Tim leaned back against the wall of the classroom, his gaze flickering across the room where Lily and Sara huddled together, their faces etched with worry. The silence in the room was heavy with the unspoken fear for Kei's safety. It was strange, he thought, how drastically everything had changed in such a short time.

Before the System turned their school into this nightmarish dungeon, spawning zombies in every corner, life had been so normal. Tim remembered when it all began, etched into his memory like a scar. They were in their usual classroom, the monotony of a typical school day shattered in an instant when those grotesque creatures appeared out of nowhere. In the chaos, his instincts had taken over. He had grabbed Lily and Sara, his friends, and they had fled, finding refuge in the classroom they were now.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Lily's voice, tinged with slight concern. "Do you think Kei will be okay out there by himself?"

Sara nodded in agreement, her eyes wide with worry. "He's strong, but facing the Elite Zombie Boss alone is..."

Tim felt a twinge of jealousy at their evident concern for Kei. He was the one who had protected them from the start, who had led them to safety. Yet here they were, fretting over Kei, who had chosen to face the danger alone. He understood Kei's reasoning, but part of him couldn't help feeling sidelined, as if his own efforts and strength were being ignored.

"Kei, Kei, Kei, it's always about Kei, isn't it?" Tim responded, his voice thick with jealousy. "What about me? You guys seem to forget that you wouldn't have made it this far if it weren’t for me.”

Lily and Sara both looked shocked at Tim's outburst, their eyes wide and faces registering surprise. As the initial shock faded, Sara's expression softened with understanding. Gently, she reached out and tenderly stroked the back of Tim's hand. "You've been amazing too, Tim," she said softly. "We wouldn't have made it this far without you. Thank you."

Tim appreciated her words, but they did little to quell the storm of emotions inside him. He had always been the one others looked up to. But now, it felt like everything had changed, and he was no longer the leading player.

He stood up, needing to do something, anything, to distract himself. "I'm going to check the barricades again," he announced, more to occupy his mind than out of necessity.

As Tim meticulously checked their makeshift defense, his mind couldn't help but wander back to Kei. It seemed so unfair how Kei had skyrocketed to level 13 so quickly. Luck, Kei had called it, but Tim's gut twisted with a whisper of doubt. Was it really just luck? Or was there something more, something that Kei wasn't telling them?

The idea gnawed at him, the seed of suspicion taking root. Tim had always prided himself on being straightforward, and a team player. But this... this was different. This was survival, and every advantage counted. The notion that Kei might be holding back, keeping secrets to maintain an edge, seemed increasingly plausible.

He tried to shake the thought away, but it clung stubbornly. Was Kei intentionally keeping them weak, like sheep herded for safety, dependent on their shepherd? The more Tim dwelled on it, the more his resentment grew. It seemed so cunning, so strategic. Kei heading out alone, farming experience and levels while they were left to hunker down, helpless and reliant on his goodwill.

The school corridors echoed in his mind, a place where Kei roamed, growing stronger while they remained stagnant. The unfairness of it all burned in Tim's chest, a growing fire of anger and frustration. There had to be something that he could do about this.

Tim’s hands clenched involuntarily as he patrolled the barricades. The defense they had erected for safety now felt like cages, holding them back from their true potential. He thought of the zombies, mindless and relentless, and wondered if that was what Kei wanted them to be — easy to predict, easy to manage.

A part of him argued against these thoughts. But the seed of doubt, once planted, refused to be easily uprooted. The idea of Kei out there, possibly hoarding power, was a bitter pill to swallow.

His inspection of the barricades complete, Tim returned to where Lily and Sara sat, his mind made up. The nagging thoughts and growing suspicions about Kei had reached a point where he couldn't keep them to himself any longer. He needed to know if the others felt the same, if they too harbored doubts about Kei.

"Hey," he started, trying to sound as casual as possible, "I've been thinking... about Kei and how he leveled up so fast." He watched their faces closely, looking for any sign of agreement or surprise.

Lily looked up, her brow furrowing slightly. "What about it?" she asked.

Tim hesitated, not wanting to sound accusatory, but needing to voice his concerns. "Don't you think it's a bit... odd? I mean, Kei's seems strong, but to level up so quickly and then go off alone... it makes me wonder."

Sara shifted uncomfortably, her expression thoughtful. "I've thought about it too," she admitted. "But I just assumed he was really good at this... survival thing."

Tim nodded, feeling a bit relieved that he wasn't the only one with these thoughts. "I know, but what if there's more to it? What if he found a faster way to level up, but he's not sharing it with us?"

Sara’s question cut through the tension that had been building in the room. "But why wouldn't Kei share that with us?" she asked, her voice laced with a mixture of confusion and a hint of skepticism. "We're all in this together, aren't we?"

Tim paused, considering her words.

Taking a deep breath, Tim decided to voice the darker suspicions that had been swirling in his mind. "I hate to say this, but what if Kei is purposely trying to keep us weak? To... control the situation, or even us?"

Lily and Sara looked at him, their eyes widening in shock. The idea that Kei might be manipulating them in some way was a disturbing thought.

"Control us? Tim, that's a serious accusation," Lily said, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Why would he do something like that?"

Sara's expression was a mix of confusion and concern as she mulled over Tim's words. "Intentionally keeping us weaker?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The thought seemed so alien, so contrary to the Kei they met — the one who had always been at the forefront of their battles, the one who had guided them through the dangers.

Yet, as she sat there, a small, unsettling voice in the back of her mind whispered that perhaps anything was possible. However, she quickly silenced these creeping doubts. With a determined shake of her head, she focused on the solid, undeniable facts they had, not the shadows of what-ifs and maybes. "He's been there for us every step of the way," she reassured herself, allowing her faith in him to override her doubts.