"Come on now, girl, let me walk on my own; I'm fine, mmkay?"
Intrepid didn't buy it. Even without looking, she could tell he would definitely keel over the moment his only support—her shoulder—left him to fend for himself.
She certainly had no intention of doing that, though. Not even when he reeked of rice wine and fermented fish, an unholy combination tormenting her poor nostrils. It's not like it was his fault he ended up that plastered to begin with.
"Really, Intrepid…I can walk; Iiiiiii'm fiiine on my ooooown," he slurred again—Intrepid noted, with some amusement, that his gait had steadied slightly instead of plodding and dragging like before. It was as if he was trying to assert the claim—a claim she was unwilling to test.
"With all due respect, Lieutenant, I think you're talking baloney. And I'd rather not take the risk and let you be on your own. Who knows what'll happen if the Commander saw you stumbling and bumbling? Maybe he'll yell at you?" Intrepid held a laugh over the mental image of him being on the receiving end of their superior's notoriously blistering dressing down, cowering all the way.
A defeated ugh was all Lieutenant McKimson could manage before he seemingly surrendered himself to the shipgirl, and he no longer said anything until they reached the door to his home within the base. That was when Intrepid let him go, only to find him slumping against the door, scrambling for keys and failing miserably.
Shaking her head, she slid closer and began rummaging through his coat pockets after telling him to stop. It didn't take long for her to realize that, to others, the whole thing would look like she was feeling him up. But despite her suddenly flushing cheeks, she persevered until she finally found what they were looking for. She had thought of handing it over but then decided he wouldn't be able to unlock the door anyway and did it herself.
Once inside, McKimson groggily reached for the light switch, managing to flip it after several feeble attempts before collapsing on the couch.
"Really now, you shouldn't let them give you so much to drink," Intrepid clicked her tongue, feeling somewhat sorry about the sight.
"Ehh...what can I do? I'm about to leave the Navy, after all. So I guess I could just let them…uhh…do what they want."
"Hmm, still…" Intrepid trailed off; that was indeed why he was drunk and why she actually tagged along. Her presence, though, wasn't enough to prevent his colleagues from giving him drinks after drinks, despite knowing he's a lightweight.
"Ooooh wait, don't tell me… you're worried about me…? Heheheh…"
"Seriously, you're the type to do a complete 180 when drunk, huh? You're usually such a nerd," she attempted to laugh it off, but her efforts came off as nervous instead. In any case, she was grateful he was too busy laughing by himself to notice.
"Oh well, you're already home, so that means I'm no longer needed," Intrepid turned to leave, only for him to call her back, still with that silly grin all over his face.
"…Hey, have I told you you look so beautiful tonight?"
At first, she was bewildered; seconds later, she frowned, but soon she gave a lopsided smile.
"Uh, no, you haven't."
"Well, I just did," he stood up, "And just so you know, I…I…actually l—"
He didn't finish. He flopped onto the couch and finally passed out for real.
Intrepid stared at his sleeping form for a good while and moved closer to remove his glasses before closing the door behind her.
But she didn't leave right away. She leaned on that door, a hand on her chest, feeling it beating wildly.
Despite that, she was grinning.
"Heeh, he said that?"
"Yes, yes, he did. Don't make me repeat the whole thing, 'kay, Ty? And you're too close."
"Must be why you look a little too happy as you arrive," Ticonderoga leaned back on the cafeteria chair with an incredulous laugh. Now that Intrepid had decided to drop that bombshell, so to speak, she was fully determined to dig deeper, even if she had to miss lunch.
"Uh, am I?" Intrepid inquired—the food she was about to eat fell off her fork into the plate as she stared agape at her tablemate.
"You're smiling, girl."
"I'm always smiling!"
"But not this big!"
"I…" Intrepid realized she had no comeback to that; she ended up making an odd noise that sounded like groaning and choking rolled into one.
"Well, setting that aside—did he say anything else?"
Intrepid met the query with a frown and set her cutleries down.
"Actually…um, he was about to say something before passing out."
"Aah…I see," Ticonderoga nodded. "Are you not curious?"
"I guess…somewhat? Frankly, I thought he was just going to say something ridiculous," replied Intrepid.
"Maybe… but then again, some people will become honest when drunk."
Intrepid saw Ticonderoga looking straight at her. The teasing glint she saw in her eyes just before was now gone.
"Uhhh…what?"
"Well, he did say you're beautiful, right?"
"Yes, but…uh, I don't think there's a deeper meaning to it," Intrepid shuddered slightly as Ticonderoga's gaze remained focused on her. She noticed the reaction and shook her head.
"Oh well, maybe you're right," she sighed, but her usual grin returned soon after, much to Intrepid's relief—enough to get her appetite back.
"Say, Inty, I have these tickets to Tokyo Tower. Perhaps you'd like to have them?"
Intrepid looked up to see Ticonderoga presenting several strips of paper.
"…Not that I mind, but why all of a sudden?"
"Oh, you see, I was thinking of inviting you to go with me, but I think you could put it to better use," Ticonderoga placed the tickets before Intrepid.
"What better use? I mean, I don't mind going with you," Intrepid said as she received the tickets.
Instead of answering, Ticonderoga stood up, circled the table, and hugged Intrepid from behind, whispering into her ear.
"Why don't you go with him?"
Intrepid squirmed and blushed, but Ticonderoga didn't let go.
"But why…"
"So you can sort out your feelings before he's gone for good. And trips to somewhere far away are good for that."
"…Feelings…Wait… don't tell me you—"
Intrepid squirmed some more—only then did Ticonderoga let go.
"…Yes, I know. And I don't want you to regret not doing something about it later," she said. Her words had an oddly gentle tinge to them—at least to Intrepid, and she didn't feel like denying them anymore.
"…But what if he declined?"
"Then give me back those, and we'll go together."
Intrepid looked over her shoulder. Ticonderoga's smile was now as gentle as her words earlier.
"But trust me, he won't. So go there and be your usual fearless self. Let him see that."
Intrepid considered the words; her resolve didn't take long to return. She shot up, gripping the tickets so hard and crumpling them.
"I get it now. You're right. I have to do this," she declared and paced towards the exit. She stopped just before the door and turned around.
"I owe you one, Ty. But when I get back, I'll grill you on how you found out."
"Yeah, yeah. I understand," Ticonderoga waved her away, just as grinning. When Intrepid had left, she returned to her seat.
"Seriously, who doesn't notice, though?" she laughed.
Intrepid soon found herself in front of the door she was all too familiar with.
"Ready or not, here I come," she rapped on the door firmly and curtly. After three knocks, there was a thud, followed by a crash, then a groan—before the person inside yelled, "coming!"
"Uh, ehh…Intrepid?!"
"Don't look so surprised, now. Oh, and sorry for intruding," Intrepid helped herself inside while McKimson was still standing by the door dumbfounded and plopped on the couch. She noticed the pack of Alka-Seltzer on the end table. Seeing it, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry—but at least he didn't throw up all over the place, she thought.
"Uhhh…"
"Hey, pal. You look like hell."
"Well, I'm already feeling somewhat better, actually—headache notwithstanding, that is. Um, more importantly…"
"Yeah?"
"Did I say or do something stupid last night? My memories are fuzzy…" McKimson sat on a different chair, still massaging his forehead, which felt like it was being relentlessly pummeled by sledgehammers. Try as he might, he couldn't shake off the feeling of having done or said something outrageous, even though Intrepid was smiling a hearty one—nothing unusual that would suggest he did.
"Nope, I don't think you did," came her chipper reply.
"Really now…?" McKimson was still not entirely convinced because Intrepid's cheeks were unusually pink as she spoke.
"Yeeesh, I told you, nope," she insisted, and McKimson decided to drop the subject. She was adamant that nothing happened, and if something did happen, maybe it was for the best that he didn't know.
He could only hope it won't come back to haunt him later.
"Okay, so, uh, I didn't expect you'd visit today," he coughed and pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Here. I want you to have this," Intrepid showed McKimson the tickets. He squinted to better look at the heavily creased strips and realized what they were.
"Tokyo Tower tickets?"
"Yup—you can climb up to the top with these."
"Oh, uh…thanks…wait…does this mean…" McKimson inquired as he received one of them and noticed Intrepid was holding the other one. She laughed at that as he seemingly began putting two and two together.
"We're going together, silly."
McKimson stared blankly before registering what she'd said, and his expression became more appropriately surprised.
"Ehhhhhhhhhhh?! B-b-but…"
"Well…to be honest—since you're going back home…" Intrepid paused before she could say "for good" and exhaled.
"Yeah?"
"I mean, when was the last time we went to Tokyo? It was several years ago, wasn't it? With the others? And we didn't even visit Tokyo Tower. So…I just wanna go with you. For old time's sake."
"I…I see…" McKimson's gaze lingered on the tickets. But Intrepid was patiently smiling—a smile that grew when he nodded.
"Great! Then, what time should we go?"
Their train departed Yamato at half-past six and arrived in Yokohama half an hour later. It'd be another half an hour before Tokyo.
McKimson had thought of busying himself reading the women's magazine Intrepid had brought—which she claimed was actually Ticonderoga's—but one glance at her had him staring longer than he thought was appropriate, even for a friend.
But he couldn't help it, just like he couldn't help it before.
She wasn't aware of that, of course—her hands and face were pressed against the window, staring wide-eyed at the rapidly changing landscape as the train zoomed past.
Whether she realized it or not, she was wearing the same expression as that day, her complexion still untouched by any makeup. That freewheeling air she always had about her had become strikingly potent—just like that day.
"Hey, now that I think of it, going a bit late was a good idea, huh?" she exclaimed, abruptly turning to McKimson, who only barely had the time to look away and pretend to be back reading.
"Well, yeah. Truth is, I suggested that we do because…because you've always liked the night more," McKimson peered from behind the pages, catching a glimpse of her glee.
For a moment, Intrepid was silent. Then she laughed; laughed so heartily it drew the attention of some of the passengers. Some looked on confused, some disapproving.
McKimson buried his reddening face into the magazine as Intrepid's laughter died down until only the occasional titters remained.
"Aww, you know me well. But then again, I know you too. You like it as much as I do," she said, beaming still.
McKimson lowered the magazine, meeting her eye to eye, and smiled along, embarrassed as he was.
"Thank you," he said.
"Well, you're welcome, though I don't think it's necessary."
McKimson rested his head on the seat, tossed the magazine to the empty spot beside him, and gazed outside.
She had never failed to put him at ease.
"Aw man, here we are, in Tokyo, again!" Intrepid exclaimed as she walked past people exiting the Hamamatsucho Station, bumping into some in her enthusiasm.
"Yeah, yeah. Slow down; it ain't going anywhere," McKimson said as he caught up with her, which he figured was only possible because she suddenly stopped at the exit.
Amid the lights, Tokyo Tower was looming in the distance, plain for all to see.
"Alright, let's go, shall we?" she started walking, beckoning him to follow. McKimson was unsure if they were taking the right way, but Intrepid walked upon the path she'd chosen unafraid.
"Uh, are you sure this is the way?" he inquired as they crossed the large intersection after the World Trade Center and continued straight.
"Yeah, damn sure," Intrepid snorted as she moved sideways to avoid a running child, only to bump into someone else instead.
"Sorry," she bowed at the person and hastened her pace, grumbling about the crowd before noticing McKimson was trailing behind.
"Don't tell me you're winded already," she laughed.
"Hey, I do keep fit, thank you."
"Just kidding," Intrepid stuck her tongue out before pointing her thumb at the large gate which had just come into view. "C'mon, we're going there next."
They crossed another road, walked a bit further to the front of Zojoji temple, and then continued to a narrow path on its left.
The tree-lined path was quiet compared to the hustle and bustle they had gone through, and Intrepid slowed down to a more leisurely pace—even when their destination was already close by, she was content to stroll.
"Look at those," she remarked as she spotted the moss-covered statues along the way. "What are they called again?"
"Well, if I remember correctly, they're Jizo statues."
"Oh, right. What are they, though?"
"Well, they are guardians of children and travelers."
"I see; so they protect people like us, too, huh?" Intrepid laughed.
"Yeah, more or less. At least, they could offer encouragement," McKimson replied. He noticed her turning to one of them, seemingly mumbling something he couldn't hear.
"You know what? You're right," she spoke up, bowing her head to the statue.
At the end of the path was the wide road once more, and after yet another crossing, they had made it into the tower building. Once inside, Intrepid began darting from one place to another until her eyes fell on a photo booth. Once McKimson caught up with her, she immediately pulled him inside.
"Alright, let's take photos," she declared, putting some money into the machine.
"You should've said that before dragging me in," McKimson dazedly attempted to fix his glasses, which had been left askew from the yank Intrepid gave him—only for the camera to go off before he could.
They left the booth several snaps later. The photos showed him messy and unprepared, and Intrepid making funny faces. Despite his misgivings earlier, McKimson found them quite amusing, and there's no doubt Intrepid felt the same—they shared a good laugh over that.
"I've never said this before, but you should laugh more, Mac," Intrepid said after pausing to catch her breath. "I like hearing you laugh."
"...Re-really…? I've never thought…"
"Ahaha, well, at least I got to hear that once more before you go, huh?" Intrepid slapped McKimson on the back. He was surprised it wasn't as hard as the ones she'd usually give.
He had toyed with a particular thought on their ride but soon reached a resolution. A resolve that grew stronger as he watched Intrepid go by and became undeniable through her words just now.
"Hey, Intrepid—Why don't we go up now?"
The elevator ride to the main deck was mostly silent. Both Intrepid and McKimson could tell the other had suddenly become keyed up for some reason, but neither wanted to bring it up.
The elevator doors soon opened, and Intrepid, for a time, forgot everything else.
Out in the window, all around them, there were lights—the starlight in the sky and the glow of neon-lit cityscape.
"Oooh…Aaah…this is…this is amazing. Mac, come and see this!" Intrepid rushed towards the window and looked left and right.
"Yup, you're right," he concurred, although he was too occupied with what he'd been looking to say to actually enjoy them right now.
"I'm so glad I…we came here. Hey, you know…thank you for coming with me."
Intrepid turned around slowly, and when their eyes finally met, McKimson felt his heart skipping a beat, his carefully crafted words left forgotten.
She stood against a curtain of shining light. She was smiling—confident and fearless.
She was beautiful.
He could recall them now, as clear as the night—what he said and wanted to say that day.
"Hey…have I told you you look so beautiful tonight?"
And just like that night, she was bewildered, at first, before briefly frowning—but then her smile returned. Nothing on her face would show that her heart was racing again.
"I remember hearing the same thing yesterday. But you were drunk at that time. Now you're not… something's gotten to you…?" Intrepid said, noticing McKimson approaching until they were really close. Behind his glasses, she could see an emotion she had never seen before.
"… It's just, well…I guess telling you this now would probably be pointless…" McKimson began, vowing to persevere even if his stomach had started to churn, "…but…but I've always admired you—your courage, your take-charge attitude, hell, even the fact that you could be so clumsy at times. But…no, it's more than admiration…I…actually…really like you, you now? As in, that kind of 'like.' But I chose not to say this before because…"
"I understand," Intrepid whispered. "Navy regulations and all, huh?"
"…Well, that's one, but more importantly, it's because I was such a huge wuss. But that has to change now, late or not. You've always tried to inspire me, so that's the least I could do now. I… I'm sorry if I'm weirding you out."
Intrepid watched McKimson wheezing as if saying all those things had taken a lot from him. But everything he said proved to be a pleasant discovery, and now she will reveal her long-held feelings, just like he had revealed his.
So Intrepid inched even closer, stood on her toes, and soon her feelings became clear even with nothing said.
"I…Intrepid…?"
"Phew, I feel lighter now."
"…Uh…does this mean…um, you…felt the same…?"
She nodded without hesitation.
"Then, I guess…um, does that mean we're dating now?"
"Maybe, or maybe not. But one thing is clear—we're free to do that now, aren't we?" Intrepid said, and McKimson felt her fingers, made coarse by past battles, becoming entwined around his. Now he understood what she meant.
"Yeah… you're right. I will write to you from home a lot, I promise. And one more thing…I will wait for you," McKimson fought back the wince as Intrepid's hold tightened around his hand.
"Sure, pal. I will do the same…though I don't know if I can wait that long to see you again. Wait, I can't really call you 'pal' anymore, huh?"
"…Well, some things do not need to change, I guess," McKimson laughed.
"You're right, pal. But…" Intrepid paused and glanced at the hand she was holding, "…but this is a welcome change…and I'm not letting this go," she declared, and McKimson couldn't agree more.
They did not cease to laugh nor hold hands as they made their way down.
