Chapter 152 Thank You.

The Valkyrie residence rooftop had quite a large pool on it, though only one person had used it regularly ever since the base's establishment. To Zero Three it was a place she could relax in, away from all the stress her role in the war against the Calamities brought.

She always believed that swimming can wash away all her worries, however ever since the battle at the obsidian palace her hobby no longer had the same effect as before.

"... Haa…"

As she sat by the poolside, dipping her feet in the water, the young Valkyrie allowed her gaze to wander to the horizon, watching as the setting sun painted the sky in a warm orange color.

"It's getting cold. Shouldn't you get down already?"

The voice pulled her out of her somber thoughts, her eyes slowly widening as she realized who it's owner was. A second passed and she still faced forward, then another. She held a hand to her chest as the pain she felt grew stronger and stronger. She wanted to turn around and face him, however fear prevented her from doing so.

It wasn't the same fear she experienced after losing to the Nephilim, nor was it the fear from the nightmares she has from time to time. What scared her was his reaction; his response to the decision she made that day. She chose to prioritize him over everything else and because of that their enemy escaped with the very thing they were desperately trying to protect.

"Three?"

She didn't answer, her gaze lowered as she battled her own feelings. She considered escaping for a moment, but she knew that wouldn't work for long. Eventually she would have to face him and whatever he has to say. If that's really case then it's for the best if she got it done with now, or so she thought before getting up, the fear returning and preventing her from moving.

As she tried her best to gather her courage her head shot up as she felt a hand on her back. Her face began to heat up and she was about to look behind, but then her thoughts came to a halt when a sudden force pushed her body forward and into the pool causing a small splash. As the cold water enveloped her body the worries she had suddenly disappeared and anger took over.

"HEY!!! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!!!?" She shouted the moment she emerged from the water, glaring up at the man in the lab coat.

"I thought you liked swimming?" Sam replied with a grin.

"Not like this..."

Her anger went away as fast as it arrived and it didn't take her long to understand that that's what he's been aiming for from the start. Still she found it difficult to look him in the eyes and ended up averting her gaze, submerging most of her face under the water to hide her flushed face.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, leaning down and holding his hand out for her.

The young Valkyrie didn't reply, but when she noticed him smiling at her, no sign of displeasure in his voice, she knew that he wasn't angry which only made the guilt she felt much worse.

She took his hand and climbed out of the pool intending to apologize right away, however before she could Sam pulled her into his arms in a tight hug.

"Three… thank you..." he said, his voice warm and caring. "For saving me… and for being there while I was in that pod."

The words stabbed her like a knife and her sight grew blurry. She didn't know how to react. There were many ways she expected this interaction to go, however not like this.

"I… I didn't do anything…" she said. "It was Elina… Elina is the one who saved you…"

She remembered the female scientist who worked tirelessly trying to keep him alive, collapsing a few times before Odin was brought in to help her. Compared to her, the young Valkyrie didn't know if she did anything worth gratitude. After all she disobeyed his orders even though she promised to follow them when she became his personal Valkyrie.

"I had given up on life back then." Sam released his hold, looking down and seeing the tears that began to stream without her knowing. "I was so focused on winning I was willing to sacrifice myself if it meant keeping our enemies from getting what they want. Now however I see that I've been wrong." Whiping her tears with his hand, he let a genuine smile show his true feelings and gently patted her on the head. "Winning would've been pointless if I couldn't be with you when it's all over. That's why, Three, thanks for saving me."

Leaning down, Sam kissed her on the forehead then pulled her into his arms once more.

Before she could say anything, her tears began to flow again, her hands clutching his lab coat as she desperately clung to him. His warmth slowly spread to her erasing the horrible cold she felt when carrying his body across the world, life slowly seeping away from it. "Doctor! I'm sorry… I… if I were stronger… if I were better… I…"

"It's okay. You have nothing to apologize for."

As the sun went down, Sam held the young Valkyrie as she let everything out.

'That's not it, Three…' he thought, caressing her long hair. 'I'm the one who should be apologizing. If I were better, you wouldn't have had to go through all of this...'

The enemy was right under his nose the whole time yet he never suspected it one bit. He was too blind to notice the signs, too busy with his carnal desires to realize he was being played.

'Well, can you really blame me?' He thought. 'I think I did pretty well for someone in my position. I doubt anyone else would've made a difference. '

Being surrounded with so many beautiful young women; the average man wouldn't be able to think if put in the same place. The fact that he was able to do his work and continue his research under those circumstances is quite the achievement. And on top of all of that, he led the humans toward victory when all odds were against them. That alone should make up for everything he messed up.

"Doctor… you… you don't hate me, right?" Three asked between the sobs.

"Where did that come from?" Sam replied with a short laugh. "I would never hate you."

"... really?"

"Yes, after all…" pausing for a moment, Sam remembered their short time together, every interaction they had clear in his mind thanks to his upgraded brain. "You're my precious Valkyrie."

"I… I see…"

After worrying about it for all those days, Three was finally free of the uncertainty that pained her after the obsidian palace battle.

The warm feeling returned to her chest and she allowed herself to enjoy his embrace, but sadly it seems she wouldn't be able to do so for much longer.

"Doooctooooor!!!"

Hearing the familiar voice approaching gave Sam a really bad feeling and the moment he turned around a pair of gigantic breasts crashed into him, causing him to lose balance and fall into the pool.

"Doctor! You're finally back! What took you so long!?"

"N-Nine! Calm… down! I can't… I can't… breath!!!"

Three watched silently as Sam struggled to release himself, his face buried into the blond one's chest with the water making things worse.

"Serves you right." She said with a smirk. She had noticed her friend teleporting above them and quickly moved out of the way to avoid another dip in the cold water.

Though he had no need for breathing anymore, his mind had yet to adapt to his new body which made the sensation of suffocating as real as it could get.

Five arrived soon after and upon noticing the struggle he was going through she quickly saved him before his mind started to believe he had really drowned.

"You… you've went… a little too far… Nine…" he said between the coughs.

"I-I'm sorry! I was just… too eager to see Doctor…" Nine replied, twiddling her fingers nervously.

Sam could only sigh while squeezing the water out of his lab coat. He gave the blond Valkyrie a side glance, her soaked appearance lighting the fire he has been trying to suppress for quite a while.

Noticing that night has arrived a thought occurred to him and he looked at his personal Valkyries one by one.

"You three did a really great job in the last battle." pausing for a moment to cleare his throat, he tuned out the embarrassment he felt and made his proposition. "How about we get a room so I can properly show you my appreciation?"

The three remained silent, a few seconds passing before they understood what he means. Though Three and Five went red as they prepared to answer him, Nine was the quickest to move throwing herself into his arms.

"Nine?"

The blond Valkyrie was trembling, her breath uneven. Just as Sam began to wonder if there is something wrong with her she slowly raised her head and looked up at him with a heated gaze.

"Doctor…" she said, pink hearts forming in her eyes. "I can't take it anymore!"

Standing on the tops of her toes she placed her lips on his, the two of them vanishing the next instant.

Three and Five stood there dumbfounded, realizing that Nine had just teleported away with the Doctor before they could say anything.