Zero Contemplates an Ant Mound

Meanwhile, in This Dimension…

After school, on her way home, Zero crouched by the ant mound, watching them tirelessly carry pebbles out of their tunnels, tiny workers moving with purpose. A few feet away, she noticed hundreds of ants gathered around a lollipop, probably dropped by some careless kid earlier.

“They’re fascinating,” she murmured to herself.

She gently reached into the puddle nearby and tried to rescue an ant struggling to stay afloat. “What are you doing?” a voice mocked from behind. It was Spiral, who had been walking by.

Zero didn’t look up, her focus still on the ant. “I see it’s suffering. “I’d like to think that if I were on its situation, I’d be rescued too.”

Spiral squatted down beside her, gracefully arranging her skirt behind her lap. “They are indeed fascinating,” she agreed.

Spiral picked up a stick and began poking the mound. Panic surged through the ants as they poured out of the tunnels in disarray, rushing frantically in all directions.

“Hey! What are you doing?! That’s mean!” Zero shot to her feet, her voice filled with distress.

Spiral’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Oh, c’mon, don’t you wanna see how they’ll react?”