Chapter Three: Friends

This cafe was known for always being full, and I don't know if it's because it was only seven in the morning or the fact that the Commandant is here, but people would either refuse to enter at the sight of our uniforms or stay right far away. It wasn't because they didn't like us, people actually revere the Commandant, I guess it's just really awkward to sit right next or near somebody so famous.

Such thoughts were in my mind as I placed a plate of eggs in front of the Commandant, and since she already had her coffee earlier, I just ordered a glass of cucumber juice for her.

She only drinks one kind of juice flavour, and it's ger favourite. She wasn't able to have her breakfast earlier due to the previous commotion. It makes me wonder why she went there herself if she won't exactly help the Governor but knowing her, she must have just wanted to scan the situation.

I sat in front of the Commandant as she continued reading something over her holographic tablet that is apparently only visible to her unles she wanted to show it despite being a hologram. We have just arrived here not longer than a minute ago but she already returned to her working mode which means she absolutely cannot be bothered. Perhaps it was better that way, I love nothing more than to stare at my Commandant's gallant figure sitting on the leathered seat with her leg placed above another.

The light coming from the window beside her illuminated her beauty even more, her amber eyes seemingly glistening. I prevented the urge to sigh because for some reason, just having to see the Commandant being this peaceful is fine with me.

I would personally prefer her to just work by the office rather than to go out to the dangerous wastelands most of the time for missions and errands, but she has always looked forward in every Excursions we have that I guess it can't be helped. There's no need to worry anyway with me behind her.

"Why didn't you oorder anything for at all." She commented while putting her already shut-in tablet inside her overcoat's inner pocket. She must have had noticed I didn't but anything for me.

"It's fine, Commandant—"

"I'm asking a question."

"...they don't sell milk."

She sighed. "Of course they don't, unless you want a coffee with one. You aren't actually planning on skipping your breakfast again, are you?"

I would have said I'm already full watching her eat, but that didn't sound right for some reason that instead, I said—"It cannot be helped, Commandant."

Three years is enough for her to know that I don't eat my breakfast at all without milk. I always start my breakfast with milk and I feel oddly uncomfortable without it that eating without it in the morning would bother me the entire day.

Once, I almost led the Commandant in trouble because of me being always distracted in battle that I decided to just skip breakfast altogether if I can't have my hand on a glass of milk, or just a can would do actually.

The Commandant then pushed a button, a mechanoid immediately striding towards our table which was cleaning another just seconds ago. It's a servant-class mechanoid tasked with cleaning or helping with the customer's orders.

The difference between a mechanoid and an android is that that the first one is a machine programmed specifically to do a task, and each mecha class is connected with one another.

Like for example, the experiences and the data gathered by this one in front of us is being transmitted to the rest in the same class in the area, making their learning and adaptability more efficient rather than humans constantly ordering them on what to do.

While an android is different, it's still a machine nonetheless but has its own mind, emotions, and can freely and automatically control itself like a real living thing. Android is short for autonomous droid which means an automated robot-type machine.

Then there are humanoids too, machines that has human figures, they are different from cybernetic-modified humans—another term for humans who lost a part of their limb, replaced by a machine—because humanoids are android machines through and through only that they have human appearances.

They're usually created for artificial intelligence assistance, household works, guards, and other kinds of works that would make it easier for humans to operate.

Only a few of them are around though considering the time and resources needed to actually make one, not to mention that only rich and powerful people have their own humanoids. The only things human technology—mechanoids and androids—can't do is they are extremely weak against the Flare Virus.

In the past, they were created to help mankind fight against the Neuro invasions and outside colonial excursions, only for humans to discover that their systems can easily be corrupted by the virus making them more or less similar to Ferals, only that they're actually machines.

Now, the only thing that can fight the enemy is the JADES Organization abbreviated for Joint Alt-Drive En System, a project that discovered the link that can fight off not only mankind's greatest enemy but the virus itself, and that link is called Nexus, which we're hugely a part of—

"Eh?" I asked dumbfounded, just noticing that the Commandant just ordered another serving of sandwich and pushed the plate towards me.

"Eat. I can't have my Alter go out there without having eaten anything."

I am yet again reminded how kind my Commandant is, and she's really particular about eating. She never fails to skip a meal because she said there might come a time in the future that food will be difficult to procure, especially when we're out doing reckon missions, so she never passes the chance to eat.

Now that I think about it, Commandant does eat a lot though. May it be breakfast, lunch, or dinners—she never hesitates to double or even triple up her servings back in the dorm.

The only time she ever holds back is when we're out in public. Although even if the Commandant eats a lot, she still looks so fit and her figure is perfect, and no one can tell me otherwise.

"If the Commandant says so." I replied, bringing the sandwich in my mouth, taking a bite. It has bacon and eggs inside, not to mention the bread used was thick enough that a single sandwich would make a normal person already filled up.

The Commandant has already finished her breakfast, and I'm not exactly used seeing her eat so little but it can't be helped that we're in public. She always has a habit of maintaining her reputation, and she never lets anything taint her famous title.

Now she's back again at doing something with her tablet, her chin placed over her palm and her elbow on the table—making her long black hair fall gently to the side as she reads.

Yes, indeed, I'm very full just watching this scene—

"Alestra!"

It came from a familiar loud and energetic voice that called all the way from the cafe's door, making people glance her way. But when they noticed her uniform, they immediately looked away. The person itself didn't notice though, confidently striding her way towards our table with a grin as she swung her arm around the Commandant. I suddenly have the urge to keep the contact away, but knowing the Commandant didn't look bothered by it, I simply let her be and continued with my sandwich.

"Commandant Yeona, greetings to you as well." The Commandant said with her usual impassive tone, still continuing her work.

"Aww, come on! Enough working." The older woman took her tablet, putting it back on the table. "Oh right, hello there Elirah. Still looking so adorable as ever—"

"Where's the thing I told you to buy?" The Commandant interrupted.

"Psh, I'm just complimenting her." She then handed me a can, and my eyes lit up seeing it was milk. "Where's my thanks?"

"Thank you, Commandant Yeona." I said, not minding my previous annoyances about her as I opened the canned milk.

"Ah, that's right, that's right." She has this happy grin on her face as she patted my head with my hood still up, standing beside me. Since I got a milk from her, I simply let her. "Ah, so adorable as always, my little Elirah."

It's not that I'm small to be honest, but most of the people here are just way taller. Still, for some reason, the Commandant seems to be glaring our way.

"Stop it, Yeona. She doesn't like physical contact." My Commandant said, dropping the formalities this time. She's always so formal even to her friends, but she drops it instantly if she's feeling annoyed or playful, and this time... it's the former.

"Doesn't like? But Elirah seems to be alright about it though~" Commandant Yoena replied back with a smirk.

"It is quite alright, Commandant." I said aftee gulping a batch of the white liquid. "I do not mind at all."

Plus, Commandant Yeona has always been clingy to me even back when we first met three years ago that I've gotten used to her doing this to me. Normally, I would dodge her physical contact attempts, but I'm feeling quite better with my morning milk delivered by her so I don't mind at all—eh? Why is the Commandant glaring at me so obviously now?

"We're leaving." She said, standing up and heading quickly out of the cafe while I hurriedly followed behind her, not minding Commandant Yeona's laughter.

Commandant Yeona's still randomly talking about stuffs, mostly from her assignments these previous weeks, but I didn't really understand any of them. My sight was solely focused on my Commandant who seems to be in a bad mood because of me. I wonder why, this always happens whenever Commandant Yeona is with us.

It makes me feel as though I've done something very worst knowing I've disappointed her yet again without me knowing the reason why. Commandant is very strange, and I thought I was beginning to understand her.

But it's moments like this one that makes me think if I really do know her at all, because it appears I still cannot understand my Commandant after all. Until I felt another hand placed on my head, my head turning to face Commandant Yeona momentarily before looking down. I really dislike this feeling.

"Don't be sad." She said, we were quite lagging behind so the Commandant in front wouldn't be able to hear.

"Sad? I am not sad. I just feel... strange."

"You two are really so..." she sighed, shaking her head. "You're sad, and that's that."

"Sadness is something that makes me cry, this is different."

"Sadness doesn't just make you cry, Elirah." She tapped her chin, thinking. "Hmm, let's see. I guess being sad is also when you feel helpless and lonely."

"I...see." I nodded, understanding what she means.

"Don't worry, she's not mad at you."

"That doesn't seem to be the case though."

"She's just being stupid, and you're being a dense idiot."

"That's rude."

"You being an idiot?"

"No, calling the Commandant stupid."

She sighed again. "This is exactly why you two are so frustrating. The other being confusing as hell and the other being crazily oblivious."

"What does that mean?"

"Let's just say that the road of my ship is still looking as bleak as ever."

"Road?" My eyebrows furrowed confusingly. "But ships are on water—" I stopped when she suddenly held each side of my face, frowning at me now.

"Please stop being so oddly adorable, okay? I might just kiss you if you keep this up—ow! Alestra!" She let me go, rubbing the back of her head after my Commandant smacked her.

"Stop troubling my Alter."

"Yes, yes, she's yours. You don't have to be so rough. That hurts." She turned back to me again. "Why don't you compensate for your Commandant's offense by rubbing my pain away—"

"You really are pushing my buttons today, Yeona."

"Fine, fine, I'll stop!" She declared, hiding behind me seeing the serious look my Commandant was giving her.

"Where's your Alter anyway? I haven't seen her." My Commandant asked.

"Oh, the idiot's out shopping." Commandant Yeona said frowning. "She's been complaining about the lack of clothes in her closet and that's the first thing she told me when we got back this morning! She's being really annoying lately. Must be because we've been out in the wasteland for weeks and she's being so fussy about it."

"Must be great to have an Alter who complains a lot, unlike someone so quiet you wouldn't know what's wrong."

"Is that sarcasm I hear, Alestra? Personally, I like having someone like Elirah. Not only she's adorable, she takes care of everything in the dorm and only think about her Commandant's wellbeing~" Commandant Yeona said, hugging me from behind.

"Oh? Is that so?" Another voice said.

We turned around to see a girl holding multiple shopping bags, smiling with great effort towards the Commandant hugging me from behind. Seeing who the girl was, Commandant Yeona backed away in panic realizing her Alter has been there all along.

"O-oh, Zielle. I didn't noticed you there at all, haha..."

"Indeed, Yeona. Must be fun having an Alter who can do everything you'll ask her." She smiled darkly that made Commandant Yeona release a cold sweat, eventually hitting her Commandant with the shopping bags. "You idiot! Have you been causing trouble for Elirah again?!"

"I'm not! Don't jump to conclusions!"

"That's exactly what you're doing!" She continued on hitting her Commandant, and it was quite a sight that even some people were looking at us now.

Looking at the both of them, despite the way they treat and speak to one another, they're actually very close. Their synchronisation rate is very high and they work so well together in the battlefield too.

Commandant Yeona has a blonde hair tied messily behind her, she wasn't truly a woman who appreciates appearances. While her Alter, Zielle, is someone who's close to my age, with brunette hair reaching below her shoulders. She's a very graceful girl, except when she's dealing with her Commandant.

"Stop! That hurts! I'm your Commandant, you know?!"

"An irresponsible one!" Alter Zielle then stopped, sighing as she pushed the bags onto her Commandant. "Now carry these as apology to your idiotic remarks about me."

"Fine, fine." She pouted, carrying the bags.

"Greetings to you two, Yeona's being a pest again, I see."

"Yes, she is. Thank you for coming." My Commandant said, nodding.

"You should defend your best friend, Alestra! You're all so mean, I only have Elirah on my side, isn't that right, Elirah?" She grinned, probably expecting me to agree.

"I am on Commandant Alestrandra's side though?" I said, tilting my head. I mean, isn't that much obvious?

"Ehhh? You're all so mean."

"Since we're all together, let's move along now." My Commandant said.

Even with her impassive voice and expressionless face, I could tell she's not mad anymore and instead is in a better mood. Really, I don't understand her mood swings at all.

My Commandant sure is very strange.