“Time to wake up.”

Kenzo opened his eyes to a rather unpleasant sight. It was Vic, glaring at him from above.

As he clumsily got up, Kenzo noticed sunlight shining through the windows. It seemed everyone else had woken up, as they were the only two there.

“Still feeling sick?” Vic asked.

“I’m feeling a bit better,” Kenzo replied, as he held back a yawn.

“Good. You’ll be helping around the ship starting today. Go see the chef, he has something for you to do,” Vic said.

He then left, which gave Kenzo some time to yawn and stretch before heading to the kitchen. The swaying of the ship still made him a little nauseous, but it was now easier to hold back the urge to throw up.

When he reached the kitchen, the chef handed him three bowls of food with a spoon in each. It reminded Kenzo of the oats he’d recently been buying.

“You can read right?” the cook asked.

“Yeah,” Kenzo answered.

“Okay, you see this list here,” he said, as he pointed to a piece of paper on the counter with names written on. “You need to give everyone—starting from the top—their breakfast.”

“I don’t know most of those people,” Kenzo said.

“Then ask around,” the chef replied.

Now out the kitchen—awkwardly holding three warm bowls, Kenzo wondered what direction to go in. Luckily for him, the top three names on the list were ones he knew. It was the three captains, with the top one being Lady Social.

Finding her wasn’t difficult, as he noticed she stayed above deck most of the time. When he approached her from behind, the person she was talking to alerted her to his presence. She turned, and a smile formed when she noticed it was him.

“Morning Kenzo. Feeling any better?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he answered, “I have your food for you.”

She looked down at the bowls, but frowned. “I’m sure I told him to serve the guests first,” she said. “Oh, but never mind that. Thanks for getting it to me.”

He couldn’t quite give her the bowl without dropping the others, so she took one herself. With a warm smile, she turned to continue talking with her subordinate.

Kenzo hesitantly left, as he worried about encountering the next two on the list.

His next destination was the lower levels, as he remembered hearing the captains were stationed there. Once there, he saw someone keeping watch in between two rooms. Kenzo slowly approached the one closest to himself, as it was already open.

Inside, was Captain William sitting at his desk alongside a crewman of his. They were discussing something as he wrote down on a piece of long paper.

“Captain, are you sure? Requesting help from the Valric Sister’s is—”

But the crewman paused as he noticed Kenzo at the door. Captain William then looked up as the man tapped his arm.

“Come in,” he said, as he flipped the paper he was writing on.

Kenzo walked in and lifted a bowl. “I have this for you.”

The captain gestured him to place it on the desk. Both men carefully observed Kenzo as he approached and placed it down.

“A stowaway with amnesia correct?” Captain William said. “I’ve heard you only remember your name.”

The captain then lifted his eyes from the bowl—to Kenzo, as he waited for a response.

“Y-yes,” Kenzo replied.

“How odd,” the captain said, as he looked at his crewman.

This atmosphere made Kenzo rather uncomfortable—as he was stuck in a room with two people judgmentally staring at him. The urge to leave was lingering inside him, but it felt like he had to be ‘officially’ dismissed by the captain.

The captain leaned forward. “So. Are you up to no good?”

“No,” Kenzo said.

“Good. Theo doesn’t think you are, so I’m inclined to believe you,” Captain William said.

He then nodded at Kenzo. This was the ‘official’ sign of dismissal he was waiting for, so he began to leave.

“One more thing.”

With freedom an inch away, Kenzo secretly rolled his eyes, then turned back round.

“No hunter survives out here alone. So it’d be wise for you to continue making yourself useful in the Lady’s company,” Captain William said.

Kenzo nodded, then left the room.

To the side, now out of view, he let out a deep sigh. To him, that was obviously the more reasonable captain out of the two. Yet, he felt mentally exhausted just from that encounter alone. He dreaded to think he was now about to meet the alcohol ridden captain in a one on one.

The guard watched, as Kenzo walked to the next door. There was a moment of silence once he reached it, as he mentally prepared himself for what was waiting on the other side.

Kenzo knocked once. There was no answer, so he knocked again. But still, no answer. He looked at the guard who signalled him to just walk in. So, he pulled the handle and slowly opened the door.

As it creaked open, it stopped—hitting something on the floor. Kenzo peeked through and saw Captain John with his legs up—sleeping at his desk. He looked down and saw a basket of bottles blocking the door. With a little extra force, he pushed the door open enough to get in.

The situation in front of him was perfect. All he needed to do was to quietly leave the food on the desk, and quietly walk out. So he carefully walked up to the desk and looked for the best place to put the bowl.

Putting it in the middle would avoid the captain knocking it off the desk, but what looked like a closed pocket watch—occupied the centre. Kenzo wanted to place the food not too close to the captain, so he reached to move the watch.

Suddenly, a small knife sunk its way into the desk, right next to his hand. His chest now pounding, Kenzo slowly looked up and saw the captain staring at him.

“Looking to lose your hand?” he said.

Time froze as their eyes met. An overwhelming urge to run hovered over Kenzo’s mind. But he remained still, with his hand inches away from the knife.

The glare from the captain eventually moved downward to the bowl Kenzo was carrying.

“Oh, you brought my food,” the captain said, as his eyes softened.

He let go of the knife, picked up the watch and placed it into his jacket.

“Come, give it here,” he said.

His hands now shaking, Kenzo clumsily placed the bowl onto the desk.

The captain grabbed the bowl. “Good, it’s got a spoon in it. Sit down. You can take the bowl with you when I’ve finished.”

Kenzo cautiously sat on the chair at the opposite end of the desk.

No words were exchanged for the next few minutes. The captain would frequently look up while he chewed, to observe Kenzo—who was silent throughout. It was difficult for Kenzo to decide where to look during this awkward situation.

“Not much of a talker are you?” Captain John said, as he continued to chew.

The question confused Kenzo as the captain was being just as silent himself.

With a loud burp, Captain John put the bowl down and crossed his arms as he sat back on his chair. There was a few more seconds of silence as he stared at Kenzo.

“Alright, you can take the bowl back,” he said, nodding his head toward the door.

Kenzo got up, took his bowl, and retreated to the door.

“Hey kid.”

Kenzo shut his eyes and quietly sighed. When he turned round, a small flask was thrown at him. As he caught it, he could feel that it was full.

“You’ll know when to drink it,” the captain said. “If you need to spit it out, spit it back inside.”

He then grabbed the knife and wiggled it free from the desk. “Don’t waste it,” he said, pointing the tip toward him.

Kenzo nodded and left the room. The day had just started and he already wanted it to end.

Knowing it was most likely alcohol in the flask, Kenzo didn’t bother to check and placed it into his hoodies pocket. He then walked past the guard, who silently watched him leave.

Back in the kitchen, the cook ticked off the top three names. Kenzo then looked at the next few, as he was handed more bowls to deliver. He was then sent out the kitchen to repeat the process.

As the morning went by, Kenzo had made several deliveries. It was a stressful task, as he’d frequently forget the names he read and had to return to the kitchen. Eventually, the list led him to people he knew, like Bron and Theo. Bron was given two bowls due to his size, but even Kenzo didn’t know if that would be enough for such a giant person.

Next, it was time to find Theo. While searching, he came across the three children playing on the deck. They said that Theo had gone to the kitchen, but weren't sure why.

When Kenzo returned, it was like the kids said. Theo was there, and was haggling the cook to give Bron another bowl of food.

“You must know Lady Social’s fondness of Bron. I’d think she wouldn’t mind if one extra bowl went to him,” Theo said.

The cook gave an annoyed look. “Take it and get out already,” he said.

Theo took the bowl and turned to leave, but noticed Kenzo coming in.

“How’s the job?” Theo asked, as he walked up to him.

Before he said what he was really thinking, Kenzo looked at the cook and then back at Theo. “I don’t mind it,” he replied.

He then gave Theo the bowl he was holding. “This is yours.”

“It’s kinda cold but thanks,” Theo said. “You almost done?”

“I think there’s one more,” Kenzo said, as he walked to the list.

Theo followed him and checked the list himself. “Hey cook. Who organised this list?” he asked.

“If I tell you, will you leave?” the cook said.

“Yeah, why not,” Theo replied.

“The captain decided most of it,” the cook answered.

“Explains the bottom of the list. It’s surprising how childish those two can be,” Theo muttered to himself.

Kenzo wondered what he was talking about and looked at the last name on the list. ‘Captain William’s Quartermaster’ was written down. This was the only person on there that wasn’t addressed by their name.

“That’s Jetta, the angry woman you saw at the beach,” Theo said.

The gears in Kenzo’s mind turned, revealing a scene of rage in his memory. That day on the beach, she was the only person who seemed more troublesome than Captain John himself.

“Oh,” Kenzo replied.

“Don’t worry. She’s too focused hating someone else right now,” Theo said.

“Do you know where she is?” Kenzo asked.

“In the living quarters next to us. Look for the curtain in the corner,” he answered.

The cook then passed him the bowl. “Good luck.”

As Kenzo left the room, he reassured himself by remembering this was the last person he had to serve.

It was a long walk across the short corridor. When he had entered the living quarters, there was no one else present in the room just like when he woke up. But he began to hear mumbling at the end of the room. When he reached the end, there was a small block of space covered by a curtain with light emanating from behind.

Next to it, was a small table carrying stacked books. Kenzo wondered why they were placed all the way there, but thought they might have just run out of space to store them.

“St…pid…bo..ks, idi…tic…wom…n, ridi…cul..s…name.”

A mumbling voice was coming from behind the curtain. Kenzo took two steps forward, but heard a crunch as he stepped on a crumbled piece of paper.

The voice went silent.

Suddenly, the curtain swished open—revealing Jetta inside. She glared at him, with a lit candle in her other hand.

“What do you want?!” she asked.

“I uh—”

But Kenzo was distracted by the wax from the candle, as it had leaked onto a book on her lap. She also looked down, and then panicked as she tried to wipe it off.

Suddenly, Jetta looked back up—frozen in place with a shocked stare. She quickly hid the book behind her, and then looked back at Kenzo.

But his eyes fell back down, as he noticed three other books laying on her side.

She quickly hid those too.

“S-So. Did the ‘Lady’ send her pet to check up on me?” she asked.

“No….I’ve just brought this for you,” he replied, as he extended the bowl toward her.

Her expression slightly relaxed as she quickly grabbed the bowl. Kenzo wasted no time and immediately turned to walk away.

“Where did you get picked up from?” she asked. “I thought she only brings professionals or children onboard. You don’t look like either.”

Kenzo was getting fed up with how everyone kept stopping him last second. Plus, he was tired of being asked questions like these. There was never a good answer he could give.

After a short pause, footsteps could be heard entering the room. The person who walked in stopped in front of Kenzo.

It was Vic, with his hands behind his back.

“There you are,” he said. “I heard you’re almost done with your job.”

Vic then paused and looked at the books on the table. He then looked at Jetta who had just poked her head out.

Their eyes met.

“Seems you found Lady Social’s books of some use,” he said.

A dirty look was her response. But then, a book fell out from her side and onto the floor. There was a moment of silence as they all looked at it. The title read:

‘A Tale of Love, Betrayal, and Revenge.’

She quickly grabbed it and swiftly shut the curtain.

Vic then turned his attention to Kenzo. “Alright, come with me,” he said, as he started to walk out the room.

He took Kenzo to the kitchen, but the cook was no longer there. However, there was a tray with food sitting on the counter.

“Here, Lady Social had this prepared for you,” Vic said, as he handed Kenzo the tray.

Alongside a bowl of food and some water, there was a bun similar to the one Theo had given him last night. Kenzo wondered why only he got this, but didn’t mind as he liked the taste.

“That’s your reward for hitting the captains with your Blinder,” Vic said, as he walked out. “I still have something for you to do, so follow me.”

They walked to the lower level where the captains were, but to a door on the opposite side. When Vic opened it, a mist of dust followed. The room was filled with crates and barrels. As they walked in, Kenzo noticed a mop, sponge and bucket had been placed in the room.

“This is the storage room. We’ve been too busy to clean it lately, but luckily, we have you here. Just clean up in here to a suitable level and come find me,” he said.

Kenzo stood there as Vic walked out and shut the door. His lovely breakfast nicely balanced out the dreadful task he had just been given. After finding the least dusty place to sit, he began to eat his meal.

With a mop in hand, Kenzo started to clean soon after he ate. He didn’t know what Vic meant by ‘a suitable level’ but he was going to do enough so that he would hopefully be left alone after.

Several minutes into cleaning, he took a break. While he sat, his eyes drifted to the left overs in his bowl. It really did remind him of the oats he gav—

An image of his mother appeared in his head. In no time at all, a rush of sadness filled him as it had felt so long since he’d last seen her. As his sadness slowly turned to concern, the storage door suddenly opened.

A head poked in. It was one of the children. A second one then popped their head above them. A third one also peaked from above, but caused them to crash into the door. When the door fully opened, Theo was standing behind them.

“Kids were looking for you,” he said.

The small girl of the trio volunteered to help clean the room. With how much cleaning he had left, Kenzo accepted the help. The other kids also decided to join.

Aside from the occasional fight for the sponge, it took Kenzo much faster to clean the room with the aid from the kids.

Though Theo opted to not join, during their breaks, they started to play rock paper scissors. The kids were pretty even among themselves, but Kenzo won every match against them.

“Hey! How’s he doing that?” the small girl said, as she lost again.

Just like with the games he’d play, Kenzo was good at reacting just before the opponent made their move. He watched the kids hands as he made his choice last second. His reflexes were too fast for them to notice.

A slight smile formed on his face, as he watched the children gaze at a hand they now deemed magical. But the smile dropped when he noticed Theo leaning on the wall, looking at him. Even though he didn’t say anything, his stare made Kenzo feel like he could see through his trick.

Their breaks lasted longer than planned, as the kids began to bombard Kenzo with questions. Most of them—he of course couldn’t answer, but some—like his age—he could.

“I’m nineteen,” Kenzo said.

“See!” one of the small boys yelled. “Told you he wasn’t thirty!”

It confused Kenzo how his age had even come up in one of their conversations. And thirty? He was sure he didn’t look that old.

“As I thought, you’re around my age,” Theo said, as he walked up to him.

The kids started to play fight with the mop as Kenzo and Theo watched.

“I’m guessing you don’t know, but the kids are orphans,” Theo said.

“Orphans?” Kenzo said.

“Yeah. Kids like them usually get ignored, but Lady Social’s the only known hunter that goes around picking them up. It used to be a dream of her’s a long time ago, and she’s able to do it now.”

Theo then looked down in contemplation. “This seas good at giving people purpose like that.”

Upon hearing that, Kenzo’s view on the children abruptly changed. Experiencing something like that at all—let alone at such a young age was hard for him to imagine.

As they both went silent, Kenzo let out a yawn he was trying to hold back.

“I guess you had trouble sleeping last night,” Theo said. “Let’s hurry and finish up in here then.”

Some time passed and the room had eventually been fully cleaned. They all then decided to head back up to the deck.

When they got up the stairs, the doors to the decks cabin opened. Captain William calmly walked out, with Captain John behind him. Vic then approached the captains from nearby.

“Thirty minutes captains. Congratulations, perhaps there’s hope for this alliance after all,” he said.

“It surely has nothing to do with the fact he is hungover I’m sure,” Captain William said.

With an angry gulp, Captain John began to drink a bottle he’d been carrying. He then threw it, smashing it across the wooden floor.

“Want to say that again?” he said, as he walked up to Captain William.

“Captain might need me,” Theo said, as he left Kenzo’s group and joined Captain Williams side.

As a massive argument erupted, Lady Social walked out of the cabin. She payed no attention to the situation and strolled off to the side.

“We made some progress, so I’ll let them vent a little,” she said to herself.

She then noticed Kenzo with the kids, as they poked at the tassels dangling from his hoody.

“Oh! Looks like they found you,” she said, as she walked to them. “Kids, give me a minute with Kenzo here okay?”

“Okay,” they all said.

Lady Social then hugged Kenzo’s arm as she walked him to the side of the ship. After placing their backs against the ship, she looked up at him.

“You seem to be good with kids,” she said, with her arms still wrapped around his. “If you start feeling sick let me know.”

Kenzo nodded, then nervously looked away. The fight in front of them was still going on—with Bron now by Captain John’s side. But similar to Theo, he wasn’t really getting involved.

As the two captains exchanged insults, Vic made attempts to diffuse the situation but failed each time.

Lady Social stopped smiling and tightened her hold on Kenzo. “It’s a shame really. Those two used to be inseparable, but this sea eventually finds a way to split people apart.”

She then looked over at the kids playing. “The only real unity in this world is among little ones like them.”

There was a pause in her speech.

“Those three…..their parents abandoned them. On this sea, survival is all we know. People will do anything to achieve it, even if it means leaving things behind,” she said.

Lady Social squeezed his arm tighter. “We all have something we’ve chosen to leave behind.”

For a moment, Kenzo didn’t quite recognise the person holding on to him.

When he looked over to her, he was unsure if he was seeing things. With her head lowered, it looked like a tear rolled down from behind her eye patch. Her hair covered most of her face, so it was difficult to tell. But it then felt like she had softly wiped her face against his arm.

She then smiled and let go of him.

“Tomorrow’s the last day for the captains to come to a deal. Let’s decide what to do with you after then,” she said, as she leaned off the ship.

With the captains still arguing, she went over and diffused the situation with a few words. She then gathered the kids and took them to play in the cabin.

Everything eventful that could of happened that day, happened. Kenzo spent the rest of it avoiding unnecessary interactions.

Soon, the second day on the Unity Cruise had come to an end.

Later that night, Kenzo was thinking about his mother again. However, he soon found those thoughts subsiding as new one’s entered. It was off the children—the orphans, and the conversation he had with Lady Social.

Without her, he wondered what would of happened to the kids. It was hard to believe that she could be the only person who would help them. But it made him wonder of the state of this place, as what kind of world would ignore—

He was hit with a realisation.

What would he have done if he saw those children? No. What ‘did’ he do when one of them was in trouble right in front of him?

He thought in his case it was okay. What could he have possibly done to help? It might of just led to him getting in trouble with Captain John.

But then, it was less about helping and more about his rule. Maybe, just like him, this world is made up of people that avoid unnecessary burdens for a good reason. It was a good answer to his problems. His only answer. So maybe it was the same for them.

Even so, something suddenly didn’t feel right.

An image of the girl from the shop flashed into his mind. From there, a spiral of thoughts soon led to a memory. This was a memory deep within Kenzo. It was a time in which he had let someone in. A time of vulnerability.

But, something caused him to snap out of it.

He had noticed a rolled up piece of paper in his pocket—behind the flask he was given. The flask was the only thing he’d been carrying all day, so he wasn’t sure how something else got into his pocket. After taking it out, he unrolled it. There seemed to be something written on it, but the room was too dark to see what.

So he got up and walked to a nearby lamp. After a little fidgeting, he managed to light it. There was indeed something written down as he took another look. But when he read it, he wasn’t sure what it meant. It wrote:

Social Fundamental

Trial 1 - Discover your new answer.