The east wing on the third floor was quiet and clean. Most of the classrooms had been turned into rooms that housed two or three women, even though many were still empty.
Joy walked into the room she would share with Rune and was a little surprised to see it was smaller than the others in this part of the lobby. Maybe because it was the last room, or maybe it had served a different purpose back when the Arts building was still in use. It didn't have many windows either—just one window and one door on opposite walls. It looked more like a real room than a classroom.
Joy noticed something else. All the rooms they'd seen so far had their windows shut and jammed with something—probably as protection against monsters. But in their case, a big blackboard was pressed against the wall in front of the window, taking up almost half the space.
So the first thing Joy did was ask Rune to help shift the board aside. Even though Rune didn't get why it was necessary, she helped anyway. She figured maybe Joy didn't like closed-in spaces. And they were on the third floor, so it was probably fine. Plus, they didn't have electricity, so they couldn't turn on any lights that might attract monsters.
Afterward, they both sat on their narrow beds, facing the window and looking out into the beautiful but dangerous swamp.
Rune was the first to get up.
"I need to submit our rations," she said, grabbing her bag. "It'll get us both enough contribution points for a while."
After a quick goodbye, she walked out.
Joy didn't want to waste time either. It was still afternoon. For the next several hours, she wandered the building with casual purpose—chatting with guards and workers, asking innocent questions, trying to understand how everything worked. She memorized the faces of people who seemed to hold authority—people like Mellisa.
By the time night fell and another day had almost passed, Joy had mapped out every corner of the three-story building and returned to their room.
Rune was happy to see her.
"Good news!" she said instantly. "The supplies we gathered from those canteens gave us quite a lot of points. We've got enough to last a few weeks, as long as we don't splurge on services or ask for any personal jobs."
"That's great," Joy replied, but her attention was elsewhere. She was standing near the window, gazing out.
"Are you… worried about him?" Rune asked, hesitating.
"Not at all. He has a plan."
Rune was curious about this so-called plan of Keneric's, but before she could ask, she saw Joy opening the window.
"What are you doing?" Rune asked, alarmed.
"Just getting some air," Joy replied, picking a red sock from the pile of freshly folded clothes in the corner.
"We're not supposed to open the windows after evening," Rune warned, her voice full of concern. She got up and closed the door so no one else would notice.
"Just for a second. It gets stuffy in here," Joy said, half-hanging the sock outside the window and securing it in place before shutting the panels again.
She returned to her bed and casually asked, "So you were talking about contribution points? How many days do you think we have?"
They chatted for a bit, but in the back of Rune's mind, she was still thinking about that sock. Why would Joy hang it outside the window? Was the separation affecting her mind? Was she going crazy from staying away from Keneric?
Her thoughts spiraled—until she heard three distinct knocks on the window.
Joy immediately sprang up and walked over. She was smiling.
"Perfect," she whispered.
"What was that?" Rune asked, startled, her heart racing. Maybe a bird? she told herself. What else could reach here? But her gut twisted with worry. What if it's a monster?
She became alert, alarmed, ready to take action or run out. But before she could stop Joy, the window opened.
A figure cloaked in the night jumped inside, landing silently.
Rune leapt from her bed, pressing herself against the wall in shock. Keneric stood there, calm as ever.
Next she ran to the window and looked down—there was nothing much to grab onto. She gasped and turned back inside as if Keneric had grown wings.
"How did you—" she began.
Keneric flicked her forehead, like he had the last time she bumped into him.
"Ow!" she yelped, rubbing the spot. "What was that for?"
"Next time, don't tell outsiders what we do. Or anything that could compromise us," Keneric said flatly. "You nearly got me quarantined." He sighed.
Joy stepped between them, like always.
"Hey, don't bully our Rune again. She didn't know any better."
Keneric held back his words, wondering if Rune was really a child or just playing one.
"Fine," he said, then added, "So, tell me about the thing I asked you to check."
Joy raised a finger to her forehead and tilted her head. "Oh, the guards and patrols? The main rotations happen every four hours. And we're lucky—very lucky. The weakest point is here on the third floor. Nobody comes to this corner, maybe because it's so far up. The professor has a private room on the fourth floor, and all the important people seem to live up there too."
She paused, thinking.
"Oh! Oh! And I saw them carrying supplies to the fourth floor, but we're not allowed up there."
Keneric raised an eyebrow. "Good, good. You're good at this."
Joy rubbed her nose, clearly proud.
Meanwhile, Rune just stood there, no longer caring if the window was open or closed. She couldn't move.
But inside, one thought kept echoing.
What have I gotten myself into…? Again…?