Waking up on the next day was a bit more difficult than I had at first expected it to be. The bed is just a stone protrusion on one of the walls, and the only things keeping it from breaking off are the two cold hard chains that serve as a sort of safety net. Another thing I dislike about this place is the lack of provided extra attire. You didn’t get any pajamas nor extra garments, you’d just have to endure the stench of this uniform until that one day in the week when everyone’s clothes would get washed overnight. That being said, you’d have to sleep naked in your cells for that night, which didn’t at all help with the cold temperature.

“Man, they’re really laying it on thick, this whole slave thing.” Issei yawned, “How’d you sleep, M-kun? Don’t get a cold now.”

“I won’t, we’re in a desert after all.” I stated, “Although sleeping naked was a new experience for me, it’s still one I quite dislike, so I’d like it if they brought us our clothes as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, although I don’t think anyone would mind this rule if their cellmate was a girl, hehe~!”

Drooling at just the thought, Issei didn’t at all seem to be taking this situation seriously. At first I just thought he was trying to curb my worries by acting all happy and dumb, but now I’m starting to think that this is just how he is in general.

“About that friend of yours, Othelia…” I went straight to planning, “How do you intend to save her?”

“One thing at a time, M-kun!” He swung his legs high above him while lying on his back, “First I need to find where she is before I can even think up a plan to get her out of there. That being said, I’ve been snooping around all over the place, but alas, I still came out empty handed.”

“Do you think…?”

“Oi, you mutts!” The guard clanked his baton in between the metal bars of the cell before tossing us our uniforms, “Food’s ready, line up at the cafeteria!

Ah, that’s our cue. We quickly got dressed and went to go eat breakfast, but it seems our little conversation was cut short. In all honesty, I’d be pretty confident in escaping this place, what with me having Materialize and Spark thanks to Lune, but the snipers and other guards are hindering me. Well, it’s not like I’m in a hurry to get to Simpleton, since the entrance exams are still half a year away, so I think I’ll be helping Issei out for now.

“As I was saying…” I tried to continue my conversation with Issei we were having, but he quickly shut me up.

“Shhh!” He put his hand over my mouth, “Someone’s coming this way, act cool.”

“Yo!” A friendly older man sat next to us, “Remember me, kid?”

“M-kun, you know this guy?” Issei turned to me.

“Ah, you’re that guy who was getting beaten up the other day!” I recalled, “Lee, was it?”

“Heh, that’s me.” He scratched his stubble, “I came to say thanks for saving me back then, I owe you one.”

“And you said it, congratulations. Now buzz off.” Issei got all defensive.

“Hold it there, Mr. Slanted-eyes.” Lee hushed Issei before once again addressing me, “Indeed I did say my thanks, but that’s not the only reason why I’m here. I came to ask about that thing you did while fighting Bryce off.”

“That thing?”

Oh, he means my Iro Abilities! Crap, I kind of showcased it in front of the entire courtyard back then! What do I do now? Do I come clean, given that Lee’s a good guy, or do I feign ignorance and just make up an excuse? Argh, if only I had just used Spark, I would’ve been able to play it off as me tucking away a lighter or something in my hands, but I also stole that big guy’s shirt with Materialize!

“Who did you learn that from?” Lee talked in code, “That thing you did back then, only a crazy person like him could pull it off. Now I’ve heard stories, but to think a Wielder would actually show up in this damned place…”

“A Wielder?” I asked.

“I don’t want your Slanted-eyed friend here to catch on, but just know that everyone is born a Beholder.” He explained, “But I’ve started calling those that can ‘use’ their Iros ‘Wielders’. I hope you can read in between the lines.”

“Hm?” Issei casually joined in as he munched on his grub, “You guys talking about Iro Abilities?”

“What?! How do you know about them?” Both Lee and I jumped in surprise, “You, just who the hell are you?”

“I’m just your friendly neighborhood world leaper!” He proudly proclaimed, “That being said, I don’t think that bit of trivia matters here. I myself can’t use any of them, I just have a friend who can.”

“I see…” I continued eating my grub in silence.

“So, now that you’re apparently part of the group.” Issei rolled his eyes at Lee, “What are you in for? Isn’t that the first thing you’d ask anyone who you befriend in here?”

“Me? Oh, I’m just an old geezer who was escorting his little boy to Simpleton.” Lee blushed lightly, “Shame I got captured by these Carmen brats while on my way back home, but at least Lemmy’s made it to University safe and sound.”

“Oh, another scholar, only this time a father of one.” Issei sarcastically praised, “What’s with everyone and suddenly wanting to become the nerdiest of nerds? What good does school even get you?”

“No clue either. I’m just a reformed bandit.” Lee shrugged, “But Lemmy was adamant about enrolling, so I worked my butt of to pay for the tuition fees. Shit was expensive as hell too, but seeing him off with a smile on his face made it all worth it.”

How nice! But for such an amazing father to be reduced to nothing more than a mere slave by the likes of these monsters… It’s just way too sad! I’m definitely taking him with us when we escape, there’s just no other way around it!

Just then, two guards had entered through the cafeteria doors right next to our table, “Damned bitch, she bit me again today…”

“It’s your fault for trying something on her just because she was cuffed, dumbass…”

“These guys are always spouting that random bullshit every time they leave the boiler rooms.” Lee clicked his tongue.

“Hold on…” Issei opened his eyes wide, “Boiler room… Did they just say she?”

***

“Issei, where are you taking me?” I asked as he dragged me through the halls, “The courtyard isn’t this way.”

“We’re skipping recess today.” He seemed awfully excited, “I finally got a solid lead on where Othelia might be!”

Wait, seriously? Just when did he…? Ooh, so he’s talking about that thing Lee said? Keen ears he’s got! But wait, that’s actually perfect! Since we snuck out while everyone was leaving to go outside, including the guards, we can basically make an uninterrupted beeline for the boiler room!

“Alright, let’s hurry!” I shook away his hand from my wrist, before lifting him up like a sack, “Sorry about this, but you’re kind of slow when it comes to running, so I’ll be carrying you like this.”

“Huh?? You’re just a bit less skinny than me, but you’re this strong?! Whoa, easy there!” He pleaded.

“You wanna see your friend or not?”

“Hrmm…. Alright, just don’t make me fall on my face, jackass…”

Making our way to the boiler room in record time, we could immediately start to notice the difference in temperature. Thinking about it now, it’s obvious that the closer we got to there, the hotter it’ll get, but we didn’t really care about that at the time. We were just hoping we’d find the right person behind all these pipes.

“Crap, dead end.” I stopped, “Did I make a wrong turn somewhere?”

“Impossible, the path was a bit topsy-turvy, but there weren’t any forks in the road. We couldn’t have made a wrong turn. Hey, put me down, I think I see something.”

Doing as he said, I put Issei down and let him wander to a lone corner of the room, where some pipes were standing a bit auspiciously.

“I think I see something on the other side…” He tried putting his hand on the pipes, before jumping back with a yelp, “Ow! Hot, hot, hoooot!”

“Careful!” I cupped his hand, “Squeeze tightly and don’t let go. You don’t want to get an infection.”

“Like you?” He said, alluding to the Scirp sting I got on my arm the other day.

“Yeah, like me…”

Damn, now that I think about it, I’m really not gonna get treated any time soon, aren’t I? I’ve kind of gotten used to the stinging sensation by now, but that doesn’t mean the venom’s out. It’s been a couple of days, so the clock is ticking.

"I'm no doctor, but I think you should at least tightly wrap that up for now." Issei explained, "Tear off a bit of your uniform if need be, just don't let it stay out in the air like that."

“Stop!” A girl’s voice suddenly screamed, “Get away from me!”

“Hm?” I looked around, “Where’s that voice coming from? Issei, do you think-? O-Oi!”

In that moment, I turned around to see Issei desperately putting his face in between the scalding hot pipes he just burned his hands on. I tried to pull him away from them, but he didn’t let me.

“Othelia!” He yelled out in desperation, “Othelia, can you hear me? Where are you?!”

“Let go of me, you monsters!” She continued fending off a mysterious attacker.

“Don’t you dare touch her, you fucks!” Issei ignored the redness on his skin as he tried even more to squeeze himself through, “Almost… there…!”

“Hey!” The guards we saw leaving this place just previously suddenly yelled behind us, “What the hell are you two doing here?! It’s recess time!”

“We were just…!” I tried to explain, but I was already detained, pinned to the ground.

The last thing I saw of this boiler room we were in was Issei getting pried out of the walls before getting knocked out by a stern blow to the head. His face showed clear signs of second degree burns.

“Hey, that woman’s voice we heard just now!” I demanded answers, “Who was she?! What the hell are you doing to her?!”

“!!!” The one guard jolted, “Crap, they heard about the girls…”

“Damn that brat and her incessant screams…!” The other guard spit on the ground, “So what now? Do we kill these two and just play dumb?”

Just what are these two talking about? Killing us? There’s no way… No way that my story ends here! I won’t let you continue on like this! C’mon, Materialize their guns, or their batons, or something! Please!

“…Nah, let’s just give them a mild whipping.” The first guard pitied us, “This monkey and dog duo won’t even think about disrespecting the rules after we’re done with them, hehe…”

And just like that, we were taken out of the room, stripped naked, and tossed out into the courtyard just as everyone was going back into the prison after they finished up their recess. This form of humiliation wasn’t something I’d say I’m too fond of, but I don’t think humiliation is what they’re gonna be punishing us with. Issei’s still knocked out too, so I can’t even fight back and flee, lest he gets punished for the both of us. Crap, things aren’t going well at all, it seems…