It has been weeks that Hajime asked for a month off and he still hasn't found any traces of Mei.
He has been working non-stop trying to locate his former valkyrie and none of the locations gave him a single lead to her. He was disheveled and he hasn't had any good rest for a long time. Even the overseer, Rita, Fu Hua and Kiana were worried about him.
"How is it this hard to find a tall bluenette with horns wearing black and white clothes who also happens to emit red lightning in her body?" He rubbed his eyes to ease his frustrations, albeit weakly.
He tried to have his Personal Ai-chan locate or scan any similar Honkai-powered red electrical current and so far, nothing came up in his readings. He even tried to have her scan any Honkai energy spike to at least give him something to work on.
But due to the huge and slow Honkai energy spike messing up with his scanners as none in AE or Dr. Nagamitsu still hasn't figured out the problem yet despite it has been almost 2 months. So to him, it would be a waste of time asking his Ai-chan again.
"My reading has gone out of whack. There is no trace of Mei near here in the abandoned ME square. And all I got in my investigations is a horde of pink crystals loaded in my trunk." He deeply sighed. "Theresa isn't going to like this." His phone rang and it read 'Cute Teri Teri Calling.' He sighed. Normally he would make a playful joke about Theresa's choice of words.
But not today.
"Hey, Theresa." Theresa frowned when he opened his holocall.
"Hajime. It has been weeks already and you still came up short. You need..."
"It's okay, captain. Mei will show herself if she wants to show herself. You know how Mei is." He sighed deeply and hung his head low.
Of course the Bridge Valkyrie for the week has to be the Tuna. Why not?
"I just wanted to give her this. I never had the chance to." Captain Hajime showed the letter which prompted both two silver haired to widen their eyes.
"That's from her dad?" He nodded.
"And you never told us about it?!"
"Gee... Telling you that I received a letter from her Fugitive Father and have myself tell you guys that i am going to send it to her directly sounds like a great idea. I wonder why I didn't think of that? I should share it to everybody else the next time i received a letter from you guys." Both blushed in embarrassment as they both forgot how important a letter is and how important it is to keep everything about it private.
"Sorry, captain. I didn't mean it." He sighed deeply.
"It's fine, Kiana. I know that you were willing to help me in my investigation but I really don't want to keep your hopes up."
"Still, I could have helped you find her."
"And what would you do if we did find her? Talk her out of leaving the World Serpent? We both tried that and both of our asses got served on the silver platter." Kiana sighed deeply.
"And what is your intention, captain? Will you do the same?" He shook his head.
"Like I said, I just wanted to give her this letter. I understood and respected her choice for joining the World Serpent and it will be up to her from here on out. I just want to give her something that she can look back on."
"I mean... Don't we all need a little reminder about our past from time to time? You can't exactly know the direction you are heading unless you know where you started from. Or else you will end up in the same place where you started." Both valkyries widened their eyes at their captain who was overlooking the city.
"Say... Captain? Did you get that from reading your valkyrie's profiles? I am impressed how you managed to hit the nail on the head based on that."
"Uh... No? Honestly, most of the things I say are based on my experience even before i Joined Schicksal. Besides, I am willing to do everything for the Valkyries. And if one of those jobs is to get them out of their emotional rut, So be it."Hajime was confused by the nature of their question but shrugged it off as he was focusing on something else.
"Anyways, you need to take a break, captain. You looked like you haven't been getting some fresh air lately."
"He hasn't gotten a decent meal actually. His only meal for a day is a simple sandwich and coffee. And that's it." Both Overseer and Herscherr of Flamescion crossed their arms at the captain with narrowed eyes.
"Ai-chan! YOU TRAITOR!"
"Do I need to order you to spend your month off actually taking a break?"
"I can still..."
"Captain Hajime. We don't want you to tie your life down on being just the captain of the Hyperion and our handler. Please. Enjoy the rest of your month off by taking a break. Get some sight seeing. Attend a party. Do things that distract you for a while. We want you to live your life for now."
"But..."
"TAKE. A. BREAK. THAT IS AN ORDER." He sighed as Theresa ended the holocall.
He sighed in defeat and looked around to see the state of his apartment.
It was a mess. His corkboard on the wall was filled with notes and being traced to every picture. Many pictures were crossed out and many were ripped apart.
Arc City - No trace of Mei
ME Square - No trace of Mei
Jinyamura - No trace of Mei
Xuanyuan - No trace of Mei
Coral Island - No trace of Mei
Snowfield In Siberia - No trace of Mei
Small village near Soukai city - No trace of Mei
No trace of Mei
No trace of Mei
No trace of Mei
To him, those words meant that he failed.
YOU FAILED.
YOU FAILED.
YOU FAILED.
YOU FAILED.
YOU FAILED.
SMASH!
A loud glass shattered was heard in his apartment. In reflex, Hajime took out his pair of pistols from his holster and readied his stance at the window beside him, not realizing that he himself smashed the window glass with his right fist.
"Oh..." He sighed and holstered his weapons and applied bandages on his bleeding right hand.
"Ai-chan? How many days has it been since I took this investigation?"
"24 days."
"How many hours of sleep have I had since?"
"4 hours of sleep at most, sir."
"Are there any more locations of those pink crystals?"
"Soukai City is the only city left that has the recent appearance of those crystals." He took a cup on his table to take a sip, not realizing that there wasn't any more coffee left.
"..."
He has thought about everything in his life. Being the valkyrie's captain. Being the girls' handler. Being their guardian and knight to the society.
Can he admit that he is doing a great job at it?
Well... Tell that to the two Hyperion valkyries that he lost.
"Okay... Okay... Ai-chan?" His personal artificial intelligence displayed itself in front of him. "Send my investigative notes to Theresa and tell her that my trail has gone cold..." Ai-chan stopped at the hesitation in his voice.
"Tell her I give up."
And after what he just said? She couldn't blame him for being depressed.
Walking around in Soukai city helped him get refreshed a little bit as he was trying not to get depressed from his failed investigation. He was cleanly shaved and recently showered and he had a hearty lunch for a long time.
And he was still upset.
"Captain, i may not be installed with emotions detector but i can tell you are clealy upset."
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
"Because that is your fifth coffee for today and my readings clearly say that your blood pressure is way higher than normal. And I am pretty sure that is not from the coffee."
He sighed. "I kinda wished I could have done more than giving up."
"As you once said before, captain. 'Like how Honkai waves spawns, There are things that are beyond our control. You just have to learn from the experiences and put your faith on the things you have learned.'" He chuckled.
" Prepare for the worst but hope for the best." As he summarized. "I am guessing that you are programmed to adapt based on your master's personality?"
"That would be incorrect, Hajime. I am programmed to adapt based on your personality and your needs and how we learn based on the things you do in your life. In this case, i am your 'financial' assistant, Hyperion captain's 'intern' and a student that transcribes your 'teachings'." He chuckled.
"I kinda forget how advanced you are for an ELF."
"You insult me, Hajime. I am a very capable ELF." He laughed at the offended AI as she showed a pout in his aviator glasses that acted as his smart-glasses.
"Tell you what? For accidentally insulting you that much, I will try to have Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla install a program to your liking."
"No. That won't be needed, Captain. I may be an AI but I lack a certain something that I know I won't adapt to from you."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Being a fun captain."
Ow. I am guessing she got her directness from me.
"All I am saying is that you should stop being uptight and live a little." He sighed.
"I will try, Ai chan." He looked around as he was looking around on the streets of Soukai.
People were living their lives, not knowing what Honkai was capable of. Everybody was doing their jobs, going around in stores and trying new opportunities. Trying something different just to experience their 'world' has to give. Where everything is peaceful despite the storm he and his valkyries face. The world they promise to maintain. A life he knows he will not have.
For the Hyperion valkyries however? That would be a whole different matter.
If the valkyries ask him that they want to settle down with their special someone, he will gladly support their decision by financially setting them up for life.
His valkyries were always willing to risk their life on the line just to be the savior of humanity. It feels fair to him that they get to be rewarded handsomely for it.
And if the world says otherwise? He always will be happy to disagree for those who think that the girls dont deserve it.
Wir Kämpfen für die Walküren
If it takes fighting the world for the sake of the valkyries, he will gladly do so with a huge smile.
He smiled softly as he looked around to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
Much to his displeasure, in the midst of the crowd, he spotted two juveniles, probably recently arrested, ganging up on the shorter teenager wearing a hood.
It was fun while it lasted.
He couldn't see who the person was, but to his assessment and observations that it had slender hands after being held, He assumed that it was a short young woman. He sighed deeply.
"You okay, Hajime? Your blood pressure spiked even higher than normal."
"Yeah. I just need to deal with something. Talk to you later." AI-chan nodded and disappeared from his visor as He walked slowly towards the three.
"OH DEAREST~ I am so glad to have found you. I thought I lost you there." He smiled and stood between the two and the little girl. His sudden action surprised all three of them.
"Who are you?" The two squared their shoulders in front of him to show that they were annoyed that he stole their prey.
"Why, I am her husband, of course. Isn't that right sweetie?" He turned his face to see a pink haired girl with pink pupils looking at him in awe.
Immediately understanding what he was trying to do, She smiled and held close to his arm.
"Oh darling~ Why did you suddenly leave me behind? I was so upset that I thought you left me for someone else."
"I am so sorry, honey. I was looking for a quiet place for us to eat in this crowded city but when I turned around, you were already gone." He pouted.
"I am so sorry, darling. How about we find a quiet place together? After all, we are a married couple. We do things together from here on out."
"I promise, my little carnation." Seeing the two so mushy caused the two juveniles to be sick on their stomach and yet they still couldn't leave the girl and kept staring at her as if she was their prey.
"Well... Gentlemen, Why don't we talk it over in a police station? I am sure that they will be happy to help." He showed his Schicksal badge and his pair of pistols. "So how about it, gentlemen? We are just a normal couple that is having their best time of their lives." Seeing the badge caused them to widen their eyes as they knew who they were facing and they were afraid for their lives as they knew it would take a single speed dial to call a one-woman-army.
And everybody knew that no one should mess with a valkyrie unless they want to end up in a hospital eating through a straw for years to come.
"You're definitely right. You are just two married couples, trying to live the best time of their lives."
"But boss..."
"Shut it unless you want him to call one of those superpowered freaks."
Freaks.
The word made Hajime snapped.
He took out his mini dart gun that he always carries in case he has to deal with a hostile civilian and shot at their neck.
It was a smaller weapon than the issued injector gun that was to revive the fallen valkyries in battle but he always finds it useful as there are cases of panicking civilians due to the verge of zombification from Honkai Corruption.
"If I hear you call them freaks again, I will aim them at your spinal cord, effectively paralyzing you two for a month. Do I make myself clear?" His cold and dark look was something people rarely see.
But if you ask Rita what was it like on the receiving end?
She will tell you that it is something you can barely recover from.
And the two juveniles, being unable to speak and paralyzed from both the attack and fear, learned three things from the encounter.
1? NEVER INSULT ST. FREYA.
2? NEVER MESS WITH THE CAPTAIN OF THE FRICKING HYPERION.
3? NEVER EVER INSULT THE VALKYRIES OR IT WILL BE YOUR LAST.
Captain Hajime chuckled at the sight of the girl who was munching down every food set at the table.
"I am glad that you have a healthy appetite." She was now eating a HOMU burger as he sat down giving her a soda.
"Yeah... It has been a while since I last ate something. Traveling around the world takes a lot for a girl, you know?"
"Yeah. I figured that out from the dirty cloak." He smiled softly. "Sorry about what happened earlier. I hope that it won't affect how you see people in the future."
"Oh. No worries. I figured that not everybody is nice and they have something else going on. So it is not a problem for me."
"And you just shrug it off?" The girl shrugged with a smile.
Either she is naive or just pure. And I honestly don't know which is worse.
"Why would it affect me? I am a very capable cute girl that wants no trouble with anyone and wants to be friends with everyone."
Ah. She is naive then... Okay...
"And how is that going for you?" He smiled while crossing his arms.
"Not well to be honest." She frowned as she sighed in dejection. Seeing her in such a state made him smile softly.
"I don't mind being your friend." She looked at him with a smile.
"You mean it?"
"Yeah. I meant every word." She hugged his right arm.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She jumped up and down while holding his hand.
"All right. You need to calm down or else you will get a stomach ache from all of the food you just ate."
"Oh, I will be fine. I have a fast metabolism. No matter how much I eat, I can never seem to gain any weight." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Try not to say that to other people, especially towards women. They will avoid being with you just for that little thing." She pouted.
"Fine." She sat down beside him.
"So what else do you want to try here in Soukai? We got a lot of new things for you to try here."
"You sure? I wouldn't want to impose." The pink haired girl frowned.
"Hey... It's fine. I don't have anything else to do in my life. I am on vacation. And it gets honestly boring just being alone." She giggled.
"Still... You don't mind paying? You just paid a lot just for my meal and it was a lot." She hung her head.
"Girl? I get paid 10 times more than that by the hour. So really. It is fine. I don't mind." One of the perks of being a captain of the Hyperion But i ain't going to mention that.
"Okay." She nodded. "Can you help me go to one of those buildings over there? I always wanted to buy one... what do you call them? an 'ultraphone'?" He chuckled as he saw her placing her finger on her lips as she tried to remember.
"It's called a megaphone. They sell those in the mall and sure, I don't mind. Can I ask what for though?" She giggled.
He swore that he heard this giggle before. He just doesn't know when or where.
"I wanted to use it to tell the world that you are now my first best friend ever since coming here." He widened his eyes at her as she tried to pull towards her and led him to the mall.
"Aren't you taking this a little too fast?" She turned around and frowned at him.
"You mean you don't want to be my best friend?" He widened his eyes and held her hands to comfort her.
"Nonononononononono... What I am trying to say is... I am flattered to be your best friend and all... It's just that... We just kinda started at being friends. So you saying that I am now your best friend and you are going to tell the world feels overwhelmingly quick." He smiled nervously.
"Not to mention that it also feels embarrassing." He muttered under his breath with a blush.
She giggled as she heard him mutter.
"It's fine. I don't see a problem with it." He sighed.
"All right, I trust you. But if you are going to tell the world that I am now your best friend, you might as well tell the world the name of your best friend. Or else people will get confused on who or what you are talking about." She gasped in realization as he tried to play along with her games.
"Ah. I almost forgot to ask for your name. Time moves so fast that I forgot to slow down." He chuckled as she innocently pouted at her own actions.
"I will tell you mine if you tell me yours. Deal?" She nodded in glee and followed up with a giggle.
"Name's Hajime Stellar."
"Nice to finally meet you, Ha~Ji~Me. Name's Elysia. You can call me Ellie for short."
"Likewise. Let's head to the mall and buy you that megaphone you always wanted." Elysia smiled.
"All right. Last one to get there gets to announce how handsome/beautiful their best friend is with the megaphone." She immediately zoomed off before him.
"OY! WE DIDN'T AGREE TO THAT. NOT FUNNY, ELLIE! GET BACK HERE!" He chased after her as she giggled.
Little did he know, he didn't stop smiling all the way to the mall.