C310 - Date
The recruits performed relatively well after the purpose of the lesson became clear. Some lucky ones managed to use their mana correctly right away, which led to quick kills, but most ended up in long battles that forced them to overcome their anxiety and disgust.
Khan didn't let the robots clean the hangar, so the floor grew dirtier after each battle. A few recruits had to attack while their opponents fed off the remains of the dead Tainted animals, which naturally affected their ability to focus.
The lesson succeeded in making the students experience part of the battlefield, and even those who didn't fight gained something out of it. Defeating those Tainted animals was far too easy for them, but the actual killing was hard, especially when they had already won, and that was enough to accomplish what Khan had in mind.
The lesson ended in friendly terms. The recruits' mood was awful, but Khan had shown kindness and care toward those who crumbled once their battles ended. The awkwardness and tension built after the dinner together vanished, and the students even felt closer to him when they left the hangar.
The mood was too sour to ask for another dinner, and the disgusting scenes had also killed the students' hunger. Khan didn't mind that outcome, and he used the event to enjoy some valuable time with Cora.
"It's heartwarming to see you so serious about your students," Cora commented while Khan was busy wolfing his third plate.
"They have a lot to learn," Khan responded after gulping his bite. "Still, they are promising. I can see a few of them reaching good results by the end of the semester."
"I wonder how you come up with your lessons," Cora said as her warm smile remained on her face.
"I don't plan them," Khan revealed. "Maybe I should. I'm learning as I go."
"I think you are doing great," Cora stated. "I hear the rumors about you. Some soldiers in my year are actually jealous about their juniors."
"I can't possibly be so famous," Khan laughed as he ordered another plate from the interactive table.
"You definitely are," Cora also laughed, but her cheek reddened when she recalled something.
Khan noticed that reaction, and he didn't hesitate to exploit the chance. He bent toward her seat and took her arm to whisper in her ear before she could retreat. "Are they also jealous about you and me?"
"A bit," Cora whispered, and a kiss landed on her mouth when she raised her head.
"We are in the middle of the canteen," Cora complained when their lips separated. "Everyone can see us."
"I don't care," Khan said before kissing her again.
Khan soon left her to focus on his new plate, and Cora could only lower her head after noticing that a few curious gazes had converged on her. She pretended to adjust her long hair while she waited for her redness to disappear, but Khan saw the happy smile that she tried to hide.
Khan didn't take long to finish his meal, and the two could soon leave the canteen. Khan took Cora's hand once they gained some privacy, and she began to walk slowly to enjoy her return to the dormitory.
"You know," Khan voiced to interrupt the silence between them, "You don't have to go back to your dormitory. You can always sleep in my flat."
Cora almost froze when she heard those words. She had obviously thought about that opportunity, but she also knew what it would involve.
"I was kidding," Khan chuckled while leaving a kiss on her head. "We'll get there eventually, but don't feel forced."
"I-if it's you-," Cora stammered.
"Hey," Khan interrupted Cora by pulling her hand and forcing her to face him. "It's fine. Don't even try to see it as a problem."
"Khan," Cora whispered as her hesitation melted. She pushed her head forward and delivered one of her rare kisses that Khan happily welcomed.
It wasn't late, but the two had reached a relatively isolated part of the camp during their walk, and Khan could sense that they were alone. The privacy allowed him to linger longer than usual in the kiss, and his free hand also reached Cora's waist to pull her closer.
Cora clung her free hand to Khan's uniform. She had grown more used to their kisses, but her body tensed up when he began to caress her waist. The event made him decide to separate, but his lips dived on her again when she tried to voice a weak "sorry".
Cora pouted when the second kiss ended, but Khan only laughed at that scene. He even scolded her gently as he left her waist to caress her cheek. "I told you that it's fine. Stop blaming yourself."
"Fine," Cora whispered before placing her head on his chest and enveloping him in a sweet hug.
"Oh, right," Khan exclaimed as he caressed Cora's hair. "Amber said that I should take you out for a date on the weekend. Are you free tomorrow?"
"A date?" Cora asked. "Are you sure? I don't want to get in the way of your training."
"I won't sleep to compensate for it," Khan joked, but Cora promptly left his chest to glare at him.
"I'm kidding," Khan sighed. "I wouldn't have slept anyway, but spending time with you would force me to take a break. You would actually help me."
Cora didn't seem convinced, but she liked the idea of a date, so she limited herself to repeating her previous question. "Are you sure?"
"I wouldn't have asked otherwise," Khan reassured while pushing Cora's head back on his chest.
"Then I'm free tomorrow," Cora whispered.
.
Khan had no idea how to plan a date. His only real experience with a girlfriend came from Liiza, and the two had never needed to prepare anything. Everything had felt natural with her as long as they were together, but that didn't apply to Cora.
Luckily for Khan, Amber was an excellent friend, and she didn't hold back from helping him plan a proper schedule for his date with Cora. She even sounded happy to make that young romance bloom.
The date started in Reebfell's commercial district. Khan and Cora spent hours walking hand in hand through the vast streets as they inspected various shops. At first, she felt shy to be among so many people with Khan, but she quickly grew used to her situation and managed to enjoy it.
Khan liked to see Cora's smile. He couldn't explain how she had remained so pure after Istrone's events, and that spoke greatly for her character. She was cheerful, sweet, and lovely beyond reason.
Cora made sure that Khan also had his part of the fun. She accompanied him through many areas that didn't match her interests, and her smile widened whenever she saw Khan losing himself in the descriptions of some items.
The commercial district was so vast that Khan felt to have seen only a tenth of it during his third visit in the city. He discovered many shops that didn't appear on the train's offer, but he failed to find something interesting.
Reebfell's commercial district literally had everything, but only from the human perspective. Khan wanted to see if he could find something related to specific alien arts or knowledge, but his search led nowhere. He had already purchased some of the best books in the field.
The matter felt slightly disappointing, especially since Khan knew how useful some alien arts could be. The humans disregarded most of the knowledge carried by those species since their approach was more accessible, but Khan didn't want to remain so limited.
Still, the trip through the commercial district taught Khan that he couldn't find that knowledge there. He even failed to find alternatives to the "Beasts' King". A few shops sold exotic materials, but none involved blood or body parts from powerful creatures.
The disappointment was only temporary. After all, Cora was the main reason behind that trip, and she managed to claim the entirety of Khan's attention most of the time. She was beyond happy, and her feelings seemed able to dig holes in Khan's usually dark mood.
The walk in the commercial district was only the first part of the date. Amber named an amusement park that Khan and Cora visited right before lunchtime. They had to retake the train to reach that area, but everything turned out to be relatively straightforward, even for Khan.
The amusement park blew Khan's expectations. That was his first time seeing such tall and strange attractions. He and Cora could also gain access to special discounts due to his position as a lieutenant and a professor, so the ticket for the various rides and games ended up being pretty cheap.
The afternoon went by in no time as Khan and Cora laughed, joked, and had fun in the various attractions. The amusement park was too big to see everything in those few hours, but they didn't mind missing out on a few rides, especially since they gave them the chance to come back there during future dates.
When the sun began to set and the attractions started to close down, Khan and Cora approached a building containing a series of fake spaceships attached to the floor through metal arms. Amber had suggested visiting that game, so he had saved some time before the inevitable return to the training camp.
Khan didn't understand the reason behind Amber's suggestion. The fake spaceships initially made him curious, but his interest vanished when he saw kids on them.
"Why did she even tell me to come here?" Khan wondered. "We can't sit together on these rides."
"I think I understand what she had in mind," Cora exclaimed while pulling Khan across the area to reach a waiter standing behind the fake spaceships.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Cora called the waiter, "Is the special ride still open? I hope we are not too late."
"You are lucky!" The waiter happily announced. "We have enough time for one last ride. Do you want to give it a try?"
"It's not for me," Cora giggled while letting go of Khan's hand to pat his shoulder.
"What is happening?" Khan asked when he understood that both Cora and Amber knew something.
"This attraction earned an award in the past," Cora explained. "They have one of the most advanced flight simulations, at least when it comes to non-military equipment. Many families bring their descendants here to see if they have any talent in the field."
'Sneaky Amber,' Khan commented in his mind. 'I have talked about becoming a pilot only vaguely.'
"We have only improved since the award!" The waiter revealed. "The Global Army would seize our program if we improve it any further."
"How does it work?" Khan asked as he stepped forward. "I know nothing about spaceships."
"The simulation is only about reflexes. You don't need any knowledge about spaceships or similar vehicles." The waiter explained as she led Khan and Cora in a second area of the building.
The second area was rather dark, and most of its illumination came from a circular platform with a single seat at its center and a vast hologram hovering before it. The hall had stages all around that structure, but Khan only noticed a few people there.
"They are recruiters," The waiter whispered while wearing a beaming smile when she saw Khan inspecting the stages. "They keep an eye for young talents and enlist them in special branches of the Global Army."
Khan nodded and did his best to appear amazed. Still, his senses told him that none of the soldiers on the stages was paying attention to the central structure. Many were even napping.
"So, what do I have to do?" Khan asked once the waiter told Cora to remain behind and led him on the platform.
"Sit here and strap in," The waiter ordered as she picked up her phone. "I'm inserting the simulation for first-level warriors. The holograms' speed will increase as you keep dodging asteroids, and you only have three lives. Good luck!"
"Asteroids?!" Khan called, but the metal arm under the seat suddenly pushed it in the air and brought him closer to the holograms.
A metallic branch came out of the bottom of the seat and transformed into a straight handle. Khan instinctively grabbed it, but the holograms in front of him expanded and transformed during the process.
The holograms quickly depicted a dark environment that Khan knew well. He saw the depths of space with its many glowing dots shining in the distance. However, a rain of dark objects covered that view, and a low noise suddenly came out of those images.
"That was unlucky," The waiter shouted from the floor. "The asteroids are randomly generated, and one of them appeared before you as soon as the simulation started. Don't worry. It won't happen again."
"How do I ride this thing?!" Khan shouted while pointing at the handle.
"Push to dive and pull to ri-," The waiter couldn't end her line since the holograms released a high-pitched noise and announced the start of another simulation.
The waiter turned out to be right. The simulation didn't immediately place Khan in front of asteroids. He had the time to test the handle a bit and see how sharp the fake spaceship's turns were, but he slammed on one of those big objects during the process.
"Only one life left!" The waiter happily announced. She was actually making it hard for Khan on purpose since it was late and the attraction had to close down, but he didn't answer now.
'Snow was better at this,' Khan commented in his mind as he focused entirely on the holograms. He knew how the fake spaceship turned now, so he didn't have to think about the handle anymore.
The simulation started for the third time, and Khan began to dodge asteroids. They were slow at first, but their speed gradually increased.
Nevertheless, Khan's ability with the handle also increased as he kept dodging those large objects. His martial art forced him to attack and defend at high speed, and his period on Nitis had only deepened his expertise in that field. His reflexes were beyond sharp, and his instincts were incredible.
Regular pilots would never experience what Khan had gone through. The spaceships were safe compared to the Aduns. Those creatures couldn't reach the same speed, but Khan had flown on them with only his legs as footholds.
The level of confidence that Khan had reached when it came to high-speed combat and flight was breathtaking, and he showed it during the simulation. The fake spaceship felt clunky, but he made it work and dodged all the asteroids coming in his direction.
The asteroids' speed increased, but Khan's reflexes kept up. Soon, minutes passed, but he had yet to come close to losing his last life. The simulation even stopped accelerating after half an hour.
Cora didn't mind waiting. Khan was smiling during the simulation, so she would be happy even if he spent entire days up there. However, her curiosity made her question the waiter after the asteroids' speed stopped increasing. "What is happening? Won't the game force him to lose now?"
"This is a flight simulation that borders military standards," The waiter explained without hiding the amazement in her tone. "The asteroids are already about to cross the limits of what a first-level warrior can see. Now the simulation is testing his endurance."
"I'd like a drink then," Cora requested.
"What do you mean?" The waiter asked.
"He will be up there for a while," Cora declared.
The waiter didn't immediately believe Cora. She had seen many talented kids and soldiers losing their cool after spending too long in the field of asteroids. However, her mouth opened in astonishment as the minutes passed and Khan had yet to make a mistake.
The situation got so bad that the waiter's boss had to come to check what was happening. She was another middle-aged woman, but her professional clothes revealed how her job wasn't to handle clients.
Khan didn't care about what was happening under him. He was enjoying spending those minutes dodging asteroids at high speed. He couldn't feel the wind on his face, but the scene still reminded him of his time on Snow's back.
Yet, everything suddenly went dark, and a scoreboard replaced the field of asteroids. Khan didn't understand what was happening until the seat began to descend and brought him back on the floor.
"I'm mortified, sir," The waiter's boss stated as soon as Khan focused on her. "The park needs us to close to shut down. I've already spoken with my superiors. We are happy to offer a free ticket to both of you for interrupting your game."
"Oh," Khan exclaimed in a disappointed tone before wearing a smile when he saw Cora's happy face half-hidden behind a big cup. "Don't worry. We'll come earlier next time."
The waiter and her boss voiced more polite lines, but Khan mostly ignored them as he reached Cora and took her hand. He didn't realize how late it was, so he planned to leave right away, but the two women eventually forced him to turn.
"Sir, sir!" The waiter called as she chased after Khan and Cora. "I need you to leave a name for the scoreboard."
"Why would I leave a name?" Khan asked.
"You broke one of the records," The waiter explained. "It doesn't have to be a real name, but the shop has a vast community who would be happy to see the scoreboard change from time to time."
"So, is it just for the sake of the game?" Khan continued as he tried to understand the purpose behind that practice.
"Exactly!" The waiter stated, even if she felt slightly confused in front of Khan's lack of understanding.
"Use "Snow" then," Khan responded before turning to leave the attraction with Cora.
To be continued