Chapter 40: Admission

Hesta paused. "What do you mean by cooperating?"

"Within the habitable zones, I am responsible for fire support. In the wilderness, I can do much more," Arnold replied. "Wilderness operations don't require the evacuation of personnel or the protection of property, so using artillery for long-range engagement is far more cost-effective than close combat. Therefore, in such operations, we can also be the main combat force. Only when a chelating agent tide crosses the final protective line is it necessary for some Mercury Needles to enter the fray, just to prevent any accidents."

"...The final protective line?"

"You'll learn about it," Arnold said, intentionally being mysterious. "The furthest engagement line, the fire restriction line, the final protective line... you will learn all of these when you start studying basic tactics in the future."

Hesta smiled. "Understood."

Several base staff members passing by for a run greeted them, and Arnold nodded in acknowledgment. Hesta noticed that many people here seemed familiar with Arnold—he had been teaching at the base for a long time.

"I have another question, Instructor," Hesta asked. "Do the teachers at the base always provide one-on-one special training for students? I haven't seen any other new recruits yet. When do they usually train?"

Arnold laughed. "Originally, we were supposed to have leave this year."

"...Originally?"

"According to the recruitment rhythm of the Third District, it is generally every three years, with one year off. If Chiba hadn't brought you here, there wouldn't be any new students here this year."

Hesta was caught off guard. It seemed it wasn't that she hadn't encountered other newcomers, but that she was indeed the only one this year.

...

Around seven or eight in the evening, Hesta came out of the bathroom after a shower. She had already treated the scrapes from the afternoon, but the wounds had become particularly sensitive after being soaked in water. With every step she took on the stairs, she could feel a dense, throbbing pain on her knees as the skin stretched.

"Quite relaxed, aren't you?" A familiar voice came from behind.

Hesta knew who it was without turning around. She turned to face Sean, who was standing five or six steps below. As their eyes met, Sean indeed sensed a change in Hesta over this period. She was wearing the base's new dark green athletic gear and a pair of black mid-length trousers, looking more gender-neutral compared to the outfit she wore in the corridor that day. For some reason, the trembling, cautious alertness from when they first met had vanished.

Hesta asked, "Don't you have to go to the intensive training today?"

"Not everyone needs to participate in that kind of exhausting and demanding training," Sean said, his hands clasped behind his neck with a faint, elusive smile on his face. "They have brute force, while I have brains."

Hesta did not respond. Sean leaned against the wall, one leg standing at an angle while the other was tucked behind his calf.

"Has anyone ever told you that your hair looks good?" Sean said suddenly.

"What?" Hesta thought she had misheard him.

"No wonder some people used to pay a high price for Hesta hair. But why don't you grow it long? Girls should have long hair, especially girls with beautiful red hair," Sean straightened up and stepped onto a stair. "May I touch it—"

"No," Hesta said coldly. "If you take another step closer, I will call for help."

Sean stopped. Perhaps because of their relative positions, looking down at him, Hesta seemed to perceive a shift in their dynamic—which Sean found somewhat amusing.

"Who are you going to call? Mrs. Lavitt?" Sean stood with his hands on his hips and laughed. "Your Liz can't rush back right now."

"Yes, she isn't here tonight," Hesta nodded. "So there are some things that can only be said now."

"Hmm? Did I hear that right... you have something to tell me?"

"Yes. I hope you will stop causing me trouble from now on," Hesta said softly. "If there is anything about me that makes you unhappy, we can certainly find other ways to resolve it. Perhaps we can talk... I am willing to talk to you."

"That would be wonderful, because my greatest wish right now is to be friends with you," Sean tapped his fingers against the wall rhythmically. "However, can I really trust you?"

"Why not?"

"What if you secretly lure me to a place and attack me when I'm off guard? What should I do then?"

Hesta tilted her head slightly. "...I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Weren't you searching for 'how to fake an alibi' just yesterday?"

"I was not," Hesta denied it nonchalantly.

"8:32, how to buy small knives suitable for concealment? 8:45, how to forge an alibi? 9:12, what are the penalties for intentional homicide by someone under twelve if discovered? You opened at least fifty pages in those thirty-some minutes..." Sean calmly rattled off the list. "May I ask why Miss Hesta started searching for these things for no reason?"

Hesta’s expression grew subtle. Sean saw her hands, which had been hanging at her sides, clench tightly, and her mouth press into a thin line.

"...How did you know?" Hesta's voice was quieter.

"I saw it," Sean raised his hands. "With these eyes of mine."

"So, you really did steal my browsing history."

Sean only smiled.

"How dare you..."

"It's no big deal to me," Sean's voice remained calm. "Just a little hobby of mine."

"Fine," Hesta looked away. "What exactly do you want from me, Sean?"

"Me? I don't want anything. I just want to know, are all Hesta girls as quiet as you?"

Hesta's brow furrowed again.

Sean spread his hands. "I used to hear people compare girls to flowers, but whether in Hecla or here, women are either old maids like Sophie Morley or iron monsters like Liz. I can't see a hint of a flower's delicacy in any of them."

"Is that so?" Hesta's tone was already laced with impatience. "I actually think that's fine."

"Whatever, Hesta," Sean didn't argue. He spoke again, "Anyway, let's be friends. The first thing you did when you got a computer was to search for the Hecla wilderness, which shows you're interested in me, just as I am interested in you. You can tell me about your past, for instance, the Fu—"

"I refuse," Hesta cut him off immediately. "Friends do not monitor your every move in the shadows; friends respect each other."

Sean felt a bit deflated. "The way you say that, it's as if you've been possessed by Liz. Don't be like that... do you really have to burn bridges with me? Is there no other way? Everything I said just now was meant as a compliment."

"Then I don't think we have anything else to talk about," Hesta said in a low voice. "And I didn't feel any compliment in your words."