Apology.

Though a lot has changed in one day, the way Sam spent his time wasn't affected all that much. Shizuru still had to go to her post and the Valkyries were busy doing their own thing, because of that he had nothing to do until lunchtime.

After giving it some thought, he decided to drop by the gym for the first time in a while. The gym dwellers were surprised to see him there, but when he hopped onto the treadmill and spent an entire hour jogging the mocking grins faded from their annoying mugs. 

Though he might be a part of the support staff, Sam was still forced to undergo basic combat training after getting conscripted for the Resistance. That meant his body wasn't as shabby as he thought. With some frequent exercise, he should be able to get back in shape before long.

'I should add this to my schedule...'

The library was his next destination. No matter what happens in his life, reading always remains his favorite pastime. Picking a new book to try reminded him that he had yet to give Shizuru the book from the other day. It had completely escaped his mind after he discovered that crime against literature called Valkyrie Smash.

To his disappointment, unlike that time Nine didn't show up at the library. He hoped that he could lead her to the lab where he would start another experiment, but apparently today wasn't it.

On a separate note, the male and female soldiers he and Nine peeped on that time still came to the library to have their fun. Sam realized that they didn't have much of a choice; the rooms in the dorms were shared among the soldiers and only a select few had rooms of their own.

Sam was one of those lucky few. His position as the Valkyries' physician gave him a slightly higher status than the other soldiers, because of that he enjoyed a few privileges the others didn't have.

The forty sixth base was too far from most human settlements which led to only the most necessary resources being transported there. Being in a relatively safe part of the front line, it wouldn't be strange for it to be abandoned at some point to conserve resources, and that meant building bigger constructions would only be a waste.

Once the frontline is advanced and more land is reclaimed there might be some efforts to restore one of the nearby abandoned cities, but until then, the soldiers stationed here are forced to put up with the boring cramped lifestyle.

"Ahhn~♡"

His heart almost jumped out of his chest and he unintentionally turned in the direction of the voice. In the silence of the library, the coquettish scream was as loud as it could get despite its source being on the other side of the hall. Though it seemed like the two soldiers tried to keep it down from there on, Sam knew he wouldn't be able to focus which prompted him to leave for his last safe haven.

The lab, as he calls it, was just a room where the Valkyries underwent their examination. Being a part of the maintenance building where the equipment used by the humanoid weapons is kept, the security was quite superb, which is why Sam made a habit of conducting his own research within its confines.

Before his progress reached a roadblock, Sam used to spend most of his time there, though he chose to stay away from it in recent weeks. It was the perfect relaxation spot, sure, but it also served as a reminder of his cursed fate.

That was no longer the case, however. Now that he discovered the secret files, the lab was definitely going to become his favorite place.

Thinking about all the fun he was going to have, Sam placed his cup down and sat in front of the terminal. He thought about going through the Valkyrie files once more, but just then he noticed that the door to the shower room, the one used by the humanoid weapons, was open. 

He instinctively raised his guard, feeling that something was off, but when he thought about who would be able to enter that place he began to calm down. He spotted the culprit not a moment later. 

"Zero Three?"

There was a faint clatter on the other side then some silence. after a few seconds, the door opened slightly and the young-looking Valkyrie peeked her head, her cheeks tinged with a red color.

"Is something wrong?" 

The Valkyrie stood in her place fidgeting a little. It was clear that she had something to say but was too embarrassed to do so.

"Um… there is something… I wanted to talk to you about…"

After much struggle, she was finally able to squeeze out those words, but it seemed like the rest would need some more time to go on. 

The encounter was quite bizarre; Sam never expected to see her outside the examination time. He remembered Five's weird behavior as well as Nine's and began to worry that his suspicions weren't misplaced. That line of thought led him to the time he considered apologizing to her, and after thinking about it some more, he came to a decision not long after.

"Good timing," Sam said as he pulled a chair from the corner of the room. "I also have something to talk about."

Zero Three looked rather surprised for a while but then took the seat he offered to her. Sam pulled his own chair and sat directly facing her. He took a few moments to appreciate the Valkyrie's cuteness, thinking that the cosplay-like uniform suited her more than the mature and well-endowed Zero Five. With her average stature and small chest, the young Valkyrie looked like your everyday schoolgirl, if your everyday schoolgirl looked like an otherworldly goddess.

'I'm walking on very thin ice, aren't I?'

Try as he might, Sam couldn't ignore the fact that her design was intended to be underage. He wasn't so keen on committing that kind of crime no matter how appealing he thought she was, however in the end he convinced himself that she was nothing more than a well-made robot; it would be pointless to try and apply social constructs to her.

Not to mention, no matter how much he waits she would never grow up into an adult. She will always look like a sixteen-year-old girl even a hundred years from now. That was her age three years ago when she first came into being so, technically speaking, he was in the safe.

'Weebs sure have no moral compass...' Sam thought as he remembered what Odin referenced when creating the walking weapons. 'Well, maybe we should just be glad he didn't go any lower than this...'

"First of all, I want to apologize for what I said the other day," Sam said, watching as the girl's eyes slowly widened. "As an average human, I'm not very knowledgeable about fighting the Calamities. You, a Valkyrie who's been made for that purpose, must be aware of the best actions to be taken on the field. It was pretty presumptuous of me to speak on the matter when you're more of an expert than I am."

His apology caught Zero Three by surprise and panic immediately took over her face. He didn't know why she came to see him, but it was an opportunity Sam didn't want to waste. After all among the three Valkyries, she would be the one most difficult to capture.

"Um, well, as long as you understand…" She quickly averted her gaze, feeling the temperature rise. "I… also came to apologize. I... I realized I have been too harsh that time so… sorry…"

In her Valkyrie file, on top of being an energetic athletic girl Zero Three was described as a tsundere; someone with a harsh personality who has difficulty showing their true emotions. It also stated that the process in which one wins her over is slow and takes a significant amount of time. 

In order to achieve his goal of getting to play with all three Valkyries, Sam would have no choice but to invest a lot of time into the short one. He has to her her to open up to him first before he starts making any moves. If he were to jump the gun then everything he did would go down the drain.

'Now that I think about it, wasn't Zero Five a bit too easy?'

Sam didn't really know how he managed to capture the ponytailed Valkyrie; she just fell into his hands when he attempted his experiments. The same couldn't be done with Zero Three. Unlike her friend, she didn't seem to hold him in the highest regard, and would much prefer if he didn't bother her at all.

Thankfully he already had a clue on how to proceed. The young Valkyrie was upset with the way things are being handled currently; if he showed her that he cares instead of dismissing her worries, he would surely close the distance between them.

"Three…" getting up from his chair, Sam knelt before the Valkyrie and looked up at her. "I might have worded it the wrong way before, but I really wish that you would be more careful out there."

The girl looked at him with wavering eyes. The seriousness of his expression left her with no desire to argue. She could only hang her head in silence waiting for him to finish his lecture, but the words that followed were different from what she had in mind.

"That day, when I saw you being carried inside that coffin-like box, I... I couldn't bear it at all..."

Despite his questionable intentions, Sam's words had some truth to them; one simply can't avoid feeling uncomfortable when seeing the mutilated body of a young girl, whether she was human or not. The fact that they were sending what looked like a helpless girl to a merciless battlefield felt morally wrong, even if she has the ability to rip an adult man apart with her bare hands.

"Three, I want you to return home safely each time," Sam said, reaching out and taking the Valkyries' hand into his. She must not have expected it as her whole body went stiff. "If it was up to me I wouldn't send you out at all. However, we have no choice but to rely on you. That's why I want you to promise me one thing."

Waiting until she looked him in the eyes, Sam told her his wish.

"Promise me that you won't do anything careless and that you'll always make it back."

For a few seconds Zero Three didn't know how to respond. She looked rather conflicted, her eyes moving from one corner to the other as she bit her lower lip. Having reached her conclusion after a while, the Valkyrie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them Sam somehow felt her determination as she declared with a smile.

"I will do my best!"