"I've known him ever since he was a freshman, I basically raised him. Of course, he'll be staying with me."
"...Do you think I don't see what you're up to? You're acting like his guardian, but all I'm hearing from you is how you've been grooming him ever since he was a freshman. Shit… you're a pedophile."
"Excuse me? What did you just say to me?"
"Yes, you're excused. You can go now, Dr. Lopez."
"What do you know of Rhys? You've only known each other for what… 3 days?"
"And we've probably done more things to each other than you can imagine."
"...What? So, you're a slut?"
"Shit… you're really starting to piss me off, bitch. You think your humungous fucking tits are great? Wait 'til you get old."
"Call me a bitch again and you're not going to have a chance to get old."
1 hour.
Katarina and Lina have been arguing for over an hour. At first, they were slightly civil as the two were basically strangers—that didn't last long, however, as the words they'd been exchanging became fiercer and feistier by the minute.
The two were so focused on each other that they did not even notice Rhys stepping out of the bathroom, already dressed and ready to be discharged from the hospital.
Rhys was planning to take it easy for a few days after all the tragedies that have happened; perhaps experience a normal life that a guy his age should experience—but with him now officially graduating from high school, any thoughts of rest disappeared from him.
Perhaps it is for the best—he shouldn't falter.
The clause and support he had with the government only lasts as long as he was involving himself in the matters of academia, but he wasn't planning on going to college—no.
What he needed was power—true power. He wasn't going to achieve that by wasting away as an underpaid employee once he gets his college degree. He needed to—
"Where are you going!?"
But alas, before Rhys could reach the door, the 2 voices that warred with each other suddenly unified as both Katarina and Lina noticed him sneaking out of the room.
"We're not done here, Rhys. Choose…" Katarina crossed her arms, causing her large breasts to almost pop out from her shirt, "...I'm your doctor. I know all about you."
"You want to be an Explorer, right?" Lina did not back down as she sat on the bed, crossing her legs and slightly revealing her plump thighs, "I'm an Explorer."
"Let's… talk about this later," Rhys could really only let out a small but deep sigh as he shook his head; his ears, extremely exhausted from listening to the two,
"I need to inform the mayor's office about this," he then said as he raised his diploma.
"Oh, I'll drive you, then."
"Good, I'll be coming too."
And once again, the two women somewhat became unified. They even stepped out of the room before him, urging him to hurry up or the office would close.
Rhys hasn't really wondered what it would be like to have more than one friend. After all, Katarina was enough. But now that there was one more person in his life, he… couldn't help but think of how chaotic it actually is.
Is… it also like this for the others?
Unfortunately for Rhys, this chaos did not die down until they reached the local government office. And even as he stepped out of the car, he could hear the two arguing with each other.
The only thing Rhys could do was hurry inside the building, 'less he wanted the two to suddenly get the idea of coming with him inside. And as Rhys entered, the guards stationed at the entrance did not really check him. Even with half of his face covered, he just casually went through the security without pats or questions.
After all, inside this building, most of the people knew who he was.
"Ah, Rhys? Do… you have a meeting with the deputy mayor?" And even before he reached the concierge, one of the staff working behind the counter noticed him.
"I… don't," Rhys approached the staff as he shook his head, "I was hoping to meet with him, is he available?"
"Sure, you can just go right ahead. I'll inform him you're here."
"Thank you, Jonathan," Rhys then grabbed the keycard handed to him by the staff, before just nodding and making his way to the elevator.
"...Who's that tall guy?" The other staff beside Jonathan quickly whispered to him as Rhys disappeared into the elevator, "For him to meet the deputy just like that? Is he some sort of basketball player or something?"
"You… don't know Rhys Wilder?"
"Hey, I'm new here."
"He's… the guy in the video."
"Video—fuck, that Rhys Wilder!?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. We're…
…not allowed to talk about him."
***
"Rhys! How come I am only seeing you now, how long has it been?"
"A year. I've been busy with school, deputy mayor."
"Right… such a tragedy what happened there."
Rhys was quickly welcomed by a tall, but skinny man. Rhys was 6'3", it was a little hard to find someone taller than him—and yet the man approaching him with his arms wide open made him look like a child.
There was also another person in the office that Rhys didn't recognize, but he just stood on the side and didn't really say anything.
"Sit, sit," the deputy mayor then gestured to Rhys to sit down on the sofa as he sat on the chair beside it, "You want anything to drink? We have a new energy drink in the fridge, Bolt or something."
"No, but thank you. I won't be wasting too much of your time, deputy mayor," Riley sat down as he immediately placed his diploma at the center table and slid it toward the deputy.
"This… oh," the deputy mayor just placed his hand on the diploma, looking at it before letting out a loud sigh, "I'm actually the one who ordered them to close down. I apologize you couldn't wear your toga to an actual graduation."
"It's… fine," Rhys shook his head.
"I'm proud of what you have achieved, Rhys," the deputy then nodded several times before handing the diploma back to Rhys, "And so, I'm guessing you weren't just here to show me your diploma?"
"Hm…" Rhys grunted, "...I'm here to officially tell you that I'm not pursuing my studies anymore. I don't plan on going to college."
"...What?"
And as soon Rhys's words reached the deputy's ears, the friendly tone he had in his voice quickly faded away,
"But what else are you going to do if not get a degree, Rhys? It's not like you have a lot of options."
"I wish to become an Explorer."
"You—" The deputy's eyebrows were about to furrow. But after a few seconds of just staring at Rhys, he raised his hand. And as he did so, the man that has been standing on the corner approached him and started massaging his temples.
"..." Rhys watched this happen for a few seconds, before the deputy gestured to the man to go away.
"You said you want to be a Porter?"
"An Explorer, deputy mayor."
"Hm..." The man standing on the corner was about to approach the deputy again as he sensed his blood pressure going up, but the deputy waved him away before he could get near.
"You do know you can't be an Explorer because of your… status?" The deputy then sighed as he looked Rhys in the eyes.
"I am fully aware, deputy mayor," Rhys nodded as he returned the deputy mayor's glare, "I… am also aware that there's a way for me to bypass that."
"...I guess you've already thought this through since you know that?" The deputy once again sighed; shaking his head as he leaned back on his chair,
"What am I going to do with you, Rhys? It's not like I can stop you—that goes against my platform of pushing equal rights for Lowborns. But that's a death sentence for people like you, Rhys…
…No Lowborns have ever been discharged from the Military, alive or without missing a limb. So, why? Why risk your life, Rhys?"