The rumbling of my stomach stole my attention yet again. For what appeared to be the zillionth time.

The time on the clock read twelve after five. It'd been nine hours since I last ate. I hadn't had the chance to visit the cafeteria for obvious reasons. In hindsight, I scolded myself for being a complete moron. It was possible that Piccolo Maestro hadn't been there, since he sometimes went to fancy restaurants outside of Santigo with his friends. But no, my dumb self hadn't considered that. Fear had clouded my reasoning, such that I kept a fast for what was likely to be nothing.

I forced my gaze back...