UEC Space Fortress Guardian
"So, what is this space station capable of, Captain?" Admiral Harada asked crisply, as he walked along the newly polished steel floor of the UEC space fortress Guardian, built in just a week on one of Mars' two moons, Deimos.
"The station is currently operating at 80% of its full capacity," the commanding officer replied, "with sixty two separate heavy laser turrets, five entrenched gravity blast cannons, and one hundred and seventy-nine high-explosive missile silos. A reactor core has been built deep within the core of the moon, and twenty high-powered phase engines bolted onto one side to provide limited propulsion. In effect," the captain concluded, "we have here a semi-mobile artillery battery."
Harada nodded with satisfaction, as his boots clicked sharply against the steel plating of the hangar bay, passing several rows of battle-ready Aestivalis assault mechs. "Good," he replied. "We're going to need this fortress if we want to hold on to Mars."
There was a slight pause. "If you would excuse me, Admiral," the captain said with some hesitation, "but it has been over a week since the last time the Unknowns attacked. Isn't it possible that they have simply retreated?"
The Admiral shook his head. "Scouts have reported too much activity for them to be running away," he said gruffly. "They're just biding their time, building up their forces and replenishing their losses. They'll attack once they're ready. And we better be goddamn ready too, or else we'll all die."
Harada looked out observation windows towards the blackness of space. "It's the calm before the storm," he muttered quietly to himself. "And it's going to be one hell of a storm."
UEC Hospital on Mars
The nurse on duty at the reception desk glanced upward as soon as the shadow of a human figure fell across her paperwork; she already had an idea of who it was.
"You again?" she sighed, annoyed. "This is the fifth time in two days."
The girl she faced stayed silent.
"Look," the nurse began, rubbing the sides of her temples with her fingertips, "the patient's status has changed at all. He's still out cold, in a coma. No beta readings at all, he's doing nothing but vegetate right now. All you going in there is gonna do is break your heart seeing him like that, trust me."
"May I have a pass to see the patient?" Ruri asked quietly.
"Captain, Tenkawa-san is still in the same— "
"I know," Ruri interrupted tersely. "If I must, I will pull rank on you."
The nurse threw her hands up in exasperation. "Fine, do what you will!" she shot back, scribbling some unintelligible words on a piece of paper. "If you ask me though, you're just wasting your time. Goddamn stuck-up captains," she muttered to herself as Ruri silently took the proffered slip of paper and left, "they think they can do whatever they want."
"Baka," Ruri murmured to herself as she glided smoothly down the hallway. Taking the elevator up to the third floor, she walked slowly past each of the open doorways, counting down the numbers until she reached room number two hundred and seventy-seven. This was his room.
Before entering, Ruri unconsciously smoothed her captain's blouse with her hands and adjusted her hair bands, pushing some stray strands of platinum back into place. Then, holding her breath, she crossed the threshold and entered the room, half of her feeling hope and the other abject despair.
The situation was the same as always: a lone figure, lying prone on the bed, covered up to his neck in pristine white sheets. A single IV tube ran from a bag of unmarked solution into his left forearm, the bag hanging off a sterile steel hanger. Some electrodes were connected to his temples and others were probably attached to his chest, judging from the wires that poked out from beneath the sheets and ran to a single machine that recorded and visually displayed his vital signs.
If one were to read the machines and study the graphs, one would say that Akito Tenkawa, cook, Aestivalis pilot, and most recently a prince of darkness, was a perfectly healthy human male who shouldn't be in the hospital right now. The only problem, though, was that Tenkawa's mind was completely cut off from the outside world.
Ruri slowly approached Tenkawa's still form, watching keenly for any movement at all that could signify his emergence from his coma. Seeing nothing, the young girl sighed with deep sadness, and pulled a chair from one of the corners of the room over next to the bed, dragging it along the floor and producing an ear-splitting screech that echoed down the hallway. Yet, for all the noise she had just made, Tenkawa-san stayed almost as stiff as a corpse; the only sign of life that he gave away was the slight rising and falling of his chest as he breathed. Ruri watched him with sorrowful eyes.
"Tenkawa-san? Can you hear me? It's Ruri," she said, watching for a reaction. Nothing. She hung her head in despair. This is pointless, her logic raged at herself. You know the nurse is correct; Tenkawa-san will probably be in a coma for a very long time, if not for the rest of his life. Why do you even bother coming here?
Because, she pleaded, what if he does wake up? The possibility is always there! If he does wake up, I want to be there to welcome him back! I want to be here for him! It's the least I can do!
Excuses, excuses, her inner mind sneered back, all of those are pointless excuses driven by emotion; they hold no substance. You know very well that what you are doing is an exercise in futility! Why are you mentally hurting yourself with such thoughts? It bodes ill for you.
I don't care! she mentally shouted.
Don't be rash.
I'm not being rash, I'm being human!
You're not human though, Ruri! her logic reprimanded her. You're better than human! You are superior to any other human being in terms of intelligence, problem-solving, strategy, the fields of science and mathematics…you are above such trivial things as human emotion!
That's where you're wrong! Ruri thought ferociously, As gifted as I may be in such things, humans are still social creatures. I require emotions to stay who I am! And that is why I'm staying here! I need my feelings!
You mean you need him?
Ruri stopped as she contemplated the thought. Yes, I need him, she replied, remembering…
It was after the talent show, and all the participants were putting their costumes and props and other accessories away. As Yurika dashed from person to person, reveling in her victory, a lone Ruri sat on the bridge, still in her lacy blue and white dress, watching her with a sullen expression on her face, resting her chin against her hand.
"What's the matter, Ruri-chan?" a voice asked from behind.
Ruri straightened quickly in surprise, turning around and seeing him. "Nothing," she replied a bit hastily, pausing for a moment as she looked back at Yurika, who was laughing like a maniac. "I just feel…strange right now."
"Oh? How so?" he asked, plopping down into a seat next to her and resting his feet on top of a console. A screen bleeped up in front of him: a stern reprimand from Omoikane about resting dirty shoes on top of spotless computer workstations.
"It's just…I'm not sure if I should have declined the captain's position for being winner of the competition."
He was quiet for a second as he pondered that sentence. "Well, Ruri-chan," he began slowly, "what makes you think that?"
Ruri blushed a little; if she was too blunt, she might say something mean. "The captain's record hasn't been spectacular. She's gotten the Nadesico and its crew into some tight spots before. Perhaps if I was the captain, with my greater judgment capacity, things would be easier and safer for us all…"Ruri trailed off.
Again, he was silent as he absorbed all that in. "That may be true, Ruri-chan," he replied, swiveling around to face her and putting his shoes on top of her console, inciting another warning bleep from Omoikane (this time, the screen said, "two strikes,") "but then why did you turn down the offer of the captain's chair?"
This time it was Ruri's turn to be quiet for a moment as she pondered that question. "I suppose…it was the right thing to do," she answered quietly. "It would've been devastating to the captain if she had lost her position, she probably would've sunk into clinical depression, and that would've been bad for the morale of the crew," she concluded, trying to desperately put a nice logical spin on it so that it would be include more than just personal reasons for declining the captaincy.
"Exactly, Ruri-chan, it was the not only the right thing, but it was the kind thing to do," he stressed, in one of his few wise moments. "Deep down inside, Ruri, you're a kind person," he said, patting her on the head. "Just like me."
Ruri only nodded, as she felt her cheeks start to burn.
"Oi! Hey, you! Get over here!" a brusque female voice called from above, and he looked up in annoyance. "Looks like I have to go," he said, "before she comes down to get me!" He stood up and smiled down at her.
"Oh, and by the way Ruri-chan…"
"Hai?"
"That's a really nice dress. You should keep it, wear it after the war's over or when we're on leave or something," he said over his shoulder, waving as he left the bridge.
Ruri felt herself go scarlet red as she pondered his words…
"Deep down inside, I'm a kind person," Ruri said quietly. "And that is why I'm staying here with him. It's the kind thing to do."
There was no response from her logic.
On the bridge of the Nadesico
Haley-kun walked past the sliding doors and into the bridge of the Nadesico, making his way to his computer console near the center of the bridge. He stopped and blinked in surprise, seeing a certain male with long blonde hair pulling on the short green hair of a fellow Aestivalis pilot, and snickering when Ryoko belted Saburouta a nice uppercut to the jaw, sending him to the floor.
"Well, Saburouta-san, I didn't know you were well enough to get put back on duty, or to get beat up by Ryoko-san. Weren't you still in the hospital yesterday?"
"Yeah, I was, but those hospital admins are heartless, Haley-kun!" Saburouta complained from the floor. "They refused to let me stay any longer, despite the fact that I still have a broken heart from having my romantic overtures coldly refused by Ryoko!" At this, Ryoko merely turned her nose away from him and walked icily away.
Haley-kun laughed. "I guess she's getting used to you, Saburouta-san," he joked.
Saburouta grinned back. "Took her long enough. So," he said, getting back into business, "anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
"Not really," Haley-kun replied, heading to his console and activating the screen. "Omoikane, bring up the status records," he ordered. Immediately, a series of screens flashed across the bridge. "As you can see from Omoikane's records," Haley said, "the Nadesico has been in repairs ever since we reached home. Damage turned out to be more extensive than we thought, with the gravity matrix crystal for the gravity blast cannon and the phase transition engine having to be completely replaced. They were both almost burned out."
Saburouta whistled softly. "Distortion fields must've taken a beating for that to happen."
Haley-kun nodded in agreement. "So far, repairs are sixty percent completed. We should be battle-ready in another week."
"Well, that's just dandy. The longer we wait, the better. I really don't want to have to get back in there. Anything else happen?"
Haley-kun thought for a moment. "Actually, yes. There was a strange reading on the scanners about a day ago…where was it? Oh yeah, right here," Haley said, queuing up a map of the Martian surface and circling a particular area.
"Looks like there's nothing there but some old Martian ruins," Saburouta said, studying the map. "I thought all the ruins were excavated a year ago."
"Well, strange readings were coming out of this one. Some kind of unknown activity with an unidentifiable energy source."
"Gee, that sure says a lot," Saburouta observed sarcastically.
"Hey, I said it was strange, didn't I?" Haley-kun shot back. "Other than that, that's it."
"Hmm…I guess we might check that out later. Where's the captain?"
Haley-kun rolled his eyes dramatically. "She's seeing Tenkawa-san."
"Oh? What's so terrible about that?" Saburouta asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Nothing, except this is the fifth visit in two days. Don't you think she's going a bit overboard?" Haley-kun huffed, irritated.
"Hmmm….someone sounds a bit jealous if you ask me," Saburouta observed slyly, studying Haley closely. The young boy blushed deep red.
"Don't be ridiculous, Saburouta-san! I'm just…worried about her. It can't be good for her health to stay cooped up in that hospital twenty-four/seven, doing nothing but despair!" he replied heatedly.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Saburouta said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "I think you're just jealous that Ruri's spending all her time with Tenkawa-san instead of with you, like she usually does."
"Shut up, Saburouta-san!" Haley raged, swiveling away abruptly so his back was turned away from him.
Saburouta-san chuckled once to himself, and reached underneath his desk, pulling out the copy of Ururun he had lifted from Ruri when she hadn't noticed and hidden underneath his workstation.
"So, what happened to this Tenkawa-san to land him in the hospital?"
UEC Space Fortress Guardian
"Is the data collected from the Cowboy Johnny fully decrypted yet?" Harada asked the chief tech officer in the Guardian's communications facility.
"Almost. We have about ninety percent of the data so far. It's rather fascinating," the tech replied, scanning over a thick sheaf of data records.
"Oh?" Harada's eyebrows perked upwards in curiosity. "And what's so fascinating about these records?"
"Well, the way the Unknowns use Boson particles is simply amazing," the scientist replied. "Instead of lengthening the period of the Boson waves like we've done in order to transport ourselves across time and space, they instead change the amplitude and not the wavelength, created something similar to a Watchins-Rusko effect that transforms the potential energy created by the Boson wave into—"
"I don't want your damn scientific talking," Harada snapped, "Explain it to me so I actually understand what the hell you're talking about!"
"Er, yes sir," the technician replied somewhat shakily. "Basically, our forces lengthen the wavelength of the Boson particle to a more stable length that allows for safer teleportation of various objects. What the Unknowns have done instead, though, is change the amplitude, to the point where the Boson particles contain a lot more energy and are much more reactive, despite being in a somewhat stable form. This gives a concentrated stream of Boson particles immense destructive power…"
"And that's what they've been using against us," Harada concluded. "Any way to stop it?"
"These particles completely bypass all by the strongest distortion fields, and armor plating is quickly boiled away by the immense energy output of the Boson particles. The only defense is to stop the particles before they hit."
"CC missiles, then."
"That is correct."
"Any chance of the enemy developing a counter-measure?"
"Well…" the technician trailed off and began sorting through a giant box of worksheets. Harada sighed and rubbed his temples, thinking, Geez, are all scientists this out-of-it?
On the bridge of the Nadesico
"Tenkawa-san and Ruri were crewmates aboard the Nadesico?"
"Yeah…supposedly, Ruri had a bit of a crush on him during her tenure on the first Nadesico," Haley said a bit gloomily.
"Oh, really?" Saburouta snickered at the thought of a lovey-dovey Ruri. "Guess someone beat you to her heart, eh?"
Haley-kun's eyes flared red as he shouted, "Not funny, Saburouta-san!"
"So…do they know when Tenkawa's going to get out of the hospital?" the Jovian asked as soon as Haley's temper cooled down.
"The doctors don't know why he's in a coma…he really didn't suffer injuries traumatic enough for his mind to completely shut down like it did, or for so long thus far. They're not sure if he'll ever get out of it."
"Hmm…" Saburouta murmured with a serious look on his face. "Well, I guess Ruri will be visiting him at the hospital for a long time," he wisecracked with a small grin.
Suddenly, Haley stood up with a strange look on his face.
"Huh? What's up, Haley?" Saburouta asked, giving him a questioning look.
"I'm…worried about the captain. I'm going to go check up on her," Haley-kun said softly.
Saburouta sniggered once, a chuckle that soon became a groan as a coffee pot Haley-kun found conveniently nearby made physical contact with his skull. "Good luck," Saburouta wheezed in-between flashes of pain, as Haley stormed out of the room.
"Ah, the love of youth," Saburouta said wistfully to himself as he picked up his (Ruri's) volume of Ururun. "It's the best love of all."
UEC Space Fortress Guardian
"It seems that there is one way to circumvent the CC missiles that we constructed," the technician admitted rather timidly.
Harada swore under his breath. "Great, that's just what I wanted to hear," he remarked savagely. "What can they do?"
"The boson particles react with the chulip crystals because they have a certain wavelength that allows enough activation energy for the particles to react without needing a catalyst…"
"Okay, I think I got that."
"By changing the wavelength to one even longer than the wavelength we use, while still keeping the amplitude relatively small, the Unknowns can theoretically bypass our crystals."
"What do you mean by 'theoretically?'" Harada asked, somewhat confused.
"Well," the technician adjusted his glasses as he rapidly skimmed through the data sheets in front of him, "it's theoretically possible to shorten the amplitude while lengthening the wavelength; it can be done on paper with pencil and a good calculator. However," he said, pausing for emphasis, "in a real-life situation, keeping the particle stable while simultaneously lowering its kinetic energy and keeping its potential energy the same is virtually impossible. To do so would require very special conditions that would be beyond our scientific capabilities to emulate."
"Our scientific capabilities? What about theirs?" the admiral demanded.
"Well, judging by the complexity of their weapons and vessels, we can conclude that their technology isn't so far advanced compared to ours to make this sort of ability even remotely possible," the technician replied. "At least, not advanced enough to make a safe, reliable version of their weapons. They could do it by jury-rigging some of their systems, but the possibility of a catastrophic energy overload would be too great to make the system useful or cost-effective."
In Saburouta-san's mind
Tori-san entered the hospital, making his way straight to the nurse's desk. The nurse, a pretty young blonde, looked up and smiled. "How may I help you?" she asked.
"I'm here to see Hibya Kotone," Tori-san replied.
"Ah, yes, Kotone-chan…she's in room four-four-one. Visiting hours are from noon to four, so you're right on time. Elevators are down that hallway, to the right," the nurse said, pointing.
"Thank you." Tori-san went up in the elevator to the fourth floor, clutching a bouquet of flowers tightly in his hands, nervous.
The doors opened slowly, and Tori-san peeked out, looking down each side of the hallway. No one was in the corridor. Tip-toeing out, Tori-san quietly made his way to his destination room, four-four-one, whose door was unlocked and ajar. Sunlight from a window in the room filtered into the hallway.
Taking a deep breath, Tori-san put on a happy face and walked in. "Kotone-chan!" he shouted jovially. "How are you doing?"
In the bed, a lone girl, young and strikingly beautiful, with flowing purple hair that arched down her back and pooled into iridescent puddles around her turned her head in surprise and joy. Some bandages were wrapped around her head and a single tube ran into her left forearm, but otherwise, she seemed perfectly healthy. "Tori-san! I can't believe you actually visited me!" she exclaimed, ecstatic.
"These are for you," Tori-san said, extending his bouquet.
"Wow! They're beautiful! How'd you know roses were my favorite?"
"I guessed," Tori-san replied, thinking, Heck, every girl likes roses!
"They're so pretty…they'll make this room look much nicer now, if I put them in a vase or something," Kotone-chan remarked, smiling.
"The doctors say you're doing pretty well," Tori-san remarked, grinning. "They say you'll be out of this place in a day or so."
"Really?" Kotone-chan giggled with delight. "I can't wait!"
"Neither can I," Tori-san replied, smirking. "Once they discharge you from the hospital, how about we go out to celebrate? Go somewhere downtown?"
"Oh, that would be wonderful, Tori-san!" Kotone exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "I would love to!"
"It's a date then?"
"It's a date!"
"Hmm…this Tori-san is a smooth-talker all right," Saburouta observed, flipping through the pages of the latest Ururun issue he had pilfered from Ruri's room. "Though he seems awfully innocent for a guy who has so many girls after him…," Saburouta reclined in his chair, resting his boots on the console. A warning sign popped up from Omoikane, reading, "Don't rest dirty boots on a spotless computer console."
Saburouta raised one of his eyebrows. "What's going to stop me?" he challenged.
Another sign popped up: "The last guy who did it regretted it."
The Jovian lieutenant made a face. "Can't believe I'm taking orders from a computer," he grumbled, putting his boots back down and opening the manga again. Skimming through it, he muttered, "A date downtown, eh? I think that's a stupid idea."
UEC Space Fortress Guardian
"Does that matter to the Unknowns though?" Harada demanded. "There seem to be unlimited numbers of the little bastards. If there were enough of them, could they bypass the chulip crystals?"
"Well, the laws of probability state that yes they could…but it would require a tremendous amount of enemy ships, and that would take time and resources."
"Yes, both of which they have. They have Jupiter and the entire Jovian infrastructure, and that have us on the run," Harada remarked acidly. "They can take as long as they want, couldn't they?"
The technician was silent. Harada scowled in displeasure.
"So, what other alternatives are there?" he asked sharply.
UEC Hospital on Mars
Haley cautiously poked his head through the door, seeing Ruri in her chair next to Tenkawa's bed.
"Captain?" he whispered softly. The young girl didn't respond, and Haley tiptoed over next to her, examining her closely.
Ruri was fast asleep, her head cradled in her arms, which were resting on the cold metal rail of the hospital bed. Haley-kun nudged her, and the girl stirred, groaning quietly.
"Captain? Wake up!" Haley-kun urged.
Finally, Ruri's eyes opened and groggily focused themselves on Haley. "Haley-kun?" she whispered, her eyes squinting, "what are you doing here?"
"Making sure you were okay, Captain…you've been here every spare minute you've got," Haley remarked, grabbing another seat and dragging it over next to Ruri. Ruri winced as the chair scraped noisily against the floor. "By the looks of it, it seems a good idea that I came. You look terrible, Captain."
"I've been here…for a while."
"How long?"
"Since noon."
Haley nearly fell out of his chair. "Captain! That's nearly three hours! You've been sitting here this whole time?" he shouted.
Ruri put a slender white finger on his lips. "I thought he needed the company. He's been isolated from humanity for at least a year. And it would be nice if you were a little quieter, Haley-kun," she remarked coolly.
The young boy gave her a look before settling down into his chair. The two teenagers sat in silence for a while, the boy glancing at the captain from time to time, before he finally asked, "Captain…what's Tenkawa-san like?"
Ruri pondered the question for a second. "Tenkawa-san is…different from me. He is similar to you in that he is driven by emotion, whereas I am driven by logic. But he was kind and caring, and even wise in certain situations," she allowed with a hint of a smile. "Tenkawa-san helped me in my first quest for identity aboard the Nadesico."
"Is that it?"
"Tenkawa-san was…fun to be around," Ruri admitted.
Haley-kun pouted. "Even when he's in a coma, he's more fun to be around than me?"
This time Ruri gave a gratifying smile, and shook her head. "I suppose in this case, being as unresponsive as he is, Tenkawa-san has been rather boring. Considering I fell asleep for an hour or so," she remarked, glancing at her watch.
"Yeah…," Haley-kun trailed off, looking at Ruri in surprise as her stomach growled loudly in the otherwise quiet room. "Captain, when was the last time you ate?"
"I haven't had lunch yet…" Ruri admitted rather sheepishly.
"Captain! That's what I mean when I said I was making sure you're okay!" Haley protested hotly. "No lunch yet? It's three o'clock! You're going to eat, now!" he announced, pulling Ruri up out of her chair by her hand.
"But Haley-kun…" she protested, trying to tug her hand free.
"No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Captain! I know this really good restaurant downtown that's really cheap too! We're getting you some food to eat!" Haley told her sternly, keeping an iron grip on her hand.
Ruri relented, letting Haley march her down the hall, past the surprised nurse at the front desk ("Wow, she's leaving early," she remarked) and out the door into a beautiful blue day with a shining golden sun.
Suddenly, Ruri paused, and Haley looked at her, puzzled. "What's the matter, Captain? Did you forget something in the hospital?"
"No…" Ruri answered as she thought. "Haley-kun…you're not taking me out on a date, are you?" she asked. He's the one asking…taking me to a restaurant…presumably buying, also, based on my resources…it seems to fit the criteria.
Haley turned red and looked away hastily. "Of course not, Captain! I'm not making you go eat with me unless—"
"Eat with you?"
"I mean," Haley stammered, turning even more red, "eat at all, unless you really want to…" he trailed off, looking a bit hopeful.
Ruri studied his face closely. "So it is a date?"
Haley threw up his hands, exasperated. "Well, I hadn't planned it like that at all, I swear! I suppose you could call it a date if you really want to…well?" he asked pointedly. "Are you going to go or not?"
Ruri thought a bit, recalling the Ururun manga volume she had read a few weeks ago, but lately hadn't been able to find. What is it the girl did in this situation? Suddenly, her eyes brightened and she gave a bit of a mischievous smile. Taking his arm, the strikingly beautiful young girl pushed a strand of platinum hair back into place and said, with a smile to the shocked boy, "I'd love to, Haley-kun."
On the bridge of the Nadesico
"I don't understand how he always gets the girls so wishy-washy," Saburouta complained. "I mean, how corny is that? Take the girl to the downtown restaurant that happens to be the most romantic spot in town? Give me a break!" he muttered, tossing the manga volume on top of his console. "This manga was pretty good in the beginning, but I think it's degenerating into a pointless and corny romance."
"I think you're the only one that thinks that way," a voice observed crossly, and Saburouta swiveled around in his chair to see Ryoko leaning against the captain's chair, eyeing him with irritation.
"What?" the Jovian asked innocently.
"Honestly, don't you understand anything about women?" Ryoko asked, exasperated. "They like these 'corny' things of yours: romantic downtown outings, eating at a nice restaurant, mushy mangas full of romantic comedy…haven't you realized that yet?"
"Er, no," he replied, looking genuinely surprised.
Ryoko ran a hand over her face. "Geez, I think you're hopeless, Saburouta-san," she muttered.
"Wait, so you're saying even you like these kinds of things?" Saburouta asked somewhat skeptically.
"Well, not all of them," Ryoko allowed, "but most of them, yeah."
"Wow. And here I thought you were more cultivated than that."
"Hey! Better watch what you're saying there, buddy!" Ryoko warned, waving a fist in the air.
"Yeah, yeah, calm down! I was just kidding!" Saburouta said from behind his chair.
"Hmph!" was Ryoko's only reply as she turned away from him to leave.
"So, Ryoko," he began, emerging from behind his chair as soon as he thought it was safe, "what's going on right now?"
"Oh, nothing in particular," she said nonchalantly.
"Eaten lunch yet?"
"Nope, not yet,"
"Awesome, neither have I. Let's go get a bite to eat!"
"Where?" Ryoko asked, turning around and staring pointedly at him with eyebrows raised.
Saburouta's mind worked feverishly. "Um…downtown?" he asked cautiously.
Ryoko smiled and nodded. "Quick learner, I see. All right!" she pumped a fist enthusiastically. "Let's go eat!"
Saburouta shook his head as he followed her out past the sliding doors. Why do I have the feeling she's using me to get free food?
"Oh, and by the way, you're paying, right, Saburouta-san?"
Damnit.
A/N I wasn't seeing the whole chapter when I uploaded it, so I divided it. The next "chapter" is actually part B, okay?