did being surrounded by those you know finally give you the balls to say something you could never do alone."

"What the hell did you say," he shouted, beginning to move toward me before being stopped by their leader.

"He's acting all high and mighty, am I right," he turned, addressing his team, to which they all except the girl who was standing out of the way nodded in agreeance. "I guess that's what privilege does to ya," he finished turning back to me.

Privilege? What privilege?

"Again," I relaxed my voice, "I don't even know what this privilege it is you're talking about."

"Don't act dumb," the tone of his voice shifted from cocky to frustrated. "We all know what happened, that portal that appeared on the island just over a week ago. We know that you were one of the ones who got the chance to clear it."

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"It's unfair," he answered confidently. "I can admit that your section of the island got lucky, but you shouldn't have been the ones to clear it."

"Then what's your point?"

"To be admitted onto the island, the highest rank you can be is E, correct."

I nodded.

"So then why send, at max, E-rank slayers to clear a portal when it is such a dangerous thing to do."

"To clear the portal, duh." I began getting impatient.

"Don't be a smart ass; we all know you bribed them to let you clear the portal."

"What," I laughed, "that's got to be the wildest accusation in my life."

His face grew angrier than it already was.

"So you're mad because I got to clear a portal," I continued, "is that it."

"I'm mad, and so are others because it's an unfair advantage that you would have never gotten in the first place if you didn't cheat your way into getting it."

"Look, trust me, I didn't do anything to have them assign me to clear the portal."

"That's what anyone in your position would say, and we're not stupid; we know about the utilization of points on the island."

Point utilization? And they're not listening to me. Should I run away, or are they just here to tell me off?

"Yeah, your lack of care even proves it," his frustration returned. "I hate bastards like you who find a way to exploit the system for your own gain while the rest of us have to deal with the normal track." He and the 3 other guys began to get closer, "that ends now; I'm going to show you how a deal with cheaters like you."

'What a fool, he's so far up his own ass,' I transmitted to Rose.

'It's clear he wants equality,' Rose followed up, 'but that can't always be the case.'

'Rose, when I finish the last thing I say, freeze time.'

Right before he was able to reach me and grab my shirt, I told him with a disgusted expression on my face, "You're not even worth my time."

They all remained still after that as I walked past them and then bolted out of the alleyway when I remembered I was in a hurry.

'Don't you think it's weird,' I asked Rose.

'What is?'

'The fact that the other sections are mad and yet since we got back the slayers from our section have been completely cool with it, shouldn't it be the other way around?'

'Not too sure myself, why not ask them.'

Before the time ran out, I ducked back into another ally, then walked out as nothing had happened, ignoring my mild lightheadedness.

'Maybe they don't care, so it's best not to bring it u-'

I unexpectedly ran into Stella near the entrance to one of the buildings.

"Huh, Stella!"

"Oh, Hey Muaax," she stretched her arms upwards, causing her speech to alter. "Mmm, that felt good."

I looked at the building she just came out of, reading that it was a spa.

"Anyways, what's in the bag," she eagerly asked, opening it up.

"It's for the birthday cake being made in the cafeteria," I answered, beginning to walk in that direction.

"Then let's go." She pulled my arm, and we both began running to the cafeteria, making it in time before dinner started.

We walked into the kitchen area, where I introduced Stella to the 3 cooks and set the bag I had down on one of the counters, then pulled Stella over to the side when the others weren't looking.

"Hey," I whispered to her, "have you noticed anything weird about the behavior from the slayers in our section?"

"No," she put on a thinking face, "not really. Why?"

"What about people from the other sections," I continued.

"Answer my question first," she demanded.

"Look," I urgently said, "just tell me, then I'll explain."

"No," she began to turn away before I grabbed her wrist.

"Alright," I sighed. "I think rumors about the top 3 teams in this section are spreading to the other ones."

——————————————————————

"What?!" The leader was shocked to see him disappear right before his eyes.

"How is that possible," the other one said.

The 2 others were left in silent shock at the disappearance, with the girl in the back turning and looking back out of the alley to see if she could find him.

"So he ran away," the leader laughed. "He got lucky this time, but no worries, we'll see him at the tournament later this week. And that's when I'll really get him, right in front of everyone."