I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 103: Teammates.

After the blue team finished forming, another pillar suddenly lit up— this time glowing red. The leader standing atop it was... a woman.

No—

A massive woman.

She had a short pixie cut, her frame bulky and packed with muscle, her presence alone enough to make the air around her feel heavier. Veins subtly traced along her arms, and the way she stood— relaxed yet powerful, made it obvious she wasn’t just for show.

Si Hon slowly turned his head toward her.

"Oh my god."

Meanwhile, the crowd reacted instantly.

"That’s the Furious Minily!!"

"Damn... too bad we can’t bet to get her on our side..."

Another voice chimed in, quieter but filled with uneasy laughter.

"Yeah... even if you did get her after the game, she’d probably just escape... or worse— use you. I— I mean as a slave. Yeah."

A short pause.

"I wouldn’t mind."

The random voice came from a guy wearing a bull mask.

And somehow—

The entire section of the crowd went silent.

Everyone slowly turned to look at him.

Even the energy of the arena seemed to pause for a second.

Si Hon glanced over... then immediately looked away.

"Nope. Not interested with that." Up on the pillar, the red-haired— no, the red team leader, grinned widely, clearly enjoying the attention. She raised her arm high, her excitement almost infectious, and without hesitation.

Seventeen hands shot up from below.

The maximum.

Her grin widened.

"I’LL TAKE THEM ALL!!"

No thinking. No picking.

Just pure instinct.

A moment later, all seventeen prisoners glowed at once— and vanished.

They reappeared beside her at the edge of the arena, and unlike the others, her group immediately erupted into loud chatter, some even laughing nervously under her overwhelming presence.

The selection continued after that, other pillars lighting up one by one as more leaders chose their teams... but Si Hon wasn’t paying full attention anymore.

Because something felt... off.

His brows furrowed slightly.

(Wait...)

His gaze shifted toward the distant crowd.

(How am I hearing them this clearly...?)

Voices that should’ve been faint— barely audible, were crisp, distinct, almost as if they were right beside him.

(First the slight night vision... and now this?)

A pause.

(Super hearing...?)

Then—

A familiar window flickered into existence beside Si Hon’s hand— but something about it felt... different. It wasn’t the usual flat, translucent system panel he had grown used to.

This one shimmered, its edges distorting slightly as if it couldn’t fully stay in place, like a screen struggling to exist in reality. The surface rippled once, then expanded outward, forming what looked like a small floating monitor made of light.

Si Hon frowned slightly, leaning back just a little as he stared at it— until, without warning, a small figure stepped forward from inside the screen.

She didn’t just appear— she walked out. A chibi white-haired girl in a neat school uniform, casually holding a spoon, emerged from the glowing surface as if passing through water.

The moment her feet touched the air outside, her entire body flickered, turning slightly translucent— a soft, glowing projection hovering beside him.

Si Hon flinched instinctively, his shoulders tensing as he took half a step back, clearly not expecting that level of... presence.

"..M-Mimi?" he muttered, blinking in disbelief.

The tiny girl beamed instantly, floating in place with an excited bounce.

「Yes, appa! Mimi upgraded! (≧▽≦)」

She puffed her cheeks as if complaining, then spun slightly mid-air, the faint glow around her trailing like light particles.

「Mimi was sleeping... sorry, 파파... but now I have many functions!」

She tapped her chin with the spoon, thinking dramatically, as if presenting something incredibly important.

「You got another passive because of me, appa. Super hearing! Imagine Mimi phase two... or three... or more!」

Si Hon stared at her in silence, his expression flat despite everything that had just happened.

"Why are you holding a spoon?"

A pause.

Mimi slowly looked at the spoon in her hand.

Then back at him.

「For thinking.」

"That’s not how that works."

For a brief moment, the absurdity of the situation just... sat there between them. Then, as if something finally clicked in his mind, Si Hon’s expression shifted slightly.

"Ah."

Slowly, he lifted his head.

Above him—

The stream.

And judging by the sheer number of violently scrolling messages flooding his vision— They were absolutely furious.

He looked up.

And countless translucent windows flooded his vision, scrolling rapidly with messages overlapping each other in a chaotic storm.

「SI HON!!! WHAT’S THE POINT OF THIS CHATS IF YOU WON’T EVEN LOOK?!」

「Yeah... we gave you hints, tips, everything... (;∀;) you forgot about us...」

「Acardthatwasmaxxedoutwithcash has sent a Super Chat:

Exactly. Even a super chat didn’t budge you.」

Si Hon scratched his cheek awkwardly, glancing up at the flood of angry messages.

"I’m so—"

Before he could even finish—

Something cut him off.

A faint glow suddenly wrapped around his body.

"Huh?"

He blinked, looking down at himself as the light intensified, then quickly glanced around at the other pillars. The white and black leaders were still there... untouched.

So why—

"Why am I glowing?"

Up in the center, even the announcer seemed caught off guard.

"O-oh...?" Her voice cracked slightly before she quickly recovered, forcing an awkward laugh. "Seems like there was a small error... but, well... I guess we’ll just continue!"

She clapped her hands once.

"Now then—raise your hands if you want to join this kid!"

The crowd burst into laughter.

"HAHAHA!! No way—"

"Bro, imagine if no one raises their hand..."

"Yeah, GG."

Si Hon’s eye twitched slightly.

"These people..."

Then—

Silence.

A short, awkward pause passed over the arena.

And slowly—

Four hands rose from the crowd below.

Only four.

Above him, the chat instantly exploded again.

「YOOOO?! Someone actually raised their hands for our king Si Hon?!」

「As they should. He’s the protagonist.」

「Nod, nod.」

"...Ignore," Si Hon muttered flatly, completely tuning them out as his gaze locked onto the four figures below.

Four. That was it. Not zero... but still far from reassuring.

The number lingered in Si Hon’s mind for a brief moment, sitting awkwardly between relief and disappointment, but before he could dwell on it any longer, the announcer’s voice cut cleanly through his thoughts.

It was different now— still playful, but steadier... more deliberate. "Do you accept them as your teammates... Kim Si Hon?" she asked, her tone carrying just enough weight to make it feel less like a question and more like something already decided.

Si Hon froze for half a second, the use of his full name hitting him a beat too late, but instinct moved faster than doubt.

"Yes." The word slipped out naturally, almost reflexively. And then— something clicked.

His eyes widened slightly as realization struck, his head snapping up toward her. "Wait—how do you kn—" The sentence never finished.

The moment stretched, twisted— then collapsed.

The world around him warped violently, space folding in on itself as a force yanked him away from the pillar.

The noise of the arena distorted into a dull echo, his vision blurring as if reality itself had been grabbed and shaken.

But in that single, fleeting instant before everything disappeared completely— he saw her.

The bunny-masked announcer. Standing there, perfectly still amidst the chaos. Watching him. And smiling. Not the exaggerated, playful grin she had shown the crowd, but something quieter... sharper.

A smile that didn’t belong to a host, but to someone who already knew how this would play out. Someone who had been watching him far longer than he realized. And then— everything went dark.

"Plop."

Si Hon reappeared at the edge of the colosseum, stumbling slightly as his feet hit solid ground. He steadied himself quickly, blinking once as the noise of the arena rushed back into his ears.

"Tch."

Slowly, he lifted his head.

In front of him—

The four.

The ones who chose him.

First—

The old man from earlier.

Standing there like nothing was strange, casually meeting his gaze.

"Of course it’s you."

Then—

Another figure stepped forward.

Familiar.

Too familiar.

She placed a hand on her waist and leaned slightly, a teasing grin forming on her lips. Her red hair caught the arena’s artificial light, glowing faintly, while her ember-like eyes locked onto his with clear amusement. A robe draped loosely over her figure, giving her an almost effortless presence.

Si Hon’s eyes widened slightly. "You."

She smiled wider.

"Hi, my neighboring cellmate."