XIV

Song

Of course it just so happened that I have to do a mission alone with Lindow and Alisa… And it just had to be two Chi-Yous.

Lindow greeted Alisa and I at the starting position of the City of Mercy. The moments before he arrived had been quiet and awkward. I wasn't sure if Alisa was aware that I was mute or not, but it didn't matter because neither of us attempted to make conversation.

"Ah… I'm working with you two New-Types today." Lindow said as way of greeting. "I'll try not to get in your way, so don't mind me."

I smiled. As if Lindow could be bested by two rookies, New-Types or not.

"If you ask me, Old-Types should just stick to what Old-Types are capable of doing." Alisa replied primly.

My jaw nearly dropped. Seriously?! Being rude to Kota was semi-acceptable, but being rude to the leader of her Unit was completely unacceptable!

I was hating Alisa more and more by the minute.

Lindow laughed, taking such an insult completely in stride. "Well then, I'll see what I can do to live up to your expectations!"

He took a step forward, gently placing his hand on Alisa's shoulder.

Alisa jumped back with a cry, making me jump. What a violent reaction!

Lindow let his hand drop awkwardly. "Whoa… I can see you really can't stand me…"

"Oh… I-I'm sorry!" Alisa answered shakily. I wondered if this was the Alisa with her guard down. "It's nothing, I'm fine…"

Lindow laughed, easy-going as ever. "Just kidding. Hmmm…let's see… Listen up, Alisa. When things get chaotic, look up at the sky. Then find a cloud that looks like an animal. That will help you chill."

I glanced up at the sky, trying to be discreet. It didn't seem too peaceful. The sun cast rays of light, changed into multicolour by the thick smog. A couple of black clouds made their way leisurely across the sky. It didn't seem all that relaxing to me.

"Until then, stay here." Lindow continued. "That's an order. Afterwards, I want you to join us over there. Got that?"

"B-but why should I do such a thing?"

"Just look for a cloud, okay?" Lindow turned to me. "All right, we're going on ahead. Ready, Song?"

I nodded. Lindow walked past me and I followed, stealing a glance at Alisa. She was looking uncertainly up at the sky, much like what I had done earlier. Lindow leapt off the starting platform, leaving me to follow him. As we made our way down the alley, he spoke again.

"There's something about that kid…she seems to have a lot of baggage. Still, these days, who doesn't have some kind of tragedy in their lives?" Lindow stopped, looking me straight in the eye. "Since you're a New-Type like her…try to look out for her. All right?"

I hesitated. Awkward. I suppose Lindow couldn't know that I didn't really like Alisa…

Seeing my hesitation, Lindow added, "I know she hasn't really been acting too friendly, but it's hard for people to trust each other these days. Just try to get to know her. I'm sure she's not that bad!"

I nodded slowly. Lindow's face broke into a smile. "Thank you, Song. Come on, then!"

X

The next couple missions were pathetically easy; always dealing with small fries. Cocoon Maidens and Ogretails were easily dealt with. But at least that gave me materials to further upgrade my equipment.

Because I hate Chi-Yous so much, I thought making a blade out of their materials was appropriate. My Knife II turned into Wild Sword: Yang. I also upgraded my Railgun to Railgun II. After finding a Ceramic Plate, my Polished Buckler became Polished Buckler II. I also crafted and upgraded the Apega Gun to Apega II.

X

Soma

"Hey Alisa! Why don't you come sit with us?" Lindow called across the cafeteria.

I saw Song make a face at this. It nearly made me laugh. Now maybe she would understand how it felt to have a constant annoyance to bother her. Except she was lucky in that Alisa wasn't constantly trying to talk to her.

"Thank you." Alisa replied curtly, like she always did. She took a seat next to Song, much to Song's annoyance.

"I hope you have all been doing well on your missions." Alisa said, as if she was Lindow. As she said this, she glanced at Kota, making it well known that she was only talking about him.

"Of course we've been doing well!" Lindow answered with a laugh. "We're Gods Eaters, after all!"

"That doesn't seem to be a good enough reason for some people." Alisa shot another glance at Kota.

Ah, so that's it.

Song would stiffen every time Alisa insulted Kota. That was why Song hated Alisa.

"And you…"

Song looked up, a horrified look on her face. Alisa had directed that last remark at her.

"You're my only fellow New-Type, correct? I thought you did pretty well on the Chi-You mission."

Song just stared. She seemed like she didn't know how to react. At least it was a compliment, as opposed to what Alisa usually dealt out.

"However, you have a tendency to charge into battle. While you are good at blocking attacks, the ones you don't block tend to be the more powerful attacks and you take a lot of damage. It just gives the medic more work and is an annoyance."

Never mind.

Song was…well, speechless. Before she could answer, Alisa continued.

"You're awfully quiet, aren't you? I've never heard you speak."

"That's because she's mute." Sakuya replied simply.

"Oh!" Alisa exclaimed. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't realize…"

Song stared again. Alisa's face was turning red. She was obviously flustered.

And, much to my surprise, Song smiled at her.

X

Song

"Good job today, New-Type!"

I looked up in surprise. Lindow was standing there, but he quickly took the seat opposite me. I took another sip of my drink, giving him a quizzical look.

It had been a quiet evening in the lobby until Lindow showed up. My plan had been to hang out here for a while, followed by reading a chapter then going to bed. Kota was watching Bugarally in his room, but I had to decline his invitation to join him simply because I wasn't really interested in watching anything. Soma was…well, being Soma. And I had no idea where Sakuya was.

Seeing my questioning look, Lindow continued. "Even though she just insulted you, you answered kindly. That's what being a Gods Eater is about! That's what being a leader is about!"

I smiled at this. I wondered if I had taught Lindow the sign for leader. Deciding that I hadn't, I reached for my notepad.

For all my talk of spending a quiet evening in the lobby, I had expected a couple of people speaking to me.

I really don't think that I'm a leader!

Was my answer to Lindow's comment.

He laughed. "Sometimes I don't think I am, either! Maybe someday you'll be one. But for now you're just a rookie." He winked. "I knew you had it in you the moment you treated Soma like an actual person. It's rare for people to be able to forgive rudeness."

I blushed at this. Alisa still came off as snobby and rude, but those moments when she was caught off guard, when she became flustered by a simple comment or by an imagined slight…those were the moments when you could catch a glimpse of the real Alisa.

But that didn't mean that I'd forgiven her completely, and that made me feel petty. I found myself shaking my head as I thought that.

"Well, whatever." Lindow smiled. "Maybe one day, when I retire, you'll be leader. Then I'll be the one laughing at how you kept denying it!"

I don't like talk like this. It sounds like you're going to disappear…

Lindow laughed again. "Disappear? Me? Nah! If anything, I'll be fighting until they have to force me to retire! Either that, or until they run out of beer!"

I just shook my head, a little smile on my face. Lindow had a talent for turning dark talks to light ones.

"Speaking of beer, I'm gonna go see if Sakuya has some! See ya, Song!"

I waved as he left. With him gone, I returned to my quiet enjoyment of the evening, but I found that it wasn't so enjoyable anymore, so I went to bed early.