A heart of iron

Chapter 3:A bond develops

As the weekend ends, you decide to take a walk down by the edge of the ship to try and make the most out of the last few hours before you have to go to bed. You stroll down the hallways, admiring the view as the sunset as the sun goes down.Just then, a familiar face shows up.

"Oh howdy Michael!"Alisa exclaims as she spots you."Hi Alisa!"You respond as you wave at her."How's life goin' for you?"She asks you."Eh, great. I don't have much to care about but the school week's starting pretty soon. What about you?"She frowns and replies,"Pretty bad. Takashi is looking pretty serious with that other girl..."You lift an eyebrow and ask,'So...there's gonna be a break up pretty soon?"She grimly nods and looks away."How about a drink to lift your spirits? A cold drink can do wonder you know!"She nods and smiles a little."I guess it can. A Pepsi would be nice~"She replies while looking up at you."I'm not talking with you ever agin. I'm a die hard coke fan."You respond in a joking manner.

"W-What?"She asks worriedly."I'm just joking, you're fun to tease you know~"She pouts and replies,"Hey!That's not funny okay!"You chuckle and pop by a 7-Eleven to buy the drinks, along with some snacks.

"So a Pepsi, a coke light and a bag of Doritos?"You confirm your order with Alisa before going off to buy it."Yup!"She responds as she texts someone on her phone.

"Here!"You exclaim as you toss her a bottle of Pepsi. "Thanks a bunch Michael!"She replies as she cracks open the can with ease, chugging it down."Here, have something to eat."You offer her as she drinks the Pepsi."Thanks Michael~"She responds as she shoves a mouthful of Doritos into her mouth."Thanks for making feel better Michael."Alisa thanks you as she drinks more Pepsi as the sun finally sets as darkness begins to set in."It's great having someone to spend time with Alisa~"You tell her as you smile at her."It's hardly a problem, you always lift my spirits, especially with Takashi around..."Just then, a voice from behind them calls out."Alisa's managed to find someone she truly loves huh?"Alisa spins round, her face turning bright red as she sees a Tomboy eating a lolipop."Naomi! Stop that!"She exclaims as she pouts again."Sure Arisa~"She responds as she wipes her mouth."Anyway, who are you?"the tomboy asks you as she approaches you."I'm Michael."You respond as you stick out your hand."Naomi."She replies as she pulls out a stick of Bubblegum and starts chewing it.

"Just to make it very clear Naomi, he's not my boyfriend!"Alisa retorts angrily."I already confirmed that he's not your boyfriend. And neither is Takashi~"Alisa pouts and turns around."Just ignore her."She remarks as she continues to talk with you."Right, so when's the next Cauldron starting?"You ask her, curious about when the real action begins."2 weeks from now, about there."She replies as she takes a sip from the Pepsi once more."Cool. I can't wait to see what that beauty can do~"She nods and responds,"Your M3 Stuart is really great! IT probably has some of the thickest armour in Tanklathon!"You nod and acknowledge the compliment."Right."You reply as you glance left and notice a hand sipping Alisa's drinks while she isn't looking.You giggle at the scene and Alisa turns around in shock."Naomi!"She exclaims exasperated as she sees Naomi sipping her drink."Ok Ok, I'm backing off!"She says as she walks away."You better!"Alisa replies."Sure, sure."Naomi replies as she jogs off.

"Well that's out of the way..."Alisa mutters."Anyway, what tanks are YOU using next?"You ask her, curious as to what she might be using in the next match."Either M22 Locusts or an array of M1 Combat cars."You nod and finish up your coke."Ok, I'll be there at the strategy meeting!"Alisa nods as she throws away her bottle and you do the same, as the sun finally sets.

~The next day~

After a relatively mundane morning, you decide to meet up with Alisa during lunch to chat."Hey there Alisa!"You greet her as soon as you spot her, noting her down expression."Hey Michael."She responds as she glances up at you."What's the matter?"She looks away and replies,"T-Takashi broke up with me..."She says as she attempts and just barely manages to keep her feelings in check."W-What?"You ask, shocked at how this could've happened."Look, I don't really want to creat a scene right now, but later could I just let my feelings out?"You nod and respond,"You can vent in my dorm if you like."She nods and replies,"Thanks Michael." Just then, a girl with short orange hair approaches you two.A small smile appears on her face as she greet the girl,"Hey there Helmety!"The girl looks up and smiles, before repeating the gesture.'Hey Alisa!"

'Do you two know each other?" You ask Alisa as you notice the camaraderie between them."Are you kidding? We've been friends since Middle school!"Alisa exclaims as she eats with them."Oh?"You reply, slightly surprised.

Lunch goes well, with you and Alisa talking along with Helmet-Chan while having funw ith each other and having a great time. This would seem to be a far cry and what comes next...