Chapter 42 I’m Just Curious.

Zero Five's treatment went on for far longer than expected, which forced Zero Three to leave for her duties.

With just Nine accompanying her, the two were ordered to not move too far from the base.

Two Valkyries weren't by any means weak, but after the incidents from the day before it would be too reckless to let them do the usual, especially with one of their teammates still recovering.

Time passed and the Valkyries returned. Zero Five was still recovering, leading to Zero Three getting depressed once more. She asked why it was taking so long, and why Eir is incapable of determining the amount of time it would take.

Sam explained that the device provides a rough estimate of how long it will take, however some things happen on the microscopic level that might result in that estimate being extended. The damaged parts are basically being 3D printed using nano machines, but due to the complexity of the Valkyries' bodies some mistakes are bound to happen.

"Doctor~" before they started the daily examination, Nine approached Sam with what he could only describe as a terrifying smile. "What is this I hear about you inviting Three for a meal?"

Sam glanced at the young Valkyrie who turned away and pretended to be clueless before running to the examination room.

During their little outing Nine noticed that Zero Three's mood had improved. She guessed that it had something to do with the young Valkyrie not being around for breakfast, but what she didn't expect was that Sam had invited her to eat with him and his colleagues.

Zero Three didn't hold back when bragging about her experience, only realizing that doing so fueled the blond one's jealousy even further.

"Nine, you're supposed to be the mature one." Sam said with a sigh, placing his hands on her shoulders and pushing her away. "I'm sure you already understand what led to that."

"Even if you say that…" Nine turned away and puffed her cheeks. "You were angry at me for going to the library where very few people go, but then you turn around and take Three to a crowded place. I thought we weren't supposed to make too much contact with the soldiers."

"Well…"

"And it's not like I was doing just fine. I want to be comforted too!"

Unable to argue with what she said, Sam sighed in defeat. "I get it already. Next time I will invite you instead. Are you satisfied?"

Sam could already see how the situation will develop. Now that he had brought one of the Valkyries with him the soldiers will definitely ask him to do the same with other two. Refusing would be way more troublesome so he would have no choicee but to go along with it.

Sam began to feel that he had accidentally turned himself into the Valkyries' manager instead of their physician. Just organizing their outing to the public will definitely be far more stressful than his actual job.

"No, that won't be enough."

Sam turned to the blond Valkyrie, looking at her with icy cold eyes. He didn't like the sound of it, a weapon trying to emotionally manipulate him into doing things.

Nine wasn't fazed by Sam's glare. With her usual smile she slowly moved forward until her chest began pressing against his. As she looked up at him, her right hand began gently caressing his crotch area. Soon enough her smile deepened as she felt the bulge forming.

"I want to perform another experiment, Doctor~?"

Sam quickly glanced at the door to the examination room then at the one sided glass wall. Zero Three was already waiting at her container so he didn't have to worry about her peeking on them.

Turning back to the blond Valkyrie, he looked her in the eyes for a few seconds before stealing her lips. Afraid that the young Valkyrie would get suspicious if they took too long he cut the kiss short.

"I will let you know when the time comes." Sam said, pushing Nine away with a solemn expression.

The blond Valkyrie licked her lips then smiled at him.

"Don't make me wait too long~?" She said before heading to the examination room.

When the door closed behind her Sam looked down at his pants and let out a tired sigh.

"Patience." He said, pressing a few keys on the keyboard on his desk. "I already got the security clearance. There is no need to rush, I can do it whenever I want."

Watching the green liquid fill the glass containers, Sam wondered when it would be a good time to visit Nine's bedroom.

A couple of minutes later he heard a beeping sound coming from Eir's terminal. With the lack of sleep slowly drawing him toward the dream land he turned to check what it was about. What he saw shook him awake immediately and he whipped his head in the direction of the examination room before turning to the terminal again and pressing a few keys.

Nine's treatment was done so he went and emptied her container. A few seconds later she opened her eyes and began looking around. Realizing where she was she heaved a sigh and came out.

"Good morning." Sam said, holding out a large bath towel for the Valkyrie to cover her naked body with.

"Good morning, Doctor." Zero Five said in her usual calm voice. "The fact that I'm here means we won the battle. Correct?"

"Yes." Sam said. "You let your guard down far too early. Better stay careful next time."

"Understood."

Unlike Zero Three, Five took the advice he gave her without showing the least bit of displeasure. The way they react to such things was also programmed into them. Being easy to predict shows that in the end they aren't really human.

No… Sam thought, remembering the question he had asked himself earlier. Humans aren't that difficult to read either, and their actions are as predictable. I can't really say those weapons are that different.

"Doctor?"

Sam jolted back to reality having heard Zero Five's voice. It seems that he had been spacing out for a few seconds.

"Alright. Why don't you go take a quick shower before those two come out?" Sam said, attempting to shake the wierd thoughts out of his mind. "They have been worried sick about you."

For a moment Zero Five's eyes widened a little, followed by a smile and a slight blush.

"... I see…" she said before turning to leave.

~◇~

"Fiiiiivee!!!" Zero Three cried, running toward the ponytailed Valkyrie with outstretched arm.

"Hold it." Five stopped her with a single finger, pressing it against the young Valkyrie's forehead. "You need to shower first."

Not long after Zero Five returned to the Lab the other two were done with their examination. Noticing that her container was empty they rushed out finding her having a chat with the doctor.

Though Zero Three tried to go for a hug, Five denied her because of the stickiness left behind from Eir's green liquid. She had just showered and changed into new clothes so she wanted to stay clean for the time being.

"I'm glad to see you up again, Five." Nine said, her smile warm and soothing.

"Yes. Thank you." Five replied. "Doctor had briefed me about what happened after I passed out, but I want to hear more directly from you two."

"Alright then. We will go have a quick shower then come back." Nine said as she pushed the young Valkyrie toward the door. "I bet you want to hear about what Doctor did with Three~?"

A few moments later the door closed and when it did Zero Five turned to Sam with eyes devoid of light.

"Not you too." Sam said with an exasperated sigh.

"What do you mean, Doctor?" Tilting her head a little, Zero Five spoke with an expressionless face. "I'm just curious about what you did with Zero Three."

For some reason Sam felt like he was in some mortal danger so he quickly explained what had transpired.

"I see…" Five said after hearing the story. "I guess I should thank you for always taking care of her."

"Well, it's not much." Sam replied, happy that she didn't seem as jealous as Nine, or so he thought

"But… I expect that you would do the same for us as well. Right?" Zero Five asked.

"O-of course."

He was already beginning to regret inviting Zero Three back then. He did it because he felt bad seeing her feelings down, but at the time he didn't expect that the other two would feel jealous of the young one receiving some special treatment.

At this rate he feared what would happen once he starts banging them. Would it end up the same as it would if they were humans? The level of headache it could bring made Sam hesitate to go forward with his plans.

Just as those thoughts went through his head he felt something wrap around his waist then a soft feeling press gainst him.

"Doctor is really Nice." Five said, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes.

".... Zero Five?" Sam looked down at the Valkyrie surprised that she hugged him without a warning.

"... can I stay like this… just a little?"

She was acting strangely however Sam was unable to guess the reason behind it. He did make sure to instruct her to not get physical with him unless he gave his permission, and she didn't seem to be the kind to ignore such instructions. He was worried about the other Valkyries coming back and finding them like that as well and that caused him to panic a little.

After a couple of seconds Sam started to feel that the ponytailed Valkyrie didn't plan on letting go of him for a while. Hoping it would speed up the process a little, he returned the hug and slowly patter her head. He wasn't able to see her expression from where he was, however at that moment the Valkyrie's lips curved into a satisfied smile.