Haruto pressed his small hands to the glass separating him from the core and unfinished body of Unit 1. He was five and didn't really understand what he was looking at. But his father had taken him to work today and for that the child was happy. He hardly got to see him, he was so busy. Haruto felt a hand pat his head and looked up to see his dad.
He smiled and his father returned it with one of his own.
"Look closely, Haruto", Soichi pointed to the unfinished robot. "This will be your greatest partner in life."
Haruto was eating by himself in the cafeteria. The other pilots had already eaten and were off doing their own thing. He sat alone, not having particular group to hang around with. He thought about the secret L-elf was keeping. He supposed it was his right to keep it. It wasn't like it was imperative to their mission. Haruto couldn't see how it was.
Then again, she could be Dorssian royalty. And Haruto remembered enough history to know that the royal family had been deposed for the new military regime. Maybe that was why L-elf defected so easily. He knew someone in the royal family and wanted to bring them back into power. Siding with an enemy nation with weapons like the Valvraves would seem like an easy choice then.
But it also meant the Dorssian's loyalty didn't lie with JIOR, which was a no-brainer now that he thought about it. Haruto had no confidence that he could change that fact but even if he couldn't make them loyal to another nation, he might convince them to see at least the pilots as friends and allies. It occurred to Haruto to tell L-elf about his dependence on runes.
If he didn't get enough, he would attack someone. And he and L-elf shared a room now. It could easily be him. It was classified information, but perhaps if he shared it with L-elf, it would prompt him to share something about himself.
"Oi! Where's your Dorssian?!"
Haruto had been on his way back to the dorm when Yamada's voice cut through his thoughts. He was with his own partner/pow/charge who looked less than satisfied with Yamada's volume.
"Oh, right", Haruto had forgotten that they were supposed to be with them at all times. "He's in our room. I'm on my way there now."
He went into a jog to get there quicker, hoping L-elf was actually there. Haruto entered and saw L-elf lying in bed on his back. His eyes were closed but his body was rigid. So Haruto knew he wasn't walking in on a nap.
"We need to talk", he said as he sat at the desk across from their bunk beds.
L-elf didn't even open his eyes. "You have no right to ask me about her. She has nothing to do with this war."
"It's not about her." Although Haruto didn't believe she had nothing to do with this. "It's about me."
L-elf opened one of his eyes.
"There's something about the Valvraves that's a secret. But you should know about it, because it concerns me. And we share a space together."
L-elf opened both of his eyes and sat up. Everyone had been rather tight-lipped about the machines and how they worked. Whatever information Tokishima had to offer must be something valuable.
"They run on something called 'runes'. It's not something we can directly inject into them. It's a fuel source I absorb into myself that then distributes to all the Valvraves when I pilot Unit 1."
L-elf took a moment to let that settle before asking, "Where do runes come from?"
"From the lab. The scientists synthesize it", Haruto answered.
When he heard that, L-elf knew there must be more to it than that to be able to energize machines like that. He looked at Haruto's honest face. It was obvious he didn't know more than that regarding runes. Then Haruto's expression turned expectant. Of course. He wanted information in exchange for that bit of admission. L-elf supposed he could throw him a bone.
"She saved me from being killed. I want to return the favor", L-elf said.
"That's why you broke ties with Dorssia? To save her? Is she in danger?"
"Not immediate danger. But she cannot live freely the way the world is now." L-elf leaned back against the wall next to the bed.
"So do you mean to change the world?", Haruto asked.
"Yes", L-elf said without a hit of hesitation.
Haruto was taken aback by how confident he was. It was kind of amazing. He found himself getting lost in that determined gaze. L-elf was surrounded by a strange haze. Haruto felt a deep hunger from within him. L-elf was looking at him strangely, like he didn't recognize him. Haruto couldn't hold himself back anymore.
L-elf watched as something happened to the pilot. He started growling and it seemed like he was physically struggling with something. He lunged to attack but L-elf was quick enough to deflect and incapacitate him. Haruto laid unconscious on the floor and L-elf knew for certain there was more to runes than Haruto was aware of. He decided to wait for Haruto to wake up and explain.
In the meantime, he deliberated on what to do after that. He had made it clear that he had no love lost for Dorssia. Everything he did was for Lieselotte. But he had very little idea of Haruto's loyalties. L-elf decided he need to know where those lied before he did anything else in alliance with these people.