"I'm telling you, Hugo, it was weird. Like, really weird. It was as if she'd been waiting for me. But for that, she'd have to know I was going to the bathroom. And you know I never go to the bathroom at school."

Mica was walking with his friends along the commercial district after classes.

Mondays usually weren't days for detours. They normally split up and headed home once their routes diverged, but the recent events deserved a little more discussion. So they decided to stop by the arcade, grab milkshakes, and play a few games.

"I don't know. Do I look like the kind of person who keeps track of that stuff?"

"I mean, you're the same guy who knows exactly which Graham twin does what and which one doesn't. And they're not even in the same homeroom."

"That's different, my dude. First of all, they're the most beautiful twins on the face of the Earth. Second, I don't keep track of what everyone does. And third, why would I pay attention to whether you go to the bathroom or not? Everybody goes to the bathroom. So what? Maybe you drank more orange juice than usual and your bladder couldn't take it." He pointed a finger at Mica. "I know you slept through Biology, but peeing is pretty basic stuff."

"You see? You're paying attention to when I fall asleep, but not when I go to the bathroom?"

"Oh, come on. I wasn't being that literal. You fall asleep in every class. It's not exactly hard to guess."

"But Mica has a point, Hugo," Cat interrupted. She was walking a few steps ahead of them, eager to reach her favorite place in the world. "Normally Susana Hidalgo goes to the bathroom a lot. Pretty much every day. Twice as often when she's on her, you know..." She made a vague gesture. "Enrico goes too, but everyone knows he's actually sneaking off to the sports field. The teachers already know about it and—"

The baffled looks from both boys finally made her stop.

"I knew you could get intense sometimes, Cat, but this much?" Hugo asked, pretending to sound concerned despite the grin he couldn't hide. He turned to hs friend. "Mica, why exactly did we let the control freak into our group?"

"The real question is why I keep hanging out with two idiots like you." Cat crossed her arms. "And the Graham twins aren't even close to being the prettiest girls in class."

"...And what exactly does that have to do with anything?" Hugo blinked.

"Guys, can we stay on topic?" Mika asked.

They arrived at the arcade. It was one of the most run-down arcades in the area, located right next to a massive franchise establishment that offered hundreds of cutting-edge games, including virtual reality booths. Yet this was always the one they chose. It was cheaper. And while the milkshakes were only slightly above terrible, they were cheap too.

The three of them sat at one of eight empty tables and a lanky waiter approached them with the expression of a man who looked as though he'd disappointed three generations of his family by ending up employed in such a miserable place. After taking their order, he shuffled away to prepare two chocolate milkshakes and one strawberry.

Mica wondered how many more times they'd have to come before it was like in the movies—where they could sit down and the waiter would already know their order without having to ask. They'd been coming here twice a week for almost two years.

"Yeah, Cat. Maybe it was just a coincidence," Mica continued. "But that's not the whole point."

Hugo crumpled the straw wrapper into a little ball and tossed it across the table.

"Hole point!"

Both of his friends rolled their eyes and ignored him.

"What does Adventurers' Group mean?" Mica unfolded the invitation again. "'Imagination is a powerful weapon.' 'The world needs us.'" He looked up. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Sounds like some kind of school club," Cat said. "You know. One of those clubs you've spent years refusing to join."

"The last time I checked, the school clubs were soccer, basketball, stuff like that." Mica shook his head. "There wasn't an adventuring club. I'd have joined that immediately."

"Mica, the last time you checked the club list was like three years ago." Cat leaned back in her chair. "For all we know, she started it recently and found out you write fantasy stories as a hobby."

"Found out? How?" Mica frowned. "I don't share any of that stuff." He narrowed his eyes. "Did you tell her something, Cat?"

"No." She shook her head. "I have no idea who she is. Besides, it's not exactly hard to figure out. You spend entire classes drawing monsters and heroes in your notebook. If she doesn't think you're a writer, she probably thinks you're a manga artist."

"Or maybe," Hugo interrupted, "it's something way simpler." The other two looked at him. "It's a Dungeons & Dragons club."

Silence.

"They're roleplaying. That's why the note sounds so weird." Hugo conclude.

Mica and Cat exchanged a glance.

"Actually..." Mica looked back down at the invitation. "That makes a lot of sense." He tapped the line. "'The world needs us.'" He nodded slowly. "Yeah. You might be right, Hugo. But it still doesn't explain why she picked me. We don't even know each other."

"Oh, please." Hugo waved dismissively. "She was probably handing invitations out in the hallway. You showed up and grabbed one. That's not exactly a mystery."

"Handing invitations out during class?" Cat interrupted. "Who was she trying to invite? The teachers? The janitors?"

"And Mica," Hugo added, pointing his straw at him. Cat rolled her eyes again. "Give me the note."

Without waiting for permission, Hugo reached across the table and snatched the invitation from Mica's hands.

He read it. Then his expression changed.

"Oh." A pause. "Well that changes everything."

Both of his friends leaned forward.

"What?"

Hugo slowly lowered the paper.

"Did you see the address?"

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sarah Rodriguez, daughter of the feared drug lord behind the most dangerous cartel in the country…"

"Cut it out, Hugo. What are you talking about?"

After Hugo read the invitation, the three of them paid for their milkshakes and followed their redheaded friend to the address written on the note. Now they stood across the street, whispering among themselves as they stared at a two-story building squeezed between a narrow alley and the road.

Its facade was worn and weathered. The only decoration was a sign hanging above the entrance. It offered a direct and painfully unhelpful explanation: TAVERN. That was it. No fancy name. No slogan. Just Tavern.

The old wooden door was closed, and no lights could be seen through the gaps in the windows.

"The girl who gave you this," Hugo said, "was she a little shorter than you? About Cat's height? Short hair down to her chin? The kind of eyes that look like they hate everyone?"

"The very same."

"My dude, we should leave." Hugo took a step backward. "Because I'm pretty sure that girl is waiting in there with plastic sheets on the walls and a chainsaw." He pointed accusingly at Mica. "Since when do you know mafia secrets and go around telling people about them? You should've warned me sooner so I'd know to stay away from you."

"Hugo, seriously. I'm completely lost." Mica frowned. "This stopped being funny ten minutes ago. What do you know?"

"My dude, Sarah Rodriguez is famous at school. Have you seriously never heard of her?"

"No."

"Neither have I," Cat added.

Hugo stared at both of them.

"For the love of God, you two are made for each other." He shook his head. "You live under the same rock." Then he pointed at Cat. "And you surprise me most of all. Aren't you the one who keeps track of every student's movements so you can make your weird statistics?"

"Sarah doesn't study in our class, idiot."

"Yeah, obviously, that's wh—" He stopped. "...Actually, fair point. Anyway. There's a rumor at school that Sarah Rodriguez is the daughter of a cartel boss."

"Why?" Cat asked.

"What do you mean, why?" He pointed dramatically at the building. "Look where she brought us. This place belongs to her family. Her mother works here and runs all her weird business deals."

"So people think she's the daughter of a criminal because her mother owns a tavern?" Mica asked sarcastically, already forgetting the concerns Hugo had planted in his head.

"Not a tavern." Hugo pointed again. "That tavern. Doesn't this place look suspicious to you? I mean, it doesn't even have a name. It's literally called Tavern."

"Maybe it's just as old as it looks." Cat examined the building. "I'll admit it doesn't exactly look like one of those fancy places downtown… But it doesn't look like a slaughterhouse either."

"Only one way to find out, right?" Mica stepped forward. A grin slowly spread across his face. "I mean, a few hours ago we were talking about having an adventure." He gestured toward the building. "This is probably the closest we're ever going to get. So let's go."

"An adventure that looks a lot more like Persona than Final Fantasy," Cat replied with a sigh. "But let's go."

"I'd say it looks more like Silent Hill." Hugo crossed his arms. "Don't be idiots. Let's leave."

Ignoring him completely, Mica and Cat headed toward the tavern. With a groan of defeat, Hugo followed.

------------------------------------------------------------------

They crossed the street.

With every step, Mica felt a little less confident. The closer he got, the more Hugo's ridiculous story began to worm its way into his head. But before he had a chance to back out, he found himself standing before the enormous wooden door.

Not wanting to lose his nerve, he quickly raised a hand to knock. His knuckles never reached the wood, the door suddenly swung inward.

All three teenagers froze. Standing before them was a man nearly two meters tall and built like a mountain. He was so large he seemed barely capable of fitting through the doorway.

A tight white shirt stretched across his muscular frame. Black pants disappeared beneath a thick apron that looked more appropriate for a blacksmith than a cook. The fabric was stained with substances of every imaginable color, though together they had merged into varying shades of dark brown. Embroidered across the chest was a single word: Tavern.

The giant carried two enormous black garbage bags in one hand. He dropped them to the floor when he noticed the teenagers.

Dark sunglasses concealed his eyes. The rest of his face was equally intimidating. Not a single hair grew anywhere on his head. Or his eyebrows. Or his cheeks. The only exception was an enormous, meticulously groomed mustache.

Nobody spoke.

Not Mica.

Not Cat.

Not Hugo.

The giant didn't speak either. He simply stood there. Waiting.

Finally, Cat gathered enough courage to try.

"I-Is Sarah here?" Every syllable came out trembling.

The giant frowned. The gesture somehow became even more terrifying because the sunglasses prevented them from seeing his eyes.

"S-Sorry, it's just..." Cat swallowed. "We have an invitation and—" She gave up. With an irritated sigh, she jabbed Mica in the ribs. "Your turn."

"Right. Right." Almost automatically, Mica held out the invitation. "Here."

The giant tilted his head slightly. For several seconds he appeared to read the note. Then he returned to his original posture.

A long silence followed.

Just when the teenagers were beginning to think he might never speak— he finally did.

"No."

"...No?" Mica blinked.

Silence.

"Does that mean this isn't the place?" he asked again.

The giant remained motionless. The silence stretched on.

"This is definitely the place," Hugo finally said. "But I think our friendly host is trying to tell us to leave."

The man let out a low grunt. None of them could tell whether it was agreement or merely a random noise.

"But we have an invitation," Cat insisted.

Another grunt. This time the giant tilted his head toward the interior of the tavern. A few seconds passed, then:

"No."

And before anyone could respond, he slammed the door shut in their faces.

"Well." Hugo immediately turned around. "We tried."

Relief practically radiated from him as he started walking away.

"What was that?" Mica followed, frustrated. "What kind of joke was this Sarah trying to pull? Why send us here? None of this makes any sense."

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Hugo pointed back at the building. "Sarah Rodriguez. That name only leads to weird things."

"Guys." Cat's voice interrupted them as she reached the opposite sidewalk. "Look."

The two boys turned. A thin teenage boy was walking casually into the alley beside the tavern, as though he were strolling through a park.

"Maybe..."

"No, Cat." Hugo immediately cut her off. "The invitation says nothing about going through the alley."

"Well, unless you have a better idea for convincing Mr. No, we could try following that guy." She pointed toward the alley. "Maybe he's part of the Group too."

"Cat." For the first time all afternoon, Hugo wasn't smiling. "Isn't it enough that a giant gorilla just told you 'No' while carrying two black bags full of what might have been the limbs of his latest victim?"

"No." Cat perfectly mimicked the giant's flat tone. Then she headed for the alley without another word.

"Come on, Hugo!" Mica hurried after her. "Adventure! What's the worst that could happen?"

"Being chopped into pieces and fed to pigs," Hugo muttered.

When they reached the alley, the boy was nowhere to be seen. What they did find was a door beside several trash bins. A back entrance.

Without hesitation, Cat marched over and grabbed the handle. The door opened. Had she looked back, she would have seen the expression of pure horror on Hugo's face. But she didn't.

Without a moment's hesitation— and without looking behind her— she stepped inside.