Blue Horizon: Sequel of Eleven

On Our Own Two Feet

Prologue

Under the canopy of a bare-branched cherry blossom tree and the light of a lone, bright street lamp, the combat gear-clad Kobo Kanaeru and Zeta Vestia sat together on a stone bench. The two of them had chilled premium-brand cans of milk tea in their hands that felt cool in their hands. Kobo, completely unfazed by her five-hundred step journey up the staircase of the Hundred Thousand Miracles, cracked open her milk tea can without a second thought and chugged it.

Zeta, on the other hand, savored the cool can in her hands and felt the excessive heat from her exhausted body filtering out of her. Her tiredness and fatigue seemed to flow out along with it.

She listened to the songs of the nocturnal birds and insects, the hum of the vending machine's refrigerator unit and the low crackle of the streetlamp. Then, when the sea breeze blew up the mountain from Tokyo Bay, Zeta took a deep breath and let everything meld together in her mind, body and spirit.

Now, this was a moment that a zen master could have, in the right circumstances, called a glimpse of enlightenment and oneness with the world. At least, that's what the books and online articles and self-help videos that Zeta had been perusing lately told her.

Zeta closed her eyes and basked in that glimpse of enlightenment.

Enlightenment... that would be broken by the brash reactions of the fountain-haired peasant girl beside her.

"Holy shit!" Kobo gasped, "That's good stuff!"

Zeta furrowed her brow, focusing all her energies on not lashing out at Kobo at that moment. Kobo gave Zeta a sidelong glance. Their equally blue eyes met: Kobo's curious ones meeting Zeta's stern ones.

"Oh. You're having a 'moment'." Kobo spoke her mind without any filter whatsoever, "Sorry. I'll keep quiet."

'Too freaking late, stupid water fountain!' Zeta pouted. Her zen moment was long gone.

Instead, Zeta opened up her own can of premium milk tea and took solace in its rich, delightful flavor.

For a heartbeat and a half, she sympathized with Kobo for exclaiming like she did. After all, Zeta exclaimed just like that when she had her first can of that special milk tea three years ago.

A small, empathetic smile formed on Zeta's lips.

Delightful silence, paired with sips of milk tea, persisted for a good few minutes.

Another gentle breeze blew in from the bay and Kobo's eyes turned to Zeta once more.

"... say." Kobo started cautiously, "You kicked ass in flight sims today."

Zeta blinked and winced, "Kicked... ass? What's that supposed to mean?"

She furrowed her brow.

'Is this some sort of peasant slang ?' Zeta thought.

"It means you did really well!" Kobo clarified with a grin. She clapped her hands and insisted, "Really though - what's your secret? How did you fly those planes so well?"

Zeta pouted and pointed her nose up to the springtime moon.

"I practiced." Zeta revealed proudly, "That's all there is to it."

"Practiced?" Kobo asked, bewildered, "How the hell did you do that? This is our first day in the Academy!"

"I practiced before I came down to the Earth, dummy!" Zeta clarified, folding her arms, "During one of my trips to the Earth, I bought a flight simulator and had it set up in my home on the Platforms."