Chapter 10 – Coming clear

The next day, Toshiro woke up at an early hour, with jogging being the first thing he wanted to do. However, as soon as he started moving, Yoshika seized his right thigh and said, "Toshiroooooo… Let me sleeeeep…"

"But Yoshika, jogging in the morning keeps me charged for the rest of the day…"

"I know, Toshiro, but I have better ways of charging your figurative batteries…" she yawned. "As well as mine, heehee…"

"But I want you to rest and…"

"Toshiro, you can pick one – sleeping with me, or jogging," Yoshika said adamantly.

"What kind of retarded choice is that?"

"I want my beauty sleep, Toshiro. You want me to get all wrinkly before I turn twenty? Every time you wake up early, I also wake up, and sleep is vital for us witches, and for you as a wizard AND our commander."

"I hate it when you use rational arguments…" Toshiro muttered. "Okay then, Pumpkin, want to have some sleep? You'll have sleep. But I'm curious about that battery charging though…"

"Let… Me… Show… You…" she said slowly and with a sultry voice, nibbling his earlobe in the end.

The two managed to finish just a minute before Mio knocked on the door. Toshiro calmed down and said, "Come in, Mio."

The door opened, letting the dim light of the morning through the doorway, lighting up the room slightly. Mio looked at them carefully and asked, "I hope you have energy to train, Miyafuji?"

"Errrrmmm…" Yoshika looked around nervously.

"Your hair is a mess, the bed is a mess, and you're breathing fast – that's how I know," Mio explained with a crooked smile.

Yoshika blushed and said, "I'll get dressed already…"

"You should show some restraint, Toshiro. Not every time Miyafuji wants you to nail her should be an obligation."

"Better have sex and hear you nagging, then not having sex and getting blue balls," Toshiro shrugged.

"Your logic is as twisted as a whirligig…" Mio sighed. "Come on, Miyafuji, I'm waiting… Panties and a bra should be easier to put on than a tight swimsuit…"

"Why don't you switch yourself then, Miss Sakamoto?" she asked.

"This is the same model my Sensei wore!" Mio shouted proudly. "And I've mastered putting it on quickly!"

"Well okay…" Yoshika mumbled. "Toshiro, help me with my bra, something's wrong…"

Toshiro looked at Yoshika's bra and saw that the hooks are bent.

How did that happen? Oh, wait…

He quietly bent the hooks back into position and helped Yoshika.

"Ah, thank you, Toshiro. But you do unfasten it quicker, heehee…"

"Miyafuji, spare me that…" Mio sighed.

"Yes, yes…" Yoshika muttered and put on her uniform top. "I'm ready."

"Follow me then. And Toshiro, you could do something creative, now that you're awake anyway."

"Booooootheeeer…" he moaned. "Okay, I'll go to Adi, she's probably doing her morning routine now."

"Commendable," Mio nodded with a smirk on her face and closed the door behind her after leaving with Yoshika.

"Shmendable…" he muttered and dressed himself.

He knocked on Adolfine's door, and it opened after ten seconds, revealing Adi glistening from sweat.

"Oh…? Toshiro…?" she asked breathing heavily. "Come in, want to do some lifting?"

"Mio asked me to do something creative, so here I am," he replied honestly.

"Ha… Okay, hit the weights then, Bub."

He went into her room, and he saw that she only had two sets of dumbbells lying around.

"Is that all you have, Adi?" Toshiro asked surprised.

"Yes, I couldn't just take my whole gym… But I'm arranging a transport of my stuff, so I can train full out!"

"What do you think, Yuki? Should I?"

"You will have to show it anyway. Better now than never."

"Okay then, time for some super magic!"

"I think I can arrange something immediately, Adi…" Toshiro smirked.

"And how would that be? Making stuff appear out of thin air, Toshiro?"

He grinned and extended his hands forward. His hand glowed with a monochromatic light, and a barbell, complete with two hundred kilograms of weights appeared in his hands.

Adolfine opened her eyes wide, only saying, "What the…" quietly.

Toshiro wasn't finished, as he started creating spare weights, both for the barbell and the dumbbells. His last creation was a comfortable padded weight rack, designed to hold everything he now created.

"Was zum Teufel…" Adolfine said out of breath. "H-How did you do this, Toshiro?"

He sat on her bed and said, "Remember how I told you I'm the champion of a goddess?"

"Uh, yes?"

"It appears I'm in fact the champion of a different god, much more powerful. I have the power you just saw from him, but it's still very underdeveloped in my hands. I'm a bit tired after creating all this stuff for you, so I'll time out for a few minutes, kay?"

"And this won't disappear? Crumble into dust? Turn into water? Nothing?"

"Nope. It's there for… well, not all eternity, but for a long time," he smiled.

Adolfine pounced at him, and she pinned him down to the bed, and gave him a brief kiss on the lips.

"Thank you, Toshiro! I don't have to bother with the transport now, haha! And I can train like earlier, yes!"

"Much obliged, Adi. But please, a tad quieter and don't just straddle on me, or this could become a situation."

"Oh, sorry…" she covered her mouth, but quickly asked, "Say, should this be a secret?"

"I think I'll tell the girls at breakfast."

"It's your business… Oh, I want to try out my new toys immediately!"

"Nothing holding you back, Adi. Give me a few minutes, and I'll join you."

"Roger!"

"Well hello there, honeybuns!" Adolfine cheered, seeing Mio and Yoshika in the bath. "How nice to see you together!"

"Oh can it, Adolfine. What, did you put Toshiro in shape?"

"Bah! We were lifting so hard that the base shook down to its foundations, hahaha!"

"Those puny dumbbells hardly could make so much noise," Mio smirked.

Adolfine looked at Toshiro, and he replied with a smirk of his own.

"Well, dumbbells, yes, but not this."

He extended his hand and created a barbell loaded with five hundred kilograms of weights. The bar was so stressed that it bent in an arc where Toshiro was holding it.

"Hahaha, bravo!" Yoshika cheered and clapped her hand.

Mio looked at Toshiro amazed, but she only asked, "Will I get an explanation of what just happened?"

"At breakfast, just like the rest will," he replied, throwing the barbell away, however before it hit the wall, it dissolved into dust.

"Hey, I'll have to clean that!" Yoshika puffed her cheeks.

Toshiro grinned and created a broom and scoop.

"Ha… Ha…!" Yoshika replied annoyed.

He threw the two items near the dust pile, and said, "Adi, come on into the water already."

"Yeah, it's getting cold," she giggled after looking at the sour Yoshika.

Toshiro immediately approached her and put his hand on the nape of her neck.

"Come on, Sweetie, don't be like that…" he slowly started applying pressure with his fingers.

"You're a meanie, you know that?"

"I know. But you want a meanie Toshiro that can spice up your life, or some lifeless cardboard cutout Toshiro?"

"A cardboard cutout doesn't have quite the qualities I seek…" Yoshika chuckled, succumbing to his hand.

"Toshiro, you still have one hand free… How about doing me?" Mio asked.

Toshiro made an uppercut movement with two of his fingers raised, making Mio add, "Not literally!"

"Heh… Okay, move over."

"Hey, I want a massage too!" Adolfine protested. "Mio, scoot, I'm ranked higher!"

"I was first, and you can bite me, you amazon!"

"I will make you regret every second you don't move over…" Adolfine said with a low voice.

"Adi, I have an idea," Toshiro said. "Turn over and do what I'm saying."

"Okaaaay then…" Adolfine replied hesitantly and turned over.

"Sit and get about…" Toshiro stretched out his right leg. "A meter back, until you feel something on your back."

"I-I-I hope you're not planning anything indecent?!"

"Please…"

Adolfine reluctantly backed up, until her right shoulder blade touched Toshiro's right foot.

"A foot?" she asked. "You want to massage me with your feet? Are you south-Asian or what?"

"You have to try everything in life, right?"

"Let's try then…" Adolfine muttered, and let herself be served.

Ten minutes later, the four of them were walking out of the bath room, with the girls having gleeful smiles. Minna descended from the stairs as they were approaching them and said, "Good morning. You sure are cheerful, ladies."

"Minna, did Toshiro satisfy you with a foot?" Adolfine asked.

"Nooooo… Why are you asking?"

"Because he satisfied me, heheheh…"

Minna tilted her head with a clueless expression, and Toshiro explained, "A foot-to-back massage, don't get any weird ideas, Minna."

"I heard about those, I was just waiting for some kind of reaction," she smiled. "Well, you all started the day off nicely, I have to admit. How about you, Yoshika?"

"I also had a massage," Yoshika smiled.

"Mio?"

"Ditto."

"My, my… And poor me didn't receive one… I feel left out, Toshiro. As the second in command and your subordinate, I demand you take action."

"We all trained, you just slept," Toshiro stuck out his tongue slightly. "And nobody massaged my damn back…"

"Then how about a trade?" Minna asked.

"I don't know… Yoshika could probably do the same for free…"

"And who told you such a shameless lie?" Yoshika asked innocently.

"God damn ovular solidarity…" he muttered. "Okay Minna, after breakfast I'm going to give you such a massage that you will beg for mercy!"

"Every action has its consequences…" Minna winked. "Speaking of which – Yoshika, shouldn't you be helping poor Lynne in the kitchen?"

"Yikes! I'm off!" Yoshika ran quickly towards the kitchen.

"Such an honest girl…" Adolfine sighed. "Minna, you're in for something during breakfast, I guarantee you."

"Hey, don't spoil the surprise," Toshiro waved his index finger.

"What surprise?" Trude asked, appearing from behind the corner. "Morning by the way."

"Morning," everyone responded.

"A surprise is a surprise," Toshiro replied adamantly. "Now let's go to the dining hall."

"Morning!" Georgina jumped down the stairs.

"Etherjet engine with dual combustion chamber and vacuum lamp avionics," Toshiro said with a straight face.

"Aaaaaaaah…" Georgina sighed as she fell into Trude's back unconscious.

"Toshiro, damn you!" Trude yelled. "That was underhanded!"

"Oh, don't like little prank, cousin?"

Trude smiled in glee, but she shook her head and replied, "B-Be more considerate…"

"Huh, what?" Georgina asked as she quickly came to herself. "Ah, morning everyone!"

"Good morning, Georgi," Minna smiled. "Have plans for today?"

"I want to persuade Shirley to let me fly her Striker!" Georgina replied with sparks in her eyes.

"Just don't start calling her "cow tits" and she'll probably let you," Toshiro smirked.

"Unless she calls me a washboard, I don't have any reason to call her like that…" Georgina muttered.

"Who is using such invectives against our poor Georgi?" Siegfriede asked politely.

Now this is weird… She's not all over the place and actually… kinda well behaved? Meh, must be seeing things…

"Nobody right now, Sigi," Georgina patted her friend on the back. "But I'll be sure to notify you when that happens, so you can use some of your authority in that matter, heheh…" she laughed dryly while poking Siegfriede's sizable breasts.

"Heehee, okay, I will remember this," Siegfriede smiled. "Are we going to the dining hall all together?"

"That was the original plan," Toshiro said. "Let's follow it then."

The rest of the girls gathered soon, except for Sanya, Eila, Heidi and Karla, who were sleeping after their turn on night patrol. Erica, as per her tradition, was of course late and shouted upon by Trude.

When food started being served, Shirley asked, "Who wants to have a go in my new toy?"

"Me!" Yoshika replied the fastest, raising her hand faster than everyone else did.

"Cheater!" Georgina shouted. "You used magic!"

"Yeah…" Francesca mumbled.

"She was first anyway," Shirley said proudly. "Yoshika it is then, followed by Franny and Washboard."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A WASHBOARD?!" Georgina yelled.

Shirley chuckled and responded, "Come on, Georgina, can't take a joke? Especially when I'm offering you a one-of-a-time experience of flying…" Shirley lowered her voice. "production Etherjet Striker with a remote control panel."

"Waaaaaah…" Georgina fainted, falling on Siegfriede's lap.

"Enough…" both Adolfine and Toshiro said in sync, smiling at each other afterwards.

"You first," Toshiro said.

"Thank you. Siegfriede, wake up Georgina."

"Yes ma'am," the blonde replied and started shaking her friend.

"Hmmm?" she asked as she came to.

"Georgina, stop yelling like that, or you'll be testing my new weights instead of her Striker. And I'll be very thorough with supervising you…" Adolfine said coldly.

"Y-Yes m-m-ma'am…" Georgina started shaking.

"Shirley, stop provoking the poor girl. It's not her fault she didn't grew a pair, and you don't have to remind her on every step. Or I will literally scrap that Striker of yours and turn it into fucking flower pots." Toshiro said with a stern expression.

"You… You wouldn't dare! As a fellow mechanic, you wouldn't do that!"

"Let me reiterate – I will turn it into dust..." Toshiro said and turned his fork into dust.

The girls looked at him curiously, some outright surprised, but Minna only said, "That was a genuine silver fork, Toshiro. Heidi paid for it out of her money…"

"Another thing to clean up…" Yoshika mumbled.

Another fork appeared in his hand, and he asked, "This fork?"

"Now I'm intrigued…" Minna ruffled her eyebrows among the whispers.

Toshiro first looked at Shirley, who was almost in tears and he asked, "So, what will it be, Shirley?"

She immediately ran up to Georgina, and after grabbing her hands she said, "You're the first on the list now!"

"Oh… Heh... Okay then…" Georgina blushed slightly.

"Awww…" Yoshika sulked.

"We're training after breakfast anyway, Miyafuji," Mio said.

"Ah, right…"

"So, Bro, how did you do that trick with the fork?" Erica asked. "Last I remember, nobody in the whole wide world can't do something like that."

"I have acquired a new power – Celestial Order. It's kind of a multipurpose power, but I'm currently barely scraping the bottom with its mastery, so don't expect too much of me."

"Does it have combat applications?" Minna asked.

"Yeah, but right now it's mostly infusing stuff or creating shields out of elements. But I also learned some other tricks, which I will show you when we next battle," Toshiro calmly explained.

"Oh, come on, show us something now…" Trude mumbled.

"I suppose I can…" Toshiro raised his hand and summoned Oblivion Lost.

Most of the girls in the room gasped, but Adolfine looked closely at the sword and said, "Toshiro, I think I saw that cleaver…"

"You're not mistaken, Adolfine. I summoned it subconsciously in Africa, when fighting the Ziggurat-type. Now I can use it freely alongside an old friend…" Toshiro smiled and raised his left hand, summoning Aganaimaru.

"Master, I'm offended by being paired with such a sub-par sword…"

"Really now?"

"Heehee…"

"I guess you can be a tease too, heh…"

"Pretty…" Shizuka said quietly.

"And I bet soulbound," Mio nodded.

"How about it, Livy?"

"You're already holding a copy of me, Master, heehee…"

"Oh you…"

"Think fast, Mio!" Toshiro shouted and threw her the sword in a high parabolic trajectory.

Mio didn't move a muscle until it was over her head, when she simple stretched out her hand and grabbed it by the center of the handle.

"I knew it, light as air," she smiled. "I wonder how sharp it is though."

Toshiro walked up to her, and a black bar appeared in his hand.

"Tungsten carbide, Mio. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Do it," she grinned fiercely and held the sword edge up and above her head.

He walked behind her, and threw the bar above her head, perpendicular to the sword. As it touched the edge, it split in half, and both parts fell into Toshiro's hands.

"Now that was something…" Hanna nodded in approval. "That's the same material the penetrators in APCR shells are made from?"

"Same stuff," Toshiro confirmed.

"Wow…"

"Is tungsten carbide hard?" Lynne asked.

"Your B32 armor piercing rounds use a hardened steel core, and look how they go through Neuroi. Now tungsten carbide is much harder and… Ah, here, have a knock," he said and shoved the cut bar before her.

Lynne knocked on the bar delicately with her knuckles, but she took her hand back with a sour face and said, "It's very hard… Ow…"

"Told you," he smiled and looked at Yoshika. "Yoshika, where should I dissolve this so you can clean it up easily."

"In the garbage can…" she said with furrowed brows.

Toshiro extended his left hand, and a small trash can appeared. He dissolved the tungsten into dust, which fell inside the can silently.

"Woohoo, cool!" Francesca cheered, clapping her hands.

"Toshiro, two garbage cans? We don't need that…" Yoshika muttered.

"Eeeeeeeh…" Toshiro sighed, and after diluting time and disposing of the troublesome item, he said, "Better?"

Yoshika smiled brightly and said, "Perfect."

"Done. Okay, now let's eat. If anybody has some issues to raise, do it after we've eaten."

"Roger," the girls replied.

"So, anything to discuss?" Toshiro asked as breakfast was nearing to an end.

"Can Georgina, Franny, and I go and fly around now?" Shirley asked.

"Sure, but if there's a Neuroi alert, you drop your shenanigans and assume combat readiness, okay?"

"Roger!" the three in question cheered.

"Toshiro could you… um…" Perrine started shyly. "Decorate our room a bit?"

"Decorate your room? What is it, Perrine? You don't like the good ol' Karlslander flair?"

"It's unfit for a lady like me to live in such a rough environment…" she pouted in her usual manner.

"I'm not pickish, but it could use some touch ups…" Lynne said quietly.

"Fine then, but only if Minna agrees to take all the paperwork from me, since I'll probably be tired after this."

"We'll see. You can't know for sure how much you'll be tired, right?" Minna mused.

"Sly devil… Okay, anything else? Anybody?"

"Bro, sweets! A mountain of them!"

"Oh fuck no! Remember the dentist in Romagna?" Trude jumped in.

"Buuut Truuuudy, I'm washing my teeth two times a daaaay…"

"Sorry, Erica, but I don't trust my powers enough to created foodstuffs. If you want sweets, get on the bike and scoot to Sint-Truiden."

"Then creates some gold to pay for it," Erica smirked.

"Ever heard of the term "economy," my dear Sis?" Toshiro asked.

"Okay, this conversation never took place…" Erica puffed her cheeks.

"But you can just poof some gold like that?" Minna asked.

"Sure, atomically pure gold, something humanity will never achieve in the coming decades."

"Not only are you rich, but you're potentially a damn trillionaire," Hanna snickered. "You're sure a man full of surprises, Toshiro."

"Oh I have such surprises up my sleeve you would fall flat," Toshiro smiled. "So, anyone want anything?"

The girls were only looking amongst each other, and then at Toshiro.

"Nothing then," he said. "Come on then, Lynne and Perrine. Time to decorate your room."

"Don't be tardy for training though," Mio said. "Hattori, you'll be the one to bring them to training if they start running late."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Shizuka shouted mid-bow.

"Oi, Lynne, but who will help me with the dishes then?" Yoshika asked.

"Oh… Perrine, I'll leave the decorating to you, okay?" Lynne asked.

"Leave it to me!" Perrine said proudly. "Come on, Toshiro!"

"Yeah…"

Once Perrine opened the door to her room, Toshiro saw that the room was barely different from his. Instead of single bed, there was a bunk one, and there were some limited girly accents here and there, but down to the core, it was the same type of room.

"Yeah, compared even to Romagna, this is like a barn…"

"Right?! Toshiro, please be inventive!"

"Don't want to draw me some sketches how it should look?"

"I'm not good at drawing but… How much do you remember from my room in the Folkestone castle?"

"Pretty much everything, Perrine. I have vivid memories of what happened there."

"Perfect! Could you at least try to stylize the interior so it somewhat resembles that room?"

"Yeah, I can try but… I would need to scan a good material for the curtains…"

"Curtains… Curtains…" Perrine started rummaging through her possessions, and after a minute, she said, "Nothing much… Except…" her face flared up as she raised a pair of white silk panties.

"Silk? Hmmm… That could work…"

"D-Don't mangle them through…" Perrine said silently.

"I just need a small…" Toshiro barely grazed the panties with his right index finger. "…touch. Okay, silk composition stored. What color would you like?"

"I think… blue like my uniform would be okay…" she mumbled shyly.

"Come on, Perrine, you're behaving as if I was your suitor… Have some backbone," Toshiro said softly.

"You're making it worse!" Perrine shouted. "Oh… S-Sorry… B-But it's not everyday I just show my best panties to a man alone in my room…"

"But you bathe with me present, and you're not exactly ashamed, are you?"

"The bath is the bath," Perrine pouted.

"Well whatever now… Let's do it!" Toshiro flared up his celestial magic all over his body. "Three!"

"Wah!" Perrine screamed and run to the doorway.

"Two!"

"Woah!" she screamed again and ran out to the corridor.

"One!"

Perrine only peeked inside the room with one eye, and then Toshiro exploded with a monochromatic wave of magic pure magic. The Gallian scuttled against the wall with heavy breath and her heart pounding, but after a few seconds of dead silence, she finally looked inside the room.

"Mon Dieu…" she gasped as she saw her room remade entirely.

The walls were painted slightly pink and decorated with painting of famous Gallian artists. Instead of a single light bulb hanging down from the ceiling in solitude, a crystal chandelier with ten of them was hanging proudly. The simple double bed was remade into a more comfortable one, with a baldachin over the top bunk. Where the smallish drawer was, now stood an enormous wardrobe with big mirrors on the doors. On the floor lied a puffy red carpet, and on the carpet was Toshiro, breathing heavily.

"Toshiro!" Perrine shouted and ran up to him. "Are you okay?! Hang in there!"

"Do you… like it?" he asked.

"Yes! But are you okay?!"

"Yeah… Just a bit… tired… rest…" he swayed and his vision turned black.

He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

White… So it's probably my room…

Toshiro stood up from the bed, noticing he was fully clothed.

"I guess I overdid it again, Livy?"

"It's the first time you tried such a mass change in your current state, Master. But don't worry, you recovered very fast, and you didn't miss too much."

"Ah, good then…"

He opened the door, and looked around the corridor, which was unusually empty. Toshiro went down one floor and looked through the windows there. He could see Mio and her trainees far away in the forest, and just now Francesca landing in Shirley's Striker.

"Yuki, just how long was I out?"

"Half an hour, Mister Reckless."

"Never had such a quick recovery, damn…"

"Three, two, one…"

Toshiro's stomach growled like a fierce beast, making him blush unintentionally.

"Anyone care to explain?"

"Oh me, me, Master!"

"Oblivion Lost, stand up."

"Heehee… This is very simple, Master. You have eaten just before you did your little decorating feat. Your body subconsciously superconverted the food into raw energy, and thus, you're now both hungry but reinvigorated."

"Now that's rather… useful."

"Isn't it? So remember, Master – if you go into battle, never do it on an empty stomach!"

"Does my power prevent indigestion too?"

"Of course, Master."

"Woah… Time to eat then!"

"Us immortals don't have to eat, but I have a useful cheat for you, Master."

"Oh?"

Livy appeared before him, and extended her hand, revealing a small green pill.

"This is a hyper concentrate of nutrients, Master. It's a recommended dosage of all vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, micro- and macro elements, fat, and proteins. Plus, it's easy to swallow."

Toshiro took the pill and looked at it curiously, scanning it in the meanwhile.

"And what, I take this and poof, no more hungry?"

"That's the baseline, Master. If you ingest that pill, you'll be full at least twelve hours, unless you overdo using magic again. And the best thing is that you can't get hypervitaminosis or experience mineral overdose, since your power will keep you safe, Master."

"Not bad… But I guess I won't be able to synthesize such a pill soon, hmm?"

"It would be ill advised, Master, You saw yourself how complicated the pill is."

"Yeah… Thanks, Livy, this way I don't have to bother anyone, including myself, about food," Toshiro smiled and swallowed the pill. "Time to get some fresh air."

"Have fun, Master."

Toshiro walked out of the building and he immediately turned towards the redhead and her companions, who in turn noticed him, waving him in. When he approached them, Shirley asked, "Everything okay, Toshiro? Perrine made such a damn ruckus as if you died hahahaha!"

"She did? Crap… Hope you weren't too bothered, huh?"

"You dying just like that? Impossible!" Shirley laughed again.

"Toshiro, the room was really pretty!" Francesca cheered. "I want one like that too!"

"Maybe one day…" Toshiro muttered. "How's the Striker, squirt?"

"Cooooooool! It goes all hhhhhhhhhhhh but it's so fast!"

"I never knew one could fly so fast…" Georgina said in bliss. "Why does Karlsland have to be behind?!"

"Ask Ursula…" Toshiro shrugged. "Okay, enough flying today I guess, no need to overburden the poor Striker."

"Ah, but Toshiro, it has to be broken in!" Shirley protested. "We still have a few hours left!"

"I said nothing," Toshiro winked and turned around. "Just remember to let Yoshika fly."

"I value my life," Shirley snickered.

"My turn!" Georgina shouted.

"No way, it's my Striker and it's my turn!" Shirley shouted.

Kids…

Toshiro did the obvious and went to Minna, who was diligently processing paperwork with Trude at her side.

"Now, you look fit," Minna said as she looked at Toshiro. "How about swapping me out?"

"If you want… But I see that you're doing a splendid job, keep at it!"

"Ah! That attitude is proof you're perfectly okay! Come on, get at it, Toshiro!" Trude shouted cheerfully.

"Who died and made you the boss here, cousin?"

Trude looked to the side with a pouty face and replied, "Don't change the subject…"

"How about the three of us do this?" Minna asked. "We'd clear this in a moment."

"A real genius we have here, heheh…" Toshiro snickered. "That I can agree too."

"Me too," Trude smiled.

"Last one…" Toshiro mumbled. "Any plans for now, Minna?"

"I'll take a walk. How about you, Trude?"

"I think I'll check if Erica didn't flip our room upside down from sheer boredom…"

"Ah, you called her by her name, how nice," Toshiro noticed immediately.

"Please, Toshiro, I'm tired…"

"Okay, okay, I'll leave you be," he smiled. "I myself personally will go to the radar room and check if anything doesn't want to sneak up upon us."

"Good idea, Toshiro," Minna said.

Toshiro sat comfortable before the radar screen and put on the headphones of the comms equipment. Seeking through all frequencies, he didn't find any anomalies, but he did have a laugh at a sexist joke somebody accidentally told. After half an hour, he felt somebody creeping up on him, but he didn't react.

He suddenly lost his eyesight, as two soft and warm hands covered his eyes.

"I've gone blind! The gods have cursed me!" Toshiro shouted.

"Hahahaha!" Yoshika's joyful laugh rang in his ears. "Oh I always love when you react like that, heehee… Not getting bored?"

"Kinda… Came to entertain me?" he turned around and looked her in her eyes.

"Well, it depends on what you call entertainment…" she said quietly and jumped onto him.

"My, my… Does my dear personal doctor want to examine me… thoroughly?"

"First I'll check if your mouth works properly…" Yoshika said in a sultry manner and kissed him.

However, just as she did that, Toshiro heard, "Mayday! There's a great force of Neuroi coming north-east from Mönchengladbach! Can anyone hear me?"

Toshiro fired up the microphone and said, "This is the combined 501st and 4th NJG, what's your status?"

"Dank Gott! I'm a scout from a joint Karlsander-Liberian tank company north of Mönchengladbach, and these Neuroi appeared almost out of nowhere! Please hurry!"

"I'm on it! Stay safe, hide from their view!"

"Roger!"

"I guess our little roleplay got interrupted…" Yoshika sighed as she pressed the air raid siren button "Let's battle, Toshiro! Show the girls what you're made of now!"

"I wish Mio could go though…"

"I'll take her if she agrees! Or Perrine for that matter!"

"Good idea!"

The two ran down the stairs, bumping into Erica and Trude.

"What's happening, Toshiro?" Trude asked.

"We have a big battle before us, let's go to our Strikers!"

"Finally, action!" Erica cheered.

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