"Huh? What are you even saying?" March had stopped walking, turning around and looking straight at Yoru. "Who's kidding?"
"Uhh... nothing?" Yoru gives a small shrug, his faced curved into an unnatural smile.
March, however, doesn't disengage this time. "You can't say nothing! It's clearly something!"
His eyes widen just a bit. He wasn't expecting March to continue pressuring him on his own comments. Yoru struggles to come with an answer, and with a heavy sigh, he replies.
Yoru lied through his teeth. "I'm... hungry."
March's face turned from sour to sweet in a second. "... no way! You're making such a commotion over being hungry?"
March seemed to buy it completely, pulling out sandwich.
"... where did that come from?"
"Eheheh... don't worry!" March brushes off the question, seemingly pulling a sandwich out of nowhere.
Yoru receives it, still flabbergasted on where she had a sandwich hiding. Looking at Stelle, Yoru could see her rapidly blinking, unsure what to think either.
The trio soon arrives at the elevator that leads up to the Master Control Zone. March walks up to the panel, tapping around on the orange holographic screen. "Ah. I knew it..."
Stelle looks past March's shoulder, inquiring a question. "It's broken?"
March turns around quickly, explaining the situation so she wouldn't be incriminated. "—But it wasn't me! The Antimatter Legion must've broken it!"
"Lies and deceit." Yoru chips in, munching on the sandwich. He catches the crumbs that fall, making sure he had something to use.
"Be quiet! Sigh... too bad Dan Heng's not here. He's like a walking encyclopedia... He knows a ton of complicated stuff — maybe even elevator repair..."
"I don't know that one."
A familiar voice cuts in as soon as March finishes speaking. The group turns their heads to see Dan Heng, standing here, emotionless as ever. March jumps back in shock, way too overexaggerated to be called 'real'.
March exclaims, her voice a mix of both awe and questioning. "Woah! Why are you here!? ...And how did you get here before us?"
"I took another route to the upper level," Dan Heng replies, his head turning to the direction that he was describing, "I saw you guys from up there. Arlan is in the control room. He's been injured, but not fatally."
"You found him!" March exclaims, her eyes brightening. "Will he know what to do about this elevator?"
Dan Heng ponders her question for a bit, before giving an answer. "I suppose as head of the Security Department, he should know."
"Then let's go talk to him!" March exclaims, glancing at Stelle and Yoru for approval. Yoru gives a small thumbs up, while Stelle gives a large thumbs up.
The pathway to Arlan was mostly empty, save for one group of Voidranger Reavers and a Distorter. Yoru was able to stay in the back and watch the three fight the legion, feeling antsy and useless. He only had some breadcrumbs, and he didn't know how explosive they were anyway.
Inside the control room, Dan Heng and March speak to Arlan, giving him the rundown of what was currently going on within the space station.
Yoru sits in a corner as they talk, trying to find more out about his ability. "If I'm going to be useless, at least let me see how useless I am."
Opening the system and heading back to his ability, he opens the ability. When he rolled his ability, he never actually looked to see how it worked.
"Explosive Breadcrumbs - Any breadcrumbs you throw will explode after 2 seconds. Thrown breadcrumbs have a chance to cause a small explosion."
So each handful Yoru threw had a chance of being an explosion. "I don't know if I want to know those rates..."
"Hey! Come on!"
Yoru looks back, March waving him over. Stelle had Arlan slung over her shoulder, helping him move.
"Arlan turned the elevator back on at the top floor. Let's hurry up!"
The group walked through the halls of the space station. Stelle had swapped Arlan to Yoru as she helped Dan Heng and March clear the way of the straggling Reavers.
Despite having so many injures, Yoru didn't really feel all that hurt. He had a small hunch that it could have been the system, but he would have to look more into it when he had the time.
"Is that it? We've reached the elevator already? That wasn't too many monsters~" March says cheerfully as the group makes their way across the final bridge. "Oof, probably shouldn't have said that... Might bring bad luck."
The group was halfway across the bridge. Dan Heng suddenly sprints forward, his spear outstretched.
A loud sound is heard, Dan Heng deflecting a projectile from a Voidranger Trampler.
"Oh."
Multiple Distorters had followed alongside the Trampler, surrounding the group. Projectiles fly. Dan Heng and Stelle did their best to deflect most shots that were aimed at the group.
March had her bow out, shooting multiple distorters down from the sky. As the Trampler charges the team, Dan Heng and Stelle are sent flying back, reeling from the hit.
Yoru stands there, Arlan over his shoulder, watching Dan Heng and Stelle fight, wincing as if he were the one hit.
"Hey," Yoru starts, urging Arlan to answer quickly. "Can you stand by yourself?"
Arlan nods, leaning off of Yoru.
"Now or never."
Yoru reaches into his pocket, grabbing as many crumbs as he can. Most of the crumbs had stuck to the bottom, to his disgust, and most were unable to be grabbed.
Those, however, that he did grab, he brought out of his hand in a fist. With all his might, he throws the crumbs at the Trampler.
One second passes, then two seconds pass. The breadcrumbs suddenly glow orange, before they combust, creating a large smokescreen.
"Hey!" March cries out. "Who did that?!"
Yoru watches, breath held as he looks to where the Trampler stood. To both his disappointment and horror, the Trampler was still standing. He could see some damage dealt, but it clearly wasn't enough.
"At least I did something. But I think we stalled long enough."
As if on cue, a drone suddenly flies in from nowhere. It cuts through all the Distorters as if they were butter. The drone refocuses onto the Trampler, which it smacks into the floor.
Using this moment, Dan Heng shouts to the group to head to the elevator. "Go!"
March runs first, Stelle helps Yoru carry Arlan to the elevator. Dan Heng stays behind, deflecting any remaining shots fired by the Distorters, before following promptly behind.
Stepping into the elevator, the door closes. They were finally safe.
"GOAL ACHIEVED!"