Zen wasn't even sure Pawen could hear Hako, but there was no reaction whatsoever.
Still, Hako didn't back down.
"Quit pretending. I know you can hear my footsteps from a mile away."
With that, he swept the headphones off Pawen's head. They slid down naturally.
Zen felt the tension crackle in the air.
Oh boy, this wasn't going to end well.
Pawen finally raised his head, coldly warning,
"Little shit. Don't think I won't hit you."
"Well, yeah?" Hako scoffed, undeterred.
"Listen here, you bastard. I know you're pissed about being stuck in this class. You think I don't want to f**k the council too? I do. More than you do."
"I don't want to hear your narrative," Pawen said flatly.
"So what do you want? Keep sulking like a coward? Man up. It's just Z-Class. I don't believe we're stuck down here forever."
"Just Z-Class?" Pawen's voice turned sharp.
"That's easy for you to say. You know damn well what it means. We're out of the equation before it even begins."
The room fell silent. Everyone was watching.
Zen felt like he didn't fully grasp the weight behind their words.
A calm voice suddenly cut through the tension.
"Do you two think you're the only important ones?"
Fabasa leaned coolly against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching them with mild amusement.
Zen wanted to give him a thumbs-up. He'd been thinking of stepping in but he got a feeling he wasn't the one to do it.
Fabasa was a lifesaver.
"Tsk." Hako clicked his tongue and let go of Pawen's collar.
Pawen calmly smoothed out his shirt and replied without looking at Fabasa.
"I don't want to hear it from you."
The reason was simple — he'd been there when Fabasa and Kozen had a blowout over the same thing.
Right then, Konan walked in with Kozen.
Sensing the tension thick in the air, Konan slid over next to Zen and whispered,
"What happened?"
Zen honestly had no clue. But he passed along what he'd caught.
"Something about… Z-Class? I think?"
Konan nodded as if he understood something.
"Thought so… They shouldn't even be in this class to begin with. But I heard the council brought in some old-fashioned recruiter this time."
"Oh… Recruiters, like the people who gave you that black envelope?"
"Exactly."
"So, is being in Z-Class… a bad thing?"
Konan paused, then nodded slowly.
"Not a great thing."
Just as Zen was about to ask why, Fabasa suddenly butted his head between them like an oversized cat, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders.
He chuckled.
"I could tell you why."
Kozen, who'd been quietly listening nearby, scoffed.
"If you can speak human language."
It was clearly aimed at Fabasa.
Fabasa smirked coldly.
"I don't understand animal language," he replied coolly. "But I can sure train one."
They stared each other down, neither backing off.
Just then, Hako dropped his bag with a loud sighed, interrupting the silent confrontation.
He sat cross-legged on a spread of newspaper, holding a piece of spicy jerky from who-knows-where.
Taking a bite, he muttered,
"Well, there are so many students from outside the city this time. Doesn't hurt to share. They look curious enough."
He scanned the room. Hako could already tell who knew and who didn't.
He took another bite and offered a piece to Pawen, who was now sitting beside him.
Zen look at these two.
Just moments ago, these two were at each other's throats. Now they were sharing snacks?
Crazy.
Then Hako turned and offered some to Zen as well.
Zen hesitated, then took it politely.
"You did say something about rankings…" he ventured.
Hako nodded.
"Yeah. You know how normal high schools split students into regular and key classes? It's kinda like that."
Then Hako clearly pointed out the four class heirachy in SINKE.
Ranked from highest to lowest:
Royal: K-Class
Elite: E-Class
Bronze: B-Class
Zero: Z-Class
Being lumped together in Z-Class meant one thing.
They hadn't been recognized by the council as people capable of taking on any important roles.
Not now, and probably not ever.
The Council were the representatives of Sinilites, the elite core of society.
And for someone who'd spent their lives trying to prove their worth, nothing stung more than being labeled "Zero."
They weren't even side characters. They were NPCs.
Background noise. Disposable.
When Hako finished explaining, silence settled over the room.
Zen nodded slowly. It all sounded… abstract.
For starters, he hadn't been to school in years after they couldn't afford tuition.
But he kinda got the gist of it.
Then he blurted out,
"Isn't that better, though?"
"Huh? What are you on about?" Kozen turned sharply, already glaring.
Zen flinched, fumbling to explain.
"I mean… isn't it better to have no expectations placed on you? That means, like… we can't fall any lower, right?"
Several pairs of eyes turned toward him. Zen shrank under the weight.
"Umm… I don't really get this whole council thing. And to be honest, I don't really care. The guy who gave me the envelope said I needed to prove myself here. So whatever label they slap on me, I'm just… here to prove myself."
He trailed off, then added a little weaker,
"Of course… That's just what I think."
There was a long pause—
And then laughter broke out.
"Ha… Dude, you're so funny. I get why Hako likes you."
Everyone's eyes mechanically turned to Fabasa, who was laughing like he'd just heard the craziest joke of the century.
He nodded, out of breath.
"Indeed, that's why we're here in the first place. We just have to prove ourselves."
Zen stared at the firm hand tapping his shoulder. Fabasa's smile straightened.
"But I think we can continue this topic later. We don't want to fall behind on the starting line. Why don't we all finish up the first floor and move our stuff in first?"
Hako didn't like agreeing with Fabasa, but he had to admit it made sense.
"If we stay here, that'll be efficient. Though Zen and I were already planning to stay the night anyway, right?"
Zen nodded vaguely.
Anyway, the more the merrier.
He couldn't imagine just the two of them sleeping in this graveyard.