Jana and Zed unexpectedly reunite after turning down guaranteed spots at Imperial and ending up at Jadeburg University. To prove who can survive without family help they make a bet. Both take on multiple part-time jobs; a food delivery leaks, the customer cancels, and they end up eating the KFD while trading insults about being spoiled. Classmates begin whispering that they come from Imperial City's slums, a label the two own rather than hide. The bet stays unresolved as public scrutiny and their new grind push them toward the next proving ground.