Chapter 329: A troubled maiden.
After their move to the forty sixth base, Nine had drilled one idea into their heads. As Valkyries, there was only one man they were allowed to have an intimate relationship with and that's the Doctor.
The new Head General was a charismatic man with many achievements to his name. It was through his efforts that they were able to end the war with the Nephilim, and even now he is working to ensure they have a future where they aren't treated as disposable war machines.
Eleven saw the way he interacted with his Valkyries, and though he was much more stoic and lacking in energy, he reminded her of the Producer.
Though she understood why Nine and the others felt that way about him, the blue haired idol wasn't interested in the position of the Doctor's personal Valkyrie at all. That said, when she considered the idea of being the Producer's Personal Valkyrie, a violent inferno blazed inside her chest instantly heating up her entire body.
"You imagined it, didn't you?" Asked AK, her smug grin spreading wider.
Twenty Two discreetly turned away, her cheeks a little flushed.
"N-no! I-I-I-"
"Oh no~ what are you doing, Producer~"
The purple haired idol continued the teasing, talking in a playful tone while taking the index finger of her right hand and slowly bringing it toward a circle made with the finders of her left.
"S-stop it! I… I…"
Summoning her halo, Eleven teleported away. The other two remained silent for a moment, stunned by their friend's extreme reaction, but then AK placed a hand on her mouth and started laughing uncontrollably.
"Damn it!" She cackled. "That was cute! Way too cute!"
The laughter continued for a while, but then T-Two said something that caused it to halt immediately.
"Once we get back, I'm going to ask Doctor to do it with me…"
AK was frozen still. She slowly turned to look at her fellow idol and saw that she was blushing to her ears.
"T… I didn't think you…"
"Aren't you curious as well?"
"Well…"
"How about we ask him together?"
"... Eh?"
"It won't be as embarrassing if we're together, right?"
"N-no… that's…"
~[ ]~
By the time she realized it, Eleven found herself on the hotel's rooftop. She didn't have anywhere else to go, unfortunately. The haste retreat made her forget that she had changed into her pajamas, and with how embarrassed she felt at the moment meeting others wasn't something she wanted.
Leaning over the railings, she rested her chin on her arms and watched the light spectacle of the bustling city in the distance. The sun had already disappeared behind the western horizon, but the red sky still lingered. It took away the beauty of the stars above, sapping the enjoyment out of what should've been a blissful moment.
"This sucks…"
"What does?"
The reply sent shivers down her spine and she almost teleported away once more. Catching herself before that happened, she turned around and saw a man in a lab coat walking over to her.
"D-Doctor? W-what are you doing here!!?" She asked, feeling herself getting more and more flustered.
"Having some alone time." He replied, raising the cup in his hand for her to see. "It's always good to have some peace and quiet."
"That's…"
Seeing him alone caused her more confusion; usually, he always makes sure to have at least two Valkyries guarding him. It was then that she noticed CS sitting cross legged on one of the large water tanks, Yawning as the feline ears she created moved from one direction to the other. Trenta was around as well, standing on the edge of the building and looking in the distance.
"Here."
The man's voice brought her attention back to him. Seeing that he was handing her his cup, a confused look took over her.
"Aren't you cold?" He said. "Or do you hate coffee?"
"N-no, that's not-"
Just then a gust of wind blew by and Eleven found herself shivering once again.
"You might be a Valkyrie, but you're still sensitive to cold." He said, once again pushing the cup toward her. "I would've given you my coat but… Nine took it…"
After hesitating for a bit she took him on his offer. Holding the cup in both hands, she felt the warmth of the drink slowly seeping into them, prompting her to take a sip. The bitter taste of the dark liquid assaulted her taste buds, but she endured, not wishing to spit it out.
"Guess it's not to your taste, huh?" Sam commented.
"I… I can get used to it…" She said before taking another sip.
The taste might've been far from her preference, but the warmth it carried into her body was hard to resist.
"So… did you call that Producer you spoke of?"
The question came out of nowhere causing Eleven to choke on her drink. Coughing a few times, the heat returned to her face as the realization that he was onto her set in.
"I guess not…" Sam said, smiling wryly.
"... I… " Eleven tried to look for something to say, but between the coughing and the rising temperature she was unable to gather her thoughts.
"Take it easy. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." He gently rubbed her back, starting to feel like he had done something bad. "It's a personal matter, after all. I would understand if you don't want to discuss it with your superior."
"N-no, that's… that's not it…" finally managing to catch her breath, the idol wiped the tears that gathered in her eyes and tried to hide her expression. "I was just… I was just surprised, that's all…"
"I see…"
Sam heaved a sigh then turned his gaze to the city. The silence allowed Eleven to regain her calm, though a bit of nervousness tugged at the end of her mind forcing her to be alert in case another question came from the man.
After a while she began to feel he had no intention of preying on her matters anymore, but that in turn fueled the awkwardness of the situation making her wish she could just teleport away.
As seconds turned to minutes, the idol found herself thinking back to what her friends said. The Producer was someone important to her. Not a day passed without him invading her thoughts, and just the idea of having a special relationship with him filled her chest with a powerful storm of emotions.
Having learned of her true nature only recently, Eleven struggled to understand her own feelings, wondering if they were the same as what Nine and the others felt toward the Doctor. But what if they were? Would that mean she wants to be with that man? If that's really the case and she does indeed end up becoming his Personal Valkyrie, what happens after that?
"... Say, Doctor…" After giving it some thought, the idol decided to ask the Doctor himself. "What made you… what made you want to make Nine and the others your Personal Valkyries?"
The man in a lab coat stared at her for a moment before donning a teasing smile.
"Why? Are you interested in the position?"
Eleven felt her embarrassment return, but before she could form an answer the man's laugh halted her thought.
"Just kidding, I already know you don't feel that way." Turning his gaze back to the city, he leaned forward and rested his arms on the railing. "The answer to your question is… a bit difficult. I can't really say I'm proud of it."
The short silence that followed made it clear he had no intention of revealing it, but just when she was about to give up he spoke again.
"You know how in my speech I said I began to suspect you weren't just weapons?"
She found no difficulty remembering something that happened earlier that morning.
"Yes…"
"Well, that wasn't always the case." Sam replied, smiling with his eyes closed. "Nine might've made it sound as if I'm a great person, but the truth was that I'm just another selfish man with impure desires." Pausing, he turned to her with a serious look. "Just to be clear, you aren't allowed to tell anyone about this. We would be in very big trouble if people found out."
The blue haired idol nodded repeatedly, wanting to get across that she understood what he meant.
"Good." Nodding once, the Doctor faced forward before continuing. "Anyway, what I wanted to say is… well, Valkyries and Nephilim are made to be ideal women. At least when it comes to appearance. Because of that it makes us men want to… you know…"
For some reason she understood what he was trying to say without him having to put it into words.
"I… I think I get it…"
"Sorry, I know it can be uncomfortable to discuss these things…"
There was a lot for the Valkyries to learn about the dynamic between men and women. Though he planned on doing something to educate them on the matter, it wasn't exactly at the top of his priority list thanks to how busy things have been.
From the looks of it Eleven wasn't the only one flustered by the topic of their discussion. Sam began ruffling his hair as he looked for something to say.
"What I wanted to say is… my relationship with Nine and the others started just because I wanted an outlet for my desires. Back then I didn't have special feelings for any of them, but a lot has changed since then."
"I… I see…"
The whole matter was quite confusing for the blue haired idol. They were discussing 'the act', she understood that much, but as far as she knew it was something people did only if they had a special kind of relationship.
'Does this mean that…'