Take a hint.

Once he had his fill of Zero Five's lips Sam gave her a few instructions then returned to his room and took a long shower. While at it, he decided to empty his reserves a little, believing it to be the last time he would ever have to rely on his right hand for something like that.

When he was finally done hunger showed itself; skipping two meals proved to be too much for him. Thankfully, the time he usually eats dinner was approaching so he decided to head for the cafeteria right away.

"I wonder what's on the menu today."

Sam was in quite a good mood, even with the fear of his deeds being discovered poking at the back of his mind. He didn't care that much anymore, though. After all the Valkyrie named Zero Five now belonged to him.

'Well, technically she still is the Resistance's property...'

As he walked the rumors he heard before getting his job came to mind. The one about someone with his position abusing it to have fun with the Valkyries.

'Could it be that he got eliminated because he succeeded in becoming the master of one of the Valkyries?'

It wasn't difficult to imagine the military not wanting just anyone to get that power, even if it's Odin. That could be the reason why they warn those who work closely with the weapons and eliminate anyone who oversteps their boundaries.

'But… does the military even know about such things?'

It all depended on Odin and how much he had told them. They should already know about the robots serving as artificial wombs, at least. It's difficult to imagine that part going unexplained. From there they could guess that the AI has the ability to serve as a romantic partner, but that alone wasn't enough of a hint about its deeper secrets. It's not like the Valkyrie announce who their master was.

'Well, I still have a lot to learn myself.'

As that thought crossed his mind Sam entered the cafeteria and picked a tray. Tonight's dinner was mashed potatoes and roasted chicken as the main dish, some vegetable soup, tofu salad, and some pudding for dessert.

Once he got his food the first thing he did was look for a free table, but not a moment later he saw a familiar face waving at him.

"Good afternoon, sergeant Kurokami." Sam said as he arrived at the table.

"This is a strange occurrence," Shizuru said with a smile. "Usually you would be the first to arrive."

"I'm sure I arrived a little earlier than usual so it's more strange to see you here," he replied returning the smile.

"Indeed. I managed to finish work a little early today so I thought I should get my food before a certain someone ruins my appetite."

Sam knew exactly who she was referring to, though usually, she wouldn't be so open when mentioning him.

"Did something happen?" He asked.

The smile on Shizuru's face suddenly disappeared. A couple of seconds pass and she lets out a long sigh before putting some of the salad in her mouth.

"Doctor…" as she spoke, her mood continued spiraling downward. "Where have you been this morning?"

"Ah, it seems I collapsed in the lab while working," Sam said. "Guess pulling another all-nighter when I'm already exhausted was too much."

The Asian girl looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Are you okay!!?"

"Yeah, I just needed some rest, that's all," Sam replied.

Shizuru seemed relieved for a moment, but soon she began to sulk again.

"I already warned you, that you wouldn't be able to function properly without good rest." She said as she fixed her glasses back to their place.

"Yes, and I understand," Sam said, poking some of the chicken with his fork. "It's just that I had something important to take care of, that's all."

Something important indeed. He was too busy making a life-changing discovery that would make his life much easier from today onward. But he wasn't about to tell her that, obviously. That secret wasn't something he would ever share with anyone.

When neither of them followed up with anything the two continued eating their food silently for a while.

"Did something happen while I wasn't around, Sergeant?" Sam asked, deciding to address the elephant in the room.

"Make a guess," Shizuru said, bringing the fork to her mouth.

Sam kept his silence for a few seconds then turned to look around him. He already had an idea of what was wrong.

"I don't see Sergeant Jordan."

"Well, after what happened…" letting out a long sigh, Shizuru then followed. "I doubt he would be approaching me any time soon."

"Did you finally reject him properly?" Sam asked.

"It wasn't easy, really," Shizuru replied. "He didn't take it nicely."

"I can see that happening."

It all took place during lunch when Sam was passed out in the lab. Jordan approached Shizuru as usual, but seeing that the Valkyrie physician wasn't around for the second time that day he started badmouthing him more and more in an attempt to make himself look good.

Unable to take it anymore, Shizuru snapped at him saying she had tried to be polite before and that she was done putting up with his bullshit. Making it clear that she had no interest in him, she then went and warned him to keep his distance unless he wanted her to file a harassment report.

Everything happened publicly and many were there to witness it. Jordan was furious and started throwing insults like a little kid. He then left while promising that she would regret rejecting him very soon.

"Who would've thought you're capable of such things," Sam said once the story was finished.

"Even I have my limits," Shizuru replied.

"I only assumed it before but… you really don't like him, huh?"

"Well, he just isn't my type. And his inability to take the hint is infuriating."

"Oh, he did take the hint." Swallowing the last bite of his meal, Sam moved on to the desert and picked up the cup of pudding. "He just didn't give up."

"I hope he doesn't do anything foolish."

The two finished their meal uninterrupted for the first time in a while. Since she didn't have to leave abruptly, Sam offered to accompany her to the female dorms before going back to his room.

As they walked, a strange atmosphere began to surround the two. Sam felt nervous for some reason, but then he noticed that the Asian girl seemed to be on edge as well. As they approached the point where they would go their separate ways, Shizuru came to a stop.

"Is something wrong?" Sam asked, glancing around them trying to see if anything was amiss.

"Um, well…" Struggling to speak at first, she cleared her throat with a cough then looked directly at him. "Doctor. You are... you are currently single, right?"