William felt every choice was heavy, and he couldn't prepare for them except by discovering what they could mean for his present self. But the future? What would he be like... when changed?

  Mi-Yung promised to be his proxy, so that changed things, but did it give him a proper choice? Hardly, and that moved through a belief he was so great that big shots of the Federation oogled him, so what should he think or do?

  It was a lie to call it wonderful. William's personality wasn't exceptional in any way; he thought he was merely average, which was enough to pass most military divisions because he was a diligent learner and not a difficult student. Perhaps this idea was a push and focus that made him think lightly of those six weeks, while the past couple of days had been quite long and changing.

  He felt he had changed a lot in very little time. He needed to think of it as gains from Ellie, Mi-Yung, and Kaufman, rather than as his own. Last night should remain a nightmare, however, and a reminder that his story was either exaggerated or he wasn't worth as much as others thought.

  William lacked one critical point. He had no clue about other Walkers in similar shoes to his, and how good or bad he was. It was normal. Many thought comparisons were a shitty idea, while others might be lacking, and William met only Celeste, and even that was kind of weird.

  It wasn't typical, and youths were youths, and styles and training could help or not help all kinds of people.

  Emblems, not so much, but when Rank 0 came into question, old or experienced Walkers of upper Ranks knew how to view such young girls or boys. William was unfortunately lacking in this department and never once met a Walker who recognized that until he got to the Federation.

  He thought of the past night, Mi-Yung's appearance, and that immense clash between her and Kaufman. He believed it was silly to argue like children who could shatter this building complex into pieces.

  Mi-Yung would go that far for him, wouldn't she? Why? What was the point in arguing when Kaufman seemed to back down anyway? He said to wait and let others or William go further.

  Could that be a lie or just another misdirection? William wasn't sure and swore that Mi-Yung was acting ridiculous for no reason. It wasn't as if there was a tough choice ahead or nasty options. All of them were hard, including Mi-Yung, and her proxy position was pretty much settled, so what was she afraid of?

  Most recruits came to others with sincerity and less force because no one wanted a new youth who wasn't willing to be part of the team. It was straight-up stupid to allow such people inside, act in life-and-death scenarios, and fight for others.

  However, private tutelage and apprenticeship were a different story, and recruits and those seeking suitable talents were always open. Many Walker families put their hopeful children into custom training facilities, programs, or into the hands of experienced Walkers.

  It was a matter of pride, with families focusing most on their core talents. The matters of family and proliferation of bloodline were also part of this problem, which, in truth, wasn't much of a problem, but more like an undeniable flavor.

  It didn't matter if a Rank 0 wasn't assailed, or one was fourteen or fifteen. Gaining experience through force, skill, and training was a popular idea everywhere, and Mi-Yung wished to do the same for William. Kaufman used to think the same thing, probably.

  Time was in their hands, albeit one of them decided to back down instead, so that was interesting, or worrisome.

  Perhaps both were way too hurried and failed to realize most of William's appeals or lost past, while.... opinions were rubbish, right? They just did stuff on their whim.

  At least Mi-Yung tried much better than Kaufman, who was kind of an old-school prick of a Walker, so how he cared about youths was simply different. It was still a problem, though. Kaufman was weird, but Rank 8 spoke thousands of words alone, and his ideas were vast, and anyone learning under a Rank 8 Walker would get it.

  William tried, and got it as well, acknowledging that yet still felt conflicted. Last night left him with more doubts about his limited life.

  Kaufman's willingness, business, and clashing stakes against Mi-Yung - what did those even mean? It wasn't even everything, since there were topics far from being worrisome, because William didn't want to care for them. It wasn't a matter of perseverance, time, or hope.

  Becoming Kaufman's student might not be that, even if it sounded kind of cool and smart. It might be his stubbornness speaking, or a mere idea to give justice to those who came first, but he accepted it the moment Mi-Yung found him important.

  Maybe it was a really stupid reason, and he didn't know what was better for him.

  Not like he had anyone to ask, or lose much of anything. Besides Ellie, whom he had met and gotten to know, who else was there? Luke? Nah. Becoming Mi-Yung's... something might be fair.

  Scraping for socks, William pushed a pillow over his face, screamed, and sat to take this day's start in peace. The word apprenticeship came next. Mi-Yung argued that it wasn't good to neglect it, while Ellie had her conflicting side as well.

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  From the personal moments he had experienced with Kaufman, his choices might have been better if the discussions had been passionate. Maybe it wasn't about being face to face, but being more reasonable and caring, because, hell, Kaufman probably didn't give a shit about what William was thinking.

  “The good news is that Kaufman won't bother me for a while, so that leaves me training alone, doesn't it? About today, does Ellie have time? What about Celeste? Am I all alone from now on? I left them yesterday like a prick... I should at least apologize today.”

  It was a good idea.

  Luke worked as usual, so he wouldn't see him all that much either. Ellie had plenty of work in the library with Celeste, and she also taught him plenty! Celeste needed her much more if he was honest with himself. It was now time to put his time to better use, establish new boundaries, and maximize his productivity.

  William had a whole list of personal and good topics, per Mi-Yung's and Ellie's suggestions. For weeks, he won't find a problem with anything but time.

  Mi-Yung was also there. Probably. Her job and vacation felt vague, and yesterday, William was a bit intimidated by her. For this day, he didn't worry about that and instead tossed the pillow away, and gazed at his crimson Emblem.

  “This feels bizarre. Where am I? Where to go? How do I take my steps? I am not back in camps where I had to rely on myself, and there is Dann to give me some ideas. What days those were...” William moaned, remembering the past as if it were yesterday. He expected something, yet he came out of that door with Luke without knowing a lot.

  Now, he felt stupid. Stupid to waste his time and the time of others. His naivety was changing, and his ignorance was decreasing. It was a good mindset of a survivor, rather than a Walker, but so be it. It will be handy anyway.

  Walking out of his room, his steps wavered right around the corner. He wasn't alone as he expected at this hour. In the kitchen, a pair of loving Walkers dined as if they were on vacation. How could they be called that in the kitchen?

  Mi-Yung leaned on Luke's shoulders, feeding him spoonfuls of scrambled eggs and sausages. At least they wore clothes, unlike yesterday or when Mi-Yung clashed with Kaufman last night. It wasn't shameful by any means.

  William figured some sort of Skill shattered her blouse, and her Emblem came forth like a crazy beast, and stuff happened. He forgot she described her Arcalyst as her specialty.

  Weird stuff always came when Walkers got crazy, and Mi-Yung went crazy against Kaufman, of all people.

  Noticing a sudden guest, the spoonful of love fell short and eggs fell to Luke's lap. Mi-Yung offered to eat it, notably because of Luke's speechless face. Much to nobody's surprise, Mi-Yung ate it anyway, unwilling to waste any food per basic table manners.

  “Good morning.” William greeted them and tried his best to ignore the past.

  “Great morning,” Luke and Mi-Yung said at the same time, energized and happy.

  It was wonderful to see how rested both of them were, and they expected a great new day. One did so more than the other, however.

  Unlike William, they knew what was ahead of them. With a decade of Outside in him, William felt that speedrunning new ideas and ignoring the burdens sounded suitable.

  Hardly anyone would get used to his situation anyway, let alone do it in a couple of days. Mi-Yung and Luke knew it and weren't that brash about it. However, Mi-Yung still gave him many words of advice yesterday and lectured him.

  “Another day in the library?” Luke asked, grabbed the spoon, and fed himself this time. Mi-Yung followed suit, albeit a little begrudgingly. Luke was already wearing his uniform, and Mi-Yung had a single-piece outfit of a very deep black color.

  It seemed like a long-sleeve shirt fused with tight black trousers, and aside from her, a pure white cloak would go over it, promoting a position many would dream of. It was not her military uniform, but her Assembly uniform, which snuggled onto her skin, and not a single piece of her Emblem was visible. That was indeed a shame.

  “As usual,” William gave Luke his answer and tried to look for a quick snack.

  “Your portion is beside the stove,” Mi-Yung said, pointing behind her, where a bowl of steaming hot rice and scrambled eggs rested in a pot, coupled with two sausages and even a dessert.

  “How generous. Thanks.” He was still a bit awkward as he went on without looking at them.

  “Breakfast is the best start to the day. I also heard about yesterday, William. Bet you must have enjoyed such a night very much.” Luke smirked at him, giving him a meaningful look that he could not understand. “I mean the Pit. Pit! It is a luxurious restaurant that Mi-Yung has owned and supported for ages. Isn't it crazy good? I barely have time for a proper business date, let alone a meeting in the Pit. Oh, I miss it.” Luke tried to highlight her accomplishment and worked with charm-like words.

  William couldn't say anything but praise, and Mi-Yung felt really good about it.

  “It was beyond delicious. The best meal I will ever taste was definitely there. However, I can't imagine eating like that all the time because those credits will bleed out of my pockets. Does it have to be expensive like that?”

  “What do you mean? I thought Mi-Yung paid for it?” Luke said, aiming this question at Mi-Yung, who sighed.

  “I did,” Mi-Yung argued.

  “That's not what I mean, you two. I meant it in general. Food is supposed to be cheap. Not many can afford that sort of stuff. I hell won't.” William said the single truth he had figured long ago.

  Mi-Yung couldn't refute it, though she knew Pit's prices were on the highest end for numerous reasons. Some considered it blasphemous and terrible, yet many people always came over, willing to spend hard-earned money once a month or once a year, because why the heck not?

  It was a worthwhile celebration and an out-of-this-world experience for many people. Then, it was a manageable expense for a feast that could fill a dozen people for a couple of days, rather than all the freaking time, because, as it stood for, not many high-class people could eat there daily.

  It was luxury, sure, but it had its validity when many places weren't extravagant. Mi-Yung had a simple logic behind it. It wasn't even that expensive when one thought about it, came over with groups of people, and bought what was truly worth the price.

  “I wasn't kidding about my Pit, William. That place is as good as it gets, and it's more fitting for certain types of people than others. It isn't about a petty privilege or dealings behind the counter. All sort of people eats there every week.”

  “That's not... my argument.”

  “Then what do you want to hear?”

  “Maybe... something about credits? Or... how does it work with Walkers and so on?”

  Mi-Yung chuckled, figuring that he wanted yet another lesson.

  “If it's so good, I will take you to the pit again before or after the Awakening. How about it?” Mi-Yung offered a rather lacking idea.

  Hadn't she mismanaged William's expenses, time, and money? In truth, the finances of her restaurant were harder than they looked because of work and management of farms, and so on.

  It was a work that seemed invisible to everyone because it wasn't all about a Federation-type business. William got it. After all, those ingredients were top-notch and not normal.