The crowd fell silent upon hearing his words.
“Though I don’t know you all well… who among us kills willingly?” Earth Rabbit asked. “At the end of the day, aren’t those who become ‘Zodiacs’ just desperate souls trying to escape this place?”
He slumped into a chair, looking visibly shaken.
Everyone understood his feelings. The reason those present could kill without hesitation was simply because they had no other choice.
“Participants” could come back to life, but “Zodiacs” couldn’t.
This place carried some kind of sinister curse—only those with the title of “Participant” could be revived. Step outside that boundary, and death was permanent.
It was a seemingly fair game, but one riddled with deceit, forcing every “Zodiac” to fight with everything they had.
“So… let me join,” Earth Rabbit murmured, his head drooping. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have another chance like this in the decades to come, but this time… I want to try.”
“Bro… you…” Earth Tiger opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.
“Don’t try to talk me out of it,” Earth Rabbit said sternly. “At first glance, this might not seem like my fight, but I’ve spent a whole day and night thinking it over… and now I understand.”
“No, I meant—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Earth Rabbit interrupted. “We’re all bound to die. That fate was sealed the day we became ‘Zodiacs.'”
Earth Tiger stared blankly for a long moment before finally blurting out, “Actually, I was just gonna ask if you wanted some sunflower seeds…”
Earth Rabbit froze, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his face. He turned to see Earth Tiger holding out a handful of seeds in his furry palm.
“Uh… s-sure, I’ll have some,” Earth Rabbit muttered, still dazed as he took them.
“Great, eat up!” Earth Tiger awkwardly shoved more seeds toward him, unsure how else to show kindness. “Your teeth are better than mine—at least you’ve got front teeth. These fangs of mine make cracking them a pain.”
“Oh… uh… d-do you want me to crack some for you?” Earth Rabbit nodded, then began awkwardly nibbling on the seeds, suddenly feeling like his grand declaration to join the team might have been a bit impulsive.
“N-no, that’s fine…” Earth Tiger chuckled sheepishly.
Left with no choice, Earth Rabbit could only offer an awkward laugh in return.
“Eat as much as you want, no need to hold back,” Earth Tiger said cheerfully. “There aren’t many rooms on the train with roasted sunflower seeds. I had to ask for these specially. They’re really tasty.”
“Right, right…”
The awkwardness between the two spread to the others in the room, making everyone shift uncomfortably.
“If you’ve got nothing to say, don’t force it,” Earth Dog drawled from the couch, scratching his ear. “We’re all here today. Should we make it a daily thing until we come up with a plan?”
Before Earth Tiger could respond, footsteps echoed outside the door.
Everyone turned to see Earth Pig and Earth Horse enter.
“Whoa!” Earth Pig blinked in surprise. “I just dropped by to check, but you’re all actually here! Nice work, Big Tiger!”
Earth Horse limped in on crutches, her foot wrapped in thick bandages. As she passed Earth Goat, she shot him a resentful glare.
Earth Goat didn’t react, returning her gaze with a cold one of his own.
She had picked a fight and ended up like this—no apology was necessary.
“Little Pig, you’re here! And why isn’t the door closed?” Earth Tiger asked. “Is my place just open for anyone to waltz in now?”
The black sheep by the door silently shut it. He had planned to leave, but now there was no point. If he walked away, there was no way “Compensation Tiger” could handle this crowd alone.
The exact same lineup of “Zodiacs” from yesterday had gathered in the room again. Earth Tiger had to admit—White Ram was truly something.
Even though he’d never seen this scenario play out, he’d predicted it perfectly.
Now, only one prophecy remained…
Would it come true?
Earth Tiger nervously glanced at the walls on either side.
“Neighbor…?” he muttered under his breath. “Why would ‘Neighbor’ join us?”
Before he could dwell on it, Earth Dog and Earth Pig started arguing.
“Looks like we all kept our promise to show up!” Earth Pig declared proudly. “A promise is a promise—this is great.”
“Didn’t I tell you to stop talking like some edgy teenager?” Earth Dog yawned. “And do you *have* to sit next to me?”
“Give me a break,” Earth Pig scowled. “Since when do I need your approval on how I talk or where I sit?”
“Whatever. I don’t like you. Move somewhere else.”
“You’re crossing a line!” Earth Pig slowly stood, his eyes icy. “Just because you’re older than me in the real world, you think you can boss me around?”
“Boss you around?” Earth Dog lazily scratched his ear before inspecting his nails. “Yesterday, you barged in here throwing punches without a word and nearly ruined our plans. And now *I’m* the one overstepping? I just can’t stand reckless idiots.”
“You bastard…” Earth Pig rolled up his sleeves. “I wanted this to be a solid team, but with people like you, I guess that’s impossible. If you’ve got a problem, let’s settle it with fists—no need for words.”
“What a pain…” Earth Dog rubbed his temples and addressed the others. “This kid’s gonna cause trouble sooner or later. Let’s kick him out now.”
“You—!” Earth Pig didn’t waste another second—he launched a kick straight at Earth Dog’s face.
The usually sluggish Earth Dog suddenly flashed a murderous glint in his eyes. He sidestepped the attack, then used his hands to vault off the chair and counter with a kick of his own.
Earth Pig blocked with his arm, the impact sending both of them stumbling back.
“You really think you can win with brute strength?” Earth Dog sneered. “When are you gonna drop this habit of solving everything with violence?”
“Hey, hey, hey!” Earth Tiger rushed between them. “Knock it off! We’re all in this together now—fighting won’t help anyone.”
“You’re just gonna take that?” Earth Dog scoffed. “It wasn’t *my* face that got clawed up yesterday.”
“Come on, that was just a misunderstanding!” Earth Tiger laughed nervously. “We’ve cleared it up now, right?”
“Stay out of this, Big Tiger!” Earth Pig snapped. “The world runs on survival of the fittest. Today, I’ll make him submit with my fists!”
“I can’t deal with this.” Earth Dog shot Earth Tiger a look. “Compensation Tiger, listen to him! Does he sound mature to you?”
Before anyone could respond, Earth Pig lunged again, slamming into Earth Dog with full force.
As the two struggled, a faint knock sounded at the door.
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