Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Friendship
Goerld
I panted as I ran the track. The training was getting harder despite today being just day three. I almost threw up the breakfast Nera had made me.
"All right, cadets, that's enough running for now," Commander Wilneth called out.
"Hah," I breathed out.
"Good work, everyone," the commander said. "Now, go and eat. But not too much. Else you might throw it all up."
I nodded.
As we left the track, I noticed the commander was looking at me.
I tilted my head. Was something wrong?
"Goerld," she called out.
I turned and saluted. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Come here, for a moment."
I nodded. "Coming, ma'am."
"How are you holding up? Any problems or complaints?" she asked, her voice stern.
I shook my head. "No, ma'am."
She smiled. "Glad to hear. You're doing quite well, you know."
I nodded. "Thank you, ma'am."
"I must admit, you've taken to this training a lot easier than the others." She laughed. "But it seems even you're beginning to reach your limits."
I blinked. "Is that a good thing?"
"Well, you can't grow unless you're pushed. If you keep improving, we'll have a new batch of recruits ready in no time."
I smiled. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Anyway, that's all. Now go and eat. You're still growing."
I saluted her and turned to leave. As I walked, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
"Yo, Goerld," a voice called out.
I glanced back to see Tessa, Roan, and Mirasa.
"Ah, hey guys," I said, slowing down.
"Hey," Roan replied, his voice tired. "Man, the training is getting a lot harder. It's not fun anymore."
Tessa, who was on the floor huffed. "It stopped being fun long ago."
Roan chuckled. "You are just wimpy, Cuz."
"Oh shut it," she snapped, glaring at him.
Mirasa, who was quiet, just shook her head.
"So, Goerld," Roan said, turning to me, "you seem to be holding up a lot better than the rest of us. How are you doing it?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm just used to hard work. Plus, Nera keeps cooking me big meals, so I have a lot of energy."
Roan nodded. "Your girlfriend, right? Man, I wish I had a girl like that. She sounds pretty cute."
I grinned. "Yeah, she's great."
"Ahh, man! Wish I had a someone like that!"
Tessa giggled. "With your attitude, I doubt it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Roan asked, pouting.
"It means," Tessa explained, "that you're not very charming. You're blunt and kinda rude."
"Hey, I'm not that bad," he replied.
Tessa laughed. "Sure, you're not."
I looked down, thinking about the conversation. I wondered what Nera thought of me. Was I charming? Probably not. I wasn't the most romantic person, but I liked to think I was a good boyfriend.
"Say, Goerld," Tessa said, snapping me from my thoughts. "Why did you join the army? Is it for your girlfriend or something?"
"No, it isn't," I replied.
Roan hummed. "Didn't you say the other day it was because you wanted to grow stronger?"
I nodded. Although that was a lie.
"What do you hope to achieve with that?" Tessa asked, her tone serious.
"Well, I joined because I thought it wanted to improve myself physically." I paused. "And because I wanted to protect the people I care about."
Roan chuckled. "A bit cheesy, don't you think?"
"Yeah," Tessa agreed. "You sound like one of those heroes from a storybook."
"But it's true," I replied. "I want to protect my family and friends."
"And that's why you're in the army?" Tessa asked.
I nodded.
Mirasa smiled. "I find it noble."
"Noble?" I repeated.
"Indeed. A man who is willing to fight for his loved ones is a good one."
Tessa shrugged. "It's not bad, I guess."
"Well, whatever the reason, it's nice to know why you're here," Roan said.
I laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Say, what kind of girl is your girlfriend?" Tessa asked, glancing at me.
"Um, well, she's nice, and sweet, and funny," I replied, trying to come up with a good description.
Tessa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's not much help."
"Sorry, but I'm not very good at describing people," I admitted.
Roan smirked. "Well, at all that matters is if she's good looking or not."
Tessa sighed. "So shallow."
"Hey! You are too!"
"Am not!"
"No arguments in the cafeteria," a tall, purple-haired man said as he walked over to us.
Tessa blushed. "S-sorry."
The man looked down at her, his piercing blue eyes filled with curiosity. "You're Tessa, aren't you? The Mayor's daughter."
She nodded. "Yup, that's me! Although, I didn't think anyone here would care. I mean, you Titanos rule whole galaxies."
He chuckled. "Not us. We're just soldiers. And the ones who are in charge are far more powerful. But, it's nice to meet you, Miss Tessa. I'm General Efron.
She gasped. "The general?! Oh, um, sorry about before. I didn't mean any disrespect."
"It's fine," the man replied, smiling. "I get that a lot. I may be a general, but I'm still a human. And humans can be petty and annoying."
Tessa's cheeks reddened.
The General smiled and walked off.
"Wow, the general talked to you, huh, Tessa?" Roan teased.
"Sh-shut up," Tessa replied, looking away. She giggled. "He sure is cute..."
"See? You're as shallow as me!"
"Oh, shut it!"
As the two argued, I couldn't help but notice Mirasa's expression. Her gaze was fixed on the retreating General, and her eyes were filled with a mixture of admiration and longing.
"Mirasa, do you like the General?" I asked.
Her eyes widened and she turned away, blushing.
"Awww, our little Mirasa is growing up," Tessa teased.
She sighed. "We're cousins."
"Eh? He's from Uto?" Tessa asked.
"Yeah. He was one of the few who actually fought the Titanos when they came."
Roan blinked. "And they let him become a General in their army?"
"They probably saw his bravery," I said, recalling how Commander Wilneth had tried to recruit me after I had faced off that loser who tried to take advantage of Nera.
Mirasa sighed. "He's... amazing. Brave, strong, and charismatic. He's the perfect soldier. And he's been through a lot, losing his parents and then becoming a general."
Tessa hummed. "So, Mirasa, old buddy. Does he have a girlfriend?"
Mirasa chuckled. "Not that I'm aware of. He's too busy working."
"Ah, a workaholic. That's a good quality in a man," Tessa said, sighing.
Roan rolled his eyes. "You're such a player."
"Shut up. You're worse than me," Tessa countered.
Mirasa giggled.
I smiled. It was nice seeing them get along.
"Well, let's go and eat," Mirasa said, standing up.
"Well, let's go," Roan said, standing up. "I'm starving."
"Me too," Tessa agreed.
The four of us stood up and headed to the cafeteria.
"Hey, guys," a voice called out as walked the halls of the base.
We stopped and turned to see Dros. He had some paperwork in his hands.
"How is training coming along? Everything going well?"
Tessa nodded. "Yes, it's fine. But I think I'm gonna have nightmares tonight."
"Nightmares? Why?"
She sighed. "Training is hard, but I can deal with that. But the fact we might have to go and fight is what scares me."
Dros frowned. "You shouldn't think about that. Just focus on the training and making sure you're strong enough to survive."
Tessa pouted. "You sound like the commander."
Dros smiled. "I learned from the best."
"You sure did," a woman said, appearing behind him.
"Gah!" Tessa yelped, jumping.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Commander Wilneth said, laughing.
Dros smiled widely. He looked at her like how Tessa had looked at the general.
"So, cadet, how are you liking the training?"
"Well, it's hard," Tessa mumbled. "But I'll keep trying."
The commander smiled. "Good. Keep it up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend."
"Good luck," Dros said, waving.
She nodded and left.
"You're really smitten with her, aren't you, Dros?" Roan teased.
Dros blushed. "I, uh..."
"So, you and the commander? That's a pretty high hurdle, man."
He sighed. "I know, but it seems she has someone already."
Tessa blinked. "Really? Who?"
Dros hummed. "Me."
We all blinked.
"Come again?" Roan said.
"Not me, me. But another me."
"Another you?" Tessa asked, scratching her head.
"Yeah. One of her fellow commanders. Think his name is Zepheria Zolstein."
"Huh," I said. "Well, I hope things work out for you, Dros."
"Thanks, man."
"Anyway," Roan interjected, "can we go eat? I'm starving."
"Yeah," Tessa agreed, heading towards the cafeteria.
Mirasa, Roan, and I followed, leaving Dros alone.
"I wonder how things will turn out for him," I said.
"Who knows?" Mirasa said.
"Hey, guys," a familiar voice called out.
We turned and saw a tall, muscular boy with silver hair and golden eyes. He wore what seemed to be a white lab coat.
"Etsuto?" Roan asked. "You're here too?"
"Yeah. I applied as the medic."
Tessa smiled. "Glad to have you here."
"Likewise. Now, let's go and eat. I'm starving," Roan said, running on ahead.
Etsuto smiled. "That guy hasn't changed at all."
"Yeah," Tessa agreed. "Anyway, let's go. There's not much time before lunch is over."
Mirasa and I nodded and followed after the cousins. As we walked, I couldn't help but smile. I had finally made some more friends, and it felt good. Hopefully, I could introduce them to Nera one day. Bet she would enjoy their company as much as I did.
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