Alright guys we are back! Sorry to have taken so long but I was a bit busy this past week so things are a little behind. The good news is that chapter 3 is now here, and for those of you who read DitF: Homecoming there will be something coming out for that as well in the near future. As always please leave any questions, comments, or concerns and I will do my best to get back to you. Until next time!
After breakfast the next morning, you and the other parasites of Squad 13 are taken into the main docking bay. It's much more calm than when you had first arrived, with your shuttle having brought cargo and supplies. There is still an influx of provisions seemingly from nowhere, though, as everyone is moving something. You notice this while you walk along, before you're led out of the hangar. Outside of the Plantation awaits Nana and several APE soldiers, who proceed to escort you to the beach. The short stretch of desert the plantation lies on quickly gives way to a thickly wooded area, heavy with trees and vegetation.
The uniforms you had been provided with today were unlike anything you had seen previously. Yours consists of a paper-thin shirt, a pair of shorts made from some synthetic fabric, and a light jacket. The girls wear the same jackets as you, but theirs are much longer, reaching half way to their knees. Yours is only to the waist. From the amount of skin that is visible as they walk, it is almost believable that they aren't wearing anything but the jackets, though you highly doubt it.
This seems to not be lost on the other boys either as Zorome and Futoshi walk on either side of you. Both of them watch their partners intently as they walk, their eyes never leaving the girls even as they attempt to hold a conversation with you. You roll your eyes at the two of them multiple times, hoping to signal them to relent. They don't.
After walking for about ten minutes, you start to hear a crashing sound close by. You can make out its direction through the trees but aren't sure what could be making such a sound. It is at that moment you round a bend and are greeted with the largest body of water you've ever seen.
"Wow," Miku says in amazement. "It's huge," Futoshi marvels. Before you is one of the most impressive sights you've ever seen — a gorgeous, undisturbed beach. White sand, real sand, spreads out for about half a mile in each direction from where you have exited the tree line, and its grains glitter in the morning sun. Just beyond the sand, aquamarine waves lightly crash into the coast, carrying with them foam and tiny creatures.
"I didn't think there were any oceans left that weren't irradiated," Ikuno whispers. "Darling, let's go!" Zero Two shouts, discarding her jacket and grabbing Hiro by the hand. She pulls him toward the surf and then jumps in, beginning to frolic like a child. "Hey, wait up!" Zorome yells as he and Futoshi follow after them.
You smile, happy to see your new friends enjoying themselves. "So immature," Miku scoffs as she watches Zorome tackle Futoshi into the waves. "I think it's nice for them to be able to have fun like that," Kokoro grins. You continue to hear them talking as you plant the umbrella you had been carrying in the sand. You dig a small hole to place it in before covering it back up with sand and opening the umbrella. The relief from the sun is noticeable, even in the short amount of time you'd been here.
When you turn around, you are woefully unprepared for what you find. Miku, Kokoro and Ichigo have removed their jackets. As you turn, you notice this before you instantly blush and look away, believing they might not be wearing any clothes. "(Y/N), is something wrong?" Kokoro asks. Slowly, you turn to look at them once more and breathe a sigh of relief as you find that they are still clothed.
Clothed might not be the correct way to put it, however. Each of the girls wears what appears to be two distinct pieces of clothing that resemble their undergarments. You've never seen so much skin in your entire life. They don't seem to be bothered by the fact that most of their body is exposed, either.
"Oh, it's nothing," you reply, trying to hide your nervousness. "I was just afraid you all didn't have anything on under the jackets." "Oh," Kokoro replies, covering her mouth with her hand. "I never thought about that. Thank you for your modesty in looking away."
"Kokoro, come on," Miku shouts from a ways down the beach. She holds a multicolored ball that had been inflated with air, and she motions for Kokoro to come and bat it around with her. "Coming!" Kokoro replies. "If you will excuse me." Kokoro turns and runs off to play with Miku, leaving you standing alone by the umbrella.
You stand for a moment and watch as your new squad plays in the sand and the waves. You do see Mitsuru slinking off toward the east end of the cove and wonder where he is going, but your attention is grabbed by a voice behind you.
"Hey," Ichigo says as she approaches. She wears the same two-piece bathing suit as Kokoro and Miku, but it fits her very differently. Kokoro and her ample chest look ready to suffer a wardrobe malfunction at any moment, while Miku is much more contained. Ichigo however, has no such problem. That isn't to say she doesn't look good in her beach attire, though.
As a matter of fact, you have to remind yourself not to stare as you try to hold a conversation with her. The sunlight dances off the sea behind her, casting a kaleidoscope of colors onto her and highlighting her features beautifully. The swimsuit also shows off her toned core and hips, and her already pale skin is lightened by the pure rays of sun. In the short period of time you had been at Plantation 13 you had gotten several different views of Ichigo, but so far, this one is quickly becoming your favorite. Why can't I take my eyes off her? you ask yourself. I'm staring, I'm staring, I'm staring. Why can't I stop staring?!
"(Y/N)?" Ichigo asks. "Sorry," you reply with a shake of your head, "what were you saying?" "I was asking if you thought this was some kind of training," she repeats. "I can't come up with any other reason they would let us do this." "Hmm..." you say aloud as you adopt a contemplative pose. "You might be right. Maybe it's some form of survival training and we'll have to fend for ourselves tonight." Ichigo's hand moves underneath her chin as she thinks. "We haven't done anything like that before," she frowns. "What would we do?"
"You're asking me?" you say, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm asking you," Ichigo pouts, looking back toward the boys playing in the water. "You don't feel like you should maybe ask Hiro instead?" you ask. "Because you are going to be my partner, now I will turn to you when I make decisions. I did the same thing with Goro," she replies.
Oh, that makes sense. Her job as squad leader is easier if she shares the burden with someone else. Still, it means that she's willing to put her faith in me like that. "Thank you, Ichigo," you say warmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. In response, she looks up at you once more, her emerald eyes meeting your own. "It means a lot that you're willing to trust me this soon after we've met." She nods.
"Well, we can worry about whether this is a test later. I'm going swimming for now," Ichigo says with a bright smile. "I always loved it when I was younger, and I doubt we'll get the chance to again." Ichigo waves as she runs toward the surf and then dives in, disappearing beneath the rolling tide.
"I must say, I'm impressed," a voice says from nearby. "Why is that?" you ask, turning to face the speaker. "After how she acted the first time we met you two days ago, I thought it would take much longer for her to consider you her partner," Ikuno answers.
The violet haired girl sits beneath the umbrella that you had set up. She doesn't even look at you as she finishes speaking, then turns a page in her book. "What are you reading?" you ask, trying to avoid the subject of Ichigo's prior behavior.
"The Odyssey," she answers. "Not bad," you say sitting down beside her, allowing a hint of humor to enter your voice. "I think the Iliad might be better, though." "No way," Ikuno says closing the book and turns to you with a surprised look on her face. "Odysseus' adventures are much more interesting than the Trojan war."
"How could you say that?" you ask Ikuno. "The use of the Trojan Horse was one of the most brilliant tactical decisions in history, not to mention the fight between Achilles and Hector before the great gates of Troy." Ikuno quickly scoffs. "You must be kidding, that isn't close to as clever as Odysseus' plan when dealing with the Cyclops. Calling himself 'Nobody' so that when Polyphemus claimed to his brothers that he was attacked by Nobody so they wouldn't believe him? It was pure genius."
"I can see we won't be agreeing anytime soon," you chuckle. "I am just surprised to meet someone who shares my historical tastes," Ikuno replies. "I never expected many other parasites to share interest in books like I do. What are you reading now?" she continues. "The Art of War by Sun Tzu," you answer. "I prefer books on military history and strategy. I've read a lot on men like Hannibal of Carthage, Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar. They were the greatest military minds in history. Now that I am Ichigo's partner, it looks like all that time spent reading will finally pay off."
"That's true," Ikuno says as she reopens her book. "I hope that you two are able to make things work. It seems like you would be an asset to the squad and Ichigo needs someone to help her lead, even if it is just support."
Sensing your conversation to be over, you take your leave. It was nice to talk to Ikuno like that. I feel I learned at least a little bit about her, too. She isn't all the cold and calculating persona she puts on for everyone.
Having been at the beach for a bit now and realizing you had yet to enjoy the water, you make your way toward the surf. Zorome and Futoshi still play in the water and Miku and Kokoro have begun to swim as well. Hiro and his partner sit on some rocks by cliff looking out over the ocean. Ichigo appears to be enjoying herself, swimming from one end of the beach to the other at a pace that honestly looks more like a workout than relaxing.
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Ichigo's POV
Splash!
Ichigo jumps into the water and begins to swim away from the shore. The cool water is so refreshing, and the sweet smell of salt enters her mind. Ah, this feels so good! I haven't gotten to swim in years.
I can't believe we're really here. I didn't know that there were places on the surface that we could go anymore. And all those trees on the way here, it was like walking through Mistilteinn. The view is incredible too, everything is so beautiful here.
Suddenly an image of you standing shirtless flashes through her mind. Wait, what's he doing here? Her subconscious reminds her of how broad your shoulders were and the muscle you had. Why am I thinking about that? Ichigo asks herself as she feels her face turning red. Thank god I'm alone right now. I don't understand, I see the other girls without any clothes at all when we bathe and suit up for piloting. Why would seeing a boy without a shirt get me all flustered like this?
"Hey Ichigo!" Miku yells from nearby. Ichigo turns around and swims over to a gesticulating Miku and Kokoro, who are relaxing in the shallows. "Does something seem off about the boys to you?" Miku asks as Ichigo approaches. "Not really, why?" Ichigo responds. "I don't know what it is, but something feels different about them," Miku continues. "Maybe it's because we're all spending time together?" Kokoro offers. "We don't usually have much time where we're all together and free to have fun."
"No, it isn't that," Miku says, sounding somewhat annoyed. "I just get this weird feeling when I look at them. I've never had it before today." "I...think I know what you mean," Ichigo says. "I had a really strange thought a couple minutes ago." The two girls rivet their focus on Ichigo. "What about?" Kokoro asks. Ichigo can feel the color rushing to her face, before resolving to pass the whole topic off. "Um, it's actually nothing."
"Oh, no you don't," Miku declares. "Ichigo, you are going to tells us what you thought or so help me I will hold you beneath the water until you do." "You wouldn't," Ichigo challenges. Miku's response is to dive at her and both girls disappear momentarily beneath the waves.
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"You guys are seeing this too, right?" Futoshi asks as you walk down the beach alongside him, Hiro, and Zorome. About fifty feet in front of you Ichigo and Miku are in the middle of a catfight, still waist-deep in the sea. Kokoro is yelling nearby at both of them to stop, but her words are falling on deaf ears.
Zorome freezes beside you and you notice that his face is completely flushed. "We should stop them," you say, preparing to rush to Kokoro's aid in subduing the girls. A hand on your chest stops you as soon as you say anything, however. "Are you out of your mind?" Zorome asks. "But..." you begin. "No, (Y/N). No 'buts.' We may never get a chance like this again and you want to let it end so soon?"
Before you, Kokoro screams as Miku tackles Ichigo into her. "Yeah!" Zorome cheers. "Get her Miku!" For some reason, this ignites the fire of competition within you as well. Who the hell is he to think Miku could take Ichigo? Ichigo appears above the water once more, this time holding Miku by her pigtails. "That's right, Ichigo!" you shout. "Don't give her an inch!"
The girls continue to fight for several more minutes before they seem to tire out. Ichigo and Miku trudge out of the surf and exhaustedly flop onto the sand. Each is breathing heavily as you approach. You walk over to Ichigo and stand so that you are blocking the sun from her face.
"Hey," she says with a breathless smile. You return it. "Having fun?" you ask, amusement flowing from your throat. "Oh that," Ichigo waves her in a dismissive manner, "that was nothing." "Sure fooled me," you chuckle. "One thing though, did I hear you yelling my name?" Ichigo inquires. "Uh yeah," you respond, rubbing the back of your neck. "Zorome started cheering for Miku, and you could say I got caught up in it too."
Rather than give you the lecture you had a been expected, Ichigo laughs. At first it's just a small giggle, but it quickly evolves into full blown laughter as Ichigo clutches her stomach while rolling on her side. This is the first time you've seen her laugh, and it warms your heart to see her having fun. She's always looked so down since I arrived. I'm really glad she's able to enjoy herself. "Thank you," Ichigo says when she finally manages to control her laughter.
"Well, that was childish," Mitsuru declares as he joins the group. "What do you want Mitsuru?" Zorome grumbles. "Oh nothing," Mitsuru replies in a patronizing tone. "I merely found something worth looking at," he turns away. "But if you don't want to see it..." "What did you find?" you ask.
Mitsuru smiles, before cryptically whispering to the group, "follow me and find out."
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Mitsuru leads you all to the far end of the beach and you all stop before the cliff face. He motions to a narrow path between two of the smaller cliffs, which you had just barely made out before he pointed to them. "I found this a little bit ago," he says nonchalantly. "Where does it lead?" Miku asks. "You'll just have to wait and see," he replies.
You follow him through the path of worn rock and soon find a set of stone stairs that have been mostly reclaimed by the surrounding foliage. The light barely manages to break through the trees, leaving the area cast in shadow that's accompanied with a sort of ominous feeling. "Wow, this is like an adventure!" Zorome says as he runs up the overgrown steps.
After close to five minutes of walking, Mitsuru begins to speak. "It's just over this ridge." As he finishes, you break the tree line and are assaulted by the bright sunlight once more. After waiting a moment your eyes adjust, and you are amazed by what you see.
At the top of the cliff you had just scaled is a small town, likely to have once been a fishing village. The buildings are all in various stages of disrepair, with some having partially collapsed. Vehicles line the streets, but they too are covered in vines and other greenery.
"What… is this place?" Miku asks in amazement. "It almost looks like a small city," Ikuno answers. "A city? No way," Zorome interjects, "the cities are all cool and full of people. Look at this place, do you think anyone could live here?"
"Hard to say," you reply, causing several of the others to give you a questioning look. "I doubt that anyone is currently living here, but that isn't to say that people couldn't live here. The most important part of survival is shelter. The buildings may be broken, but they're still standing."
"I just thought you guys might like to see this," Mitsuru says as you all gaze at the town. He is clearly pleased with your reactions and you think you see the hint of a smile threatening to break his blank composure. "Can we look around?" Hiro asks.
Everyone is silent for a moment, looking at Mitsuru. "I simply found it," he says, raising his hands up beside his shoulders. "If we can look around is up to Ichigo." The focus immediately turns to her. "Well, I guess," she says, adopting a contemplative pose. "But everyone be careful, okay? Make sure to stay in groups."
Everyone nods in agreement and proceeds to then break into smaller parties to explore the village. You choose to follow Ichigo and Ikuno. As the three of you walk down one of the grass-covered streets, you see a building much larger than the rest. The sign by the door is faded but you can just make out the letters "H-SP-T-L," and what looks to have once been a large red cross.
"A hospital," you wonder aloud. "Looks like it," Ikuno responds, "let's go take a look inside." Ikuno quickly ascends the small flight of stairs before the entrance and proceeds into the building. Ichigo looks somewhat nervous to be exploring the old building, but when you follow Ikuno she comes running, likely not wanting to be in the deserted city alone.
Inside the dilapidated structure, you find what appeared to once have been a reception area. In the room were metal chair frames, their cushions having long since rotted away. There is also scattered debris on the ground, some of which seem to have been blown in through the shattered floor-to-ceiling windows, while the rest of which came from collapsed paneling in the building itself.
"Do you think it's safe?" Ichigo asks. "Only one way to find out," you answer, continuing further into the building. "Do you think we were supposed to find this place?" she wonders aloud as you inspect some of the rubble. "I can't see why," you respond. "It was probably just coincidence that it happened to be next to the beach. Though, if were look at it through the lens of this being training, you could be right."
Ichigo cocks her head. "I could?" You nod in response. "Yeah, think about it," you reply. "If we were sent here for survival training, one of the first things we would need to find is shelter. Because we don't have a means to build it for ourselves, locating some would be our best bet." "I get it," Ichigo says. "Then we would have a safe place to spend the night. After that, we would need to find some way of gathering food and keeping ourselves warm at night."
"Exactly!" you reply. "If we needed to, we could probably stay here for a while. There were fish in the ocean and there is bound to be something edible in the forest." "None of us know how to make food," Ichigo frowns, "but we could probably figure it out if we had to."
Ikuno looks up from the scattered papers she had been looking at on the floor. "Sounds like the two of you have just about everything planned out," she jokes. "All we need to do now is tell Nana and Hachi we aren't coming back." You laugh. "I didn't say I wanted to live here, I just said that I figured we could for a time if we had to. Anything long term would require a massive amount of work to make this place livable like Mistilteinn." "I'll say," Ikuno replies. "Mistilteinn has water and power for one thing, not to mention clean clothes and soft beds."
"It looks like this place is safe from the Klaxosaurs, though," Ichigo mentions. "None of the buildings or trees in the forest would be standing if they came around." That is something novel to think about, a place truly safe from the Klaxosaurs purely because they ignored it. The prospect is inviting, but the sacrifices that would have to be made from your current life make the idea hardly worth it.
You continue to explore the building and the rest of the nearby hospital complex for several hours before you notice the sun setting. Ichigo tells you that everyone is probably back at the cliff by now and waiting for the three of you, so you hastily make your way back. When you arrive, everyone is indeed waiting just as Ichigo had predicted. After a quick headcount to ensure that everyone is present, you make your way down the stone steps once again and through the gorge to the beach you all had left some four hours ago.
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When you arrive at the beach it is early evening, with the sun just having set. As you emerge from the canyon and back onto the beach, your gaze is drawn to a pile of items near the hole in the tree line that leads back toward the plantation.
When you arrive at the stack of items, you are somewhat confused by what you find. There are various pots and pans, some articles of food, each completely unprepared, some wood, a shiny black stone, along with other items. Sitting on top of all of these things is a note.
"'Children,'" Ichigo reads aloud. "'You were not on the beach when we came by to check on you and prepare your dinner. As a result, we have left you with the necessary components and instructions for doing so yourselves. Perhaps next time you will think twice before wandering off.' — Nana"
"We have to make our own food?!" Zorome shouts. "Come on! None of us know how to do that!" "Yeah," Futoshi seconds as his stomach growls. "I'm hungry. What are we supposed to do?" Surprisingly, Kokoro agrees with Futoshi for once on food. "I guess we'll just have to starve," Miku says, hanging her head. "It's a punishment from Nana and Hachi for exploring the village."
"Are you all so easily defeated?" a voice asks from behind you. Zero Two stands behind the group with her arms crossed. "You would rather starve than make your own food?" Something about what she says resonates with you. You weren't ready to give up, and neither should the others. Ichigo did say something about them leaving instructions. We just need to follow them in order to do it.
"What are you suggesting?" Mitsuru asks the pink haired girl. "She's saying that we should take some initiative and do it for ourselves," you reply. "They left us with instructions," Ichigo adds, holding several more pieces of paper out in front of her. "If we follow them, we should be able to make something to eat."
"Really?" Futoshi asks excitedly. "Sounds like fun," Hiro says as he approaches Ichigo, who hands him one of the sheets. "Alright," Zorome cheers, "let's do it!"
Ichigo hands out the sheets of instructions one by one to each partner pair, then returns to you with the last. "Guess you were right after all," you chuckle. "About...?" Ichigo asks, the question unmistakably written on her face. "The survival training," you answer, "we're going to have to make our own food and stay outside all night." Ichigo nods before confidently stating, "we can handle it." "Oh, I couldn't agree more," you smile, and begin to look over the piece of paper before you. 'Starting a Fire' is written at the top.
"'In order to cook the food that has been left for you, you will need to make a fire. The first step is to prepare the tinder. Tinder is a dry, flammable material that is used to ignite the fire. In your case, we have left additional pieces of paper to be used for this purpose.'" Ichigo grabs the extra paper and waits for you to continue.
"'Ball the paper up and place it below the logs, which are to be arranged in a tipi manner. The logs should have ample space underneath them. This is to allow the flame the oxygen it requires to burn.'" Ichigo crumples the paper and sticks it below the logs.
"'Next, take the flint, the black rock, and the provided steel in your hands.'" Ichigo plucks the paper from your hands with her left and offers you the flint and steel with her right. "'Your turn,'" she says with a smile.
You get down on your knees next to the logs and await further instruction. "'Now,'" Ichigo begins, "'holding the flint and steel beside the paper, quickly strike the flint against the steel. This should create a spark. The first sparks may not be enough to light the paper, so continue this process until smoke is visible.'" Following the instructions, you run the flint against the steel. At first there are no sparks, but once you apply more force to your motion you quickly see small, yellow flashes each time the two come into contact. Soon, there is a small stream of smoke coming from one of the pieces of paper.
Without warning, Ichigo pushes you aside and begins to blow on the paper. She cups her hands in front of her mouth as she does so. Within a minute, the first sheet ignites. The remaining two begin to burn shortly after. Soon, a soft crackling can be heard as the thinner of the logs starts to smoke.
"We did it!" Ichigo says proudly. She turns to you with a huge smile. "Goro, we-" Ichigo stops dead in the middle of her sentence and her hand flies to cover her mouth. Her wide eyes rapidly look from you, to the fire, back to you, and to the ground. She then covers her faces and immediately looks away to hide you from her sight. Your excitement also wanes, though not because she had called you by the wrong name. Because she had looked so hurt in the moment after.
Ichigo's back is to you, and the ever so quiet sound of sobbing can be heard coming from her. "Ichigo," you whisper, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. Ichigo doesn't respond to your touch, nor does she stop you as you turn her to face you.
Her entire face is red, and tears stream down her cheeks. Your mind doesn't have time to think of what you should do before you body begins to involuntarily react. You pull Ichigo closer into your embrace, resting her head against your chest as your arms wrap around her. You can feel her erratic heartbeat, or maybe it's yours, and the slight shake of her body as she cries. "Ichigo, what's wrong?" you whisper as you run your hand up and down her back in a soothing manner.
"I'm sorry," she chokes out. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to call you that, it just you're being so nice and we were working together and-" "Hey, hey," you reply, cutting her off. "It's okay. Everything is fine. You're fine, I'm fine, everything is fine." Ichigo stops shaking for a moment and looks up at you. "But, I called you Goro." "Yeah...and?" you reply with a slight smile. "You miss him, and there's nothing wrong with that. I know this won't be easy for you, but I am here to help you however I can. That's what partners do. And it's what I want to do."
"It's going to take time," Ichigo replies. "I don't know how long it will be until I can fully accept you." "Time isn't what's important," you whisper. "You're trying, that's what is." Ichigo's eyes fill with tears once more as she drives her head back into your chest. She enthusiastically wraps you in a hug, nearly knocking you over in the process. "Thank you, (Y/N). Thank you so much!" You smile as you squeeze her lightly, letting her know once more that you're here for her.
Your interaction is not missed by the other members of Squad 13 as they attempt to complete their tasks. But they all know better than to interrupt the two of you and continue to work as if they had seen nothing. The sight of you comforting Ichigo gives them hope, hope that you will be the one who is able to pull her from the darkness she had become so caught up in.
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Dr. Franxx looks intently at the file on his computer screen. "We want you to improve upon the basic parasite template," he recalls Papa's words. "You may do whatever you deem necessary to provide us with stronger soldiers. The time is nearly upon us, and they will be needed to defeat the Klaxosaurs once and for all."
"Fools," Dr. Franxx mumbles. "You should have known better than to give a man like me free reign." The scientist gazes at the image on screen, a royal blue and gold FranXX with a spear and a small buckler. "They won't need you just yet." He closes the file and looks at the others contained in the folder titled 'Experimental FranXX designs.'
When he began the project of improving upon the standard parasites, the first step was, of course, the parasites themselves. The second, and equally important measure, was to address the FranXX. Papa had wanted standard models just like he had wanted standard parasites. The problem with that was they all shared the same weaknesses.
These new units however, would not. Because each design was unique, they possessed different strengths and weaknesses, and as a result he had built them into squads based on those criteria. There is no doubt in his mind that they would outperform the standard models. He even had proof.
While Squad 13 was in something of a lull at the moment, they had already shown that his concept was working. Delphinium, Argentea, and Strelitzia perfectly complemented Genista and Chlorophytum, and the children had yet to realize the full potential of their FranXX. Oh, how I can't wait to see when they do, he thinks with a smile.
Suddenly, this train of thought is derailed by a beeping noise. On screen, his computer registers an incoming call. Nana, the old man says to himself after checking the caller ID. She must have an update on the children. Good.
"Good evening, Doctor," Nana greets him with a warm smile, after he accepts the call. "Nana!" the scientist replies. "What an unexpected pleasure." Nana rolls her eyes, but continues. "We left the supplies with the children, as instructed."
"And...?" the old man asks, sitting up in his chair. "They appear to have been successful in preparing their own meal," the caretaker answers. "I still don't understand the reason for doing this…'survival training'... as you are calling it, but it appears the children are more self sufficient than we had originally thought. They explored the village like you predicted and-"
"Which one found it?" Dr. Franxx interrupts her. "Mitsuru," Nana replies. "Hmm," Dr. Franxx strokes his beard. "Code 326 always has been inquisitive. Good work, Nana." "Doctor, could you possibly explain the necessity of doing this?" the redhead asks. "Hachi and I both feel that there is something we aren't being told."
"There is most definitely something you are not being told, my dear," the gentleman replies. "It is for your safety and the safety of Plantation 13. For now, just stay the course and await further instruction." "Yes, Doctor," Nana responds before the call ends.
Dr. Franxx smiles and opens the drawer of his desk, revealing a bottle. Things were proceeding just as he had planned, and this was cause for a drink if there ever was one. "All in good time, Nana," the man says as he pours himself a glass. He swirls it around before taking a long and satisfying draft. "All in good time."