After Shinji and the others had gone to the second floor, those of us who remained on the first floor didn't exactly have a goal or duty. Most of us simply decided to rest while we could, since Shinji was not here, and we didn't have to carry heavy things around all day. But unfortunately, we were simply being naïve; without Shinji here, Fuyuki and Hayato would make us do anything, no matter how small – from tying their shoelaces to even feeding them in their mouths. They were totally authoritarian.

On one of my trips to the lake, on Fuyuki and Hayato's orders, I found a person lying on the ground under a tree. Her beautiful white hair flew in the wind, bringing with it a floral scent. She was the same girl I had met earlier. As I approached her, I noticed that her eyes were closed, indicating that she was sleeping. I approached her slowly, trying not to wake her up while observing the surroundings.

(For some reason, it is colder than usual here)

I thought as I approached. Even though this was already a relatively cooler place because it is beside a lake, this time it is strangely colder. As I approached, suddenly my nose began to itch, and within seconds, an extremely loud sound was emitted from me.

"ATCHIM!"

With that sneeze that sounded more like a scream, I suddenly feel something coming towards me. All my instincts were telling me to dodge it. Following my instincts that have saved me dozens of times, I roll to the side just in time to see a blue beam passing right beside my head. A loud noise of something freezing can be heard behind me, and I slowly turn my head to see a totally frozen tree.

(If it had hit me, I would surely have been a popsicle)

I thought as I turned forward again. As I looked ahead, I saw the white-haired girl with her eyes closed as she pointed her hand in my direction.

(Did she throw it at me out of pure reflex?)

I thought as I looked surprised at her. After that, her eyes slowly opened as she looked away as if trying to understand the situation. It was quite cute, to be honest. After a few seconds of looking around, her eyes finally met mine. She stared at my face for a few seconds before tilting her head to the side in doubt.

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"... Who are you?"

She asked in a cute gesture. I was a little surprised by her question since I wasn't expecting to be forgotten so quickly. Sighing, I answer the girl's question.

"You probably don't remember me. I'm the guy you asked to sleep with"

I said as I looked at her. She stared at me for a few seconds as if trying to remember my face. After a few seconds of looking at me, she finally seemed to remember.

"Ah... you're the guy in the bed"

She said.

(That was a rag and not a bed, but okay)

I thought as I looked at her.

"What are you doing here anyway? From what I can see, your power is quite useful for combat. I'm surprised Shinji didn't take you to the second floor"

I said as I approached her.

"Fighting... too much work... I'd rather sleep"

She said, looking really sleepy even though she had just woken up. As soon as I got close enough to her, I heard loud snoring. I looked at her for a few seconds, wondering if the noise I heard came from her or not.

"Hunger"

She said, looking at me.

"Wait for me here"

I said, sighing. After that, I went behind a tree and grabbed a rabbit that I had hunted and stored. When I turned back to the girl, her eyes lit up as she saw what was in my hand. She followed the rabbit's every movement without losing sight of it. It was quite a funny scene to watch.

"Let's roast it first"

I said as I sat down in front of her. Since there were already some branches around, it was quite simple to make a fire. While the rabbit was roasting, I decided to strike up a conversation with the mysterious girl.

"By the way, I don't think we've met yet... My name is Makoto, Makoto Tatsuya. I'm a sophomore... How about you?"

I said with a soft smile on my face. After a few seconds of silence, the girl finally answered by telling me her name.

"Ana... Ana Smirnov... I'm from the first year"

Ana said without much interest.

(But... Smirnov, right? She's probably Russian. Plus, it makes sense that I've never met her before. Her floor is below mine, and I hardly ever walk by there)

I thought as I looked at her. But still, I found it a little strange that she didn't know me. To my knowledge, I was famous among the other classes as Shinji's punching bag.

"You never heard about me?"

I asked in doubt. Hearing my question, she took a few seconds but answered.

"... I was always sleeping"

Ana said with indifference. She really didn't seem interested in the subject. After that, the conversation simply ceased. We both had nothing to talk about or ask each other. We stayed a few minutes looking at the fire. Although Ana was almost asleep, I guess waiting was not her strong suit.

After a few minutes, the rabbit was finally ready to be eaten. After we ate the rabbit, Ana and I went back to camp with the others. The night was relatively quiet, although Fuyuki and Hayato always told me to do something, even if most of the time it was stupid or useless. To be honest, this wasn't even close to tiring me out. If that was their goal, my endurance was already beyond human for a long time. They would have to try much harder than that to succeed in tormenting me.