The Captain's Letter

Philippines, Manila, Schicksal's Snow Lotus Squad HQ.

"Tap, tap, tap…"

A crisp, polite knock at the door.

"Come in."

Captain Jell, head buried in paperwork, responded without looking up. She didn't even need to bother.

As the Captain of the Snow Lotus Squad, she could tell exactly who was outside just from the rhythm, force, and location of the knock.

Anna, in casual clothes, pushed open the door and said softly, "Captain, the Coral Island mission report is finished and sent to your terminal."

"Mm, got it. Already glanced over it."

Captain Jell remained glued to her desk, furiously scribbling away.

"What's gotten into you, my dear Vice-Captain? Why so formal all of a sudden?"

After a few seconds, as if realizing something, she put down her pen, looked up, and chuckled. "If I didn't know better, you walking in like that, I'd think you were here to hand in your resignation."

"Captain, you jest…"

Anna gave a wry smile. It wasn't that she wanted to be this way, but something still felt off, making it impossible to relax and be casual around her captain.

"When we wrapped up yesterday, I forgot to ask about something. The other victims who were taken to Coral Island with me… how are they doing?"

Since Anna was asking about official business, Jell's warm smile faded slightly as she turned serious. "Your initial coordinates were spot on. The team secured them immediately and moved them to a safe location. Also… about those strange 'constructs' you mentioned in your report, we found two… uh, units…"

Jell stumbled a bit, unsure what counter to use for something that was neither human nor machine. She decided to skip the nitpicking details.

"They were already deactivated when we found them. Along with the Honkai energy core you brought back, they've been sent to HQ by transport for research and analysis—hopefully, we can extract some tech details from them and find a lead, some kind of clue about the enemy."

Finishing up, Jell smiled and added a compliment, "Nice work, Anna. Clean and efficient."

"It's nothing really…"

Anna felt a bit awkward. She felt like she hadn't done much at all. If Lin Wei hadn't helped, her only option would have been to play along and get captured to infiltrate the base and then play it by ear.

That would have been way too risky.

"I'll tweak your report a bit later before submitting it to HQ."

Jell stood up from her seat, stretching languidly, showcasing her graceful lines. She spoke casually, "After all, some of the details are a bit… brief. Submitting a report like that straight to HQ? You'll probably get grilled about it by the higher-ups, you know?"

"Uh…"

Anna blinked, surprised, looking at her captain who seemed anything but captain-like at this moment, more like a girl chilling at home, all relaxed and carefree. She was a bit at a loss for words.

She wasn't dumb, of course, she understood the meaning behind her words.

"Ah, that feels good~"

Captain Jell sighed contentedly after stretching.

"We're not just tools without our own will, are we? Everyone's got secrets and their own troubles, right? You're my teammate, my vice-captain. My trust is all you need, you know?"

"…Thank you, Captain."

Anna's heart was a mess of mixed feelings. Gratitude and resentment – these conflicting emotions were tangled together, leaving her feeling lost.

Warmth and acceptance… coldness and indifference…

She couldn't tell which was the Captain Valkyrie's true colors.

"Alright, alright, no need for the thanks, I'm not done yet."

Jell waved her hand, not returning to her seat, but casually perching on the edge of the desk.

"Your discovery this time is really important. I've already contacted the other Valkyrie squads stationed in Southeast Asia, and the branch office in Oceania. They're taking it seriously too and have started investigating for similar cases in their own jurisdictions."

Here, Jell suddenly sighed, her voice dropping.

"Think about those poor people… They've already lost everything, barely survived by the skin of their teeth, and now they're being robbed of even the chance to start over… It's just too cruel… isn't it?"

Her tone was almost a whisper, like talking to herself, but also with a sincerity that felt like a confession. Anna had never seen this side of her captain before.

In her memory, she'd always been confident, composed, never showing this kind of… almost "vulnerable" moment.

It made her want to believe in her one more time.

"Captain, I…"

Jell suddenly looked up, cutting Anna off with a gesture. She pointed at Anna's neck, smiling.

"That pretty pendant you're wearing… wasn't it a whole heart shape originally? How'd it end up with only half left?"

The topic change was so sudden, Anna froze for a second, then instinctively reached up to clutch the delicate necklace at her throat, her face flushing red as she took a step back, unsure how to explain.

Or rather, she'd never imagined that something like this even needed explaining…

"You're looking quite radiant, seems like you had quite the harvest out there…"

Jell chuckled softly, amused by Anna's flustered reaction. Then she sighed again, her voice laced with deeper meaning.

"Since you've already given away half your heart, you better protect the half you have left. Don't lose it, don't break it…"

"I'm not, I didn't…"

Anna's face burned brighter, she stomped her foot in frustration, not knowing how to explain herself.

"Hehe, getting all shy now?"

The Captain's perfectly timed teasing made Anna feel even more embarrassed and annoyed, making her want to rush up and cover her mouth to shut her up. But the instant she moved to do so, she froze, caught in an awkward standstill.

That gesture was too intimate. And the invisible barrier between her and her captain made her feel inexplicably deflated.

Captain Jell watched this scene, then sighed, a hint of disappointment in her voice. She asked softly, "You still hate me, don't you?"

Anna shook her head at first, then hesitated and nodded, a confused look on her face. "I… I don't know…"

She really didn't know how to face this captain and senior Valkyrie who had been so caring towards her.

This adventure with Lin Wei, though not particularly dangerous, had been a rollercoaster of emotions for her.

Throughout the journey, her earlier, somewhat extreme mindset had gradually calmed down. After reuniting with her captain and spending time with her again, she vaguely understood that her captain also had her own reasons, just like she said, "Everyone's got secrets and their own troubles."

But the thorn stuck in her heart couldn't just be pulled out on command. Every time it was touched, it stung.

Even telling herself she shouldn't resent her captain anymore, she couldn't lie to herself. She still wanted an explanation.

If Lin Wei were here, what would he do, what would he say?

Would he tease her for being melodramatic, then tell her where she was wrong and what was right? Or would he gently stroke her hair and firmly tell her, "It's not wrong to stand your ground"?

Anna unconsciously drifted into thought, her hand touching the ends of her hair.

"It's okay, I don't blame you. I know I was pretty awful too."

Jell noticed her lost gaze, mistaking it for inner turmoil and hesitation. She chuckled self-deprecatingly, showing understanding, not wanting to push it.

"No, Captain. I just… I need time…"

Anna was eager to explain, but her voice trailed off.

"Time… Heh, isn't that just the best…"

Captain Jell sighed, a deep meaning in her sigh. She sat back in her chair, uncapped her pen, and went back to writing. The room fell silent, filled only with the soft scratching of the pen on paper.

Anna felt bad for being like this to Captain Jell, who had helped her. She wanted to say something to break the awkward silence. Watching her write, she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Captain, are you writing a mission report? Why on paper instead of typing it into your terminal?"

It wasn't just making conversation; Anna was genuinely curious. Schicksal rarely used paper for communication anymore. Except for the essential library and some training manuals, even Valkyrie Academy students had long since stopped doing homework on paper.

"You misunderstand. This isn't a mission report. Just a personal habit of mine."

Jell smiled. "No big deal, don't laugh at me, okay? I'm writing a letter, a letter to a friend. A very dear friend…"

"A letter?"

Anna leaned forward curiously, then quickly pulled back, afraid of invading her privacy. She asked, puzzled, "If it's a dear friend, why not just call? Tech's so convenient these days, even if they don't have time to answer, a quick text message works just as well, right? They'd see it right away! Writing and mailing letters seems like such a waste of time…"

Jell's pen paused. She said calmly, "Because… she isn't with us anymore."

"Isn't… Ah! I'm so sorry!"

Anna didn't catch on for a second, still confused, then immediately realized how insensitive her question had been and quickly apologized.

"It's okay, just a personal habit… Calling it a letter… well, it's really only for myself to see. But I hope these feelings will get through to her…"

"Even if she can't, it's alright. I wrote it down, I remember. Someday, it'll reach her…"

Captain Jell continued writing, her strokes noticeably slower now, her mind half on speaking to Anna.

"Anna, you know, for me, compared to those cold symbols of ones and zeros on a screen, I prefer the feeling of ink being etched onto paper, bit by bit… Heh, maybe one day, when I'm gone, these words will be buried underground for hundreds, maybe thousands, tens of thousands of years… But as long as humans still exist, someone somewhere on Earth might dig up a scrap of paper and piece together a simple, even fragmented story from a few lines of text…"

Jell spoke as she wrote, almost to herself.

"It's not much, but it's proof that I, she, them, we… existed. Proof that these insignificant, unnoticed little stories once happened in this world."

Tears welled up in Anna's eyes. She didn't understand why she wanted to cry.

Maybe it just felt so small, so insignificant?

"Oh dear, what am I even saying? Total mood killer…"

Jell chuckled, changing the subject.

"Seriously, I'm rambling like a grandma. Don't mind me, don't mind me… Right, Anna, here's a little tip for you. If you have things on your mind, try writing a letter to someone important to you, just like me."

Jell picked up a blank piece of stationery and waved it, a playful smile on her face.

"If you want, send it out. If not, or if the time isn't right, just keep it safe, tell yourself, someday, those feelings will reach them."

"Yeah, I'll try it…"

Anna nodded firmly.

Jell smiled and continued writing. After a while, she carefully picked up the pages filled with delicate handwriting, folded them, and slipped them into a clean white envelope. She sealed it carefully, diligently wrote the recipient and date on it, then stood up and placed it into a safe.

Anna saw clearly that it was already crammed full, all with identical envelopes.

"Alright, Team Member Anna, secrets time over."

Jell closed the safe with a satisfied sigh, then turned to Anna, extending an invitation.

"The weather's great today. Since we both have a day off, how about you come take a walk with me? And then, I'll take you somewhere."

"Huh? Uh, oh… Okay."

The captain's invitation was a bit sudden, but also reasonable. Anna was slightly taken aback but agreed.

She really wanted to have a good talk with her captain, open up a bit.

She believed that a captain with such a gentle heart couldn't be a bad person. She must have her reasons. As her subordinate, colleague, partner, and comrade, it was important to open up to each other.

Maybe, the captain had said so much to her today, thinking the same thing?

"Wonderful! What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Captain Jell seemed genuinely happy.

"Yeah!"

Anna was happy too.

She turned to open the door, ready to head out with her captain. But after taking just two steps, she noticed the sound of footsteps behind her was off.

Anna turned back, puzzled. But the captain had vanished right before her eyes.

"Captain?"

Anna blinked, confused. What was going on? A prank?

The door to a small side room opened, and a small head of light blue hair peeked out, followed by half a pale shoulder. A grumpy voice said,

"What's the rush? Gotta change clothes! Can't go out for a stroll in a Schicksal uniform, can we?"

Anna facepalmed internally and backed down immediately. You could've just said so!