Hello, and welcome to the penultimate chapter of this collection.
Now before we get going, I do have a few things to say.
First off, I do apologize for the delay in updates for SH3. School got a bit more hectic last semester, especially writing a paper for history class. I am still working on it and will get it up hopefully by the end of the month.
Next up, in case you didn't notice, I have started putting out some "trailers" for Project HD RPG so that you can get an idea of each of the new characters. So far, at the time of this update, I have done Hikari's and Alexandre last month. Around this time, Elisabeth's will be up, so when you have time and if you are interested feel free to check it out and let me know what you think.
Anyways, let's cover the reviews from the previous entry:
Empty Promise: Yeah, I do actually watch Matpat when I can. Given Roland's in the military, he would have been exposed to the proper names for them at some point. Still doesn't stop him from calling it by a name he knew of (can't find an example right now, but I'll find one if I put it in). Apart from that, thanks for the review.
GeneralAshton: Since this collection was mostly based on the English transcripts I found for the Himebana CDs, it was inevitable that Gertrud would be in the role of an instructor, and I hope it worked out well once the Strike Heroes mix was added in. Besides that, thanks for the review.
...And that's it for the reviews right now. Now let's get going on the last "Moment with Roland" chapter for this story...
XXXXXXXXXX
Moments with Roland #3: Sick Day Symphony?
Just outside the window of a room on the base, a bird was chirping its little heart out. The air was nice, the sky was clear, it was a beautiful sunny day-
"ACHOO!" Roland shouted as he sneezed.
Erm...well, the window in question was Roland's, who was currently experiencing one of the more troublesome days he had. No, he wasn't fainting at something: for some unexplained reason, he caught an illness and was busy laying in bed, his nose runny and with a sore throat.
"What did I do to deserve this...?" the male Witch asked himself. He knew that it was natural to get sick at some point, but his difficulty was that he was able to keep operating up to a certain point, at which point the illness in question caught up to him and forced him to lay down.
For him, he had that around three in the afternoon the previous day, Gertrud apparently being the one to help him back to his room (he was at least able to talk). With the doctors, for some unexplained reason, unable to get to him at the moment, Minna had requested that he stay in his room until he was feeling better.
At least he was able to have breakfast in bed. Along with dinner in bed.
Course, his idea of it didn't really have to be...
"Morning, Roland-kun!" Yoshika called out as she and Lynette entered the room, the little Fuso Witch carrying a tray with a plate and a teacup (along with a saucer) on it. Lynette was holding a teapot with some mitts. "How are you feeling?"
"A little better," Roland replied as he sat up. He eyed the plate and saw that it was an omelette.
"That's good to hear." Yoshika placed the tray at the foot of the bed and gave the male Witch the plate and a fork. "Eggs are good for a cold."
Roland would have asked about it but chose not to. She was from a family running a medical clinic in Fuso, so asking about it would warrant a short lecture. Something his stomach now chose to avoid by growling.
"You stomach's a little loud..." Lynette commented.
"Dunno," Roland told her. "...What's that you got there?"
"Some black tea. I was meaning to make some for the afternoon tea and give you some then, but I figured that you could use it sooner for the moment."
"That's good to hear..." Yoshika helped the Britannian Witch pour some tea for him before handing it to him.
"Um...do you mind if we stay in here for a bit?"
"Not sure. You two could catch what I've got, and we really don't need to be down any more Witches than we need."
"Well, there are eleven of us plus you, Roland..."
"Still, you two succumbing makes us at three-fourth of our maximum strength, and that's if I'm still out for a few more days."
"Oh. You're right..."
Yoshika looked over to her friend and said, "Hey, Lynne, you can head back to the kitchen. I'll keep Roland-kun company for a while."
"You sure, Yoshika?"
The little Fuso Witch smiled. "I'm sure of it." She didn't have anything to worry about: her immune system was pretty impressive, and she had the distinction of never having caught a cold once.
"...Okay, I'll leave you two then." Lynette gave off a quick bow before she left, taking the teapot with her.
"Yoshika, you really don't have to stay here, you know..." Roland tried protesting. He didn't want her to be sick because of him...
"I'm fine," Yoshika assured him. "Just trust me."
Roland tried thinking of something to convince her to leave before looking at her eyes. They seemed to be really determined to stay here. He simply sighed in defeat. "So what do you have in mind?"
"I want to get to know you a little more. There's so much I don't know about you. Or everyone else, really. I mean, I know some things about Lynne, but..."
"Like what?"
"Well...what did you do before coming into the Strike Witches?"
Roland blinked. That wasn't quite asking about family, but it was just as bad. "Well...um..." He was in a poor position; he wasn't ready to tell her about his true self but he really didn't feel comfortable lying to her. He never felt comfortable lying to anyone, but when he did he was either really bad at it or lucky enough to get them to believe him, even if only for a fleeting moment. He then got an idea. "Let's try playing something for a bit, Yoshika." It wouldn't get her off his back about it, but at least he'd have a few minutes or so to prepare something that he would be more comfortable telling her.
"Oh, okay..." Yoshika replied, disappointed. She sighed. "But finish your food first, Roland-kun. You need all the protein you can get right now."
"Right."
XXXXXXXXXX
"So Miyafuji's in the room with Sage right now?" Mio asked one she was done asking Lynette where the little Fuso Witch was at currently.
"Yes, ma'am," the Britannian Witch replied. "I thought about staying there with her, but..."
Mio nodded. It wasn't unheard of for a Witch to be incapacitated from duty because of an illness or even an injury, no matter how well they take care of themselves. Roland's case wasn't too different.
The only exception between the average Witch and Roland was that...well, the average Witch in the military was female. Roland's case was so far the only anomaly she knew of.
She also remembered that since the two had arrived on the base, Yoshika and Roland had been making some friends...or at the very least the others were starting to warm up to them. Even Sanya, the main Night Witch on the base (barring Eila, but the Suomos Witch was more of an escort when she had a chance rather than an integral part of the night patrol. Though she was still important nonetheless), had managed to talk to Yoshika and Roland a bit. Due to her nature, it rarely went beyond greeting them before going off to her duty (alongside Eila, again, based on the moment).
The oddest warm-up she had seen was Gertrud. Since a few days ago, when she was saved from death by Yoshika's magic and Roland snapped at her for thinking about dying, she hadn't been as cold to the little Fuso Witch. Granted, she was a Karlsland Witch and definitely very disciplined, and as such she was careful to keep those personal feelings to herself...but she had heard Erica say that Gertrud had her moments.
Speaking of moments...
"It's alright," Mio told Lynette. "I'm sure Miyafuji wanted to keep Sage company."
Though what are they doing at the moment? the Fuso major couldn't help but ask herself. While Roland was a member of the Strike Witches, she still had some doubts about what goes through his head.
Oh well, she figured. To each his or her own...
XXXXXXXXXX
"Um...do you have any fives?" the little Fuso Witch asked the male Witch about fifteen minutes later. They had decided to play some cards, and Yoshika chose to play Go Fish first.
"No, go fish," Roland replied.
Yoshika drew from the draw pile, which was small. Out of the thirteen full sets of cards, she had four of them while Roland had six.
"Alright, any..." Roland began before he looked at his cards, picking one he wanted to try for. "...queens?"
"No," Yoshika replied with a shake of her head. "Go fish, Roland-kun." Roland drew from the small pile of cards, finishing off the cards. "Hey...Roland-kun?"
"What is it, Yoshika?"
"You never answered my question earlier. Why is that?"
"...Which one?"
"About what you did before..."
"Oh right, before joining. Well...how do I put this..." He was a bit pressed for options; straight up lying to Yoshika wasn't exactly the best idea given she was the main protagonist originally. Telling her his true origins wasn't a good option either; either she'd accidentally let it slip to the others or she'd start doubting him because of the absurdity of the truth. He then decided to try an alternate way. "...before I joined the military and eventually the Strike Witches, I was in a normal family."
"..." Yoshika looked at him carefully. "...Really?"
"Yeah. I didn't have my powers manifest until my first day in boot camp, and that was around when Commander Ellios took me in."
"..." Yoshika continued looking at him intently before she smiled. "That's so cool! I didn't know you were like that at all!"
Roland resisted the urge to smack himself in the face right in front of Yoshika. He didn't lie, but at the same time he didn't directly answer her question. Plus, he was talking to a girl who didn't even recognize him by fame until Minna mentioned his nickname and he explained a bit about it. "Glad to know, Yoshika..."
"So what did your parents do?"
"My mom was a...medical assistant, and my dad was a sort of mechanic." For computers and technology beyond your time, the male Witch added to himself.
"Interesting."
"So what about you? What do your family do?"
"Well, my mom and grandma run the family clinic, and my dad..." She stopped.
Why did she stop? Roland thought. He was aware that her father had been missing around this time, but given some of the adjustments he had seen, like Lynette and Kayley being friends, it was rather...hard to say if he went missing still. He definitely wasn't sure if he was...well... "Yoshika?"
"...It's nothing," Yoshika smiled to assure him.
"You sure?"
"I'm fine, really. Sakamoto told me that my father was the creator of the Striker Unit, so I guess there's that." She then looked at her cards. "Oh, I just realized something."
"What?"
"I didn't notice it until now, but I have a set of sevens in my hand."
"Huh?" Roland looked at his own hand and saw that he had three cards, two queens and a five he had just drawn. "Yoshika, how did you forget? They're the only three sets left to finish!"
"I guess I was more interested in talking, I guess." She chuckled nervously.
Sighing, Roland laid his cards down and collected all the cards. "You're not good at remembering, are you?"
"I am. It's just that...well..." Yoshika started tapping the tips of her index fingers together as she gave off an embarrassed look. "I forgot..."
Roland sighed again. "Alright, I'll let it slide."
Yoshika then yawned and stood up. "Well, I've got to get going. Sakamoto said something about me and Lynne training a while after breakfast when Commander Minna asked us to check on you. I better not keep the major waiting." She then left the room, leaving Roland to his devices.
"Minna asked her and Lynne to check up on me, huh?" the male Witch asked himself before he shrugged his shoulders and, placing the cards out of the way, laid down and got comfortable. "Well, I've got nothing else to do, so...sleep it is..."
XXXXXXXXXX
Roland wasn't sure what time he fell asleep, but he was certain about a few things.
First, he had looked at his watch and saw that it was close to two in the afternoon. Since he had breakfast, he could guess that he had been sleeping for at least three hours.
Second, he was laying on his chest, his arms crossed under him. This made it easy to check the time, but it was the last one that he was trying to figure out.
Finally, there was a sleeping girl on his back. Straining his neck to look, he realized that it was Francesca, curled up into a young girl-sized ball of...well, a young girl.
"Afternoon, sleepyhead," he heard Charlotte say.
"Shirley?" Roland asked as he looked around, finding her sitting down by the doorway, her back against the wall. She had her legs crossed, and as was custom for him he had to avert his gaze to avoid thinking of anything he shouldn't be thinking. "What are you doing?"
"Just passing the time." She appeared to be playing a game of solitaire using the cards Roland and Yoshika had last used. "Lucchini came in here to see about playing something since Yoshika had said that you were up, but when we came in you were conked out." She made a quick move for her game. "Lucchini then got the bright idea of taking a nap on your back. So there you go."
"Lovely..." Now that he thought about it, his back was getting sore. "Can't get a break from this happening during training, can I?"
"Guess not."
The male Witch sighed. "I'm going to be for a while. Unless you've got a plan."
Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. "No clue, buster. Though since you're trapped there..."
"Ha, ha, very funny..."
"...mind if we talk for a bit?"
"What about?"
"Well, I always wondered about where you were born. You're from Liberion, right?"
Countries. Roland's least favorite topic to talk about. "Yes, ma'am."
"Just 'Shirley' works, Roland. We'll keep this off the record."
"Okay, Shirley."
"Now, what part?"
"West Coast. Born around the Hollywood area."
"Hollywood...I see." Charlotte looked at him. "It's definitely good to meet another Liberion."
"Uh, same here."
"Siblings?"
Roland blinked. Was this turning into a Q&A or something? "Yes?"
"How many?"
"Older sister, younger brother, and the youngest is my half-brother."
"I see. Favorite color?"
"Green?"
"Alright, can see that given your vest. Next, any experience-"
Roland chose now to try protesting. "Hold up, hold up, hold up!" He squirmed around a bit. "Enough about the blasted interview!"
"Hey, hang on! Lucchini's on your back still!"
XXXXXXXXXX
About seven hours after waking up from his nap, Roland was just laying in bed and staring up at the ceiling. Apparently, it was a poor idea to squirm around with Francesca on his back because it led to a chokehold from a panicking Romagnan Witch in order to avoid falling onto the floor. This took Charlotte in order to free her grip on his neck, and she soon escorted Francesca out of the room to leave Roland to tend to his...injuries.
"Why me?" he asked himself as he laid there. Since then, his day had been uneventful. Some of the other girls had stopped by to check on him and (at least Perrine) leave him a flower in a vase, but they at least didn't get him in a chokehold. "Am I dying or something and no one's telling me?" No response. "Well, that's at least something I can figure out on my own, I guess." He then sighed and set his arms under his head. "Good news is...I at least get to have a peaceful night." He closed his eyes for a bit before an aura appeared in his room. Cutting off his magic and opening his eyes, he noticed Sanya standing there, fully dressed as her magic antennae were active. "Oh, Sanya. How long have you been there?"
"For a while," the Orussian Witch replied. "Commander Minna told me that the maintenance crew were busy checking my Striker Unit really quick."
"And you thought that you would spend your waiting time in here with a guy staring at a ceiling?" Sanya didn't respond. "Forget I asked that, then." Roland then sat up. "So...?" He blinked. He wasn't exactly sure what he should be asking.
The two of them spent time silently waiting for the other to say or do something. The first to do so was Sanya.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Huh?" Roland asked, shaking his head.
"How are you feeling?"
"A lot better. I'm not one hundred percent yet, but..."
"That's good."
More silence was followed.
She's really shy, isn't she? Roland asked himself. To be fair, I'd probably be shy too if I spent most, if not all, my nights up in the air patrolling.
"So do you have any hobbies?" Roland tried this time.
"..." Sanya looked at him, curious.
"You know, like singing, writing, doing the cha-cha...jokes...playing the trombone..." Roland's voice trailed off as he waited awkwardly. What kind of girl do you think Sanya is anyways?
"...I play the piano."
This made the male Witch blink. "Piano, huh?"
"Yes. I do also sing, but..."
"I see. Who taught you to play?"
"...My father..."
"Ah. I played mainly flutes, but I was taught by a music teacher in school."
"Oh."
"Could you play something when you get a chance?"
"...Just you or the others as well?"
"I think the others would enjoy it as well."
"...Maybe...you need to get better, though."
"Right."
"Sanya," Minna's voice sounded off in the Orussian Witch's earpiece. "You're cleared to go. Striker Unit is good."
"Thanks, ma'am," Sanya replied. "Well...good night, lieutenant..."
"Night, Sanya," Roland told her as he laid back down and closed his eyes. "It was nice to chat for a bit before you left."
"Thanks..." He heard her leave his room, leaving the door open a crack.
Tomorrow, I better feel well enough to fight, he told himself. I don't enjoy being on the sidelines right now. Besides, I'm getting bored of sleeping all day right now.
XXXXXXXXXX
The next morning, Roland sat up and stretched his arms over his head.
He felt a whole lot better, like he was ready to wander the base for a good while.
"Wonder if I should ask Commander Minna for a check-up just to make sure..." the male Witch asked himself as he set his arms down...
And felt a leg for some reason. Glancing to his right, he saw Sanya sleeping there comfortably.
"Huh," he added. "I didn't expect her to come in here after patrol. Better get her to her room before Eila gets here, though..." He swung his legs off the bed and was about to stand when he heard a growl from behind him. "...and it sounds like she's here already..."
After that, it was like any other Sanya-In-Bed Day (coined by Roland himself after the third time, it referred to a normal day of training and minor experiences after the male Witch was smacked around a bit by the Suomos Witch due to, you guess it, Sanya going to sleep next to him).
XXXXXXXXXX
...And there's the end of the entry. It's not as long as the others of its type, but I think it still works. Up to you guys for whether you liked it or not, though.
Anyways, let's reveal the second-to-last OC for Project HD RPG (suiting since this entry is the second-to-last one for this story collection):
4) Leo Merlin Dracon, son of Draco Leonardo Dracon and Charlotte E. Yeager
Weapons: Bows or Crossbows
Magic: Magnetism
...and there you go. Be on the lookout for the final one.
Anyways, please read and respond and let me know what you thought of this entry.
Thanks, and I will see you next time to finish both Eila's Life Counseling Corner and this collection.