Chapter 55 - Lunch with the Herschels
7.15.1206 - Saturday (Field Exercise Day 1)
Rean and Towa nervously walked side by side as they led Class VII to Herschel's Shop to have lunch with Towa's family.
"Martha and Fred know that we're keeping our relationship a secret, right?" Rean quietly asked Towa.
"Don't worry, Rean. I made sure to tell them to act as if we're only friends when they see us around Class VII." Towa answered.
"I see. Still, don't you think the students will get suspicious when we suddenly leave to talk with Martha and Fred privately?" Rean questioned.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll figure out a subtle way to sneak off without the kids noticing." Towa assured Rean.
"If you say so." Rean replied.
"What do you think the lovebirds are talking about?" Ash questioned as Class VII walked closely behind Rean and Towa.
"Seeing as we're having lunch with Instructor Towa's family, I imagine that they're checking to make sure that her family acts as if Rean is only a friend or a colleague." Kurt concluded.
"Seriously? I can understand not telling the whole wide world, but how come they don't trust us enough to tell us about their relationship themselves? We've proven that the branch campus can keep a secret back during our first field exercise." Juna asked.
"They probably don't want to risk things reaching the media. Even if they'd done a horrible job at it." Ash suggested.
"Oh well, best we stay on our best behavior." Musse advised before turning to Altina.
"Would you look at that, we've arrived outside Herschel's Shop. Best we introduce ourselves." Altina commented as Rean and Towa held open the entrance for Class VII.
Rean did his best to stay calm as he sat between Martha and Fred. He eyed Towa for help, only to be met with Kai glaring at him as he sat beside Towa. It was clear to him that the Herschel family was going to take the opportunity to question him and Towa in front of their students. He could sense Juna, Kurt, and Altina who sat opposite of him judging him. While Musse and Ash sat opposite of Towa with similar mischievous grins. It seemed as if everyone present at that table was out to get them.
"I-I hope you guys don't mind that we brought some students along with us." Rean commented in an attempt to ease the tension.
"Nonsense, the more the merrier. It sure has been a while since we've last seen you stop by, Rean." Fred replied.
"So Instructor Rean has visited before?" Juna questioned.
Rean and Towa immediately froze in their seats. They weren't sure where her family were planning to take the conversation.
"A few years ago. Rean got lost in Heimdallr and stumbled upon our shop looking for directions." Martha revealed.
"I see, so from there you gave him directions?" Altina asked.
"Actually, Towa walked into the store at the same time. Since she was his upperclassman at the time, she offered to give him a tour." Fred explained.
"Offered? That's an understatement. Towa grabbed him by the hand before marching out and giving Rean a tour of the entire city." Martha added on.
Towa could only glare at Martha for changing the details of that encounter.
"What are you people talking about?" Kai asked.
Towa, Rean, Martha, and Fred immediately froze as they realized that they forgot to clue in Kai to the fact that Rean and Towa were keeping their relationship a secret.
"Schwarzer's been here plenty of times. You even let him stay in Towa's-" Kai continued before getting interrupted by his parents.
"Kai, I think I forgot to lock the front door. Can you go check for me?" Fred requested.
"Huh? Sure, I guess." Kai replied. He knew better than to argue against his parents.
Rean breathed a sigh of relief as Kai got up from his seat, before stopping to tell Rean something.
"You better be treating Towa right over there at the branch campus." Kai whispered to Rean before exiting the kitchen.
"So Schwarzer is a frequent customer, I take it?" Ash joked.
"I mean, I was staying at my friend Elliot's place for a while after I graduated from Thors. So of course I'd stop by here to visit my former upperclassman from time to time." Rean boldly lied.
Altina felt some pity for Rean and Towa, and thus decided to keep to herself the time she had been asked by Claire to have the two run into each other after Rean returned from North Ambria.
"So Instructor Rean was staying with Elliot after the war? That's funny, Principal LeGuin told me that he told her that he had been staying with Machias during that time." Musse thought to herself. She wasn't too surprised by the fact that Rean wasn't good at keeping up a lie.
"Look dear, our plates are already empty. Let's get up and leave them by the sink." Martha suggested as she and Fred stood up from their seats.
"Say Rean, looks like you've already finished your meal. Why don't you just drop it off by the sink as well?" Fred asked.
Rean was able to get the hint and made his way to the sink alongside Martha and Fred.
"So what was it you guys wanted to talk about? Also, how come Towa stayed at the table?" Rean quietly asked.
"Towa still had lots of food on her plate, so your students might've caught on if she got up as well. Don't worry, we only needed to talk with one of you anyway." Fred explained.
"We were just curious when you were planning to pop the question?" Martha bluntly asked.
"E-Excused me?" Rean replied.
"C'mon, how long do you two plan to stretch this courting process out? Don't act like you two don't already know that you're going to get engaged eventually." Martha continued.
Rean stayed silent as his face began to turn a bright shade of red.
"What Martha means to say is, that you two are all set to get married. But you both seem hesitant to take that final step together." Fred clarified.
"Plus, once you two tie the knot there's nothing stopping you two from supplying some grandchildren for us here in Heimdallr and Ymir. Even if you two have already started that part of the relationship." Martha joked, causing Rean to blush even more.
Towa was able to see that Martha and Fred had taken Rean to talk to him about something. Judging by how red Rean's face had become it must've been an embarrassing conversation. She quickly finished up what was left on her plate and made her way to the sink to see what the commotion was about.
"There you are Towa, how many kids do you two plan to have? Have you two planned out baby names yet? I'm sure teaching at the branch campus has given you two baby fever. Oh, of course you two have to have a wedding first. I found this cute green wedding dress in Roer recently, I think that you'd love it. Especially since you can't wear a white dress thanks to you and Rean-" Martha greeted.
"E-Excuse me!?" Towa shouted.
Class VII quickly turned around and saw Rean and Towa blushing the same shade of red.
"Care to share with the class?" Musse teased.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just wanted to know how working at the branch campus has been." Fred lied.
"Is that so?" Altina responded.
Suddenly Kai returned to the kitchen, and immediately walked over to the rest of the Herschel family and Rean.
"The entrance was already locked. Say, when did Towa and Schwarzer get fevers?" Kai questioned.
"We don't have baby fever!" Towa yelled.
The room went silent as Towa realized what she had blurted out in front of Class VII.
Seeing no better alternative, Rean and Towa swallowed their pride and informed Class VII about their relationship.
"Wow, I'm shocked. It was the best kept secret of the century." Juna sarcastically joked.
"What do you mean?" Rean asked.
"Instructor Rean, what Juna is trying to say is that with all due respect: You and Instructor Towa did a terrible job keeping your relationship a secret." Kurt explained.
"I think we did a pretty good job all things considered." Towa said in their defense.
"Like the time you two bathed together in the dormitory?" Musse brought up.
"Millium told me that she walked in on you two, "hugging intimately" as she put it, in the branch campus library." Altina added on.
"Or how you two had that date at Barney's Tavern and Inn, and then didn't come back to the dormitory that night." Ash pointed out.
"Instructor Towa also made it a point to single out Instructor Rean during her interview with Radio Trista." Altina noted.
"Instructor Towa did seem defensive about Instructor Rean when I told her about my plans." Musse commented before winking at Rean.
"Maya and Sandy also told me that you two took a break from tutoring them to talk about meeting with Instructor Towa's family." Juna revealed before turning to Martha, Fred, and Kai.
"Do I even need to mention what happened at the pool party?" Musse joked.
"Ooh, what happened?" Martha asked.
"Instructor Rean gave Instructor Towa quite the intimate CPR procedure." Musse answered.
"Oh my." Martha commented before chuckling to herself.
"I've also noticed that Instructor Randolph jokingly refers to Instructor Towa as Mrs. Schwarzer from time to time." Kurt revealed.
"Then there was that radio show where you two played lovers. You two seemed quite experienced in those roles." Ash pointed out.
"There was also that astronomy lesson. Juna opened the door early and we all saw you two kissing for a really long amount of time." Altina commented.
"You what!?" Rean and Towa questioned at the same time.
"D-Don't worry, we closed the door… eventually." Juna explained.
Fred and Martha couldn't help but laugh out loud together as Rean and Towa's students exposed their activity while at the branch campus. Even Kai began to chuckle as he saw his cousin hide her blushing face in her hands. Soon Class VII joined in the laughter, glad that their instructors really did trust them enough to share the fact that they were in a relationship.
"H-Hey, Rean." Towa whispered.
"What is it, Towa?" Rean quietly asked.
"T-There's actually something in my room that I want to give you." Towa quietly explained.
"Really? Sure, let's go while they all get the laughter of their systems." Rean quietly joked.
Rean and Towa quickly snuck out of the kitchen. Luckily, no one noticed thanks to them still laughing at Rean and Towa's terrible job at keeping their relationship a secret.
Once inside Towa's room, Rean quietly closed the door to make sure that they had some privacy.
"It sure has been a while since I was last here." Rean noted as he looked around Towa's room.
Things were mostly like how they were before they left for Leeves. A series of bookshelves containing hundreds of books, along with a small step ladder so Towa could reach the high shelves, Towa's bed that Rean had to fix the bed frame of after one of his stays at the Herschel residence, a cabinet containing more books along with the Mishy plush Rean had won for Towa back during their time at Thors, and a desk with a few photographs on display. There was also a suitcase containing some of Rean's clothes and other belongings in the corner next to Towa's bed. It may not have been the most "girly" room, but Rean very much felt that it was atowable.
"Yeah. Looks like Martha and Fred haven't done much with my room besides cleaning up the dust. To be honest, I was thinking about eventually giving this room to Kai, but Martha and Fred said that it was too early to move all my things out." Towa replied.
"Martha, Fred, and Kai really do cherish her." Rean thought to himself.
"You've probably been wondering how I got so many of these books for a while now. Most of them belonged to my parents. They studied politics and economics, so a big chunk of the books are on those two topics." Towa began to explain. She didn't turn to look at Rean, instead she could only look down at the floor as she thought about her parents.
Realizing that Towa had begun talking about her family, Rean decided to listen quietly as she continued talking.
"The room next door was my grandpa's office. There are a ton of books in there, and not just about astronomy. Come to think about it, I've spent most of my life surrounded by books." Towa continued; she couldn't help but smile as she thought back to some of the more positive elements of her childhood.
"I've been wondering… What made you decide to go to a military school?" Rean asked.
"Huh?" Towa questioned before turning to Rean.
"I mean, Thors is a prestigious place and all, and graduates don't always join the military, but with your grades and how smart you are, you could've gone to any number of other prestigious schools. Why Thors?" Rean clarified.
"Well, the scholarships were good at Thors, but besides that: I figured that military matters were unavoidable here in Erebonia. Maybe it's just nationalism or our country's traditions, but material issues have always been valued highly here. There's the history of power struggles and rising arsenals between the Imperial Army and the provincial armies. Then there's our hundreds of years of conflict with Calvard. That's probably the biggest factor in our country being so wary. Personally, I don't like war, but I believe in this day and age, there won't be any avoiding it. Grandpa told me that if you want to find the truth, you have to look for it in both the good and the bad. I think… that might be why I chose Thors. At the core of things like the military or martial arts is power- no: violence. Sorry. I probably shouldn't be saying things like this to someone who practices swordsmanship like you. Don't worry, I won't say any of this to the students." Towa answered.
"No, it's okay. I understand that feeling. But, wow… Fearing violence, yet trying to find answers by immersing yourself in it. That's not something you can do without the right amount of knowledge or determination." Rean commented.
"Rean…" Towa replied.
"I'm impressed. I almost want to start calling you President Towa again." Rean joked.
"H-Hey!" Towa responded.
The pair began to chuckle as they thought back to their school days.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Look over here, Rean." Towa instructed before she began leading Rean over to her desk.
"Oh, your pictures?" Rean questioned as he looked at all the pictures Towa had framed on her desk.
"Ah, no, that wasn't it." Towa responded.
"Haha, sorry. It's been a while since I've seen some of these." Rean noted.
"They are nice pictures." Towa replied before turning around to see them alongside Rean.
Rean and Towa stayed silent as they stared at the family portrait of Towa with her parents. It was taken a few days before they perished in an airship accident on their way back from an international academic conference.
The pair then turned to the picture next to it: one of Towa reading a book with her grandfather. Much like with the picture of Towa with her parents, neither said a word. Towa had already told Rean some things about her grandfather. Mainly things about how she spent lots of time with him. Admittedly, he couldn't help but feel as if he had seen him somewhere else before.
"This picture we took with everyone back at the school festival is quite nostalgic. Come to think of it, this is the only picture we took with all of us together like this." Rean commented as he pointed towards the next picture.
"Yeah, everyone… You're right. I have the one from graduation, too, but I like this one better." Towa noted.
"Yeah, I agree…" Rean replied.
Towa then noticed that someone, most likely Martha, had placed another photo on her desk while she and Rean were away.
"Oh hey, is this from that concert footage from your first year?" Rean asked as he pointed at Towa wearing her unspeakable outfit.
Rean already had that image burned into his mind, along with the copy of the recording that Towa had gifted him saved on his ARCUS. Which he watched in secret in his dorm room from time to time.
"REAN?" Towa responded as she saw Rean continuing to look at the picture as if she hadn't worn it for him in person.
"Sorry." Rean replied.
The pair then turned to the last picture Towa had put on her desk. A picture of her along with Angelica, Crow, and George during their first year at Thors.
"We took a few pictures while we were doing the trial run. This one outside of Thors just happens to be my favorite from that time. It was actually Sara's idea to take pictures. We all hardly got along back then. Especially Angie and Crow, I guess she might've initially seen through his act before any of us were able to. The four of us were each in different classes, but we became best friends regardless." Towa explained as she thought back to her first year at Thors.
"Towa…" Rean replied. He couldn't fathom what type of pain Towa was going through in response to Crow's death along with Angelica and George's disappearances.
"Heehee, that's why I understand why you feel the way you do about Class VII. Here, this is what I wanted to show you. It's a gift from me." Towa continued as she picked up a book laying on her desk and handed it to Rean.
"This is…" Rean responded as flipped through the book. It was filled with pictures of him and the rest of Class VII throughout their time at Thors.
"After graduation, I asked Fidelio from the Photography Club to make a little album of Class VII. And he gathered up all the pictures taken by Rex, the other students, and the instructors. I thought this would be the perfect thing for when Class VII got together again." Towa revealed.
"T-Towa… Thank you… really. For everything." Rean responded as he closed the book.
"Haha, you guys worked so hard for over a year. This is the least I could do for you. Me, Angie, George, all the other students and the instructors, and even Crow… We all liked seeing Class VII happy and smiling together." Towa responded as she walked closer to Rean.
"I'll make sure they all see this. As early as tonight, actually. Provided we can get a hold of all of them, that is." Rean assured Towa.
"I see. Well, I hope everything works out." Towa replied.
"Me, too. Though I'll prioritize our field exercises, of course." Rean added on.
Not wanting to take too much time, Rean quickly bent down to give Towa a quick kiss.
"R-Rean…" Towa responded as Rean stood back up.
"You hear that, everyone? We're going to be starting our afternoon missions soon, so get yourselves in gear." Rean advised as he turned to look at the door.
"Uh?" Towa replied as she questioned who Rean was talking to.
"Ugh, crap…" Juna responded.
"I knew I should have switched to stealth mode." Altina noted.
"Damn, what's with this presence-sensing crap of his? Maybe he's just good at sniffin' people out." Ash questioned.
"Heehee, if that's the case, maybe he'd be vulnerable to a little pheromone enhanced perfume!" Musse teased.
"You do realize that they just told all of us that they were dating a few minutes ago?" Juna questioned as she turned to Musse.
"Oh, I know." Musse replied as she started playing with her hair.
Seeing as Rean already knew of New Class VII's presence, Kurt opened the door and they all entered Towa's room.
"Our apologies. We were coming to get you two and heard your voices." Kurt explained.
"Y-Yeah. We figured we shouldn't interrupt!" Juna added on.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I figured you two were gettin' hot and heavy in there." Ash joked.
"Hot and h-heavy… Ash!" Towa shouted as she realized what Ash was implying.
"Cut it out, you!" Juna responded before elbowing Ash in the torso.
"Heehee, in any event, you two plan to meet the others from the old Class VII tonight, correct?" Musse asked.
"While we're stuck writing all our reports for the day." Altina added on.
"Well, no. Nothing's set in stone just yet, you know? You'll back me up here, right, Kurt?" Rean answered as he tried not to get too worked up about Ash's earlier comment.
"Sorry. That's simply not possible." Kurt replied.
"Excuse me, Instructor Rean. I have a question." Altina informed Rean.
"What is it?" Rean asked.
"Earlier you said that you were staying with Elliot while you were in Heimdallr, but why is there a suitcase with your belongings next to Instructor Towa's bed?" Altina asked as she pointed at Rean's suitcase.
"Oh sorry, that was a lie. I'd been staying here with Towa during that time." Rean explained.
"But if you were here with Instructor Towa, then why is there only one bed?" Altina questioned as pointed at Towa's bed.
The entire room went silent as no one was sure how to respond to Altina's question. Even Musse wasn't sure if she could bring up the condition of the bed frame without getting in serious trouble with Rean and Towa.
"Are you sure Martha and Fred won't mind watching over the kids while I drive you back to the field exercise camp?" Rean asked as he drove his orbal bike down the South Ostia Highway.
"Don't worry, they should be fine. Just you driving me back should make things much more efficient than having everyone drive back to the field exercise camp." Towa assured Rean.
"Good to hear." Rean replied before slowing down his orbal bike. He wanted his alone time with Towa to last a bit longer.
"Say Rean, about what Martha and Fred were talking about earlier…" Towa continued.
"O-Oh, about kids? O-Only if you think we're ready. I-If we have a daughter, I think that Kasia might be a good name. I'm not sure why, but I think it has a nice ring to it." Rean commented.
"N-Not about us having kids! T-The other thing! U-Us getting m-married!" Towa clarified as she imagined Rean holding two babies.
"M-My bad. I-I… do you think we're ready?" Rean asked.
"I-I think we n-need more time. With how things are going right now, we need to put more focus on other things. We can't be selfish while the world around us is… not okay." Towa answered.
"I-I… I agree…" Rean responded.
Marriage didn't really scare them, they both wanted nothing more than to settle down together. But to them it felt wrong to want such a thing with everything that was going on around them. Be it Ouroboros, Osborne, or any other malevolent force.
"H-Hey R-Rean…" Towa continued.
"What is it, Towa?" Rean asked.
"I-If we also have a boy, I think that Nayuta would be a nice name." Towa informed Rean as they arrived at the field exercise camp.
Author's Note
This chapter was fun to write. Always a pleasure to have Rean and Towa getting teased by their family and friends.
I did my best to adapt the lunch scene with the Herschel family, changing things up to match up with things like Rean and Towa already being a couple and Rean already knowing Martha, Fred, and Kai.
I hope that you all enjoyed reading this chapter!
