level 2;

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"prisoner #520, your breakfast for today", a calm quiet voice spoke out.

     the boy had an unsteady posture as he squatted down and slid the plate of eggs and bacon through the tiny rectangular flap along with a fork.

     a foam cup filled with water was placed on the floor beside the plate of food by carefully passing it through the bars.

     shiori's eyes shot open as her body snapped upwards, sliding off the hard, twin-sized bed as her footsteps slumped towards the first meal of the day.

     looking up, the girl observed the boy's catlike golden eyes and matching blonde locks that framed his face. though shiori could see the boy's dark roots, meaning that his hair was previously dyed.

similar to shiori, however, the girl's blonde hair was bleached, making it a ghostly white.

"you're...kozume kenma...", shiori mumbled, to which kozume was trained to ignore everything the girl is to spurt out of her mouth.

all he had to do was watch her eat and finish her food, take her plate away, and continue on with the rest of his day.

as kozume turned away from the girl's cage, he suddenly heard something hit the cell bars, making him swiftly turn back around.

     shiori's hands were gripped tightly onto the bars. standing up, most of the girl's face was visible in between the space of the two columns.

     shiori giggled as her entire body leaned against the barrier between her and kozume, to which the pudding-head male had to warn her of the consequences of having her hands on the bars.

     though before much could be said, an electrical shock had harshly pushed the girl away from the metal columns, causing her body to stumble back and fall onto the cement ground.

     kozume glanced up at the security camera that was positioned in the corner of the room, to which he knew that it was most likely ushijima, since he was currently in the security detectors room.

     shiori winced in pain, groaning as she rolled around on her back.

     though that didn't last long, as a low chuckle suddenly emitted from the girl that was still sprawled out on the floor.

     "prisoner #520, you have exactly 14 minutes left until breakfast ends", kozume stated.

     if the girl didn't eat, it was none of his concern. for all anyone could care, if shiori starved herself, it was a personal decision.

     there were many who had started out the same as her, refusing to eat until they were on the brink of starvation.

     without food, the human body becomes weaker. it fogs up the mind and brings out the animalistic instinct in them, to which they all resort back to ingesting.

     shiori's laughter ceased.

     pulling her body up, the girl's eyes started watering as she lifted up the palms of her hands, showcasing them off for kozume to witness.

     "I'm hurt...officer...can you feed me? please?", the girl pouted, sniffling a bit as kozume had glanced again at the camera.

     "I cannot", the shy boy bluntly answered.

     "b-but...how am I supposed to eat then?", shiori questioned, feigning innocence.

     "with your mouth", kozume honestly replied, to which shiori had lifted her brow in amusement.

"feed me", shiori demanded, tilting her head to the side as her sharp red eyes stared into kozume's warm, golden ones.

"come on, kenma~ feed me", shiori repeated, making kozume's posture straighten as he heard his name slip out of the girl's mouth with a sickly sweet tone.

it was like the clear, sticky honey was escaping out of shiori's mouth, dripping onto the name kenma, coating it completely and making the boy stuck.

"I...cannot", kozume breathed out—waiting—feeling that the minute hand on his watch leisurely took its time as he expected for the end of breakfast.

'hesitation'.

shiori had found a crack. out of all the commanders she had met last night, none of them had replied to her, or even acknowledged her.

but they were commanders for a reason. they knew what they were doing and they had built up a strong wall the moment shiori was captured.

however, kozume was a start. he might've been highly trained too, but he was not mentally as strong as the commanders.

     shiori could tell.

     the girl always had a knack for reading people and assessing them. she was pro. after all, that's what she's been doing her entire life so far.

     "time's up, prisoner #520", kozume stated, taking the cup of water and retrieving the plate with the fork as he was glad that he was finally leaving.

"kenma!"

kozume stopped in his tracks as he could feel the girl's grin.

"will you come deliver me lunch and dinner later?"

no answer was heard, only shuffling from the cage behind kozume.

     "what about breakfast tomorrow? will I see you? kenma?"

     'remember kenma, just ignore her and don't answer her. the less you interact with her, the better', kuroo advised kozume.

     the pudding-head boy ignored shiori's questions as he continued to exit out the room, his shoulders slouching as the door was locked back up.

"was she really that bad?", an abnormally tall boy with exceptionally long arms and legs, asked.

the boy's light gray hair was neatly parted in the middle as his catlike slanted green eyes shimmered with curiosity.

     "no. surprisingly, she seemed pretty normal for the most part", kozume mumbled, dumping the food into a nearby trashcan as the two headed towards the cafeteria, where there was a few chefs and cleaners.

     "oh? then why do you look so grim?", haiba questioned.

     haiba lev, half-russian and half-japanese, was one of kozume's closer coworkers, much to the pudding-head's displeasure.

     "because...curiosity killed the cat".

     "however, satisfaction brought it back", haiba grinned, though kozume had shook his head.

     "sometimes, it's best to just leave it be. it's better to not go through death to receive an answer to your question", kozume muttered as he headed off to complete the rest of his duties for the morning.

     haiba was left alone as he stared at the short blonde's shadows, pondering what he had meant.

     "now I'm even more intrigued", the green-eyed boy smirked.

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     author's note: hello my dearies!! hope you enjoyed this chapter. do let me know how I'm butchering everything in the comments, because I literally have never written about a psycho before.

     anyways, I hope to see you next chapter! <3