They lifted on three. On four, the blanket betrayed them.

It slid right out and flopped dramatically to the floor like it didn't want to exist anymore.

Arashi blinked down at it. "Well… There goes the blanket."

"It fought bravely" Obi whispered. "We have the person the blanket was trying to be friends with."

Raizen almost laughed. "I started to bond with that blanket!"

"It didn't like you back" Obi sighed.

Esen adjusted his grip. "Doesn't matter. We have human cargo."

"I prefer patient" Raizen said.

"I prefer mission-critical object" Arashi countered. "Now, move!"

They shuffled toward the door like a badly built table on eight uneven legs. Ichiro peeked both ways like a spy in a budget movie, and nodded.

"Clear. For now."

"For now" Arashi repeated. "He says that like it's not the most terrifying phrase ever invented."

"Shut up and go" Esen hissed.

They waddled into the hall. They tiptoed past patient rooms.

"Left" Arashi ordered.

"That's a wall" Obi said.

"Right" Arashi corrected. "Testing your reflexes."

"You don't have reflexes!" Ichiro snapped.

Esen whispered, "Focus. One mission. One soda. Or more sodas, but I'm broke"

"You're saying that like we're not four idiots carrying another one in medical pajamas" Obi muttered.

They reached the stairwell door. Arashi gently opened it like it might explode. It squeaked anyway.

"Good stealth" Ichiro said dryly.

"Shhh" Arashi hissed, tiptoeing in first. The stairwell was dark and smelled like anxiety.

"Careful on the steps" Esen murmured. "Slow and steady."

"Steady" Arashi confirmed. Then his shoe squeaked again - loud, desperate, the kind of sound that made the group's souls leave their bodies.

Esen whispered, "I think we're clear."

Obi: "Say it again and we won't be."

They started their clumsy descent. Step. Step. Step. Every tiny movement came with whisper commentary.

"Your left side's dipping" Ichiro hissed.

"That's Raizen" Esen said.

"It's my ribs" Raizen whispered, chest already burning.

"Your ribs are unbalanced" Arashi smiled. "Do better."

"Shut up" three voices whispered in harmony.

Halfway down, Ichiro's knee popped loudly. Everyone jumped. Raizen nearly slid. Arashi 3 swore softly in three languages. Esen whispered, "You pop again, I'm leaving you."

"Sorry" Ichiro said. "My knees weren't built for stealth operations."

"Yet you can lift up boulders?"

They finally reached the bottom, sweating like they'd fought a small war. Ichiro peeked out the next door. "Clear."

"Define clear" Obi said.

"No doctors, no nurses, no sentient mops" Ichiro said.

"Good enough" Arashi said. "Forward, my soldiers!"

They stumbled into the lower hall. The vending machine waited at the end.

"There it is" Arashi breathed. "The Promised Land."

Esen squinted. "How far?"

"Thirty meters" Ichiro said.

"Thirty meters? Too muchh…" Obi exhaled.

They started down the hall, whisper-yelling directions like toddlers playing soldiers.

"Left foot!"

"I said quietly!"

"Who said to breathe that loud?"

"I'm literally alive!"

They reached the vending machine. Miraculously alive. Arashi pressed his face against the glass like a kid at a candy shop. "There she is. The blue one."

"It's overpriced" Ichiro sighed.

"It's art" Arashi said reverently.

Raizen shifted against the wall they'd propped him on. "I don't have pockets."

"Relax" Obi said, fishing in his jacket. He pulled out a fat, ancient-looking coin and flipped it once. "Currency of legend. Directly from the Scrapper's Gauntlet, remember? Last survivor of its kind."

"You kept that?" Raizen said. "From back then?"

"Of course" Obi said proudly. "I spend wisely. Unless it's about Cinderette. Then I spend emotionally."

Esen smirked. "What's the difference?"

"One ends with fire" Obi said, pushing the coin into Raizen's hand. "Do the honours"

Raizen slid the coin in. The machine blinked awake like it had just been insulted. He pressed the button.

The soda thunked, dropped halfway - and got stuck behind the glass lip.

They all stared.

"…It's stuck" Arashi said gravely.

"Thank you for your professional analysis" Ichiro responded.

Esen crouched to eye level. "Maybe if we-"

"No shaking!" Ichiro hissed. "We'll get caught!"

"I could make it levitate" Esen said, already arranging his rings"

"No way." Two voices said at the same time.

"Maybe… I could tip the ground" Ichiro said after a beat. "Just… a little."

Arashi grinned. "Now we're talking science!"

"No Eon" Raizen warned. "It's literally against regulation."

"Then this is training" Arashi said. "Emergency scenario: soda retrieval."

"Permission to blow up vending machine" Esen whispered into his palm like a phone. "Alteea, please respond. Over."

Obi snorted, covering his mouth. "We're hopeless."

Ichiro sighed, stepped forward, and placed two fingers on the floor. The tile under the vending machine creaked. The heavy metal box leaned forward just enough to loosen the bottle.

"You can even control concrete? I thought you were only friend with rocks!" Arashi whispered.

Esen, grinning: "You're a genius."

Ichiro smirked-then Arashi made the fatal move.

He snorted.

Ichiro cracked a laugh. The laugh turned into a full chuckle. And with that tiny loss of focus - the ground tilted more.

The vending machine groaned. Everyone's faces went from joy to pure horror.

"ICHIR-!"

The entire group lunged at once, arms flailing, catching the vending machine like heroes saving a collapsing skyscraper. Esen's muscles bulged. Arashi shouted nonsense. Obi hissed "SAVE THE SODA!"

Raizen just sat on the floor, staring at them like he was regretting every life choice that led to this moment.

After a second of chaos, the machine stilled. Everyone froze mid-rescue pose.

Clunk.

The soda rolled out peacefully, like nothing happened.

Obi wiped imaginary sweat off his forehead. "Teamwork."

Arashi gasped for breath. "Nobody died. That's progress."

Raizen laughed weakly. "You people are disasters."

"Exactly how Kori calls us. Proud of it" Esen exclaimed.

Then - footsteps.

Sharp, echoing. Rhythmic. A doctor's shoes on tile.

All five froze.

"Hide!" Arashi hissed.

"Behind the vending machine!" Esen whispered.

"There's no space!" Ichiro whispered back.

"Make some!" Arashi whispered louder.

They crammed themselves against the vending machine, forming the world's worst spy formation. Obi's elbow dug into Arashi's ribs. Ichiro's head was somewhere near Esen's shoulder. Raizen's knees were in everyone's personal space.

"Breathe quieter" Esen hissed.

"I can't!" Arashi whispered. "My lung's in Ichiro's arm!"

Nobody moved. The vending machine hummed like a traitor.

Another step. Closer. Shadow on the wall.

Esen mouthed: we're dead.

Arashi mouthed back: worth it.

The footsteps got closer.

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