Aries opened his eyes wondering if he should fake ill.
769Please respect copyright.PENANA3e4sDJU1qi
Sleeping did seem quite fun at the moment, or at least more fun than going to the Training Ground and embarrassing himself like yesterday.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAlqaKAP8bD1
Aries didn't know why he got picked as the captain. He had never become a leader before, he also didn't seem to glow leadership in the interview he first went before he was accepted. Why, then?
769Please respect copyright.PENANAXY87ZuOsiD
Not only that, Aries didn't really come from a rich family. He hadn't got the money to get sword and achery lessons, so he didn't know how he would be able to fight.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAzrBWbvM35z
Honestly, Aries was never sure of what Zodiacs actually do. He heard they fight off bad people, but that was the same as policemen and policewomen. So, what do they actually do?
769Please respect copyright.PENANA70uAuDUDwU
Do they spy or something? If so, well, he might need to retire and become a baker instead. Aries was very clumsy, after all.
769Please respect copyright.PENANARGMKRwo43v
Well, whatever. Aries couldn't care less for that at the moment. He finally decided to get his butt out of bed and shower. One good thing out of this place was they had warm water... and hot water if you wanted to burn yourself, he supposed.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAE1eflwsv5S
After showering and using his clothes, he went to class. Aries hoped that they wouldn't have to go back to the cursed place called Training Ground because that would be absolute hell, thank you very much.
769Please respect copyright.PENANARUdGlZez5X
He smiled at a person who he passed by, continuing throughout the halls of the building and then turning on a corner. As he neared the classroom which he so-hated, someone pulled him into an empty classroom.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAPBXnSQEeMx
Mind you, empty classrooms were pretty common. There were barely any people around, that's why.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAa4uez97cER
"Hey-"
769Please respect copyright.PENANAwkslYT5a9i
A hand quickly clamped over his lips and he couldn't speak any coherent words. Aries immediately regained his vision, but everywhere around him was dark and he could not see a thing.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAGxcGLbsppR
"It's me, Gemini, and we're ditching class today, cap'n."
769Please respect copyright.PENANAqfIaz86Kgk
The voice came from in front of him, which means someone else was holding him from behind.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAFKS8Bv0m8o
The so-called Gemini continued, "All four of us."
769Please respect copyright.PENANAmWtLlEZrlE
Then, someone turned on the lights. Everyone instantly flinched except Gemini who was smart enough to close her eyes. Aries jerked away from his captor's embrace and jerked forward.
769Please respect copyright.PENANA9FA14b2Zcm
Hearing Taurus squeal so manly, Gemini opened her eyes. In reflex, she quickly pulled a table to shield herself from Aries. It caused the captain's vulnerable body part to clash with the table instead.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAqni2y9xJ1l
Whilst letting out a string of curse worda, Aries held the area between his legs. The three people around him was amazed for a second, but the silence was quickly broken by a male's laughter.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAvTOGJXNk34
Obviously, Aries wouldn't cry over his own pain; he's not that crazy. It was a laughter that Aries knew all to wall
769Please respect copyright.PENANAYwbsfQ3AcG
"Ta- u-" Aries whimpered, letting out another dozen curse words. "Taurus, I'm gonna- kill- yo- u! Ugh!"
769Please respect copyright.PENANAs2VZ5COgFy
He turned around and let himself down on the cold floor, leaning on the table that nearly erased his future.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAGR6qk3MV0b
After calming down a little, the red-head asked, "What do you people want from me?"
769Please respect copyright.PENANAkGiZXpb17x
The other three looked like they were having some intense telepathy session until Taurus explained, "We're going to investigate something, actually."
769Please respect copyright.PENANAIJbHuzUpFL
Aries raised an eyebrow, finally recognizing the person behind Taurus. "Pisces? Why are you here?" he asked in surprise. Never in a million years would he ever imagine that Pisces grow up to be a delinquent.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAGaK6Jqfz2c
The girl being questioned just gave an awkward wave and chuckle. "Well, Gemini somehow managed to persuade me to do this thing. She's very persuasive."
769Please respect copyright.PENANAiu6SrcMVEK
Gemini? The vice-captain?
769Please respect copyright.PENANAIkGSOoen1z
Quickly, Aries turned around and right in front of him was the female vice-captain, standing proudly with her purple hair behind her back.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAYBtsDs2RvL
"This is our vice-captain? Ditching class on the second day?" Aries criticized, even though he was technically doing the same thing. The difference is that he never meant to ditch class in the first place.
769Please respect copyright.PENANA4iEeCJ2B8I
Gemini chuckled, flipping her hair like it was no big deal. "I'm sure one-hundred percent we won't get caught. If we do, they won't kick us out of the RJ254 anyways. Probably would just make Aqua captain, but I can easily prevent that from happening."
769Please respect copyright.PENANAH28notzuid
The captain of RJ254 stood up and was about to explode when someone put their hand on his shoulder.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAwvosjk875M
"Aries, I bet it'll be fun," said Pisces in her small shrilly voice.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAplxq3hkH7j
Aries' eyes softened. "Fine." His head hung low until he sighed and finally looked at Gemini in the eyes. "But if we get caught, I'm blaming you."
To the roof they went. Somehow, Gemini managed to memorize the map of the school and each location they put cameras in. Moreover, they all got to the rooftop without problem, even though they all weren't in a good mood--Gemini was an exception.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAVjd2ynqnHT
That girl sure loves playing around. She's so childish, yet I am also falling into her trap. Aries was starting to really regret joining this thing.
769Please respect copyright.PENANApo9qRaBsV2
"So, what do we do now?" he asked once they all arrived on top of the roof. He looked around, finding that nothing looked out of the ordinary. However, Gemini and Taurus told him on the way here that there was something unexplainable here.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAQe3rv5Fezs
Honestly, Aries didn't believe it. This building is the ZODIACS building. It's heavily protected with cameras and all that kind of stuff. He thought that the female vice-captain was just playing around and she was intending to bring the whole team down with her.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAdcAuT2ia2X
Gemini walked to a very large pile of boxes. The stack was so high and huge that it covered whatever was behind it.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAHRHRIl1FwD
Pisces quickly approached her. "What are you looking for? Careful, you might bring the whole boxes down," she warned in worry.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAiotX2Z4q0o
The bossy vice-captain shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Wait a minute. Taurus, come here. Where's the button again?"
769Please respect copyright.PENANA92Cpkl5KG0
As Taurus walked over to help Gemini, Aries wondered what kind of drugs were they consuming and how much. Why in the world would there be a button in the middle of boxes? That doesn't make sense at all.
769Please respect copyright.PENANABNEINBoBr5
A sound of a click could be heard clearly before the boxes started moving away and letting the Zodiacs pass through. It was like an automatic manual door, which didn't make sense at all.
769Please respect copyright.PENANA9IQIjWGeZd
The four of them walked to the other side behind the boxes in awe before Gemini suddenly stopped walking, causing the others behind her to do so.
769Please respect copyright.PENANABrp0bJc1oo
"What in the world is this?"
769Please respect copyright.PENANAXyZ9Szel3I
Aries looked to the floor where she was painting. The tiles were mostly white, but there were some red ones. After a while, he realized that the red tiles presented the word "DIE" in capital letters.
769Please respect copyright.PENANA02vSGTSSBB
He gaped before blinking a few times and shutting his mouth, pretending nothing happened. "So? Where do we go from now?" he asked, bravely putting his foot on a white tile. Instantly, the white tile beneath his foot cracked and fell to who-knows-where.
769Please respect copyright.PENANA00kTT3ycH6
In reflex, Gemini pulled him backwards so strongly that he fell to the safe floor. Pisces knelt next to him, worriedly asking if he was okay.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAfm0HfWGRrJ
The person who brought them all here pursed her lips, looking at the floor carefully. "Well, fudge it," she decided before running down the "I" in "DIE" and safely making it to the other side.
769Please respect copyright.PENANATm7sTpJTH0
Gemini panted a little before waving and smiling at her teammates. "Come on!"
769Please respect copyright.PENANAA6FnFGQbCR
After a little bit of running, they found themselves in front of a weird looking blue building with a window-like thingy in the middle. Taurus raised an eyebrow and approached the window-thingy. He tried to push it because there was no handle, and it easily opened.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAga6tpcdqdf
A bit too easily, if you ask Aries. It all seemed like a trap to him and he knew the others thought the same thing. However, they need to try, even with the risk of getting caught and expelled in their second day.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAREELc7q4eQ
After successfully getting inside the building, Aries took the lead and started walking towards their right. It was very dark, but not to the point where they couldn't see. "It's bigger than how it looks from outside." He assumed it was some kind of laboratory from the weird smell.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAnN97UodboT
Pisces loudly gulped. "Guys, what do you think that is?" she asked, making the other three follow the direction she was pointing at with her hand.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAFUbed00t6j
It was a large tube filled with floating human organs such as hands, legs and eyes. The Zodiacs gaped and their eyes couldn't be wider. They didn't believe what they were seeing.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAc4xuTzPt7s
"I... think we should go," Taurus said, breaking the icy silence. He frowned deeply, unable to take his eyes off the floating fingers. Is this also the work of the Zodiacs?
769Please respect copyright.PENANArKJoIRkWXB
Out of nowhere, laugh could be heard, followed by a question, "Why are you leaving so soon?!" None of them knew who said it, but they knew they were surely in trouble.
769Please respect copyright.PENANA1HdJAiMjkb
Suddenly, the ground they were standing on gave out and they fell. Pisces was the only one who made a sound; a squeal. The others were too dumbfounded to even react.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAsqcJ1xoiya
Somehow, they found themselves standing in front of a grinning old man. The tube of organs were on the floor above them. The suspicious stranger said loudly, "I'm not sure who you are, but I obviously can't let you go now that you've seen things you aren't supposed to."
769Please respect copyright.PENANAje3vKWkuBt
The four teammates looked at each other. Surprisingly, Gemini looked more mortified than Pisces did. She also appeared to be holding back something.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAmk9vhPdeNw
The two Zodiac males were also equally troubled, even though they didn't show it. After mustering enough courage, the captain asked, "What are you going to do to us? Cut off our arms and legs?"
769Please respect copyright.PENANAvgHJjWe8sv
The old crazy man laughed. "Nope, that's for the Opiuchus project and as far as I know, you guys aren't royalties," he said as if cutting off people's organs was an everyday thing.
769Please respect copyright.PENANATk0fASpaxA
"What do you mean royalties?!" Taurus exclaimed in shock. Were those the organs of the king and queen? But they are alive...
769Please respect copyright.PENANAYD1Lp3r89O
Again, the annoying laughter of the insane human could be heard. "Well, you know royalties are royalties because they have magic power, right? So-"
769Please respect copyright.PENANAbomAuByemb
His answer was cut off by someone throwing this large object at him. Apparently, that weird man wasn't that durable considering he fainted just from Gemini throwing a large piece of floor at him.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAqTsCzvmg3Y
"We need to go," she grimaced, pointing at a ladder on the corner of the room.
"Don't say a thing to them," Gemini warned with a weird expression. She didn't have time to explain why because the door in front of them suddenly opened.
769Please respect copyright.PENANARJicPi8oQg
Scorpio was in front of them. "Huh? Where have you guys been? We covered up for you saying that you were sick and all. The teacher somehow bought it, but I think it's just because she was in a hurry."
769Please respect copyright.PENANAMQbfq9enxM
Behind him, Libra appeared and added, "By the way, the teacher just left. She said that we are going on our first mission today. We need to save the princess who just got captured. Crazy, right?"
769Please respect copyright.PENANAKzF9lMq3bi
Royalties.
769Please respect copyright.PENANALSgw5Lscve
The four Zodiacs looked at each other, each one with a worried expression. Gemini looked most troubled out of them, though. Like there was something she was hiding.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAKxlRDCRmEe
Scorpio then chuckled. "Who's that, Aries? Your girlfriend?" he teased.
769Please respect copyright.PENANA4bdcskbWWa
The vice-captain glared at him. "I'm your vice-captain, you idiot," she said in annoyance. "By the way, the reason we're late... I actually tripped and none of us knew where the infirmary is, so can anyone help me?"
769Please respect copyright.PENANAkRcD9dFMZf
Tripped? Aries looked at Gemini whose left hand was holding this thick book and her right hand was holding an area around her knee.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAbKgwEREUKK
That knee was badly bleeding and her skin was ripped off. Pisces gaped, not noticing anything of it earlier. She knew she fell on Gemini, but she didn't think she caused any injuries. The vice-captain was pretty good at hiding it, too, since she was the one who ran the fastest to their classroom.
769Please respect copyright.PENANA17XWU8WHLx
Libra gasped in worry. "Geez, how reckless could you be? Come on, we need to get you to the infirmary," she scolded, even though she honestly was just shocked. She quickly wrapped Gemini's arm around her shoulder and started walking away.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAjJWX0INakj
Sagittarius followed behind them, ready to give her assistance.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAmJFBxHiN3K
"I didn't realize," Taurus whispered to Aries.
769Please respect copyright.PENANAIMLwd7Io12
"Me neither. She's a weird one. A really good actor."
ns3.137.148.226da2