"Good morning."
Looking up from his tray, Sam was blasted with the beaming smile of a certain female coworker. He hadn't noticed when she took her place on the opposite side of the table, which alerted him to the fact that he might be doing worse than he thought.
"Good morning, Sergeant Kurokami." Though he managed to return the greeting, he failed to return the smile.
"You don't seem to be doing well, Doctor. Didn't you get enough sleep last night?"
"... Yes… You could say that."
Zero Five's question ended up bothering him more than he thought, despite having concluded that all of it was nothing but a misunderstanding. As the ponytailed Valkyrie had mentioned, the way those "girls" speak, behave, and interact is no different from that of a normal human. If it weren't for their outstanding looks, they'd easily pass for normal humans, and even with that, one still might not notice the difference without being informed beforehand.
'Someone who knows nothing about them would probably think they're just a bunch of cute girls.' Sam thought as he bit into his toast. 'Especially Zero Three. She could easily pass for a normal high school student.'
"Did something happen?" The woman sitting opposite him asked.
"No, nothing in particular..." Sam replied.
The existence of Valkyries was met with fear and criticism ever since they'd been first revealed to the public. Despite the initial backlash, the Valkyries still managed to gather quite a significant amount of support. A lot of them even had their very own fan clubs. It was a little difficult to hate on beautiful women, and with the Resistance marketing them as idols, the humanoid weapons managed to earn themselves a place in the world. That said, a story about them questioning their existence could still spark a wave of hysteria, especially with its source being the weapons technician. Sam had to be careful not to let anyone find out about his conversation with the humanoid weapon, for the peace they were fighting to reclaim, and for his peace of mind more than anything else.
"Lack of sleep could affect your performance. We're still in a military base, and any mistake could be fatal." Said Kurokami, pointing a plastic fork at him. "You don't have work in the morning, do you? Why not take this opportunity to get some rest?"
"It's nothing to worry about," Sam replied. "I'll be fine."
"If you say so. But please make sure not to push yourself too much."
Most of the time, the three Valkyries were on standby in case the Calamities made an appearance. Only once the clock hits eleven do they put on their equipment and go out to perform other duties, which include patrolling the surroundings of the military base, practicing their maneuvers, and scouting the Red Lands. Sam's job wouldn't start until after they returned in the afternoon, which meant his mornings were free most of the time. Normally, one would use such an opportunity to rest and relax before any emergency renders it impossible to do so. However, Sam had his reasons for waking up early.
"Things have been quiet recently." Said the female sergeant. "I wish these days would continue."
"Indeed. Though the longer it does, the more tense I get." Sam grabbed his cup and took a sip. The coffee substitute served in the cafeteria was like poison to his tongue, but he needed some caffeine in his system.
"The calm before the storm, huh? Let's hope nothing bad happens."
Kurokami Shizuru. A young woman of Asian descent, only a year younger than he was. She styled her dark hair into a neat bob cut and wore big glasses with a black frame. Like most women, she looked average compared to the Valkyries, though her short stature and gentle curves gave her a cuteness that was hard to ignore. Shizuru was a kind and caring person. The two of them became acquainted after transferring to the Forty-Sixth Resistance base around the same time, and ever since, they've developed a habit of eating their meals together.
"Well, all we can do is enjoy the peace while it lasts," Sam said.
"Ah! Come to think of it, I've finished that book you recommended." Shizuru seemed to get excited all of a sudden. "To think the culprit was the mayor's daughter all along."
"I see. Then I can assume it was to your liking?"
"Of course it was! The mystery was well developed, and the writing was perfect. The characters were all likable, too. The author must've been quite skilled."
"Indeed." Sam nodded, remembering the book's contents. "It's a shame that he had been lost to the war."
"Are there any other works by him? If possible, I'd like to read more…" Shizuru asked, her eyes showing a hint of sadness.
"I'll check the library later. I was planning to get a few books for myself as well."
Due to the nature of his job, Sam didn't have many friends. Most envied that he could get so close to the Valkyries, who were treated like the local goddesses of the base. He was shunned by most people, but fortunately, Shizuru didn't seem to care about his position at all. The only reason Sam bothered to leave his bed so early in the morning was so he could spend as much time with her as he could. Their posts and schedules were completely different, so the only time they got to meet was during mealtimes.
Sam does have romantic interests, but he wasn't going this far just for that. Shizuru was the only friend he had on Forty-Sixth base, other than a certain troublesome someone. He wanted to keep that connection no matter what, but that was also the reason he couldn't make any moves on her.
"Talking about books again?"
Still, leaving things the way they were wasn't something he could afford. Sam wasn't the only man with eyes, and Shizuru's cuteness was impossible to notice. To make things worse, his competition didn't seem to have any of the problems he had.
Turning in the direction of the voice, the two were met with an energetic greeting.
"Morning, you two!"
"Good morning, Sergeant Clementine," Sam replied, holding back a long sigh.
Jordan Clementine was Sam's direct opposite. He was sociable, energetic, and fun to hang around. His brilliant orange hair matched his outgoing personality, something accentuated by his muscular build. Unlike the weak scientist who appeared mostly skin and bones while wearing that white lab coat, Jordan was a part of the infantry and had the athletic body to go with it. His face was decent as well, which led Sam to look like a malnourished orc if they were put side by side.
"C'mon, I already told you to drop the formalities," Jordan said as he took a seat beside the Asian girl. "We aren't strangers anymore. Right, Shizuru?"
"Eh!? Well…"
Anyone with two working eyes could see that Jordan was after her, as well as that she wasn't very interested. The infantryman pretended to be blind, however. Even though an entire year had already passed, he still refuses to catch the hint at all.
"Anyways, sounds like you've found another interesting title. What's it about?"
"A mystery where a bunch of men die." Said Sam in a dry, monotonous voice.
"Hahaha, that's one funny way to summarize it." Jordan forced a weak laugh. T
"It's a mystery after all. You can't talk about it without spoiling the whole plot."
"Then maybe I should read it as well."
The tension between the men was visible. Sam didn't appreciate the third wheel, but in the end, he couldn't just chase him away. Unlike Sam, Jordan wasn't afraid to flirt and didn't spare any effort to get the girl. He didn't have anything to lose in the case of a rejection, so he was free to do and say whatever it would take.
"So, Doctor." Jordan began, and Sam grimaced. "Any new stories about our resident goddesses?"
"Nothing, as usual." Sam raised his cup. "As I've said before, just because I monitor their condition doesn't mean I know more about them than anyone else."
"C'mon! You meet them every day, right? You should've learned one or two things by now. Or maybe…" leaning in, Jordan said with a somewhat sinister smile. "Were you too busy feasting your eyes that you don't remember anything else?"
This was one of Jordan's strategies. Every now and then, he would bring up the Valkyries, trying to lower Shizuru's opinion of Sam's by mentioning how he's always with the more attractive idols.
"You know, everything loses its luster once you see it enough times." Said Sam, his eyes narrowed. "Nowadays it's just tiring to deal with them."
"Ooh! That does make sense." Jordan said, glancing at Shizuru by his side. "Me, on the other hand, I can never get tired of looking at a girl I like." He gave Sam the side eye. "You'd have a difficult time keeping a relationship going with that attitude, Doctor."
"Humans and dolls are different things." With that, Sam stood up and lifted his tray. "Well then, I need to get going."
"Ah! Look at the time!" Shizuru exclaimed, looking at the large digital clock near the canteen's entrance. "I need to get to my post!"
Before Jordan could say anything, the Asian girl picked up her tray and took off running. The orange head clicked his tongue as he watched her go. Once she was out of sight, he shifted his attention to Sam, his attitude taking a 180° turn.
"You just have to be around all the time." He glowered. "How about you stop getting in my way?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sam shrugged the hostility like he did with everyone else. "Anyways. She sure doesn't like being around you, huh? Isn't it about time you take the hint?"
This wasn't the first time Shizuru took off the moment it seemed like she'd be alone with Jordan. It could be that she was quite perceptive, seeing through his act and choosing to keep her distance. That gave Sam some hope. At the very least, she was perfectly fine with sitting alone with him.
Unable to forge a reply, Jordan continued to glare as Sam walked away, feeling victory for the first time in a long while.