Chapter 17

As the tension between Miku and Zorome dissipated, the group resumed their earlier conversation.

Ikuno stated, "Regardless, I don't think Papa will accept a pilot who can't handle the responsibility."

Futoshi agreed, his voice somber, "We saw so many kids vanish from the Garden because of that."

"It was so sad..." Kokoro's heart ached at the memory, her eyes dropping to the floor. Silence filled the room for a moment before Miku broke it with a sudden remark.

"Ichigo's no better, though." she says, "Don't you think she's being too biased toward Hiro? She's supposed to be our leader. Really, I don't know how Goro's putting up with it as her partner."

"What does Goro have to do with it?"

As Ichigo's voice reached them, Miku and Futoshi looked up to see her standing in the doorway of the lounging room. Goro appeared behind her, just in time to hear Miku's words.

"What's this about me?" Goro asked, clearly caught off guard by the conversation.

Ichigo ignored his question and walked towards the couch, saying, "If Hiro becomes a parasite, he'll be a great help to us. That's all there is to it."

Miku raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying her explanation. "That's if he does," she replied skeptically.

"He still has a chance," Ichigo stated firmly as she stood behind the circular couch where Miku sat.

Miku drolly shook her head, "I'm not so sure. He couldn't even get it done with you. I think it's over for him."

"But he did pilot Strelizia." Ichigo responded, "Even if he was unconscious, he did save us back then. I believe in him."

"Ichigo," This time, it was Mitsuru who spoke with crossed arms, "I can understand why you'd stick up for him, but given that he was unconscious, he was only taken for the ride."

"We don't know that for sure!"

"Sure, Hiro was special." Mitsuru replied to Ichigo, deciding not to argue with her statement and instead, state facts, "Even among the double-digits, he was a cut above the rest. We were all certain that he'd be our leader and show us the way." he then stands up and turns to her, "But reality had other ideas. Hiro couldn't become a parasite. He's not who he used to be."

"...." Ichigo couldn't refute him.

Seeing her look, Mitsuru continues, "We must give up and cut our losses. I don't want to see this pathetic side of Hiro anymore."

That afternoon, Hiro had just finished cleaning himself after training. He absentmindedly gazed at the orange lights of the inner-city as the elevator descended.

One he exited the elevator, he walked to the hallways around the view of the inner-city, before arriving at an empty facility and surprisingly, he found a familiar pink-haired girl wearing a very distinct red parasite military uniform crouching down near one of the enormous white pillars.

Curious, Hiro approached the crouching girl who he now realized was sleeping while leaning on her knees using her arms as pillows. As he got closer to her, he slightly leaned downward after wanting to get a better look at her. His shadow loomed over her as he did so.

The youth silently gazed over the sleeping appearance of Zero Two. and he had to admit it to himself once again that she was the most beautiful parasite he had ever met. After admiring her for a bit, questions then arose in Hiro's mind; such as, What's she doing here? Why is she sleeping here? Why is she so beautiful? Why does she have those cute little red horns?

"....You really are a pervert."

"Eh?" Hiro blinks in surprise as Zero Two suddenly spoke.

Zero Two opened her eyes and looks at him saying, "Quit staring."

"S-sorry!" Flustered, Hiro immediately took a step back, waving his hand in apology.

"It's fine." Zero Two blandly shrugs, "The doctor said parasites are better off being a little pervy. Though, not as much as me and darling...." She mumbled the last part with a hint of smile in her face.

Hiro didn't understand the last part of her sentence and chose to ignore it, "Still, why does that make me a pervert?"

Zero Two ignored his words as she stood up and stretched her stiff body.

"Hnn!" Groaning in satisfaction, she looks at Hiro and says, "I was tired of waiting for you. Let's go."

"Huh?" Confused, he followed after Zero Two who began to walk away. "Go where?" he asks.

Zero Two's steps quickened as she made her way down the hallway. Her impatience was evident in her hurried pace, although Hiro was too confused to notice it.

As for Zero Two, she couldn't wait to finish this task so she could return to her beloved darling. The thought of cuddling with him and perhaps getting to know her new brunette sister a little better filled her with anticipation.

However, the thought of accompanying Hiro left a sour taste in her mouth. She didn't dislike the boy, and she even felt a little pity for him after learning about his circumstances. But that was the extent of her feelings. Zero Two knew that, like all her previous partners, Hiro would eventually be replaced, so she didn't see any point in getting to know him.

Which is why she couldn't understand as to why the doctor was so insistent on partnering them up, even going to the extent of giving her orders like just now. Seriously, why would she need to cheer up with this boy just because he felt down due to his recent failures?

It was just another unnecessary complication in her life. All she wanted was to be with her darling, and she resented anything that got in the way of that.

After a few minutes of walking, Zero Two sent a discreet glance over at the clueless boy following behind her. She could see that aside from being curious, the boy was also clearly very interested in her in that sense. Which, annoyed her somewhat because it reminded her a part of the past which she didn't want to remember anymore.

Annoyance slowly start to build up inside her, but in the end, She simply sighed and closed her eyes. 'No, no. It's not his fault. He's just another pawn in the chessboard like you and darling. There's no need to get mad at him.'

Eventually, they arrived at an entry point which only allowed certain privileged units to pass through. Zero Two walked through with ease, the holographic gate flashed green after allowing her entry. Hiro tried to follow her but when he got too close to the gate, it suddenly rang and flashed red, stating: No Entry. Make sure you wear your ID device.

Zero Two stopped and looked at the boy as he explains, "We children have restrictions on where we're allowed to go. Nearly all of this area is off-limits to us."

Which is understandable since this hallway leads to the inner-city, the place where the adults lived and the place that they're supposed to protect.

The beautiful pink-haired girl only made an impassive, "Oh." before showing her palm that held an ID device hologram.

"Is that an S-Class ID?" Hiro asks incredulously.

There were a very few holders of this ID and to be honest, this was the first time he had ever seen it.

Zero Two then stretched her hand over the gate and it turned green. "Come one."

"...." Hiro looks over at her in confusion, but he still decided to take her hand and walk over the gate.

As for Zero Two, she didn't expect Hiro to take her hand since she only did that so he could pass through the gate. So right after Hiro did get through, she immediately retrieved her hand and proceeded on their way.

Hiro promptly followed behind her, but for some reason, his mind lingered on the sensation of her soft slim hands.

Feeling awkward with the uncomfortable silence, Hiro hesitantly spoke, "....Can you tell me now where you're taking me?"

"We're here." Zero Two stated blankly as they entered through a door and to Hiro's surprise, they arrived at a wide balcony that a beautiful and mesmerizing overview of the inner-city. A gasp of amazement escaped Hiro's lips as this was the first time he had ever seen the inner-city.

The balcony they were on had a very tall-viewpoint, allowing them to see the landscape of the unique orange-lit tall buildings and infrastructure of the inner-city. The reason why majority of the lighting inside the city is orange and bright-yellow is because due to the magma core which is the source of all power inside the plantation.

"Amazing...." Hiro muttered under his breath as he turned to Zero Two, "How did you know about this place?"

Staring into the distance, Zero Two replies, "All the plantations have similar designs. This is nothing special."

'Why did you bring me here then?' is what Hiro wanted to ask, but decided not to. Instead, he continued the conversation, "Really? But I've never set foot in the city before."

"We've only known the birdcage and a few other facilities..." he says as he glanced over at the pink-haired girl beside him, only to realize that she was looking somewhere else in particular.

And in reality, she really was. Zero Two was actually looking at a nearby surveillance camera, as if trying to convey through the footage that she knows the doctor was watching, that she was fulfilling his orders no matter how troublesome it was.

She then noticed the boy staring at her again. It didn't bother her all that much at first, but now it was starting to be annoying. She didn't want anyone admiring her so blatantly unless it's her darling.

"Why are you staring at me again?"

Hiro assumed a small smile, "...I'm trying to think of a name for you."

"...a name?" Zero Two turns to him with a confused face, "But I do have one though. It's Zero Two."

Hiro shakes his head with a wry smile. "No, not your codename. A real name. I know we parasites don't really have a name, but wouldn't it be nice to have a name for yourself?"

"But I do already have one. It's Zero Two." she repeated adamantly.

"No, no," Hiro awkwardly shakes his hand, thinking that she wasn't understanding him.

"Me, for example. My name is Hiro and my codenumber is 016."

Zero Two blankly nodded, "I see... and?"

"...." The boy awkwardly coughs at her lackluster reaction. "I... sort of gave that name myself and... I do think I'm quite good at naming people so..."

The pink haired girl gave him a look over, "Huh.... Well, I'm fine with Zero Two. Besides, that's what darling calls me other than 'Sister' or 'Love'."

Hiro blinks for a moment, not knowing how to respond to that. He didn't understand what a 'Darling' was, but he could figure out that it was her endearing way of referring to her brother.

Now that he thought about it, their unusual closeness and intimacy really made him question their relationship.

"Um...." Hiro glanced over the other way while scratching his cheek, "Zero Two, I have question... what exactly is your relationship with Adam?"

"Hm? Did you not know?" Zero Two looked at him as if he were stupid before a stunningly beautiful smile adorned her pretty face, "He's my darling!~"

"...." And like the awkward pubescent teen he is, Hiro found himself dazed by her blossoming smile.

'She really is pretty....' The boy thought to himself.

It took a moment for Hiro to get a hold of himself and coughed his awkwardness away. "I-I understand that Adam is your darling... not that I know what it means..." he mumbled the last part. "But I was just making sure, you two are siblings, right? Brothers and sisters?"

"Twins actually." Zero Two answers brightly.

She may not realize this but, she clearly shows more enthusiasm and emotions when talking about her brother and herself. Hiro picks up on this and nodded his head in understanding.

"I see... well, can you tell me what kind of person Adam-san is?"

Zero Two immediately beamed a smile, "I'll tell you all about him!~"

Meanwhile, back in the lounging area inside the parasite's boarding house, the uncomfortable quiet atmosphere in the room was broken when Adam entered the room with Naomi.

"Yo." Adam greeted everyone with his usual angelic smile.

"Hello, everyone." Naomi greets them as well, albeit a little bit more reserved than Adam.

"Adam-san! Naomi-chan!" x3

Miku, Kokoro, and Ikuno's face visibly grew brighter when they saw Adam and Naomi walk inside. Ikuno made space for Naomi and the brunette sat in between Ikuno and Kokoro.

"So? What're we gathering here for?" Adam asks everyone as he leans on the back of the couch where Naomi sat in. Miku naturally moved from her couch and sat next to Kokoro so she could be closer to Adam.

"Nothing much." Ikuno replied nonchalantly, "Just talking about whether Hiro could make it as a parasite or not."

"I see..." Adam nodded, but didn't add on into it as he wasn't particularly interested nor curious.

"Adam-san on the other hand.... we had so many questions for you yesterday." Miku spoke with a light pout, "How could you only appear now? No, wait." she turns to Naomi who sat next to her and looked at her suspiciously. "Where were you guys this morning?"

"Mhm! Mhm!" Kokoro vigorously nods her head beside them, sharing the same curiosity.

Ikuno didn't show much reaction, but it was clear that she was also curious as to where they were.

"Ehehe..." Naomi shyly smiled as her face grew a tinge of red. She twiddled her fingers together as she suddenly found the floor to become the most interesting thing in the room.

Seriously though, how can she tell them that she and Adam spent the entire morning 'working on their bonds'?

The things they did in the bedroom... Her nether region feels all tingly just remembering it.

Unlike what Adam suggested at first, they didn't go for a run much less have breakfast.

'Hmm... does it count that we had each other for breakfast?' she almost choked at her own perverted thought, her cheeks becoming even more red. 'Uwa.... Adam is being a bad influence one me!'

"Hello? Earth to Naomi-chan?"

"Fweh?!" The brunette reeled back as she noticed that her friends were already surrounding her while wearing inquisitive gazes.

"Something definitely happened." Ikuno remarked with a teasing smile.

Miku grabbed Naomi by her shoulders, "Tell me!!!"

As for Kokoro, her face also grew a slight blush. The petite ash-blondie realized from the look of her bestfriend that she and Adam probably did something naughty like kissing or something....

'K-k-k-k-kissing Adam-san?!' she secretly glanced over at Adam, only to see him smiling amiably towards them.

He seems to have noticed her gaze as he sent a wink towards her.

Kokoro's face became even more rosier as she thought that he somehow read her thoughts and was teasing her. 'Adam-san!!! H-h-h-how can you be s-so lewd!!!'

Yes, teenagers are very delusional.

Just then, Mitsuru suddenly addressed Adam.

"Special Unit Adam." Mitsuru looked at him with crossed legs and crossed arms. "It's a pleasure to formally meet you."

Adam nodded cordially. "Likewise. You are..." his eyes narrowed, trying to recall. "....Ikuno-san's partner, yes?"

Mitsuru merely glanced at Ikuno, before nodding at Adam. "Yes. It's Mitsuru, by the way."

"Yesterday was a nice spar." Adam smiled at him.

"Nice spar?" Mitsuru almost snorted in disdain. He knew full well that he was thoroughly humiliated yesterday, how dare he say something like that?

Nonetheless, Mitsuru controlled his emotions because he knows that he can learn a lot from Adam. No matter how sarcastic the handsome older boy's words were, Mitsuru wouldn't gain anything from being rude or antagonistic to him.

In the end, the neat boy only sighed ruefully, "More like you toyed around with us."

"Perhaps," Adam didn't deny it. "But it's also true that you piloted your FRANXX very well. You must've studied and trained very hard. I can tell."

".....I see." Slightly taken aback, Mitsuru certainly did not expect to be praised by him.

Maybe he's not as bad as he thought.

"Try again in a hundred years. Maybe you'll be able to make me sweat a bit."

Ok. Mitsuru takes it back. Adam was as arrogant as he seemed.

"I'm kidding you." Adam chuckles after seeing neat boy's face visibly stiffened. A moment later though, Adam looked at teens as a whole and sincerely advised, "Don't compare yourself too much to me. You have your own specialties, you just have to look for that and hone it yourself."

"....." The room became collectively silent as nobody expected Adam to be kind enough to give them a sincere advice.

Zorome and Mitsuru definitely had the preconceived notion that any special unit like Adam, most specially when he was personally named by Papa, would be arrogant, obnoxious, and very full of air.

But reality differed from their expectations and if they were to deny it any further, that would just be their inferiority complex talking. Zorome clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked elsewhere. He was already pissed off by what Miku said and he did not want to listen to Mr. Oh-I'm-so-perfect's lectures, which sounded more like needless nagging to his ears.

As for Mitsuru, he only nodded succinctly in response to Adam's sincere advice. Ikuno on the other hand, subtly looked between Adam and Mitsuru. She held back a sigh as she was beginning to understand what Miku was feeling.

The atmosphere became relatively lively as Naomi was interrogated by the girls while Adam found a seat beside Futoshi and Goro.

"Hey." Adam greeted the overweight boy.

"Adam-san, nice to meet you. I'm Futoshi."

"And I'm Goro." The bespectacled tall boy added from the side.

"Pleasure to meet the both of you." Adam shook their hands.

Goro started the conversation relatively optimistically. He asked his experiences as Pilot and whatnot. Zorome and Mitsuru, feigning indifference, were keenly listening from the side.

"Wait, you're telling me, you went on a solo mission to kill a Gutenberg-class on your own?!" Goro asks incredulously.

"Yep." Adam nodded with a wry smile, "It was one of the longest subjugation mission I've ever had. Took my previous partner and I a week and a half to beat it."

He leaned on the backrest as if reminiscing solemnly, "At the time, there were two Gutenberg-class Klaxosaurs. One was capable of aerial flight which attacks from the skies while the other was a mothership of sorts that kept releasing moho-class and other low tier klaxosaurs. What's worse was that these two monsters attacked the plantation at the same time."

Miku and the other girls gasped, while the boys gulped nervously. The recent attack of one moho-class klaxosaur was already horrifying on its own, and now Adam was telling them that he faced a monster that was a tier-stronger than that? Only by himself and his partner?

Nobody wanted to say it but, wasn't that already a suicide mission?

Ichigo's brows furrowed as she said, "Wait... If you said that you were fighting a flight-type klaxosaur... does that mean that you were fighting it in the sky for a week or so?"

Adam's smile became even more wry. "Pretty much."

"Nee, nee, Adam-san." Miku poked him by his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"How do you compare the size of the klaxosaur that you fought to the moho-class that recently attacked?"

"Hmm..." Adam held his chin in thought before saying, "You are all familiar with the cargo transport ship that the doctor used to travel here, yes?"

The youths nodded their heads, knowing the how enormous that spaceship model was.

Futushi gasped out loud, "Are you saying that it's as big as that?!"

"Maybe a little bit bigger, but yeah, it does have an approximate size as that."

"No way!" The teens exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's true." Adam assured seriously. "Hold on, actually-" he rummaged through his breast pocket and pulled out a his transmitter. After a few taps and swipes, a large holographic image suddenly spurred from the small transmitting device.

And there, they saw the horrifying life-like image of the Gutenberg-class monster. Its scale was so large that it could match a small mountain range.

[Image]

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow, his voice laced with curiosity, "So, let me get this straight. You're telling me you two held off that kalxosaur while the other squads took out the rest before coming to back you up?"

"Haha! If only!" Adam chuckled lightly, bitterness coloring his words as he spoke.

"In reality, we had to deal with the flying-type klaxosaur first before rushing in to help the other squads facing the mothership-type," Adam explained calmly. His smile remained, but there was a hint of gravity in his eyes now. "By then, most of the squads were already gone thanks to the swarm of klaxosaurs released by the mothership. Some breached into the plantation while the survivors fought tooth and nail to protect it."

Glancing at their faces, "You might be wondering why they didn't withdraw.' said Adam.

"Did the klaxosaurs reach their retreat point?" Kokoro guessed with a disheartened voice.

"No," Adam shook his head solemnly, "It was because not all civilians had been evacuated from the inner-city yet. As parasites, they had no choice but to defend them until the end. That's our duty as parasites."

His tone shifted to a somber note, filling the room with a heavy silence as each person processed his words in their own way.

No one found any words for Adam, struck by the sorrow in his voice as he recounted the loss of his comrades. It served as a stark reminder of the dangers they faced daily. They needed strength to survive; otherwise, everything they held dear would be consumed by their foes.

The room fell into an oppressive silence as Mitsuru's detached tone cut through the air.

"So, I guess that means the plantation is no more?"

Adam met his gaze with a somber shake of his head. "After defeating the aerial-type gutenberg-class klaxosaur, my partner and I were immediately sent to back-up the other squads. By the time we arrived, the other gutenberg-class klaxosaur already reached the plantation's vicinity and its minions were overwhelming that plantation's walls, rendering the defensive turrets useless."

"At the time, my partner and I seriously considered just abandoning the mission. Unfortunately for us, the communication systems were still online and...." His eyes subconsciously became even more heavier as the smile in his face gradually disappeared.

Recounting this story truly brings out the bitterness inside him.

But Adam played it cool, not allowing a single whiff of his real emotions to show.

After a brief pause, he continued with a subdued tone, "HQ... didn't want to lose another plantation. Therefore, My partner and I were sent to subjugate the remaining mothership-type gutenberg-class klaxosaur. Long story short, we did manage to slay that klaxosaur... but at the cost of my partner and the entire squads of 46, 82, 29, and 33's lives."

The entire atmosphere froze as he mentioned the amount of squads that lost their lives. However, before the other teens could process it, Adam took this moment to give them another advice as their senior.

"Take care of your partners. Trust them with your life because during a mission, they're the only ones who have your back. One wrong move could mean death for both of you."

"Remember this: Piloting a Franxx and fighting klaxosaurs is not a game. Follow your leader's orders and never try to be a hero." His eyes lingered on Zorome, who visibly shrank under his intense gaze.

"Because it's always those who think they can do it all on their own that end up first in line for death." It was a warning, one born from Adam's experience of teaming up with other squads in the past. He had seen overconfident individuals make reckless choices and drag their partners down with them, leading to tragic consequences.

Which is why Adam was warning Zorome, who checked all the check lists of those red flags, this early on. Because while Adam didn't care much for others, he would like to prevent unnecessary deaths of someone as young as them. Not to mention, Miku was quite a cute girl. So it would be a shame if she died all because of the shorty's recklessness.

***

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