Chapter Seven
A Fated Partnership II
My eyes slowly winced open as a thunderous banging intruded on my eardrums. Everything was dark and I couldn't see a thing, but the loud banging noise was heard clear as day outside of my room. Something heavy was weighing down on top of me and something soft and squishy was pressing against my chest, something wet was also pressing up against my crotch. As I looked down I saw a full head of white hair resting on my shoulders and past that was a naked pair of breast pressing against my chest. And from the warmness coming from under the blanket I could only imagine that everything past that set of breast was naked including me. I placed my hand on the back of Shizuka's head as I brought my other free hand up to my face and groaned. Shizuka and I had been at it again last night until we had passed out. I was starting to wonder if I should even bother resisting Shizuka's temptations since it always ended up like this. I mean it wasn't like it mattered since I wasn't married or in a relationship, so having sex with her was fine. I began running my fingers through Shizuka's soft silky hair, Shizuka whether consciously or not let out a pleased murmur and snuggled up to me. It's not like we saw each other every so often and while I enjoyed Shizuka's company... I just don't think we would ever be more than friends. Finishing my train of thought there was another barrage of hammering heard against my door. Someone was really hammering away at my door impatiently and they were not going away. I pushed Shizuka off of me to the side of the bed and got up. Swinging around I looked down and frantically searched through the pile of clothes until I found my boxers. Pulling my boxers up until they were on my waist, I reached down and grabbed my pair of pants and stood up. Stepping into my pair of pants I pulled them upwards. The banging outside of my room grew even louder and before I had even finished pulling my pants up, I frantically hopped towards the door while pulling them up. On my way to the door I grabbed a shirt and pulled it on all the while buttoning up. Finally I reached the door and hit the button on the side panel next to the door...
The door swung open and I found a pair of eyes staring at me angrily. A woman stood before my door with their arms crossed wearing a black hoodie with Chaldea logo along with a pair of black yoga pants.
"A-Ah Raelin!" I exclaimed as Raelin stared at me angrily.
"Good Morning to you too Sir. Whatever happened to "Tomorrow we'll be really assessing your skills so you better not stay up late Raelin."?" Raelin scowled.
"Did I say that?" I inquired with an earnest look of doubt. Raelin narrowed her eyes at me looking very annoyed.
"You did say that. Maybe if remembered what you actually said you would get up on time and do what you said you would do, Sir." Raelin said with judgmental eyes.
"What are you talking about, it can't be that..." I said before being cut off.
"It's 11 AM, I woke up at 6 AM and I've been waiting for you since then." Raelin scowled and I scratched my head in embarrassment.
"Alright, Alright! I'm sorry! I truly am Raelin! I just got... preoccupied with work last night." I said as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I promise we'll assess your skills as soon as I take a shower and get dressed." I said and Raelin narrowed her eyes at me. "What?"
"I don't recall you wearing a blue collared shirt yesterday." Raelin pointed out. At first I was confused, but then I looked down to see that I was indeed wearing a blue collared shirt.
"O-Oh well I just grabbed whatever was laying around." I said trying to pull a fast one and Raelin stood there looking not completely convinced.
"If that's the case your room must really be a mess if you just pick random shirts." Raelin said causing me to let out a fake laugh as that wasn't completely wrong.
"I guess so, maybe it might be good training exercise if I make you clean my room." I said with a chuckle and Raelin's eyes widened in horror.
"N-No I'm good!" Raelin exclaimed and turned around facing the hall. "I'll be heading down to the Gym, please be there in 10 minutes or else I'll be forced to drag you down there myself, Sir." Raelin said before she stormed off down the hall.
I watched her amusingly until she disappeared. Then I retracted my head back into my room and the door slide close in my face. "That girl sure is interesting; here I was thinking that she would be lazy. However turns out that I'm the one being lazy. So much for leading by example" I thought to myself and reached up and smacked my cheeks. "Come on Chris, you need to get your act together. She's your partner now and you need to take things more seriously." I thought to myself and nodded my head in agreement with myself. I turned around and faced the dark room; there was an eerie silence as the room felt empty. However I knew that wasn't the case as I made my way over to the bed and even though it was dark I could see Shizuka's naked backside as she still lay in bed facing the wall.
"See it was just as I said, the beautiful maiden would come along and the older woman would be pushed aside." Shizuka said with a sniffle. I knelt down on the bed and crawled over towards her.
"Don't be so over dramatic Shizuka. I would have rushed to answer the door even if it wasn't Raelin." I said as I placed my hand on Shizuka's shoulder and turned her over, leaning down I kissed Shizuka softly on the lips. After a moment our lips parted from each other and I stood up looking down at Shizuka.
"That doesn't make me feel any better when you say that." Shizuka murmured as she wrapped her arms around her stomach and waist.
"Well I'm not here to make you feel better. If you wanted someone to sweet talk you, you should have chosen someone else." I said. Shizuka looked at me deviously with a smirk.
"Oh but you do make me feel better." Shizuka said as she ran her hands up her body and grasped her breast and firmly squeezed them. "Just like you did last night." Shizuka said mischievously and I ran my hand through my hair before scratching my head with an "oh boy" look on my face. I walked around the bed and made my way towards the small bathroom located close to my reading chair. "I make you feel pretty good too Chris, so don't lie." Shizuka said as I heard a wet noise. Glancing to my side I saw Shizuka lay there with her lips spread and a white liquid had dried in her most private areas. "You came inside me several times last night." Shizuka said sticking her tongue out at me.
"Alright! Are you always this flirty in the morning?" I said turning around with my arms crossed. From behind I heard Shizuka chuckle and more wet noises were heard from behind.
"You know I might end up getting pregnant." Shizuka murmured.
"Well maybe you should take a shower, you never know. You might not be too late." I said keeping my gaze averted from her.
"What will happen if I get pregnant Chris?" Shizuka teased. I ran my hand through my hair begrudgingly and let out a sigh. I turned around and faced Shizuka who laid there with her hands on her breast as she looked at me with a mischief look on her face.
"I guess if that happens I'll just have to take responsibility and marry you." I said as I scratched my head and glanced at her with a smug smile. Shizuka's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but quickly returned to normal as surprise was once again replaced by mischief.
"Hmm that almost makes me want to get pregnant!" Shizuka teased. "I can see it now! The life of a housewife! The cute outfits, taking care of our child, greeting you when you come home!" Shizuka rested her head back against the pillow and rested her arm over her eyes.
"Housewife!" I exclaimed. "Who says I'm going to let you become a Housewife, do you really think I make enough money to support three people?!" I exclaimed.
"We both know you make more than I do." Shizuka replied grinning as she peaked out from under her arms.
"Whatever! Just go take a shower, before I kick you out to the hall." I said scratching my head.
"I have a better idea!" Shizuka exclaimed as she pushed herself upwards and got up on her feet. "Why don't we both shower, that way is more efficient wouldn't you say." Shizuka teased as she pressed her breast up against my chest. "I'll even "clean" you myself." Shizuka teased some more as her hand ran down my chest towards my crotch.
"Yeah okay whatever!" I exclaimed as I grabbed Shizuka's hand and put it back up to my chest. "I don't have much time, I gotta get down to the Gym in less than 10 minutes." I said turning around and scratching my head flustered. Shizuka walked past me and head towards the bathroom, as we both stood at the door I motioned with my hand for her to go ahead. "Ladies first." I said and Shizuka smiled amused as she entered the small bathroom with a nod of her head.
"Such the Gentleman." Shizuka snickered.
"Aren't I always?" I inquired and Shizuka chuckled. I followed her inside and undressed before I hopped into the already cramped enough as is shower with Shizuka where we "cleaned" one another ...
The door swooshed behind me as I exited my room feeling refreshed and clean. Well as refreshed as one could get when a flirtatious woman is breathing down your neck. I had gotten dressed into my usual attire, remembering to put on my own clothes this time, and I glanced up and down the halls as I rubbed my face.
"Well I best head down to gym before Raelin comes back down here." I murmured as I slid my hands in my pockets and headed down the hall. I had left Shizuka behind at my room, Shizuka had said she was gonna rest there for a bit before she had to take off and do something important. What that important thing was, she didn't mention. However what Shizuka did was none of my business, so I didn't bother to inquire into what that important thing was. Besides I had more important things to think about, like what exactly am I going to do with my new partner? I told her I was going to assess her skills. While her marksman skills had room for improvement, and her close quarter combat skills and physical prowess were yet to be seen, but I do not know what l could possibly assess when it came to Mage craft. From what I read yesterday, Raelin was light years ahead of me, she had seven years under her belt at the Mage Association and all I had was the months of rushed training under my belt. As I mulled these thoughts over in my head it wasn't long before I found myself nearing my destination. Looking up from the ground I was met with the glass doors leading into the gym. "Well It's too late too think about it now, best not to worry about it anymore." I thought to myself as the glass doors swooshed open and warmth thrashed me in the face, and I do not believe it was because the heaters were on, as it was more like the fact that every gym on the face of the planet was a sweat factory...
The Chaldea Gym was not as bad as I was making it out to be. Unlike a public gym, the Chaldea Gym saw limited traffic and was regularly kept clean as were most of the facilities in Chaldea. As I looked around the Gym it was mostly empty say for a few people running on the treadmills or some guys lifting weights. However one could be found pummeling a poor punching bag. I made my way over towards the punching bags approaching hiding my figure behind the punching bag until I was directly in front of it. As the bag went flying forward I grasped it and lowered it back down while holding onto it from the other side.
"You took your sweet time... Sir." Raelin said as she threw another punch into the bag.
"I made my way here as quickly as I could." I said grunting as I held the bag into place. "I had to shower and what not." I added.
"Well at least you remembered to come here dressed. However it's not exactly workout clothing, a suit that is." Raelin said as I felt the bag vibrate from another punch.
"Who said anything about me working out, I'm only here to assess your physical strengths." I said which earned me a grunt in reply from Raelin.
"And how are you gonna do that?" Raelin inquired.
"I don't know, maybe I'll just see how much you can lift in weights or maybe how many sits ups you can do, or MAYBE I might just make you run the entire outside perimeter of Chaldea." I said and Raelin furrowed her eyebrows as she cringed. I smirked and soon thereafter I let out a grunt as Raelin punched the bag recoiling it into my chest.
"How would that tell you anything about my skills in close combat?" Raelin sneered as she shook her hand.
"Well if you can prove that can you can endure the colds of Chaldea..." I said as Raelin punched the bag again. "... Then you certainly have some endurance going for you. And if you have some endurance going for you then you can certainly put up a fight in close quarters combat." I said.
"I shouldn't have to prove anything; I went through the Combat training at the Mages Association!" Raelin exclaimed with another firm punch to the bag. As I recovered from another one of Raelin's punches she made her way around the bag and faced me. Raelin slapped her hand against the punching bag before leaning against it.
"Just because you went through some combat training doesn't mean that you're ready to tackle actual field operations." I said.
"I'm not a little kid; I know how to handle myself better than you think." Raelin snapped back. "I can prove it to you that I'm capable of holding my own in combat." Raelin said jerking her thumb back at herself.
"Uh Huh why don't you enlighten me on how you intend to prove that you're more than capable of handling yourself against an opponent." I said crossing my arms and a smirk encroached upon Raelin's face.
"I challenge you! One on One Combat me and you. If I can take you down, then I should be more than capable of facing actual opponents." Raelin said as she curled her hand up into a fist and raised it with a determined expression on her face. If Raelin had not looked one hundred percent serious I would have more than likely rejected her outright. Instead I decided to humor her proposition.
"Uh Huh so say you beat me in combat, what do you want in return for winning" I inquired.
"If I win I want you to stop treating me like a novice and let me start doing Field work alongside of you right away!" Raelin exclaimed. "I also want to be on equal footing with you, so that means put me in for an officer nomination." Raelin said and I stood there scratching my cheek at Raelin's proposition. "Raelin was pretty keen on getting out on the field, I don't know why. It wasn't exactly a glamorous job, cleaning up the worst that the Mage Society had to offer." I thought to myself, but if Raelin was so keen on it I'd give her a chance.
"Soooo... What do I get if I win the fight?" I inquired as I rubbed my nose.
"If... If you win the fight we will do things your way." Raelin said. "I'll follow your instructions to the letter and work my way up to officer instead." Raelin added and I cupped my chin.
"That sounds like a fair deal I suppose." I said after a moment extending my hand out to Raelin. Raelin looked down at my hand and reached out and grasped it firmly shaking, sealing the deal.
"So where are we gonna hold this fight?" Raelin asked with her hands out as she glanced around the gym.
"Well I'd rather not hit the back of my head on any of the Gym Equipment." I said as I tucked my hands back into my pockets. "So we should probably do this in one of the close quarter combat rooms." I suggested.
"Why does Chaldea's gym have close quarter combat rooms?" Raelin asked.
"Wellll they're not really called Close quarter combat rooms. That's just what everyone calls them. They're really just rooms that Chaldea installed a year ago, because some people wanted a place to box with one another while some others wanted a place to practice their martial arts." I said shrugging my shoulders.
"Well I guess those will work." Raelin said crossing her arms. "Lead the way Sir." Raelin added. I obliged, leading her towards a set of double doors that lead into the Combat Room. Pulling down on the door handle, I pushed it open and held it open for Raelin.
"Ladies first." I said as I held the door open, Raelin walked by me nodding her head in thanks. Closing the doors behind me as we entered I followed Raelin into a large circular white room. The walls and floor were all white and a black ring on the floor went around the room. Raelin stood in the center of the room looking around intrigued.
"This is a combat room? Seems kind of weird. Almost like a Simulation room or something." Raelin said.
"I don't know. I wasn't the one who designed these rooms." I replied as I slid my hands into my pockets. Raelin swung around and faced me as I stood across the room from her.
"Alright so what are the rules of this fight?" Raelin inquired with a raised eyebrow. I reached up and scratched my chin as I circled around Raelin, her gaze following me as I did. "Raelin obviously has me beat when it comes to a straight out Magic fight, so I should probably rule out Magic for the fight. However would putting restraints on Raelin, really be fair?" I thought to myself as I came to a stop.
"Normally there would be no rules in a real fight, but for the sake of not destroying the facility I'm going to forbid Magic usage." I said turning to face Raelin. A look of dread had fallen upon of Raelin's face as she looked at me, rightfully so I imagined. Since it was a tendency for mages to be over reliant on magic.
"What?" Raelin exclaimed. "You must be joking! What's the point of applying to work at an Organization who uses magic, if you can't use magic!" Raelin went onto vent her frustration.
"I'm not saying you can't use magic Raelin, I'm simply saying you can't use magic in this fight. I wouldn't want to damage the facility or put each other in danger." I said and shrugged my shoulders. "But if you feel like you can't beat me without magic, then I understand. We can go back to continuing..." I said before being abruptly cut off.
"No!" Raelin exclaimed. "I can beat you without magic!" Raelin said as she threw her hand across her chest slicing through the air.
"Very well then." I said. "Aside from no magic allowed, everything else is fair game." I said as I placed my hands behind my back.
"Alright then." Raelin said with a nod of the head.
"You may begin whenever you're ready." I said and Raelin cocked her head at me looking at me strangely.
"Are you not going to take off your suit jacket?" Raelin inquired.
"I hardly see what good or difference it would make if I did take off my jacket." I replied. "Besides in an actual fight it's not like I would have the luxury to put on something more appropriate." I added.
"If this was an actual fight I'd be allowed to use magic!" Raelin exclaimed.
"If this was an actual fight you would have never had made it this close to me." I said and Raelin narrowed her eyes at me. "Now are you going to quit complaining or actually fight? Nobody is going to have a conversation with you during a fight." I said.
Raelin's eyes turned serious as her hands curled in and out of a fist at her side before Raelin slid her feet apart and took up a fighting stance with her fist raised. A moment passed us by as we stood there staring at one another. Raelin's magical circuits flickered on across her body and in the blink of the eye she propelled herself forward and shot across the room towards me. I side stepped out of the way allowing for Raelin to shoot past me straight into the wall. There was a loud crash and a dust cloud filled the room.
"Using your magic circuits to boost your physical prowess and close the distance between us was admirable, but works best when you opponent is caught off guard and not ready for you." I said as I turned to face the dust cloud. There was a moment of silence as nobody responded or no movement was seen. My head shot up as I saw Raelin leap up out from the dust cloud and come down towards me. I leaped back out of the way as Raelin slammed her foot down on the floor causing a shockwave throughout the room, and probably the building too, Raelin looked up at me from her spot with an irritated expression on her face, before standing up. I always found it interesting when examining Magical circuits, they were like veins on the body that lit up. Raelin's Magical circuits were a blue like most other peoples, but on the rare occasion I would see other colors. Raelin shot towards me in another sonic blast using her circuits to propel herself again. The is time she stopped short of running past me and threw her arm back before proceeding to throw a punch in my direction. I twisted my body to the side narrowly missing Raelin's punch and this went back and forth for a few moments as Raelin launched a barrage of punches in my direction and I dodged them twisting left and right. "I had the weight and height advantage over Raelin, however Raelin's more smaller build meant she was more agile and quicker than me. So I had to be careful she didn't get around me..." I thought to myself just as Raelin threw another punch. I rose my hand up and stopped her fist before it hit me in the chest causing another shockwave throughout the room. I reached out with my other hand and grasped Raelin's wrist, throwing my weight around I swung Raelin around before letting go. Raelin went flying across the room and slammed into a wall letting out an Oomph noise.
"At this point Raelin, you're doing more damage to yourself than I am." I said as Raelin pushed herself up off the ground.
"Hmph." Raelin muttered as she raised her fist and slowly approached me more cautiously. Raelin now stood a few meters away from me and cautiously threw punches in my direction; probing my reach I had no doubt. I however continued to remain on the defensive taking steps back to avoid her punches. Raelin seemingly began to grow impatient as she decided to close the distance and get in closer to me. Raelin threw her punches in towards my chest and I rose my arms up in front of me to absorb her punches. I raised my left and right arm back and forth as Raelin launched her punches at me continuously, I saw Raelin's magical circuits flicker on as she increased her physical strength with magic. Raelin punched my arms and a shockwave blasted through the room as my own magic circuits activated to be able to match Raelin's punches. Several more shockwaves rocked the room as she punched me repeatedly. Suddenly I felt the wind knocked out of me as I felt Raelin's fist impact with my stomach. I went flying a feet or two in the air before my feet touched the ground once more and I came skidding to a stop. I hardly had a moment to catch my breath as Raelin was right on top of me preparing to punch me straight in the face. I stepped out of the way barely missing a hard punch to the face, Raelin stumbled past me after her fist failed to make contact. Taking this opportunity before she could swing around, I grasped Raelin by putting my arm around her neck and putting her into a headlock.
"Uck!" Raelin gasped as I held her head in my arms.
"So would you like to give up now?" I asked and Raelin was throwing her elbow into my chest trying to get out.
"F-Fat chance." Raelin said even when she was in such a precarious position. Then all of a sudden Raelin threw her weight upwards going over my head and with her weight pulling me down, it wasn't long before I found my back slamming into the ground with a massive shockwave booming throughout the room and I let out a gasp of pain. Raelin had escaped from my headlock by now and was now on top of me throwing punches against the sides of my head. I raised my arms up to shield my face from Raelin's punches, however some of her punches still made their way through my defenses. This continued on for a few more moments as I decided best how to get out of this situation, all the while guarding against Raelin's punches. It was then when I decided my best option; I shot my knee up straight into Raelin's crotch area.
"Owe! Owe! Owe!" Raelin cried out in pain as she rolled off of me and held her stomach. "Why would you knee me there of all places!? Women feel pain when they get hit down there too you know!" Raelin exclaimed.
"I know. That's why I did it. And I had said everything was fair game." I said as I grasped my knees and stood up looking down at her.
"Well if everything's fair, why don't we see how you like it!" Raelin exclaimed and I saw her foot up. Just as I saw it an excruciating pain shot through my stomach and lower body as I felt Raelin kick me in my most private areas. "God damn it woman." I said gritting my teeth as I felt my knees give out and I fell to the ground holding my stomach.
"EVERYTHING'S FAIR REMEMBER!?" Raelin said as she got up to her feet. I fought through the pain and got back up on my feet, facing off against Raelin. "I needed to calm down; Raelin was just trying to get me worked up so I would be less on guard." I thought to myself as I held my stomach. Just then Raelin charged towards without using her magic circuits and crashed into my stomach, and I felt as I was lifted up off the ground and then a pain went through my back as I slammed into the wall. Raelin then proceeded to start punching me in the stomach. Pain still fresh in my mind early I wasn't going to allow her to continue hitting my still sensitive stomach anymore, I rose my elbow up and my magic circuits flashed as I brought my elbow down on her back. Raelin let go off me and hit the floor with a painful groan, but it was short lived as I felt myself swept off my feet by a kick from Raelin to my legs and I was on my back once more. Raelin threw herself on top of me and I rose my feet placing them on her stomach, Raelin threw a few punches at my head while I was down. The magic circuits inside of my legs flashed underneath of my pants just before I kicked Raelin off of me using all of my weight. Raelin went flying up into the ceiling and another shockwave rocked the room along with another cloud of dust forming. A moment passed by before Raelin fell from the ceiling and hit the ground with a loud OMPH. I pushed myself up to my feet and walked towards her. Raelin slowly pushed herself up off the ground while holding her head and then holding her stomach. As I grew close to Raelin, Raelin shook her head and threw another punch at me. Raelin's punch lacked any coordination so stepping out of her desperate punch was easy enough. As Raelin went by I grabbed her by the wrist and twisted her arm behind her back before pushing her down onto the ground.
Raelin laid face down on the remains of the destroyed floor struggling underneath my weight as I held her arm behind her back and my other hand on the back of her head.
"Do you give up?" I asked and there were a few more moments of struggling before all resistance ceased.
"Yes I give up!" Raelin exclaimed and I let go of her arms and promptly got off of her, standing up. Raelin turned over on her back before she sat up and scratched her head furiously while letting out a groan of annoyance.
"That was well fought." I said as I extended my hand out towards her. Raelin looked up at me and saw my out extended hand.
"Thanks." Raelin said sincerely as she reached up and grasped my hand. I pulled Raelin up onto her feet and she dusted herself off.
"It's not that I think you're a novice Raelin, I can clearly see you're a skilled individual." I said and Raelin looked up at me. "However even as skilled as you are, there is room for improvement. I just wanna make sure you're prepared for actual combat; the people you'll have to face will try every underhanded trick in the book to fight you. And they won't be as kind as I was, they'll be wanting to kill you." I said sternly.
"Yeah, Yeah. You don't need to tell me, especially after "your underhanded trick"." Raelin said pouting as she crossed her arms. I could only look at her amusingly as I reached over and patted her on the head; Raelin swiped my hand away in reply.
"I'm being serious Raelin... Although you certainly proved yourself during that fight." I said. "You usually don't see those kinds of moves here at the association, where you'd learn some of those moves?" I inquired curiously.
"I... You could say that I just learned them growing up." Raelin replied and I rubbed my chin still curious, but decided not to press her any further.
"Alright if you say so." I said. "I just noticed that it wasn't the usual fighting they teach you in combat training that's all." I added. A short amount of time went by as I stared at Raelin. "Raelin, you're more than capable of taking somebody on, you could use some more hands on experience with guns, and you have a strong determination. I think that by next week you'll be ready for some field work." I said and Raelin's face lit up with a large smile.
"Really! Thank you Sir! I promise I won't let you down!" Raelin said with a respectful salute.
"Let's please stop calling me Sir, Chris will suffice alright?" I said returning Raelin's salute.
"Understood Chris!" Raelin said as she dropped her salute and wore a big smile on her face. "So does this mean I don't have too...?" Raelin said before I interjected.
"You better get out there Raelin; I'll be timing how long it takes you to get from one side of the base and back." I said with a cheeky smile. Raelin's delight had disappeared entirely and her shoulders sunk along with the rest of her body.
"W-What you've got to be kidding me?!" Raelin exclaimed with a frown.
"Come on now Raelin, I'll be starting the countdown now." I said as I pulled back my sleeve and raised my wrist up as I clicked a button on my silver watch.
"F-Fine! I'll show you! Some cold won't stop me!" Raelin exclaimed as she swung around and dashed out of the Gym towards the nearest exit out of the base. I followed her out of the gym and watched her rush down the hallway, people stepping out of the way to avoid being bulldozed. An amused smile couldn't help but form on my lips as I watched her disappear. Raelin might be seem like a troublesome girl, but I had a feeling that at least my life would be more interesting from here on out. So in a way I was a bit glad that I had got stuck with Raelin as my new partner.
"Well I'd best go grab my coat." I said to myself as I dug my hands into my pockets and turned around, heading back towards my room at a modest pace...
A Few Minutes Later
I arrived outside of my room and the door swooshed open, I was greeted by the darkness of my room. My hand reached over and tapped a button on the side panel, causing the room to be engulfed in light.
"Shizuka?" I called out to see if she was here. There was no response, which could only lead me to assume that Shizuka had left to go do whatever important thing she said she had to do. I stepped further into my room and saw that Shizuka had so kindly changed the sheets and made the bed. "Maybe she really is practicing to be a Housewife." I murmured amused alongside of a chuckle. As my eyes scanned the room I saw a white piece of paper lying over at my desk. I put my hands in my pockets and approached my desk, upon closer inspection the white piece of paper was filled with handwriting, and not in my handwriting. I stopped in front of the desk and looked down at the paper, gripping the corners of the paper I lifted it up to read...
Dear Chris,
It would seem as if my contract with Chaldea Security Organization has finally reached its end so I'll be returning home to Japan now. It would appear that Chaldea will no longer be employing Instructors for new recruits of the Security Department and switching over to a Partner System to teach students. Once again the old Maiden has been pushed away for the newer methods. In all reality I heard it was to cut back on cost as Chaldea focuses their money elsewhere to some Important Project, I don't know what it is though. Since I was told such information was above my pay grade. So that was one of the major reasons why I heard Chaldea is actually switching over to this Partner Program despite what you might hear on the contrary.
If I do end up getting pregnant I'll be sure to ring you up and let you know you get to take responsibility. I expect a nice wedding ring along for a wedding perhaps in Hawaii! Better get all of the American paperwork sorted out! If it turns out being a Girl I'll name it Christiane or if it's a boy I'll name it Christopher Jr! Very fitting names don't you think! I'm hoping it'll be a girl, if it's a boy I might feel outnumbered!
Anyway, jokes aside. I do hope you take good care of yourself dear and more importantly take good care of Raelin! Raelin may be young in years and perhaps inexperienced, but I can see that she has great potential. That is after all why I recommended to Chaldea that she be paired up with you! So you best take good care of her and teach her everything you know so she can reach her full potential or perhaps even surpass it! Raelin might seem like trouble, but sometimes in the end that trouble is worth it! Also don't do anything I wouldn't do! Treat your new partner with respect. A young woman is a very fragile being, so take good care of her!
I'll text you once I arrive back home. It looks like I'll have to find myself a new job. I wonder if any if there are any mages in need of a tutor or perhaps a Mage Academy in Japan will take me in, if not I suppose I could always sell myself... Just kidding! I can see the look on your face right now as you read that line! Seriously though! No need to worry about me! I'll be fine. You take care of yourself, and I'm sure we will see ourselves again soon!
Love,
Shizuka.
P.S. I hope you enjoy the present I left you! Don't let Raelin find it! She might get jealous!
As my eyes finished the last sentence I lifted up the letter to see a neatly folded pair of black panties lying on the desk. "God damn it!" I thought to myself as I reached up and scratched my head in annoyance. "What the hell am I supposed to do with these?" I thought to myself as I looked down on the pair of panties. I threw the letter back down on top of the panties and I cupped my chin forgetting about the panties for a moment.
"I wonder what project Chaldea is working on that they let off Shizuka and the other instructors. I mean I doubt that the instructors cost that much money, so this mysterious program must require all the money they can gather up." I murmured into my hand. It was also disheartening that Shizuka was heading home, as I now had less people to talk too. I mean I have Raelin now, but there are things I can talk too Shizuka about that I can't talk too Raelin about. Well there was nothing I could about Shizuka's departure, people changed jobs and were laid off constantly. I expected Shizuka was actually glad to have left Chaldea since she had been working here for so long, she'd told me on multiple occasions she'd like a change of scenery. "Well I better get back to Raelin, incase she freezes to death." I said as I turned and made my way over to my closet. Grabbing my jacket out of the closest, I put it on and was ready to go. I grabbed Shizuka's letter and folded it up before sliding it into my coat pocket and unsure what to do I just slid Shizuka's panties into one my drawers before slamming it shut. With everything in hand I set out of my room, turning off the lights behind me...
A few minutes later with coffee in hand I reached one of the exterior doors of the Chaldea Complex that led outside. "I'm glad that I was able to grab this coffee on my way here. I was in such a rush to go find Raelin that I didn't even get to have Breakfast, but I suppose this coffee will have to do." I thought to myself as the glass doors leading outside swooshed open revealing too me the cold fringes of the arctic. Chaldea had a large courtyard that stood between the main Chaldea Complex and the outer wall, and while nobody was ever seen in this courtyard except for Security personal going between the complex and outer wall, it was a good of a place as any to run if you so choose to. The snow crunched beneath my feet as I stepped outside and the doors shut close behind me. I glanced around the courtyard to see nobody about, until my gaze met Raelin's own gaze as she ran alongside the complex as fast her legs would carry her. I took a sip from my coffee cup as I watched Raelin run towards me which took a few minutes. Raelin was clutching her arms as she ran towards me and as she came up to me I could see she was shivering, her face was red from the frostbite nipping at her cheeks.
"S-See I told you that the c-c-c-cold wasn't going to stop me." Raelin said as she shivered in place.
"You look like you're practically going to keel over." I said amusingly.
"Tha... That's because its freeeeeezzing, but you wouldn't know that all bundle up would you?" Raelin said as she narrowed her eyes. "Now tell me what time I got." Raelin demanded.
"Oh yes your time." I said as I pulled back my sleeve and looked at my watch. "You got around twelve minutes." I said and Raelin ruffled her eyebrows.
"Twelve minutes..." Raelin groaned. "You're not going to make me run around the base again are you?" Raelin asked.
"No, I think I've tortured you enough for the day." I replied with a chuckle.
"Good, because I'm freezing." Raelin pouted as she closed her eyes and rubbed her arms shivering.
"Here, you can have my cup of coffee." I said offering her my Styrofoam cup. Raelin opened her eyes as her face lit up and she gratefully accepted the coffee cup into her hands. Raelin rose the coffee cup up to her lips and sipped from it eagerly. After a moment Raelin brought the cup down from her lips and a smile had formed on those very lips.
"Ah!" Raelin gasped as color returned to her face. "So would you say that twelve minutes was a good time?" Raelin inquired.
"Well it wasn't really about the time. It was really to see if you could endure running through the snow." I said tucking my hands into my pockets. Raelin furrowed her eyebrows at me.
"What would you have done if I hadn't endured?" Raelin asked.
"Well if you hadn't, I guess I'd have to wander the perimeter and find wherever you fell down in the snow. Then I'd have to carry you back to the Doctor." I said. Raelin narrowed her eyes at me once more before taking a sip from the coffee cup.
"What would you have done if I really had beaten you?" Raelin asked. "Would you really have put up for Officer promotion?" Raelin added. I pulled my hand out of my pocket and brought it down on her head as I patted it.
"Let's not worry about different realities shall we?" I said as I attempted to dodge the question.
"Why not! Since it's not like I actually won, why don't you tell me!" Raelin demanded. "Geez this girl is so demanding." I thought to myself.
"... Nope there's no way in hell I would have actually put you up for an officer promotion. There's no way they would just promote a rookie to officer." I said as I still patted Raelin on the head.
"Mmm! So you took a complete gamble in hopes that I wouldn't win!" Raelin exclaimed angrily.
"No I wouldn't call it a gamble. It was more of a calculated risk." I said with an amused chuckle and Raelin let out an annoyed grumble in reply.
"Well how did you rise through to the officer rank!? You've only been here two years you said!" Raelin exclaimed.
"You don't think I was sitting at my desk these whole two years do you?" I asked. "It took a lot of hard work and perspiration to reach my rank as officer, and some notable accomplishments If I do say so myself." I said scratching my cheek.
"What Notable accomplishments could possibly help you rise through to an officer?" Raelin said with a raised eyebrow.
"Perhaps I'll tell you another time, for now let us head inside before your feet freeze to the ground." I said as I placed my hand on Raelin's back and lead her inside. "Then after I have breakfast, we'll see how much you can actually lift. Who knows you might have to carry me home from a mission." I said with an amused smile, and an agitated groan escaped from Raelin's lips as we headed inside...
A Frown had formed on my lips as I looked down at the black polymer gun and wiped my fingers at the smudges and scratches, even though I know that no matter how much I wiped or cleaned this gun, the scratches nor the memories would ever leave this gun. I looked up and turned around, stepping over the parts and pieces lying on the floor I made my way over to the window. Leaning forward against the window, I looked out over the pond, reaching into my jacket pocket I pulled my phone out. After unlocking my phone I scrolled through my contacts until I reached the contact I desired. Tapping the call button I rose the phone up to my ear and as I sat there waiting for the person to pick up on the end, I found myself reflecting some more as I stared out over the pond...
"... H-Hello?" A Sleepy Female voice answered on the other end of the phone.
"Shizuka it's me." I replied.
"C-Chris? Chris do you know how late it is right now in the UK? I was sleeping." Shizuka murmured.
"I know, I'm sorry for calling you so late." I said.
"Chris I have to teach classes tomorrow early morning. Can this not wa..." Shizuka groaned, but I cut her off before she could finish.
"I wanted to ask you about Raelin." I said and the other end went dead silent for a few moments.
"Ju-Just give me a moment." Shizuka said and there was a pause once more "... Of course I'll talk to you about Raelin, what do you want to talk about?" Shizuka said as her sheepish tone disappeared and became more serious. Shizuka knew that I never liked to talk about Raelin, so for me too bring her up must have meant it was important.
"Shizuka, that day that you returned home after Chaldea let you go. The letter you left me." I said and glanced down at the gun in my other hand. "Why did you recommend that Raelin be partnered up with me?" I asked.
"... After all those years you spent with her. You really need me to tell you why?" Shizuka said.
"I just want to hear from you on why you choose to put her with me." I said and there was another moment's pause before I heard a sigh and Shizuka replied.
"Well it was because she complimented you nicely. She made up for what you lacked in mage craft and you made up for what she lacked in weapon handling and tactical thinking." Shizuka said. "And as much as you might not want to admit it, Raelin was similar in nature to you. You both have a good sense of humor along with both of you being good natured individuals." Shizuka went on. "She also made up for some of what you lacked, while you are more reserved and coolheaded, Raelin was outgoing and energetic. She was able to make friends with almost everyone she met. While you're more picky about the friends you deicide to make." Shizuka said. I sighed as I rested my head against the window panel.
"I wish you had chosen someone else to be her partner, if you had she might still be alive..." I murmured.
"You don't really mean that, do you Chris?" Shizuka murmured and I knew she was right, I didn't really mean that. I replied in heartfelt manner as my eyes began to sadden.
"No... No I don't. It's just that I keep recalling all of these memories, and the more memories I recall the more and more I long to hold her in my arms once again and see her smiling face..."
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