Once the examination was done Sam apologized to the Three Valkyries. He said they were right, especially Three. With two days having passed since thest time he had bathed his stench was so bad it made him feel disgusted of himself.


    The young Valkyrie apologized as well, saying she had been a little too blunt with her remarks. Nine and Five showed visible signs of relief when he said that he would be taking a break to get himself in order. His research wasn''t going anywhere and the sense of helplessness overtaking him wasn''t helping so he thought it would be for the best if he did something else for the rest of the day.


    Once the Valkyries left Sam organized theb a little then went back to his room. He took a long bath to rx and once he was out he sent a message to Shizuru saying he would like to meet for dinner.


    A few secondster he received a positive reply. As he smiled at his phone his bed entered his sight. His mind recalled the time he found the white haired beauty sleeping on it and suddenly his excitement for the dinner date with his girlfriend was reced by a heavy sense of guilt.


    Shizuru wasnt the only one Sam had neglected. He hadn''t seen Alice for a while now making his romantic life moreplicated than it should be.


    Thinking about it for a while he began to ask himself how long does he n on lying. He nned to dedicate more time to his research so he felt that it would be for the better if he didn''t have anything to distract him.


    "Maybe it''s time I tell her…"


    As he tried to gather his resolve, Sam let out a long sigh feeling his feet getting cold. He quickly dressed himself then grabbed hisb coat about to put it on, stopping to take a look at it for a moment. After a few seconds he ced is aside and walked to the door.


    He was taking a break from work right now, wearing the coat would defeat the purpose.


    ~◇~


    "Doctor!" Shizuru called, waving her hand when she spotted him from a distance.


    Seeing his girlfriend''s brilliant smile seemed to revitalize him quite a bit only for the sense of guilt to crush his heart a momentter followed by the fear of what he ns on doing soon after.


    "Good evening, Shizuru, thank you for being patient with me even when I''ve been so selfishtely."


    Instead of apologizing for being an asshole and neglecting her for a while Sam decided to thank her. Shizuru didn''t get angry at him at all, always meeting him with a smile even though he missed many of their lunch datestely.


    "Don''t worry about it. I understand that you have been busytely." Shizuru said. She stared at him for a while, looking him up and down with clear confusion. A secondter she realized what was different about him. "You aren''t wearing yourb coat!" She eximed in surprise.


    "Yeah, I''ve decided to put it away for now." Sam said, looking down at himself. "Though I have to say it does feel kinda weird."


    "Yeah. I mean, Doctor without a coat doesn''t feel like Doctor." Shizuru said with a giggle.


    "Well, how about you call me Sam then?" He said with a smile.


    "Is that your alter ego? You make it sound like you''re some kind of super hero." Changing her voice a little, Shizuru began performing a little skits. "Sam Sanderson is a normal man living a normal life, however he has a secret. A strangeb coat that fell from outer space. At first it looks like any ordinaryb coat, however when he wears it he bes the brilliant scientist fighting to save humanity from evil, Doctor!"


    Sam wasughing, holding his sides the entire time. The Asian girlughed as well, stopping before he did and watching him with a warm smile on her face.


    "Well, if you exclude the space part everything else is true." She said.


    "Not exactly." Sam said, wiping the tears that had started to gather from all theughing. "The brilliant scientist part is fictional as well."


    "You… haven''t made any advancements, huh?"


    "Yeah…"


    An awkward silence fell on the two for a few seconds. Seeing that he had identally ruined the mood they had Sam was about to move on from the topic, however the girl grasped his hand and looked up shing him a bashful smile.


    "I''m sure you''ll figure it out." She said.


    Sam felt his heart throb, his eyes aching a little. That one sentence alone almost made him cry, thankfully he managed to hold himself back in time.


    "Thanks, Shizuru." He said, exhaling as he felt the weight on his shoulders lessening a little.


    The two walked to the cafeteria hand in hand ignoring the looks the other soldiers gave them. Sam knew they might get in trouble for breaking that one rule, however he didn''t really care. The recent events reminded everyone that they might lose their lives at any given moment so worrying about such details was a waste of time.


    Getting their food they sat at their usual table and ate. Looking around Sam saw that many still had their eyes on them, however it was different from the jealous bunch from a few minutes ago.


    "They''re still suspecting me, huh?" Sam said with a sigh.


    "Most people dont change their minds easily, even if presented with solid evidence." Shizuru said, putting some vegetables in her mouth.


    "I don''t really care what they think but… what about you?" Sam asked. "Are they still bothering you?"


    "Well, they stopped suggesting that I break up with you, at the very least." She answered. "They said that there is no smoke without a fire."


    "It would make more sense if I was the one who died." Sammented. "I mean, he''s the one holding a grudge against me, not the other way."


    "Exactly. Oh! Come to think of it, I''ve learned some very interesting information recently."


    "I''m all ears."


    "Funny enough it started as a theory as to why you would want to kill Jordan." Shizuru spoke excitedly. "You see, one of his friends is a big fan of! Can you make a guess?"


    "Well, obviously one of the Valkyries." Sam said. "Zero Three?"


    "Correct!" She eximed. "Apparently he missed out on the first time you invited Three for breakfast. Because of that he got really angry when he wasn''t chosen to be among those who were allowed to interact her at the party."


    "Don''t tell me…"


    "Yes. The likelyhood of him being one of those who attacked you is quite high. And with the bad blood between you and Jordan it''s easy to see them teaming up to get the revenge they thought they deserved."


    "I see…" Sam stopped to think for a moment, trying to remember how the investigation into his assant went. "Well, I will report this to themander and interrogate him directly. I would really appreciate it if you could get me his name."


    "I think it was John McCain." Shizuru replied.


    "Alright then."


    Finishing their meal, the two went for a walk through the park. It was dark and silent, the perfect ce for an ambush. They soon arrived to the ce Sam was attacked in. He stopped to look around, not knowing what he expected to find there.


    "You sure are brave, Sam. Even I am scared of this ce and I wasn''t the one who got attacked."


    "I doubt they would try anything any time soon." Sam replied. "We aren''t exactly at a time where they can y fanatics."


    Actually he was as scared as he should be. Fanatics are called that for a reason, and nothing would stop their craziness. Not even a disaster threatening to eradicate humanity would be enough to make them behave.


    "I just hope they don''t turn their sights on you." Sam said. Shizuru was getting along with Zero Three pretty well so Sam feared that she would be the next target for his attackers. Thankfully nothing happened so far, but one needed to be careful.


    "Don''t worry." Shizuru said, reaching behind her and taking out what appears to be a gun. "Unlike you I''m always prepared for a fight!"


    "That wouldn''t really help if you''re attacked from behind."


    All soldiers in the resistance are given a P320-M18 upon joining the Resistance. Sam had one of his own as well, however he never carried it around feeling that it wouldn''t see any use.


    "That''s why I''m always paying attention to my surroundings." Shizuru said, holstering her weapon. "You tend to lose track of what''s around you, Sam. I doubt things would''ve been any different even if you weren''t drunk."


    "True."


    Moving on the two were approaching the end of their trip. The intersection leading to the female dormitory was in sight and Sam''s heart began pounding violently. When it was time to separate he refused to let go of Shizuru''s hand prompting her to look up at him. Seeing her confused eyes he took a deep breath then exhaled.


    "Shizuru, there is something important I have to tell you."