The next day came, and as expected...

"*YAWWWWWWWWWWWSIGHHHHHH...tsk-tsk-tsk..."

...Lincoln was still dazed. Coming from the drama of yesterday, he thought he would get some much needed recovery sleep. However, his alarm clock was replaced by Night Club's sudden pop-up concert. So, here he was, waiting for the 6:45am monorail. He didn't see Laura on the entryway, so he thought she would be hiding somewhere inconspicuous. He stared upward at the tv screen, "Two more minutes...come on, where could she-" he took one step backward, and wherever his foot was slipped, "YAA-OOF!" and made him keel over, "Oh good gravy..."

"It looks like gravy."

"WAAAHAHAHAAAA!" Lincoln rolled over and saw Laura sticking out of the ground, "How did-when did-"

"Same way you did," Laura climbed out of the hole, "I walked."

"Guhuhuh..." Lincoln patted his heart, "Noted..."

"Your perception has suffered," Laura pulled him up, "You cannot relax just because the mission is over."

"DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A TORPEDO TO YOU?!" Lincoln screamed right when the train pulled up into the station, with a new sleeker design.

"As a matter of fact," Laura smirked, "it does."

Lincoln yanked them both inside, "Oh, kamikaze over me, why don't you..."

On board the train bound for the mainland, Lincoln held a brochure of the district to act as itinerary, "Ok, so we'll go to the cafe to charge up and get a feel for the friendly banter. Then, we'll join the 9am sunrise gathering in the-"

"What kind of nonsense are you blabbering on?" Laura groaned.

"Our plan for the day," Lincoln said, "I told you I wanted to show you the world outside the army."

"Yes, never mind that half of the activities in this brochure are for the utterly wealthy who have too much free time."

"Exactly," Lincoln reasoned, "How long have you been in the army?"

"My entire life?"

"Do you get paid?"

"Well, I am classified as a living breathing person..." Laura soon realized that she never once set foot outside her military life; ergo, she never spent a cent, "...oh."

"Uh-huh," Lincoln nodded, "I'm willing to bet that what we're gonna do today will make a small dent in what's in your wallet."

Laura sighed, "Very well..."

SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 78/137%

So Lincoln said, but he was still very aware of what happened the last time he set foot outside the Academy. To that end, Strong Suit, Night Club, and High Card have been called to act as pseudo-bodyguards for the adventure.

They rode the train all the way to the station plaza, where Lincoln and Laura made their way into a coffee shop. It was a lot like the coffee shops back home, except for the menu; it's items were more convoluted into the naming.

"Uh, can you understand any of this?..." Lincoln asked.

"How do I know what a Jappuchino is?" Laura griped.

"Can I help you?" The barista made them come to the counter. When they stepped forward, she instantly recognized Lincoln, "Hey! I know you!"

"Aah, no, I think you got me confused with someone else!" Lincoln covered his face.

"No! I do!" The barista squealed, "Ah! You're that squirrel boy!"

"Oh my god..."

"Squirrel...who?" Laura tilted her head.

"Guys, guys, come quick!" The barista called out the rest of her staff, "Squirrel Boy's here!" Sure enough, the rest of the crew swarmed the front counter, with coos and taunts that made Lincoln uncomfortable:

"Hey, do that squirrel pose again!"

"How did they pick you to be a pilot?!"

"I wanna stuff his face with nuts!"

He thought about fleeing the cafe until he saw High Card send a text.

The cafe crew all got their cellphones out ready to snag a picture of Lincoln. And they all got the same text:

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Look to your right.

The crew did just that. Outside, right window. Strong Suit was twirling a 1000-lb barbell. Night Club was slapping a literal axe. High Card sent another text to all of the crew and put her cellphone up to the window:

UNKNOWN NUMBER: NOT. ONE. PHOTO.

Everyone got the message loud and clear.

"Uh, on second thought," the barista hurriedly slapped everyone's phones away, "Why don't we treat you two?"

Lincoln poked upward, "Are you serious?"

"Uh-Yeah!" Another barista said, "You two are from the IS Academy, so we give you a free drink once a month!"

"(We seriously do that?)"

"(Now, we do!)"

Five minutes later, the two pilots got a free hot tea something. Laura blew gently and sipped her cup just fine, "Ahhhh...Lincoln?"

"Yeah?..."

"How much ice do you plan to use?"

Lincoln was virtually dumping ice cubes into his cup, "Until they stop melting in a millisecond," gonna be a long morning.

Laura sighed and looked out the window. She saw Night Club already kicking up a crowd with her guitar.

"WHERE! HAS MY SHOUNEN! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE?!" With screamo music.

"Ich bin mit dumm..." Laura kept at her tea, until Lincoln spread the brochure on the table.

"We can actually stay for a little bit," Lincoln said, "This cafe has the best view of the sunrise in the prefecture!"

"How would you know that?"

"One: this brochure was updated last week," Lincoln then pointed to the window "And two..."

Laura didn't realize that the area Night Club was rocking in was just an open platform, an open area that offered nothing but the view of the entire prefecture from on high, until now, "How high are we?..."

"Well," Lincoln read the brochure, "This is the only monorail to the Academy, so...pretty high." The moment the sun's very first rays peered over the horizon line, the trio of sidekicks halted their activities, and Lincoln and Laura were immediately captivated.

The sun's rays melted well with the dark blue of the morning sky. As the sun slowly rose, the blue sky slowly opened its curtains and peered a blend of orange and peach into the landscape. The sun blooms on the horizon, golden petals stretching ever outwards into the rich blue. It is the brilliant flower of the sky that warms our days. It is the invitation to a new-

"Are you reading off the pamphlet?" Laura butt in.

Lincoln froze, "Uh...yes?"

Laura sneaked a wire dagger to snatch whatever was behind his back. The two then left the cafe and went outside, where they were able to take in the combined majesty of the sun, air, and the mountainous view that lay before them.

"Wunderbare landschaft..." Laura marveled.

"Is this the first time you've seen a sunrise?" Lincoln asked her.

"Don't be stupid," Laura tried to brush it off, "I've witnessed plenty of sunrises."

"Where?"

"In the Middle East. And Russia."

Lincoln smugged her, "While not blasting away at any enemies?"

Laura pouted, "Dangit..."

"Haha, I kid," Lincoln stretched, "Though, how does it feel to get a warm tingling after a brisk cold breeze?"

"Well..." Laura pondered over the thought, "It felt...alright..."

"Good," Lincoln suddenly grabbed her hand and dragged her across the station, "Because the sunrise gathering starts in thirty!"

"We can get there in twenty minutes with the monorail!" Laura scrambled to get out of his grip.

"Or..." Lincoln stopped when they reached the edge of the platform, and pointed below them, "We can take a shortcut to town."

"For what?!"

"To obtain non-IS transportation," Lincoln reasoned, "And to enjoy more of the non-war environment."

"You really have no shame, do you?" Laura cringed.

"Hey, you beat the shame outta me," Lincoln responded.

"What was in that tea you-" Laura didn't finish. Lincoln jumped the cliff mid sentence and skipped down the rocky staircase, right onto a hiking trail.

Strong Suit tapped her shoulder, "Should we go after him?"

"No," Laura deployed her IS, "Meet me at the clearing..." and hopped down.

"I'm pretty sure someone caffeinated my tea..." Lincoln found himself unable to control his energy, "I wonder if my gorilla skills have improved any." He deployed just his arms and started pounding his way through the woods, "OO OO OOOOGA AOOOGA OO OO OOOOGH!"

Meanwhile, Laura was hovering around the clearing looking for any possible disturbances in the tree line, "How did I get myself into this mess?..." Once she saw a rustling in the trees, she fired two wire daggers at that spot. "That ought to-" YOINK "-argh...how...what..."

Her wires wrung around Lincoln's arms. He was using them to pull her down. He deployed his legs the instant he saw magenta and buried his feet beneath a root, "Yep! Definitely caffeine!" He felt a sharp tug and crossed his eyes trying to maintain contact with the ground.

"ENOUGH!" Laura gave it one more tug and uprooted him. A little too hard, as he was brought within her kissing range before she had a chance to use her AIC. The moment she stuck her hands out, he was caught in them, in a sort of awkward robotic hug.

Frozen in the moments.

They went "Uhhh..."

Next second, they were sitting in a bus stop looking away from each other. Lincoln had a black eye, and Laura had pink cheeks. The sidekicks sat atop the light post waiting for one of the pilots to say something. For ten whole minutes.

Lincoln finally mustered the courage to break the silence, "Well...shall we?..."

"Yes, let's..." Laura said inaudibly and followed him.

They walked down the street that was perfectly aligned with the sun rising. Laura kept in mind the warmth of the sun's greeting, allowing it to carry her feet onward through the blistering cold gravel. She looked at the person taking the lead an thought, "You looked in my journal, didn't you?"

Lincoln started to talk back, "What are you talking abo-" until she opened her journal to the very page containing the very sunrise soliloquy that Lincoln just recited, "Must've slipped?..."

Laura squeezed his hand very tightly, "No one else must know."

"Right...secret...ow..." Lincoln yanked his hand back and massaged it, allowing Laura to take the lead toward the gathering site. He walked behind her, "You see anything you want to check out?"

Laura scanned the buildings and stores that were waking up to the sun, "No. None of them have any striking qualities. I would prefer something more colorful and simple."

"Colorful, and simple?" Lincoln had never heard that phrase before, "What does that even mean?..."

Suddenly, Strong Suit! "Seriously? Your sister Leni would weep."

That annoyed him, "Oh, just because you had one conversation with-"

"For shame, bro," Night Club shook her head and took Strong Suit away, "For shame."

"Aren't you supposed to be bodyguards?!" Lincoln snapped at them, only to get two tongue disses in return. High Card wasn't helping at all; she ran to the top of the buildings just to snap pics of the sun.

"Why do they keep disturbing the peace?" Laura asked him.

"Because they basically my sisters if they had superpowers," Lincoln groaned.

"You have ten exceptionally athletic sisters?"

"Haha, no. Just one."

"Then, why did you manifest your sisters' personalities into those..." Laura saw Strong Suit come out of a store in 25 weighted training robes, "...things..."

"I'm not really sure..." Lincoln answered, "Maybe I only put the best qualities in them?"

"So, your strength comes from your family?"

"Cultivated, more like," Lincoln found the gathering site, "And not the good kind." He walked ahead of her and found his way to a plaza by a lake. The gatherers noticed his presence and instantly recognized him as the Squirrel Boy that went savage on five matches. They couldn't do anything to him for fear of immediate retribution, so they just backed away from him.

Lincoln saw it all settled himself on the ledge, "Never thought I'd see that..."

Laura sat beside him, "See what?"

"Back home, people used to give me a friendly wave. Now, it's like they got just hit by a mysterious plague, and they're making me patient zero."

"What's the matter with being treated like that? None of their opinions should have any impact on what you do."

"But it does. And I cannot figure why for the life of me."

Laura was about to counter that statement when she suddenly remembered what she did when she was training with Chifuyu. Her peers would openly voice their opinions in front of her, namely how they couldn't believe that the Brunhilde would train a defective product; that made her train even harder. "Is there anyone who isn't born from words?" She thought.

Just then, the sun had fully risen over the horizon and showered its radiant glow all over the gathering. The crowd instantly felt its warmth and began to embrace the sun, and each other, snapping selfies and photos, several of which were photobombed by High Card.

And Laura instantly felt a creeping sensation of coziness all over her upper body, "Well...this is..."

"Everything you said it would be?" Lincoln quipped.

Laura looked away, "How much of it did you read?..."

"All of it," HONK "There's a lot of sun stuff in that volume..."

Laura dragged them both into the icy cold water below.

Luckily, there was a sentō where they could recover from the freeze. Unluckily, it wasn't gender-separate. Lincoln wasn't too keen on scrubbing every inch of Laura's incredibly long hair.

"Did you ever think about getting a hair cut?" He said.

"What for?"

"Uh...So no one tries to grab it mid-battle?"

"The IS would be moving too much to allow a still maneuver like that."

Another pain in the scalp. Lincoln grabbed a hair dryer and got to work. Laura noticed he put in more care to her hair than she did, three times as much, meaning they didn't leave until thirty minutes later. When they walked out, Laura couldn't stop feeling her hair.

And it unsettled Lincoln, "How does your hair feel now?"

"It's weird..." she caressed her hair very carefully, "It feels more like a soft wool ushanka than a protective covering."

"Usha-wuh?..."

"A hat with ear flaps..."

"Ohhhhhh."

"Since when did you care for someone else's scalp?"

"I guess...since Lori bathed me when I was young?" He shouldn't have said that...

"Eww, he still bathes with his sister?"

Lincoln and Laura didn't look behind them. They kept walking as three female teenagers kept gossiping:

"No, he said when he was young."

"Really? I couldn't tell!"

"I just wanna pinch his cute little cheeks!"

"Oh! Wasn't he that squirrel boy? What the hell was he doing?!"

"I heard his sisters tried to kill him."

On that line, at an intersection, Lincoln took Laura's hand and led her to another street. He hid his free (deployed) hand from the teens' view and waited until they came nearby. He tensed up when the teens rounded the same corner he took, but relaxed when they turned opposite his direction.

"Whew...that was too close..." but he couldn't relax yet.

"What was that?" Laura asked.

"Oh...uh," Lincoln stuttered, "I was looking for a shortcut to the bike shop, so I, uh-"

"It's over there," Laura pointed directly behind her, to the bike shop where those teens were still loitering.

Lincoln clenched his butt hole, "Well-I-it-gg-ackackack-...Come on..." He had no choice now. He led her across the intersection and towards the shop, where those teens saw the metal arm he was hiding.

"Shoot, did he hear us?"

"I knew that kid was trouble."

"What about that other guy, the first male pilot?"

"He better teach that kid some manners!"

Lincoln flinched.

("...maybe you could drill some of those manners into Linky-dink over there.")

("I think an etiquette course could clear that right up.")

The teens fled when they saw him turn his gaze to them.

"So, why are you here?" Laura suddenly brought him back to his senses.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, why did you come to the IS Academy?"

Lincoln sighed, "Ok...let's...it's not open for another 15 minutes..." he led her to the nearest bench and sat them down. "I'll get to the point: Long story short, I came here to get away from something."

"Huh?" Laura related what she heard the teens saying earlier, "Get away from family? I thought they were the ones who made you what you are."

"In a way, Yeah..." Lincoln said, "but they're also the ones who opened me up to the horrors of a giant family."

"What do you mean?" Laura asked the big one, to which Lincoln gave her the full backstory on how he came across the IS. And due to her slightly interaction-deficient mind, she understood it vastly different from the other students. Whereas she was kept in isolation and only used for menial tasks, she thought he was outright thrown away.

"And that's how I wound up in this rabbit h..." Lincoln saw her intense glare down, "Ok, it's not as bad as it...Hhh, actually, it is."

"You realize that what they did is tantamount to disowning you."

"Well...I didn't think it was a first, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to wonder... what If I resisted putting it on with everything I had? What if no one came to take the costume off? What if Lynn missed that ball? Or, what if my family was never caught?"

"Why would that matter?"

"Because They're the only family I know. It's nigh impossible to find another."

Laura had trouble processing his own conflicting feelings, "So, how does that translate into this "ends of existence" nonsense?"

"I thought I could forgive them and let it all go, but it ended up following me all the way out here," Lincoln said, then looked past Laura, "Hey, the shop's open! You wanna pick a bike?"

"No, I'll stay out here," Laura said, "Just don't pick that stupid tandem atrocity."

"Uh...right," Lincoln nodded. When he was inside, Laura made sure no one else was looking, then got her journal out and started scratching some words into the pages.

High Card caught the pencil noise and hopped down to the bench, "I would never peg you as a journal keeper."

"I'm not," Laura kept her eyes on her book, "but Clarissa recommended it to me when Mentor left Germany, and I've been making notes since then."

"Notes, huh?" High Card took a snapshot of the journal, and it gave her access to all of its contents, "Notes about the making of a heart, maybe..."

"Most of my days were taking or giving orders without question," Laura said.

"Where'd that come from?..." High Card muttered before seeing Lincoln leave with two rental bikes, "Oh, he's back."

"Uaa!" Laura shoved her journal into her pants and pushed High Card off the bench, quickly returning to her pre-bike posture, before Lincoln could see any of that.

"These guys got a sweet discount, half off for all IS people!" Lincoln said before noticing Laura's cheeks blush against her usually pale skin, "Did you see something before I came back?..."

"It's not your concern," Laura stood up and grabbed a bike, "Let us be off." She took just two steps on the sidewalk before she stopped. And did nothing. Except stare at the chain connecting the two pedals.

"Hello?" Lincoln was already on his bike, "Earth to Laura?"

"I can use these vehicles just fine!" Laura mindlessly blurted out.

"I didn't ask..." Lincoln cautiously stepped towards her, as she was caught in her own bluff, "...do you not know how to-"

"They never had any practical use for the German army," Laura stopped him.

"Not even the motorcycle?"

"It gave away three of my snipers' locations."

Lincoln exchanged the bikes for a tandem. Two minutes later, they were on the road, riding alongside the waterfront.

"This is humiliating," Laura declared out loud, "An elite soldier reduced to piloting a simpleton's machine."

"How do you think I feel?!" Lincoln grunted and panted, "I have to lug 95 kilos by myself!"

"I am 40 kg, mind you!"

"Does that matter?!" Lincoln kept his eyes on the long uphill climb ahead of him, "Oh my god my legs...haaahhh..." he kept pedaling until he felt a sudden burst of speed from behind him, "Hey! Wah! Laura?! Ow feet?!"

"I thought you wanted the help," Laura pedaled along. Well, more like took over, since due to her super soldier upbringing she was naturally stronger than him. She pedaled them all the way to the very top of the hill, "Well...that was more of an exercise than I anticipated."

"What, you're tired already?" Lincoln joked.

"I didn't feel any effort from the front end."

"Oh, it's always the rest that-"

High Card's unusually loud alarm noise silenced them.

"Dude," Lincoln rubbed his ears, "What was that for?..."

High Card pointed to her left. The pair looked in that direction and found a dojo.

"Oh, it's a sacred place," Lincoln stared at the entrance. He found a kendo demonstration in the courtyard, "Ooh! Let's get a closer look!"

"I'm game!" Strong Suit rushed him inside.

Laura didn't pay any mind at first, but decided to follow him when she heard grunting amidst the clashing of bamboo.

In the courtyard, tourists were gathered to witness two seasoned swordsmen fight against each other with greatly controlled ferocity.

"Pretty fiery, those blades," Lincoln commented.

"I suppose," Laura said, "Though, If I were in that fight, I'd never drag it out this long."

"That's not the point..." Lincoln said when the fight ended. Everyone clapped, but Laura was already speaking with a kendo elder. "Oh boy..." he ran over to her when her conversation was finished.

The elder bowed to Laura before turning her friendly gaze to Lincoln, "And this must be the young fellow that accompanied you here."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Lincoln stopped behind Laura, "We were biking up the hill and-"

"There's no need," the elder patted his shoulder, "Your companion tells me you're seeking relief from your past?"

"That's...too deep. How much did she tell you?"

"More than I am able to remember."

"Guh..." Lincoln didn't like where this was going, "Where is she now?..." He turned around when he heard a bamboo blade clacking against the ground. He saw Laura holding another sword for him. Soon enough, he was roped into a sword fight with her. But the weird part was that when he squinted his eyes through the slashed and thrusts, he thought he saw a faint smile on Laura's face. When they were done, they were panting and sweating profusely. Laura was leaning against a tree, while Lincoln was sprawled over the shrine's donation box.

"Question," He asked the elder, "Did Laura ask for that?"

"Actually, she suggested it to me of her own volition," the elder answered to his bewilderment.

"Oh...oh, really..." he sighed, "That's sudden..." he crawled over to Laura, "So, how was it... that swinging session?..."

"It was a...bit revitalizating..." Laura looked at the tiny sun rays peeping through the tree leaves above her. She tried to comprehend the second weird sensation she was feeling just today. This was vastly different from the thrill she felt from accomplishing an important objective. She couldn't tell what it exactly was, but, "Is this what it's like...to live on the outside?..."

"Is it a good feeling?"

"Uh...yes... I think..."

"Well, if you want, we can get more of that feeling."

Laura started to blush again, "Oh, that's not...you don't have to-"

"It's no trouble at all," the elder handed them a glass of cold water, "You're in a town that's ripe with tourism. You two can explore all you want, and then come back in the evening for the autumn ceremony."

"Ceremony?" Laura asked, "Nothing of the occult, I assume?"

"We're in a Japanese dojo! What do you think?!"

"Hahahaha, How it must feel to be so youthful," the elder giggled and helped the two on their feet.

Night Club heard the entire proposal and nudged her two comrades, "Did y'all hear that? Eh? Ehh?"

"Ugh," High Card sighed, "Are we literally doing this?..."

"Oh, yeah," Night Club kicked off an upbeat rock tune, "We're literally doing this."

High Card heard the beloved... "Hey, that's my shtick! You hear me?!"

"Come on now, go!" Night Club powered up her jet pack, "They're getting away!" and flew off.

"Only I'm allowed to say that word!" High Card ran after them, "HEY, I AIN'T DONE WITH YOU! GET BACK HERE!"

And thus began Lincoln and Laura's excellent adventure. The two started their adventure with a private tour of the town on their tandem. Since it was daytime, they got to fully take in the sights, sounds, and sensations of the town. Lincoln took the initiative and powered the bike along the sidewalk, while Laura sat back and enjoyed the scenery. She was able to take in the glimmer of the sky painted on the ocean blue and the lush green splattered throughout the mountains. She was able to take in the vibrant varieties of colors and pleasant winds gently fluttering her hair. She was able to see the people interacting with each other and each object they came across. And she didn't have to lift a bone to be able to relax, something she hadn't considered since her first arrival.

But maybe she should've paid attention, as the lively path of a thousand smiling faces and shade trees led them to an outlet mall, her most disliked thing of all. Unfortunately, this was Lincoln's tour. She had to follow him inside.

And for the most part, it was just as dreadful as she feared. All she did for an hour was try on a horde of different outfits that had no functionality for anything, ranging from too little clothing in one part of the body, to too much clothing, to the outlandish, to the seizure inducing. Though she did find some enjoyment in the black and white outdoor fashion section. That alone prompted another thirty minutes of photos.

Which was immediately dampened by a quick stop at the hair salon. Countless hair stylists tried to adjust Laura's hair, only to have their own hair given horrid haircuts, shaves in some cases. Lincoln lost his crud when he saw the horror hair show she hosted.

The next stop, for some reason, was a book cafe. Lincoln and Laura stopped to grab a quick lunch, but ended up taking an extended buffet due to their status as pilots. They were hesitant to talk to anyone until Lincoln opened up about his IS origin story, which prompted Laura to disclose (the severely redacted version of) her upbringing. Afterward, they ventured throughout the many shelves trying to find a book that they might like. Surprisingly, Laura was captivated by a comic book featuring the Red Panzer. All she did was simply pick it up and read through the halfway point...

... and suddenly, she was in a fantasy world of her imagination, taking her IS into battle against the most vile villains that Germany has ever produced. Left and right, she would strike down all the Nazi loyalists until she stormed the main base, forcing upon the dictator the vengeance brought upon by the horrendous torture they forced upon-

-Lincoln yanked her back to reality, and to a small park.

It was in the afternoon when they walked through the multitude of falling leaves. It was also at this time when Laura was exposed to the many shades of red, orange, and yellow blend together into one gorgeous display of the coming winter. She was so moved by the falling leaves that she didn't notice that many of them had fallen onto Lincoln's hair until he was smack-dab in her face.

"INAMA ABASOO ABILAKAKA!"

It was so sudden that it scared Laura into a laughing fit, which in turn scared all bystanders in the vicinity.

Good thing they ventured out of the town and deep into the winding roads of the forest-riddled mountains. They rode their tandem very far, very fast, so that they could feel the crisp cool air brush against their skin. But when they came across a downhill snake road, their brake pads snapped off, and they were unable to control their speed going into the snake road. A sudden bump caused Laura's hands to fly off her handlebars, and wrap around Lincoln's waist. They were scared of the ever-increasing speed, so their grip on each other tightened and they treated the tandem as a 2-man bobsled. But throughout the entire run, their adrenaline built up, and their concern for their safety was slowly converted into a desire to push their limits.

By the time they were able to safely stop...several miles from the bottom of the mountain...they found a rest stop to refresh their sweaty, burning bodies. Laura was repairing the brake pads while Lincoln was buying two slushees. She was reflecting on the events and feelings of the day, and decided to put them to practical use. She deployed a wire, grabbed the nearest bucket of icy water, and dumped it all over Lincoln.

He was initially frost-bitten and speckledorked. Then he heard a howl of snickering and high-fiving. Finally, he latched onto the magenta wire and reeled himself into a dudette mountain.

From then on, it was a tremendous boss rush of special events. Roller coasters at a theme park, carnival games at an amusement park, combat mission at a laser tag arena, breaking eardrums at a karaoke bar, racing go karts, ramming bumper carts, extreme roller derbies, even a game of DDR on the highest difficulty setting. It all culminated in a ride on the Ferris wheel, where they got a crystal clear view of the city skyline, fully illuminated with its own rainbow nightlife shimmer, and a chance to make one last impression via hidden camera. They somehow snapped nine pictures at the top of the wheel, with the last one being a "Happy Family" photo of Lincoln, Laura, Strong Suit, Night Club, and High Card, all doing the peace sign and hugging each other.

The ended the night by walking the tandem back to the dojo.

"Seriously?!" Lincoln screamed, "How the hell do you still have 20 million euros?!"

"I told you, I never spent a single cent until now," Laura giggled.

"So, how much of that is actually yours?" High Card asked skeptically.

"However much I need," Laura responsed, "The rest is for the military."

"That's an awful lot of research and development..." Lincoln squinted, then took a look at the shrine courtyard, "All I know is, I'm gonna enjoy a nice cup of ZUFALL?!"

There, in the middle of the lantern-lit, flower-bordered, concrete stoned open space...a tea ceremony prepared by the dojo elder.

Lincoln didn't know how to react to this sudden late night development, but his partner was seemingly entranced by it.

The elder looked up, "Good day so far?..."

"Uh...yeah..." Lincoln exasperated.

"So, this is the sacred tea ceremony I've heard about," Laura approached the low table, "I wouldn't mind a hands-on experience."

"Really?" Lincoln demanded, "You're just gonna accept this...out-of-place wood and hot liquid?"

"Enough complaints, Loud," Laura rinsed her hands and mouth, then sat in a seiza.

"I-I'm not gonna ask..." Lincoln shook his head and followed suit with Laura while the elder carried the kettle.

"So, I trust you youngsters had an enlightening adventure?" The elder said while pouring the tea.

"I was surprised what a day of fumbling around aimlessly could do for my conscience," Laura said.

Lincoln poked her arm, "I wouldn't exactly call what you did in laser tag fumbling around aimlessly."

"They were hugging bodies and blocking their weak points, thereby break the rules of combat," Laura blew on her tea, "It is only natural that they received their just deserts."

"You singlehandedly outscored them 880 to 213..." Lincoln said while Laura sipped her tea smugly.

"Quite a lively journey, I see," the elder smiled, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"It's only been one day," Lincoln said, "How do we find it in such a short amount of time?"

"I would think that every day has an objective, no?" Laura thought.

"Well, What was your objective?" The elder asked.

"*GULP*PTUI*COUGH*COUGH*...uhhhhhhh..." Lincoln forgot halfway through the morning bike ride.

But Laura didn't, "To discover myself outside of the army."

"Thank you for using my own words against me," Lincoln wiped his mouth.

"You needn't trouble yourself with such a burden," the elder sipped her tea, "Surely you had fun together?"

Laura stopped to think, "Fun..." The word hadn't crossed her mind before. Not even when she first encountered Chifuyu. Not even when she herself took Lincoln as her training partner. Back then, she accepted them because she wanted to grow stronger as an elite soldier, but now that she's had the time to internalize everything...

...she put her teacup down, "Yes...it was fun..." she said, "It was the most fun I've ever had..." because for this one day, nothing mattered. No standards to meet, no expectations, nothing. Just pure fun and entertainment for no one's sake, "I didn't need much effort to find myself in that endless sea of useless events..."

So, Laura was...ok.

But Lincoln was having a bit of an existential crisis, "It was more fun than hanging out with Ronnie Anne or Clyde...I've never had this much fun, ever."

"Speaking of which," Laura suddenly remembered one of his mindless ramblings during training, "You said your older sister is girlfriend to Ronnie Anne's older brother."

"Yeah?" Lincoln nodded.

"And Ronnie Anne's your current girlfriend."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, that is a problem, indeed," The elder mused, "What will you do when your older sister marries your girlfriend's older brother first?"

Then, they become in-laws. They won't be dating anymore; they'll be siblings. And Lori and Bobby have seniority, and have been planning a wedding the instant they finish college, before Ronnie Anne and Lincoln reach the legal age.

"I...I hadn't thought about that..." he said.

"That might be a good starting point for your next journey, young man," the elder said, "People nowadays just accept everything at face value. They take one look in the mirror and think that the person they see is the person they truly are, and they model their wants and needs around that image."

"I get what you're trying to say. It's like, "Know yourself, and know your friends"," Lincoln said, "but what does that have to do with me and Ronnie Anne?"

"Well, who are you?"

"I'm Lincoln Loud, a guy that loves adventure."

"And who is Ronnie Anne?"

"She's my girlfriend, and a hardcore tomboy."

"How did she become your girlfriend?"

And then, it hit him. Before she became his girlfriend, all he remembered of her was a nasty bully, stuffing trash in his locker, pantsing him, among other pranks, and each ended in public humiliation. The only reason they got together was because of a phone number thrown at the back of his head. Everything else after...

("Sorry, Lame-O. Here's my number. Text me.")

("Lincoln Loud, how DARE you kiss me at Jean Juan's French-Mex Buffet! You are rude and gross and totally annoying. I'd rather lick the bathroom floor than kiss you!")

("You took all those pranks for me. It's the least I could do.")

...He's Lincoln Loud. He's a guy who loves adventure. He's also far too accepting, "Dangit..."

"And therein lies the problem," the elder said, "Life must be moving too fast for you to truly internalize everything that was happening to you. Thus, you are led to look in the mirror everyday, think about the good and bad things that happened to you, and accept all that as "who you are"."

"Oh...oh, geez..." Lincoln was shocked at how accurate her assumption was, "I guess having life thrown at your face would do that."

"Young people nowadays rarely take the time to think about what it is they truly desire, and even less time to think about why they desire it," the elder decided to end their tea time, "They constantly seek out what they see as self fulfillment, when in reality they are chasing something artificial and pointless."

"Is that so?..." Laura reflected on her quest to become the best.

("But remember...you will never become me.")

"So, that's what she meant..." Laura shuddered, as she realized that, technically, to be the best, she'd have to beat the best. Beat her mentor. Without mimicking her.

Though, mimicking would be impossible thanks to Lincoln, "...I am Laura Bodewig."

"Huh?" Lincoln swerved, "That came out of...somewhere..."

The elder nodded, "Is that all you want to say, Laura?"

"Nein, that's not all... I am an elite soldier. I am always strengthening myself, in body and mind. I will always strive to be the strongest..." she looked up at the elder, "...but I am more than a soldier. I am a woman."

The elder saw the spark in Laura's eye and responded favorably, "Good." She turned to Lincoln, "and what about you, Mr. Loud?"

Lincoln took a moment to gather his thoughts. When his mind was clear, he put his cup down, "I'm Lincoln Loud. I'm a guy who loves adventure. I'm also...easygoing, while brooding. I already know who I am, but I don't know where I'm going. I aim to find a place to let go of everything, and if I can't..." he looked at Laura, then turned to the elder, "...then I'll use the baggage I have to get stronger, as a person and a friend."

Laura blushed again. This was the first time she heard someone openly acknowledge her as a friend.

"That's what I wanted to hear," the elder raised her cup. Lincoln and Laura touched their cups to the elder's, and they took one last sip.

The bike shop was closed by then, so they just chained the tandem to the door, with 5000 yen hidden underneath the seat.