存在中の旅
冒険の始まり編
友Part 1
Journey Through Existence
Beginning Chapter
Friend Part 1
The smell of a freshly made pastry wafted through the corridors of the flagship Elle Ciel. Sliding through the gaps between the doors and the walls, the scent drifted into various rooms. Almost immediately, doors were slammed open and six speeding figures raced down to the cafeteria, leaving a trail of dust behind them.
As they ran past the infirmary, the ground shook with vigor. Inside the room, equipment rattled as the nurse struggled to maintain her balance. Poking her head out of the door, she shouted down the hallway.
"Don't run like that in the hallway! Can't you have some courtesy for our guest here?" She returned to her seat as her words fell upon deaf ears. While scribbling away at her papers, a sudden change in the beat of the machinery attached to the mysterious boy caught her attention. Zooming in to get a better look, she notices a fluctuation in the boy's heart rate. She looks over at the sleeping boy, whose eyes flutter slightly.
"He's… Dreaming… ?"
"Let's eat!" Six voices echoed throughout the cafeteria.
Following the sound of tinkling utensils was a long moan of pure pleasure as the six members of the Galaxy Angel Troupe savored the first bite of their pastry.
"How are they?"
"Lighter than air…" Takuto says with a smile that stretched across his face.
"I'm so glad that your little hyperspace sickness didn't affect your cooking." Ranpha jokes.
Milfeulle giggles. The chef donned a frilled apron, shaded with a light pink. A sewed on flower decorated the attire. "How would everyone like their coffee or tea?"
"Earl Grey for me!" Forte places her order.
"I'll have an English Breakfast." Mint says with her mouth full.
Vanilla wipes her mouth with her napkin before placing her order. "Red Tea, please."
"I'll have Green Tea," Chitose says. "Extra strong please!"
"I'll have a spicy coffee." Ranpha says as she takes a big bite out of her pastry.
"I'll be right back with your orders!" Milfeulle bounces bubbly away.
"She seems happy." Forte comments. "Did anything happen?"
"Not really," Takuto says. "She's just really happy that I was there to see her recover."
"How sweet." Mint says.
"You think so?" Takuto blushes a little.
"Oh," Mint corrects him. "I was talking about the pastry."
Takuto's facial expression freezes. "What…?"
Suddenly, a chill runs down the entire group's spines. They all shoot up in their seats. A loud clash is heard coming from the kitchen followed by Milfeulle's distressed cry. Takuto quickly gets up and dashes into the kitchen to help Milfeulle. Meanwhile, the others sat quietly at the table.
"Did…" Ranpha breaks the silence. "Did anyone else feel that?"
The others nod their heads in unison.
"What was that…?" Forte asks.
The tension at the table starts to increase.
"It's the same feeling…" Mint begins. Everyone gives her their undivided attention. "This isn't the first time I've felt it. And from your reactions, I'm assuming you guys have felt it before."
The others nod. "That boy," Chitose says. "When I had eye contact with him I felt this exact feeling…"
"The warm yet…" Ranpha describes. "Destructive feeling."
"The power to save and destroy." Vanilla adds.
"Is it safe to have him on the ship?" Forte questions.
"We won't know until we get to see his behavior." Mint concludes. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions."
The door of the kitchen slides open as Takuto helps a drenched Milfeulle out of the now messy kitchen.
"Milfie!" Ranpha quickly runs over to Milfeulle. "Are you okay? Look at you!"
"I'm fine," Milfeulle replies with a smile. "I just had a sudden shock, that's all."
Takuto, covering her with a towel, takes her off to their room. "Come on, we gotta get you cleaned up."
The door shuts behind the couple as once again, silence reigns throughout the room. No one spoke another word, too fazed by the event that had just occurred. The remaining members of the Moon Angel Troupe sit, lost in their own contemplation of the situation. Ranpha, in particular, was the most troubled.
Now I know that everyone felt the same chill… But I don't think they felt the other chill I felt… Just what is it?
Inside the infirmary, the young boy shifts around in his bed. He slowly opens his eyes but forces them shut as light overflows into his eyes. Once again, he opens his eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the brightness of his surroundings. His eyes focus as blurred figures gain their form in his sight. Beside him, he hears the beep of the pulse monitor.
"You're awake." The nurse says.
The boy looks over at the nurse who remains seated at her desk. Steadily, the boy uses his left arm push his upper body up from under the covers. He remains seated in his bed. Looking at his body, he sees various wires attached to his body.
"What's this?" He asks the nurse in his half awoken state.
"They're the connectors to the pulse monitor and the drip," The nurse explains. "It's what has been keeping you going this whole time you were unconscious."
"Unconscious…" The boy rubs his head. That's right. I fainted after I met those really pretty girls…
"How are you feeling now?" The nurse inquires.
"I feel fine," The boy replies. "Just a little drowsy, but I'll get over it."
"Great," The nurse reaches over and presses a button. "Mint, the boy has awoken. Would you like to see him?"
"Sure," A young girl's voice replies from the communicator. "I'll be right over."
The communicator clicks as the nurse releases the button. "Your escort will be here soon," She says. "If you feel weird at any time, feel free to come back."
The boy nods while removing the wires attached to his body. The infirmary door slides open as a petite figure enters the room. The boy turns to face the entering shadow. Under the light, the figure is revealed to be Mint.
"Hello there," She greets with a friendly smile. "How are you feeling?"
The boy continues to stare at Mint.
"Excuse me?"
The boy continues to stare.
"Nurse, are you sure he's okay?"
"He was fine when I talked to him…" The nurse rolls her chair over to the bedside. Waving her hand in front of his face, she tries to elicit a response. "Hello…?"
The boy blinks once. His blank stare breaks into a warm smile. "My, are you cute?"
Mint's ears twitch at the comment as she blushes a little. "Ahem," Clearing her throat, she quickly changes the topic. "If you would please follow me, our commander would like to see you."
"Sure," The boy gets out of bed and slips into his jacket. "Shall we?"
Mint takes the lead as the two make their exit out of the infirmary. The nurse slides her chair back to her desk.
"I've never seen Mint react like that to someone calling her cute before," She says to herself. "Maybe…" She pauses for a beat, smiles to herself and goes back to her paperwork.
Slowly walking down the hallway, Mint gives the unfamiliar boy a quick tour of the flagship.
"Here is the cafeteria," She orientates. "The kitchen is in there too. We mostly have our meals and breaks in here."
A short pause later, she begins again. "And here is the briefing room. We usually have our mission preparations done in here, as well as debriefs." Mint pauses for a second before continuing. "We are an elite crew of military specialists, trained to defend and escort key personnel as well as hunt for Lost Technology hidden in various…"
The boy cuts her off casually. "You're really good at your job, aren't you?" He says.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, it's just that you know all your stuff. It's really amazing," He looks over at Mint. "I could never do such a thing. I always end up losing my concentration before I get anything done!" He laughs at himself.
Mint is slightly taken aback by his sudden speech.
"Well, actually it's mostly the admin stuff that gets me really fidgety. I hate sitting still for long periods," The boy continues. "I'm more of an active guy. You know, the type to go do stuff rather than sit around and do paperwork."
Mint listens closely, not because she is trying to gather more information about the boy, but more so because she suddenly finds herself interested in learning more about the boy.
"I always shift around when I sit down. I can't ever stay in one position," The boy makes the actions as he speaks. "That's why I'm really impressed by your knowledge. I find it respectable that you are able to sit down and actually go through the trouble of knowing your stuff."
Mint smiles slightly at the boy's complement. Before she knew it, they were at the door to the bridge where Takuto and the others were waiting.
"Well, this is the bridge. Our commander, Takuto, spends most of his work time here." Mint explains. The door slides open. "After you."
The boy steps in and immediately gasps at the vast technology filling the room. Computer panels, screens, basically anything one could think would fit into the bridge of an intergalactic flagship was being operated in the room.
"Here he is." Mint introduces the boy.
The other members shift themselves to form a line in front of the boy. Warm smiles greet the boy, who is still amazed. Takuto steps forward and greets him. "Welcome aboard the Elle Ciel," He says as he shakes the boy's hand. "My name is Takuto, and I am the commander of this flagship."
"I'm Forte," Forte steps up next. "I'm the eldest in the whole group."
The boy can't help but look at her bulging breasts. Luckily, this goes by unnoticed.
"Chitose," Chitose introduces herself next. "It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Milfeulle. It's great to have someone new on board!"
"I'm Vanilla." Vanilla says softly.
"I haven't told you my name yet," Mint says. "I'm Mint."
Ranpha remains silent as the other introduce themselves. When it comes to her turn, she timidly steps forward. "I'm Ranpha. Nice to… meet you."
A smile breaks on the boy's face. Taking a big bow, he introduces himself. "Thank you all so much for being so friendly," He recovers from his bow. "My name is 暗怒竜 (An-do-ryuu). It's nice to meet you all."
As the rest of the group start talking with Andrew, getting to know him better, Mint quietly observes the situation.
It was this boy who sent the chills down our spines. Yet now, we don't seem to be affected anymore. What could this mean? She ponders to herself. And what was it that I feel with this boy that I've never felt before… An epiphany hits her. Maybe it's… Friendship…