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Jin walked into the kitchen and looked down at the plate his mother held, his face crept into a smile as he realized the delicious dish before him. Pelmeni. A traditional Russian dish consisting of dumplings and for extra measure, these were glazed in a sweet sauce that Jin enjoyed a lot. Having grown up in Russia for part of his life Jin was all too familiar with Russian cuisine.
" *Пельмени! Ты приготовила мои любимые пельмени, как тогда, на Сахалине
(*Pelmeni! You made my favorite dumplings like back in Sakhalin)
"*Tadaima! (*I'm home!)" Katsumi said walking into the kitchen. She planted a kiss on both Aiko and Jin's cheeks.
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Once Katsumi had finished her shower and dressed in her usual yoga pants and shirt the three sat down and gave thanks for dinner Aiko prepared.
"Hm?" Katsumi glance over at Jin's left arm which had a bandage wrapped around his wrist. "
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Jin often tried to brush off most things that happened to him as to not have anyone he cares for be concerned too much, but it still felt nice knowing that someone looked out for him. As the three of them continued to eat dinner Jin made mention that he would be departing again soon to Russia for a joint exercise, more particularly Sakhalin.
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Jin nodded.
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***
Two days had gone by and Jin and Nio were walking through a town in Sakhalin, Russia. The town he lived in when he was younger before moving back to Japan, where we went to school in, and where his Russian heritage was made. The town had all the amenities that a area of it size would have, a series of schools, shops, the town hall, a park for people to visit, and a Russian Orthodox Church in the center.
Surrounding the town were also cherry blossom trees giving it a Japanese-like feel to it.
The joint exercise was set for the next day and to kill time Jin decided to stroll through his old home for a while, with Nio beside him and acting as a sort of tour guide. Both of them had been dressed in normal clothing save for the pistols at their hips.
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"You actually lived here?" Nio asked. "Looks peaceful. I can't believe the majority of those stories you tell actually happened here."
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Jin pointed towards a school building in the distance with a Japanese style and theme to its appearance and grounds, its front entrance covered with students both Japanese and Russian dressed in school uniforms. It was Kobayashi High School, the international Japanese institution Jin use to go to. The two of them walked near the academy grounds and were met with a handful of students surrounding them, asking questions and wishing to take photos with them.
"*О, спасибо тебе, милая. Ты практиковался в своем японском? (*Aww thank you sweetheart. You've been practicing your Japanese?)" Jin asked.
" " It was something all too common with Norio pilots. Given that they were the stars of the sky and protectors of Earth from the Xenos they of course had their own fanbases. As Jin shook the various hands around him his concentration was interrupted by the sound of a sonic boom overhead, looking up in time he witnessed two EX-35 jets speeding by. Followed by an air raid alarm throughout the area. " "." Jin's phone then began to vibrate in his pocket, a message from the Norio base on Sakhalin from Commander Aizawa. He knew then that something was off. *** " " Demon Squadron had hovered above the Pacific Ocean that Vladivostok's coast was made of as the Xeno floated before them, the city could bee seen in the distance as well as the barrage of missiles coming from it. Jin also knew that most likely Russian citizens were watching the events unfold from a distance near the coast under the safety of any security there. The creature let out a screech for a few moments before rising higher into the air, signaling Demon Squadron to engage. Using his flares Jin managed to get the Xeno to follow him further out into the water, away from the people and giving him a more open playing field. Once further out he climbed into the air and turned his jet back down to rain a barrage of missiles onto the Xeno. " Jin nodded and looked onto his HUD to see an alarm indicating a threat from his left side, looking in the direction he could see one of the Xenos tentacles heading straight for him. Pressing a button on his dashboard he activated his jet's electric field effectively sending electricity through the creatures arm. The Xeno then switched up its attack pattern by sending out what appeared to be a electric barrage, as streams of electricity began rapidly manifesting around its body and firing themselves towards Demon Squadron. Jin dodged several of the attacks before he found himself behind the creature again, firing his Gatling gun the Xeno was damaged significantly. " Jin had been referring to a new gravity bomb the squadron had been equipped with. Nio had agreed and the two conjoined on one another before flying higher into the air, the Xeno tailing them from behind. As Jin contacted Takeo to tell him of the plan his voice suddenly went to static. " "... Takeo had parachuted into the water just off the coast of Vladivostok. "!" Alexei said flying back to the coastline. Jin and Nio flew higher into the air as they passed the clouds and came within view of space above them. Once they were a considerable distance from the creature they turned their jets around and dropped their payload down onto the Xeno. Two gravity bombs manufactured by a corporation for Norio's use. After flying a safe distance away the bombs exploded midair with a world shattering force that could be hear all the way back in Vladivostok. The shock waves from the blast circumnavigating the entire area and even reaching Jin and Nio's aircraft, while they weren't in any danger they could feel the vibrations of their work. When the light finally faded Jin looked back t see the creature gone, its core shattered and its body falling back down to the ocean where it would eventually evaporate. " " Jin and Nio then flew back to Vladivostok and arrived on the coast where Russian citizens were standing, among them was Takeo who sat on a chair dressed in his flight suit, and Alexei whos jet was parked on the nearby beach. The people began to cheer and clap as Jin hovered towards the ground and departed from his EX-35. He and Nio soon found themselves surrounded by people hugging and shaking their hands, thanking them for their service and destroying the Xeno. Jin felt a little flustered at first but eventually calmed down and was happy for such praise. "." Jin turned around to the familiar voice and saw an elderly Russian man dressed in a kimono and carrying a cane. His grey hair and beard caused Jin to recognize him instantly. " Mikhail Leonov, a Russian farmer and former space explorer He was also someone who use to look out for Jin when he was younger and helped him with his Russian language skills, as well as teaching him Russian martial arts. Mikhail was also a close advisor and friend to his mother Aiko. *** The sun had gone down and the lights had flickered on as the town returned to its normal state after the Xeno was vanquished. Jin and the rest of his squadron had been inside of Mikhail's house which was an old style home situated outside of Vladivostok. It's interior design similar to those found in old German-style homes. " " Jin nodded. " " " " Jin chuckled as he nodded. Once they were done catching up their talk shifted over towards the Xeno event earlier, and how the incident interrupted the training exercise between Norio's Japanese and Russian branches. Mikhail was often concerned for Jin's path he had taken in life but understood that it was his decision. "." Mikhail said. " " " " Jin finished his latte and glanced over towards a clock near the stove, which read 21:30. It dawned on him that it had gotten late and he should probably get going soon. Mikhail on the other hand, offered to let Jin and his team stay the night in the guest bedrooms above them. Grateful for the hospitality they accepted. The squadron continued to chat with him for a while longer before eventually turning in for the night, as the next day their joint training would resume.