Chapter 26: Another uneventful day
8th December 2001
"Stop it"
I tried my best to get rid of a certain thumping annoying sound by burying my head into my warm pillow.
"Stop it"
I angrily spatted out to nobody in particular as the thumping sound against my room's door began to pick up in pace and intensity.
Unlike the lab room which I was banished from yesterday, my personal quarter room was designed with a normal lock, not an electronic one. Therefore if that idiotic childhood of mine wanted to invade this room, she just has to break the door's lock by force rather than hacking the non-existed security system of my room.
Normally, I wouldn't bother locking this room of mine. But seriously, I was really scared about those mountains of pink envelopes that stacking up on my table. Those mountains had grown considerably since the last time I saw them. Seriously, what am I supposed to do about them? It's not like I have any time to spare, reading and answering each and every single one of those like I used to.
Normally it is my policy to leave the room unlocked, welcoming everyone into my room with opened arms. But, it seemed that I should stop doing that… for my own safety. Locking the door at night to protect my own virginity is undoubtedly a correct decision, considering the length of those knocking sessions last night until morning. Damn, it was annoying as hell. Pretending not inside the room while sleeping inside can be… extremely tiring.
Without a doubt, the one who kept on knocking my door like crazy right now could only my idiotic childhood friend Sumika Kagami.
Damn her, she can really be persistence. Arg, damn it all. I barely had a wink since last night due to that old spy report and the so call knocking session in front of my very room till morning.
Last night was one heck of a hectic night for me, dealing with the old king of troll Yoroi Sakon, collecting and moving my personal belonging from Yuuko sensei's lab back to my personal quarter. In addition, I was desperately looking for Yuuko sensei in vanity for an explanation to the state of my personal belonging last night and including my reassignment to the Valkyries.
It was so not her personality to resort to some petty revenge by trashing my personal belonging in that manner and the way she threw me into her personal unit without telling me anything.
Even though I wasn't confident in reading Yuuko sensei's personality or her thought. But one thing for sure, there is one thing that I knew too well about her. The Yuuko sensei in this world that I acquainted with would never do anything without proper reasons… So why were my personal belongings trashed in front of her lab? That's so mysterious.
Suddenly, I thought I was hallucinated for a moment.
Not only I experienced an audibly illusion but also an optical illusion. The thumping sound of someone knocking against the wall changed into that of an explosive tremor. In addition, the sturdy door which was made of 3 centimetres thick of wood and reinforced with steel was flying across the room, crashing onto the wall and then crumbled to the ground in halves.
The heck? Did Sumika just do that with a grenade or something?
There is just no way Sumika Kagami would set up a grenade in front of my room just so that she could make my door opened. Yes, this must definitely a dream or an illusion of some sort. No matter how much of an idiot she was, Sumika would not resort to something as stupid as that. There is no way that my childhood friend can be that retard.
I must be damn tired if I saw something as crazy as this. Heh, human brain is pretty awesome if it could display something at this calibre in order to relieve stress.
"What the fuck are you doing Shirogane?"
An ominous voice rang
Huh?
My body reflexively acted on its own immediately, reacting to that ominous voice of a person who I would never expect to see in my room. In a flash, the Shirogane Takeru who was cowering in warm blanket, hitherto burying my head to ignore the previous thumping noise was immediately sitting in the seiza position, facing against the Asura that slowly walking into my room.
Damn it. I must seriously stress if I saw Hayase of all the people coming into my room this early in the morning and in this James Bond's manner. Damn, even if it was only a production of my stress, why the hell it is Hayase? And why did my body react to such an illusion this lively?
I immediately forgot about the fate of my room door the moment I hear Hayase's voice. Why? Why do I so readily accept the current state of my own room door, knowing it is Hayase who did that?
"I asked you again… What the fuck are you doing Shirogane?"
Completely contrast to the brimming sweet smile on Hayase's lips, the way she questioned me was like that of a jailer to a prisoner-me. Besides, it was supposed to be my line to question her of exactly what is she doing here… The door was innocent… what did my door ever do to her so it must suffer such a pitiful fate?
"Nothing…"
My mouth betrayed me in an incredulous manner. Since this Hayase is the product of my stress, I had intended to relief my stress, harassing her over destroying my properties and vandalising military's properties. Lacking sleep can really scary if it could produce some illusion of this calibre… But before I could actually put those ideas of mine into words, my own damn mouth acted on its own…
Damn, even knowing it is only but an illusion, a product created from my stress, I still have no chance to go against Hayase.
"Do you know what hour is it?"
Still brimming with a smile, Hayase asked, mincing the sentence word by word.
"What hour…?"
Since my alarm has yet to rung, it shouldn't be 6.30 yet.
"It's already god damn 10.20. You were supposed to show up at 7.30 in the briefing room"
"Hahaha, surely you jest…"
I nervously reached out for my alarm while laughing like an idiot. Even if this is a product of my stress, there should be a limit to how much nonsense it could be. I- Shirogane Takeru am late for the first day after my reassignment into the Valkyries? It sounds like a joke. Something like that could only come from anime and stuffs.
"See? It's only 6.05 am"
I heaved a sigh of relief while shoving my alarm at Hayase
"It is already dead. Are you fucking blind or what?"
"Huh?"
"It's already stopped working, you idiot"
I gulped audibly while staring at the fuming Asura who was shoving my alarm clock right onto my face.
Damn, it has really stopped working just like she announced. The clock needles have long stopped moving.
…
Whatever, this is only a dream. It's not like I will be kill or anything… Yeah, right, this is only a dream. Of course it would be a dream. Hayase would not know where my room is, let alone storming into my room in this James Bond's style.
But… why did the chill that keep running down my spine didn't stop? Did my survival instinct kick in immediately the moment I saw Hayase storming into my room? Yeah, that must be it. It must be an involuntary reflex. Yeah, that's it. It's almost too natural for me to feel this scare about Hayase, considering the way she marked me since the last loop.
Worse, according to the strategy briefing yesterday, I was supposed to become her partner during the incoming trial test for the XM3. The formation that Capt. Isumi came up yesterday made Hayase and me the vanguards. 1st Lt. Munakata would mainly act as our supporter, providing suppressive fire while Capt. Isumi herself would be responsible for coordinating our formation and making the snipe.
While I have no complain over me being the team's main hitter or being a vanguard, pairing up with Hayase can be…really tiring. Thank goodness that we didn't have the time to testing out our flight formation yesterday in the simulator, otherwise I would drop dead without able dragging myself back to my own quarter yesterday.
It's not like I exaggerated the whole stuff. Even if I was well acquainted with the rest of my new team mate's flight pattern and habit due to my past experience, it still required sometime for our team to coordinate with each other to the maximum efficiency. That's why the first simulations practice would normally be the most tiring practice since we would be required to sorting out every single data, combat scenarios, and including the co-ordination between team members. That's the drawback of suddenly forcing me into the formation of the Valkyries. While it shouldn't take more than 12 hours for me to fit in the team's formation, the whole decision of assigning me into the Valkyries by Yuuko sensei would give nothing but stress to everyone since the structure and the format of this XM3 trial test is slightly different from the last time I took it.
The biggest different would be the structure of this trial test. Unlike the last test in which we have to prove how people would respond and adapt with the new XM3 system, we are also required to prove the superiority of the XM3 over the old OS this time.
That's why we need two teams joined in two different divisions which were meant for two different purposes.
One team will mainly responsible for sending a message to the rest of the world of the superiority of the new XM3 over the current OS by combating with different TSFs that using the old OS. Originally, I was solely responsible for this batch with Kasumi, Meiya, Tama and class rep. But, now, it was different, specifically Capt. Isumi, 1st Lt. Munakata, 1st Lt. Hayase, Kasumi and me. From the beginning, I intended to win this battle by making use of the mind linking system cheat to read out the other team's flight formation and tactic. Then, relying on our superior mobility and strategy, it is actually harder for us to lose than to win.
The other team will be responsible to show the bonus features of the XM3 by combating against TSFs that were XM3 converted. The team that was originally responsible for this division was consisted of me, Kasumi, Ayamine, and Mikoto. By receiving the handicap of 3-man unit versus 4-man unit, we will show the average time requirement for normal Eishis to adapt to the XM3, including the significant benefit when the Eishi has already gotten acquainted with the new features of the XM3. Though it wasn't obvious to all, it's actually our team who was more advantageous in this match. How? Even if we were pitched against the teams with the best score with a huge handicap in battle experience and manpower, our team was actually more experience with the XM3. None of the girls went through the process of converting their piloting style since they started out with the XM3 installed in their machine from the very beginning. Furthermore, people has simple not accounted the fact that our team had accumulated actual combat data long before the trial test begin during the coup d'état. If other team think that they could win against our team easily since our team were all newly graduated, they will surely have that arrogance to blame when they emerged out losing in every aspect of this test. So basically, the team who better at adaptability will be more likely to win the match, which meant, our team who has more actual combat data and more familiarizing with XM3 would have an edge over the other teams. And considering the adaptability of my own team-mates, I could not find anyone better than Ayamine and Mikoto since it is pretty much their natural specialty.
Guh…
What the fuck am I seeing?
Where am I? Wasn't I lying in my own bed just now?
Huh? Grandpa? WAIT…
"Grandpa, what are you doing here?"
"Takeru chan, go back. You do not belong here"
"Huh?"
"Takeru chan. Go back. Go back, go back…"
…
I choked. My whole vision was spinning around. My ears were totally ringing. Pain ran across my entire body and I could barely breathe
What the heck was that?
Why did I see my own deceased grandpa all of the sudden?
Damn, I think I saw a river just now… The heck, did I just cross over that Styx River a moment ago?
"Did that wake you up?"
A sickened sweet voice audibly went through my ringing ears. A smiling beauty cutely said with her fist clenched while tilting her head.
I don't need to wait for my eyes to stop spinning around or my ears to stop ringing in order to recognize the identity of the owner of that Oh so sweet of a voice.
"Sir yes sir"
My mouth naturally responded with a speed that make light pale in comparison. This is the first time that I ever felt grateful to my mouth for its speed and independence.
"Good. Quickly get dressed. I will wait for you outside of the room."
"Sir yes sir"
My mouth once again independently acted on its own.
In response to my reply, the Asura smiled sweetly. She nodded her head satisfyingly and walked out of my room.
For Christ's sake, it wasn't an illusion. Why did my instinct kept on betraying me like that? No… it was actually my fault for ignoring those chills that I felt just now. Damn, I just wanted to indulge in my blanket and pretend that such outrageous thing that happened to me was but an illusion.
Damn, my eyes had yet to stop spinning around and neither did my ears stop ringing.
What the heck did battle crazed woman do to me just now? I crossed the supposed uncrossable line for any human beings and then came back.
Damn… comparing to the Sumika milky punch which never fail to make me go twinkle on the sky or the Ayamine tornado, or the Meiya slash, the attack of that crazy woman is just too scary on its own level.
Damn, I'm going to dub it Hayase's fist of near death.
People who took this attack will receive a quick tour to beyond the Styx river and then return immediately afterward before it's too late to return.
Damn, her title as the strongest of the Valkyries wasn't for nothing.
Damn, even seeing my room's door lying on the ground broken in halves, why aren't I feeling any compassion toward its fate? God… how did it turn out this way? Damn, where do I suppose to sleep tonight with my room's door broken like this?
"Are you going back to sleeping Shirogane?"
"Sir no sir. About to finish right away"
Screw the whole stuff about no formality among the unit. I don't see how is it possible for me to be informal, dealing with my superior who just stormed to my room, crashed down my door and then sent me beyond the beyond just so that she could wake me up. Besides, the image of Hayase acted all sweet and cute while clenching her fist is really… scary. To people who has no idea of Hayase's personality, she may act cute, playful and sweet. But, I could not see anything but a smiling yasha.
Damn… why did my alarm died out on me today of all day? And where did Sumika and Kasumi go? It was almost a daily basis that they would come over and wake me up every morning… Why the hell it is Hayase who wake me up this morning?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Good work Shirogane. Professor Kouzuki was right on the mark, assigning you with us"
Capt. Isumi patted my shoulder and showered me with praise.
Well, it may be a pain for everyone else aside from me if they were suddenly forced into a flight formation all of the sudden. But, it wasn't the case for me. My role as a vanguard in this Flight formation of four wasn't as hard as everyone thought.
Hayase, my direct superior and the person who I must maintain the closest link within the team's formation is my partner in the incoming trial test. All the combat data regarding about her was forced into my brain and body during the time that I was active as a storm vanguard. Even if my brain could not remember all of those colossal data, my body did. It is almost natural for me to do well, coordinating with her in different scenarios.
1st Lt. Munakata, she was the linkage of the vanguard and the rear guard of our team. Furthermore, she was in charge of the left formation of the team in which I belonged. Therefore, I had no trouble in cooperating with her.
Capt. Isumi, she was so good at leading and following someone's lead that I have no complain over how little my flight time and experience in team operation with her.
With this team formation, we could easily be the strongest Flight formation within this Yokohama base at the moment.
Though, one problem remained.
"Still, we still have no counter measurement against the Raptor", Munakata sighed
"They are truly TSF that designed for anti-TSF warfare"
Hayase agreed, nodding her head.
Damn right. In theory, our team have an edge over mobility and tactic in the incoming match against the Raptor. But, accounting the raw power of the Raptor alone in anti-TSF warfare, we are at the disadvantage. Comparing to our Shiranui, the Raptor has better speed, acceleration, firepower, and radar scanning range. Including with the stealth ability of those American TSF, fighting an all out war against those bird of prey of a TSF is almost impossible for our Shiranui whether it is XM3 converted or not.
But then, I still remembered how Cap. Sagiri struck down Major Walken's Raptor with his Shiranui. The Raptor maybe one of the ultimate TSF in anti-TSF warfare, but it is us Eishi who will determine the outcome of the battle by pushing our machine to its utmost potential.
Furthermore, I am confident that I would not lose to anyone with Kasumi's help. Against the AI and data accumulated from the last coup d'état of the Raptor, our cheating method is basically useless since they are just a bunch of data and program. We can not predict their course of action as the result. But, against human being, it can be a deadly weapon.
Perhaps that's why Yuuko sensei assigned Kasumi as my task coordinator at the moment. That way nobody would question the reason that I shared the same cockpit with Kasumi. Also, the less people know about Kasumi's ability the better for Kasumi's sake. Unlike me, Yuuko sensei or Sumika, normal people would be scare if they standing in front of a person who could easily read their darkest secret as her daily basis.
"Oi Shirogane, are you listening?"
I immediately snapped back from my own dreamland the moment the voice of Hayase reached my ears.
"Sorry, I was thinking of something"
"We were asking that whether you could come up with something using that genius brain of yours"
Munakata jokingly said
"Ah…"
"Stop it Munakata. Did you even read the UN experimental report of those Raptor or their evaluation during the coup d'état?
Hayase commented.
"Agreed. The best tactic that is available to us is to surprise them with our mobility, sticking close to them and best them at CQC."
Isumi nodded her head and said
"Easier to say than do. Those stealth TSFs always have the upper hand in speed and initiation. The moment we saw them in our radar, it's already too late to do anything since we have long in their ambush"
Munakata said
"True… by the time our radar indicator blips, it's already too late. I suppose any conventional and convenient method to defeat them simply doesn't exist. Still, we are lucky that we will meet those stealthy TSF in the first face off. Otherwise, we won't able to catch them surprise with our mobility."
Isumi furrowed her bows as her voice trailed off.
"There is…"
"Yeah, but we have o choice but to do it…Huh what did you say?"
Hayase exaggeratedly grasped my collar and asked
"It exists, the convenient method to win against those beasts"
"…."
"…"
"…"
Suddenly, I became victim to stares from all directions.
"You know a method to win against them, you said? Why the hell you kept silence during our practice?"
Shaking me back and forth exaggeratedly, Hayase asked.
"I just came out with it a moment ago…" replied I while trying my best to shake away the iron grip of the berserk woman from my collar.
"I was only joking about finding a convenient method to defeat them though…"
Munakata could not hold her surprise as her voice was clearly shaken.
"Mind sharing it with us Shirogane?"
Isumi inquired
"Ahaha… it is kind of useless if I was to share it with you all right now. It is a kind of a makeshift plan that would only work on the event itself. Otherwise, if I am to tell you right here and now, it would become useless…"
I anxiously replied, trying to look as calm as I could possibly be.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Once again, the three onee sama could only stare at me due to the severity of my claim.
"Why the hell are you trying to put up an air of secrecy for?" inquired Hayase as she shook my body back and forth with greater vigour.
"No, I am being serious. If I was to disclose the plan right here and now, I am confident that it wouldn't able to work."
I rebuked with all of my might.
Heck. How on the earth I am supposed to explain about Kasumi's esper ability to them? There is just no way that I could, couldn't I? I don't know what kind of reaction they will have against that girl. The choice of disclosing her ability to others is her to make. No one else other than Kasumi has the right to let other know about her secret, not even me or Yuuko sensei or Sumika.
I originally supposed to take the test with my old squad, not the Valkyries. And whatever farfetched convenient plan that I came up with is always plausible to them, even if it is some ridiculous makeshift plan as it sound like, to win against the kind of beast-like TSF such as the Raptor. The girls of squad 207B had seen me accomplishing all sort of crazily impossible feats. Thus, they would not question the weight of my word at all.
But, this is sadly not my old squad. I might be a member of the Valkyries long time ago, but it was only yesterday that I became a member and acquainted with the Valkyries in this loop.
It couldn't help if nobody would believe in my earlier outrageous claim. It sounded like I come up with some crazy plans about beating one of the world best TSF in mere seconds. Moreover, the way I stated it sound like I has suspect there was a spy among us or something.
"I didn't intend to make it sound like I suspected there is a spy among us or anything. And I meant no offence but I am confident that my plan would work out well with your cooperation on that day."
I explained to dispel the heavy mood in the atmosphere.
"Hah? What are you talking about?"
1st Lt. Munakata asked, looking intently into my eyes.
"Huh? Ahh… What I meant is…that my earlier claim is really ambiguous and misleading, it is in fact suggested that one of us could be a secret agent for the ALTERNATIVE V."
I explained while wondering what it is about my claim could make 1st Lt. Munakata that surprise.
"And here I was wondering whether you were only joking about that plan of yours"
1st Lt. Munakata exaggeratedly smiled.
Huh? What is going on? I am quite confident in my own intelligence but I am not quite catch up with the pace of this conversation.
"No one here took your claim in that way. Can't you even understand it, Shirogane?"
Hayase happily grinned as she locked her arms around my neck.
"Really?"
"We were only surprise that you actually could come up with a plan. We were only joking about that, you know?"
Capt. Isumi smiled.
"Right. And the way that you took our joke with such a straight face and you are actually convinced that whatever plan inside that brain of yours will work is really surprising."
Hayase said while putting force into her neck lock.
No. Then it doesn't make any sense at all. You really weren't acting back then when you asked me about the content of my plan.
I rolled my eyes at Hayase and the team to have a good look at the reality.
"As expected from the genius Eishi. Everything you do is out of norm."
1st Lt. Munakata said
Perhaps I was really over-thinking. My superiors were just surprise that I wasn't joking about coming up with a plan to defeat the Raptor.
"Then I will look forward to what you are going to show us, Shirogane."
Hayase chipped
"I will leave it to your able hands then Shirogane. In a mean time, we will just practice with the data you collected during the coup d'état, testing all kind of method and formation we could come up with, dealing with those stealthy TSF. That's way whether you could work out your plan or not, it would not affect the outcome badly" said Capt. Isumi
"Why do you believe my claim that readily? I meant isn't it one of the most outrageous claim ever?"
I asked, still unable to face the reality in front of me.
Why?
What make them so readily believe in my claim?
We barely met each other yesterday.
It's not like they could retain their memories from the last loop like Kasumi or me.
What make them put so much trust in me?
I could not understand it at all. It was like the case with Yuuhi. I could not understand what's her basis for trusting me even when I have clearly told her that I would betray her in the end, and same for these people. Aren't their brain miss a screw or two if they so readily believe something like that from a mere new graduated like me?
Even now, I still don't understand.
"Why? You ask? Isn't it because you are not the type of person who makes those types of jokes?"
1st Lt. Munakata answered as if it is obvious.
"Professor Kouzuki recommended you to us. Isn't there is anything about you that we should doubt?"
Capt. Isumi replied
"Besides, aren't you the genius who wrote the XM3 with the XO? If you could produce something like the XM3, isn't something at this level is rather a trivia to you?"
Hayase grinned, tightening the neck lock.
Genius? What are they talking about? I may be able to clear the whole training course in my first day partake in it. But, it was because I already have bucket of flying experiences and I was already a full pledge Eishi before. I am in fact has accumulated more flying experience than anyone in this world could possibly due to my own curse as a Casualty conductor.
And regarding about the miracle OS XM3 that I was infamous for, it is not like I did everything. Surely, I brought up the concept and devised the combo and cancel system. But, the one who do most of the works were Kasumi and Yuuko sensei. If it wasn't for sensei's masterpiece of creating billions parallel conduits and Kasumi programming ability, the concept that I brought up would never able to develop it in the first place.
Seeing how Capt. Isumi, 1st Lt. Munakata and 1st Lt. Hayase put their absolute trust in me remind me of Yuuhi's advice. Seriously, Yuuhi is really scary for able to foresee something like this.
Even that I was always aware that I had a huge responsibilities over different groups of people, but I have never realized that I am truly that important and all.
The I who was a naïve fool was the centre of the squad 207 and was their supporting pillar since the moment I joined. The I who was a but fake genius, able to accomplish the most difficult feats with ease gave hope to people…. even though it was but false hope.
Suddenly, I felt something at my back.
Whereas I should felt extremely anxious for unable to break away the steel lock that clutched around my neck, I didn't. There was that mysterious budging feeling at the back of my head. Something soft…
"What's wrong Shirogane? Was you too moved that you couldn't say anything?" Capt. Isumi teased.
"It's not that…"
"Yeah, Isumi, you have mistaken."
1st Lt. Munakata's bewitching lips curved into a grin.
"Huh?" Capt. Isumi turned at Munakata, wondering what her friend is talking about.
I have a bad feeling about this.
"It's better that you release me, 1st Lieutenant."
I begged the woman who clutched me with her iron neck lock.
"That's not how you ask someone for something Shirogane"
Hayase still cheerfully grinned while tightening her lock even tighter.
"…rele..ase me please"
I begged again
"It seemed that he is enjoying it Hayase"
Munakata giggled
"Who the hell would enjoy a necklock of this gorilla of a woman?"
I growled, trying to deny what I am thinking that 1st Lt. Munakata was thinking as my face felt hot from the her teasing.
Though, it seemed that the air froze.
Both 1st Lt. Munakata and Capt. Isumi immediately stepped back while having a funny look on their as though their facial muscles cramped
"Huh? What did you just say Shirogane?"
My lovely superior asked.
"…"
I shrank, realizing why both 1st Lt. Munakata and Capt. Isumi were acting like that.
"What did you just say Shirogane?"
An angelic smile formed on Hayase's lips as she inquired
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn't say anything and you didn't hear anything"
I hurriedly tried to break away from the iron necklock while shaking my head furiously.
"Who would enjoy a necklock of what?"
Still smiling, Hayase asked while strengthening her lock on my neck as though she was a doting mother cat who wouldn't let her young kitten out of her reach.
"…Gorilla"
No, I would not be stupid enough to say that word aloud, let alone repeating it in front of this Asura like Hayase.
Wait, did 1st Lt. Munakata just say something? Did she just say it? Were my ears working properly right now?
Wait, why both Capt. Isumi and 1st Lt. Munakata are running away? This must be joke, right?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Heh… what a weird dream I had!" was the first thing escaped Takeru's mouth
"Oh… he's finally awake at last"
"He is. He really is"
"Took him long enough"
Confusedly, Takeru turned his head at the source of commotion next to him.
Darn… his head is still all fuzzy. Why was he lying in the medical ward right now? Why were the nurses circling around him as though they were observing alien specie?
"Do you feel better now?"
A green head nurse with glasses asked.
"No… my head is kind of spinning around"
"Then you should take these pills. But, you know, you shouldn't overwork yourself like that."
The green head said while handing a glass of water to Takeru with some pills.
"Overwork?"
Takeru obediently received his pills while wondering if he had forgotten something important.
"Excuse me…?"
Takeru hesitatedly raised his hand and asked after finishing his medication.
"Yes"
All of the nurses in the medical wards responded in harmony.
"Um… why am I lying here?"
"Don't you remember anything? Your friends brought you here in a stretcher. They explained to us that you have been pushing yourself lately"
"Did I?"
Takeru wondered. Surely he has pushed himself a little. But, something like that would not able to make him passed out. Whether it is the stress from dealing with the old spy, practicing with the Valkyries or preparing his next move against his Yuuko sensei or dealing with the knocking session at night, there is no way that he would let himself passed out because of those. He was not so weak that he would pass out just from those stresses alone.
Why and how did he faint?
It shouldn't be a problem for him to remember it if he pushed his fuzzy mind a little.
Wait… on another thought, it is better that he wouldn't remember it. That's what Takeru's survival instinct telling him. It's the best that he wouldn't remember it. It's something like the Pandora box…
Yeah, it wouldn't hurt anyone if he was to forget it…
(PX)
"Were you really intended to kill him back then?"
A certain red head inquired her friend with a cheeky smirk on her face
"… I couldn't help it"
Meekly, the ace of the Valkyries replied while avoid direct eye contact with her friends.
"Now, now… what's done is done… It's not like Hayase could help it herself", said Suzumiya Haruka as she patted her best friend's shoulder
"But… don't you feel pity for him, Hayase? He was seriously foaming back then and his face was like that of hanged criminal." Munakata dramatically said.
"Uuuuuu…."
"Wasn't it is you who started the whole thing?"
Isumi tiredly darted her eyes at Munakata and commented.
"Did I? I don't remember ever doing such a cruel thing." Playfully, Munakata answered.
"Anyway, you should stop doing that to him, Mitsuki. You are making a very bad impression"
Haruka commented.
"…"
Hayase couldn't come up with an answer as she stumped her head on the dinning table.
"By the way Haruka, how is the training of the squad?"
Isumi inquired the pink head and changed the direction of the conversation
"Touko is doing a good job commanding the squad, I guess. But, it is kind of hard to clear the HIVE without a full formation."
"I see…" Isumi nodded her head while folding her arms around
"Hey,there is something that kept on bugging me lately… is it just me and my imagination or I am seriously being glared a lot these days?"
Haruka nervously asked as she let her gaze wandering around the PX
"You too?"
Munakata asked in a surprised manner
"Me too, on the very first day that he transferred into our unit"
Isumi sighed
Impossible, you too, Captain?"
Haruka resignedly shook her head, unable to hide her surprise.
"Sure, everywhere I went, I was greeted with that same kind of greeting"
"Me too"
"What are you all talking about?"
Immediately, the girls stared at the person who just asked the most innocent question of the day. And they sighed, knowing the very reason why she wasn't subject to the same treatment as they did.
"Hey, why are you all sighing like that? Did I say something wrong or I shouldn't have?"
Once again, the other girls sighed in unison, leaving the clueless blue head in confusion.
"Poor kid…"
Munakata dejectedly said while thinking about a squad mate of hers who staying in the medical ward.
SE11
"That's all" Kasumi the snow fairy said while handing a bunch of notes to Kouzuki Yuuko.
"As I suspected…"
The mad scientist carelessly answered while skimming through the notes in her hand.
"Kagami, you can stop now", the mad scientist ordered.
"Yes"
Sumika answered as she pressed her hands against her head in a painful manner.
"Yashiro, bring her back to her room. She needs some sleep"
The mad scientist ordered as the snow fairy was helping the wobbled Sumika.
"See you later sensei"
As she walked out of the room with the help of the silver hair snow fairy, Sumika regarded her greeting to the mad scientist who busy looking into the notes on her hand
"Rest well", the mad scientist replied without bother paying the girls a look.
Clank, the door to the secret lab was completely shut. It was only then the mad scientist sighed aloud.
Kouzuki Yuuko is strong. But, her strength is completely different from that of Shirogane Takeru or Hayase Mitsuki. While she could not even fire a gun properly or defeat anyone in a combat or piloting a TSF, the strength of Kouzuki Yuuko is undoubtedly the real deal, her mental fortitude that is.
But regardless the strength of Yuuko's inner world, she is but a human being. That's why she couldn't help but felt guilty over what she is doing.
"As I have suspected…"
Yuuko carelessly muttered those incoherent words again as she put aside the notes that given to her by Kasumi. Once again, she sighed while looking at a certain monitoring screen.
"As I have suspected…"
Inside the monitoring screen was what known as mankind's terror, BETAs.
"What am I going to do?"
Yuuko asked herself while staring at those sleeping hideous creatures that were locked inside their own chamber.
That question that she suddenly threw at herself wasn't meant she was clueless of the course of action that she herself should take in the future. It was just the opposite. Kouzuki Yuuko has expected things would come to this from the beginning. She has long known the paths that she must eventually walk, including this one.
That's why that question wasn't addressed at Yuuko's future course of action but her very own humanity.
Even as she tried to be cold and merciless, ordering Sumika Kagami to bid to her order against the girl's very wish, Yuuko could not deny that she was sympathetic to the ill fate of Sumika. But even so, Yuuko would not stop. She could no longer stop. She has paid too much of a price and made to many sacrifices to reach this stage. If she stopped here because she is sympathetic to the ill fate of a single girl, all of those sacrifices will be for nothing. That's the reason why Yuuko would not stop.
"Now, I will become this world's saviour. I will never let the BETA take away anything I hold dearest, that including you, Yuuko sensei."
A rare careless smile surfaced on Yuuko's lips as she remembered a declaration of a certain guy in their very first meeting.
White and pure as an unwritten page he wasn't, since it was obvious to Yuuko what he has been through as a Casualty Conductor. But, even so, he went as far as declaring that he would protect her from discarding her own humanity. He is undoubtedly the weirdest guy that Yuuko had ever known.
Normal people didn't understand the pressure and the stress that Yuuko felt as she was hitting against the wall, fighting her own battle and trying to protect the world using her own method by pursuing the ALTERNATIVE IV. Normal people wouldn't understand that, nor could they help her anything regarding the progress of the ALTERNATIVE IV project.
That's when he appeared out of nowhere, telling that she had succeeded the 00-unit, giving Yuuko everything she ever need to dig through the iron wall that she was hitting against. And like a miracle, a magic, so far, everything that Yuuko has planned worked out marvellously with that guy's help.
A moment of weakness…
"I'm sorry", Yuuko quietly apologized.
She was tricking him like he was tricking her even as the both of them still keeping their own promise. But, that's not the reason why Yuuko was apologizing.
It was already too late for him so save her from discarding the last piece of her own humanity.
This lab room is unknown to Shirogane Takeru as well as what she is doing right now. No, Yuuko doubted about that. This lab's location could be unknown to that troublesome guy, but her plan might not. But even so, even if that guy knew about it, he had no power to stop it.
A.N
I'm finally back. Working my ass off to buy my own first car wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it would be. It's longer than I have expected. It's been forever that I was separated from my own laptop. Anyway, I am back.
Wow, the Muvluv fanfiction are increasing a lot when I was gone. Last time, there were 21 pieces when I was around. Now, it is already more than 33. I'll spend sometime reading all of them. I totally smell Muvluv in the air XD. Good luck to everyone and keep fighting in the name of love