Day 2
Jody Johansson's breath came out in short bursts, steaming visibly in the freezing morning air as her feet crunched against the snowy ground outside the base.
It was 5 a.m. The sky was still pitch black, the sun yet to rise, and the cold bit deep. Still, the warmth from exertion and the burn of running kept some of the chill at bay.
Marie jogged alongside her, keeping pace, eyes subtly glancing Jody's way. Since the ambush yesterday, Jody had clearly begun to change—bit by bit.
She had to stay wary. Just because Jody was a civilian didn't mean she could let her guard down.
Yesterday's attack had proven that well enough.
Marie didn't tell anyone.
And she was sure Jody hadn't either.
She couldn't read her. That blank expression... it was impossible to tell what the girl was thinking.
From Marie's perspective, she was watching Jody's every step with paranoia.
But in truth, she was being watched too.
By Sera.
Even though Sera's eyes were bleary and half-lidded from having to wake up at five in the morning, she was still staring at Marie.
"....."
This strange chain of people watching each other in silence...
It was downright suffocating.
And so, the three of them ran on without saying another word.
—
Training time. Montage-style.
Hup! Ha! Hup! Ha!
"Good. Swing those punches faster. Faster!"
The sound of fists hitting pads echoed through the training room.
((Marie stands in front of a projector, pointing at a diagram of the human nervous system.))
"The best way to win in a hand-to-hand situation is to disable your opponent's nervous system as quickly as possible. Which means aim for the head."
Jody took notes. Sera did too.
"The eyes—gouge 'em if you can. The chin—crucial spot. Even without perfect form, a clean hit to the chin can knock someone out. But remember to guard your own chin, too."
More scribbles
"The back of the head, the nape, the temples, the forehead. If your opponent is male, the best target is a good kick to the nuts. I'm not joking. It works."
More scribbles
"Let's face facts. Men are naturally stronger than women. But that doesn't mean you just roll over. And the best form of defense is—"
Cut to Jody finally getting the rhythm—her strikes against the dummy growing more and more fluid.
"...Fuh... fuh... FUH!"
"Keep your body lower to the ground! Sera, no arching your butt during push-ups!"
Marie stomped on Sera's backside, pressing her down mid-rep.
"YEEP!?"
—
Lunchtime.
Scrape. Scrape scrape.
The sound of a fork and knife dragging against a porcelain plate as Syd sliced into his meat.
Both Jody and Sera looked completely worn out as they sat slumped over their lunch trays, trying to replenish the energy they'd spent. They were sitting with the Barrett siblings.
As always, their meal was a simple sandwich and orange juice.
"Must be nice, huh?"
Sera gulped down some juice and threw a sarcastic glare Syd's way.
"Of course. It's easy once you're already good."
"💢...Tch..."
Syd: "Tch..."
"You mocking me, you smug little sh—"
Syd: "You mocking me, you smug lil' sh—"
Sera clenches fist
"Sera... how'd it go yesterday?"
Roxxy interjected, drawing everyone's attention and calming Sera down a bit.
"Yesterday, huh..."
Sera looked uncomfortable, reluctant to bring it up—but she couldn't stop thinking about it either.
After all, Annie Barrett had asked (ordered) her to sell herself.
She'd gone on and on for ten straight minutes, pouring out every ounce of her persuasive skill.
And the response?
Cold silence.
"......"
Annie Barrett's expression had been a mix of Jody's poker face and Mickey's resting bitch face—maybe even worse.
When Sera finished her speech, the only thing that happened was a soft ding from Annie's desk clock, signaling time's up. Annie walked over, stopped the timer, and said:
"Thank you for taking the time to talk with me."
That was it.
What the hell did that mean?
Annie had acted like the whole plea for martial arts training never happened.
Had Sera failed?
Or... passed?
No clue. She was left completely in the dark.
"...I... don't know..."
She stared down into her mostly empty glass of orange juice, voice hollow and defeated.
"But I think... probably not..."
Disappointment flickered in her eyes.
"And I couldn't ask Toshi either—he disappeared after we split up yesterday."
"..."
"What did my mom say?"
Syd asked flatly.
"Nothing... She packed up, dismissed me, and next thing I knew I was in the elevator with Roxxy."
"Figures. You looked like a zombie walking out of there."
Roxxy reached over and held Sera's hand in support.
"So that's how it went..."
Syd leaned on his elbow, then glanced up at her.
"She's probably still thinking about it."
"...Huh?"
Sera frowned at him.
"What do you mean?"
"If my mom doesn't say anything, it usually means she's still considering. She's the type to think in layers. If she was going to say no, she'd just say it and be done with it. Otherwise it's a waste of everyone's time."
"For real?!"
Coming from her own son—the person who knew Annie best—that was a huge relief.
Sera's eyes sparkled, a glimmer of hope returning.
"But that doesn't mean you passed," Syd added quickly. "Just that she's still deciding."
"Like a coin toss spinning in the air," Jody said.
"Exactly."
Syd shrugged, stuffing a honey-drenched waffle into his mouth and chasing it down with milk.
Sera: "Still better than it landing on the wrong side."
"Better hope it doesn't land on the wrong side~"
Sera: "Hey! I'm stressed out over here, jerk!"
"Heheh. I dunno..."
Roxxy: "God, you're insufferable."
Even Roxxy chimed in to scold her brother.
Jody sips her juice
"You're pretty chill with us calling you 'Gift' now, huh? At first I thought you'd threaten to break someone's jaw if they did."
"I'll break your jaw first, Jody."
Syd stole a fry from her plate.
"You mean Miss Jody."
"Screw off, Joe. What's your damage?"
"Language again, Gift~ munch"
"If you people just kept your mouths shut—"
Syd turned and gave his sister a death glare.
"Nosy. Meddling. Goddamn busybody."
He grumbled and looked out the window, then glanced back to see Jody silently eating her sandwich across from him.
"..."
Their eyes met.
She paused mid-chew.
"...?"
Syd quickly looked away.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
"Ehh~?"
"Jody. Ten minutes. Shooting range."
Sera showed the time on her phone—she was right.
The two girls pushed back their chairs and stood up, gathering their trays.
"Guess we're off. Oh—and Syd? Ease up on the honey, man. That waffle is soaked."
"Here we go again, goddamn busybody."
He flipped her off.
"I'm just trying to help you."
"It'd help more if you kept your nose out of my business."
"Aww... I was just being nice..."
Jody puffed her cheeks at him.
"See you tonight."
Roxxy gave her upperclassmen a nod.
Once they were gone, Roxxy turned to her brother.
"...What's up with you?"
"......"
"Hmmm..."
"......."
It looked like he wanted to say something—but didn't.
"....."
—
Later that afternoon. Shooting practice.
Click.
Marie checked each handgun one by one, unloading the chambers to make sure they were safe. After clearing the last one, she set it on the table.
Suddenly, goosebumps rose on her arms for no reason.
She turned toward the door—Jody Johansson had just arrived.
"..."
That same instinctive wariness flared up, a lesson burned into her from yesterday.
Jody might not realize it, but Marie was watching her every move.
"Handguns today?"
"...Yeah."
"And rifles?"
"Some other time."
"......"
Jody nodded and went to sit down nearby.
"..."
"You already got basic firearm training, right? From what I heard."
"......"
"Yeah..."
"Then you and Sera should already know how to handle these safely."
"...."
"...Yeah."
"......"
"Okay..."
Marie didn't continue.
Jody reminded her of her old trainer—Grandmaster Anong Wongphudi.
Unshakable. Stoic.
Most people's emotions show on their face.
But with Jody, it was in the atmosphere around her. And Marie hated it.
She couldn't read her.
Like yesterday—when Jody had walked back to her room dripping with instant noodles—her expression was exactly the same as it was now.
"...."
"Hey..."
"...?"
Jody looked over from where she sat against the wall.
"Are you... okay? From yesterday... the hot water..."
Marie was still worried she might've burned Jody unintentionally.
"...I'm fine."
"...."
"......."
Tap tap tap tap!
A third person arrived—Seraphina Gilmour.
"Alright, let's get started, shall we?"
Sera gave Marie a half-glare, but this time Marie surprised her—she smiled back.
"!?"
"..."
"Okay then. Today's lesson: movement with a firearm—"
—
3 p.m.
After five grueling hours of afternoon training, we cut to the Three Stooges.
Syd, Toshi, and Mickey were huddled together around a PS4, gaming in Syd's room.
Button mashing and trash talk filled the air.
"Whoa whoa WHOA! Yo, Japan—what the—ugh..."
Toshi Ishii had just beat Syd Barrett in FIFA 19, scoring the winning goal in the final minute. Final score: 2–1.
"WOW~ You're so good, bro~ SO good~"
Toshi kicked him.
Losing and being unable to argue? Agonizing.
"Bullshit. Rematch. Let's go."
"Don't rage-quit like last time, loser. Next round's Mickey's."
Smack
Toshi flicked Syd's forehead.
"Out you go."
"Ughh... fine... damn you, Toshi. I swear, you're stacking up crimes against me."
Syd handed his controller to Mickey and climbed onto the bed while Mickey swapped in.
"..."
Thump.
He flopped onto the red-sheeted mattress, watching them play from above.
He figured the sore throat would hit around 4 p.m. anyway.
They had nothing to do.
All four of them.
Absolutely nothing.
"..."
Wonder what Jody's doing right now...
"..."
Shakes head
"How's the mission going? Jade say anything?"
Syd asked, but the other two just shook their heads.
"..."
He sat in thought for a moment, then got up.
And walked straight to the door.
Mickey: "...Where you going?"
"To get something to eat. Be right back."
Whoosh...
The boy stepped outside.
And headed straight to the room across the hall—Jody Johansson's.
He glanced left... right...
"Geez, I'm not a kid anymore. I can go wherever I damn well please."
Beep.
Whirrrr!
The door to Jody's room slid open, and the boy barged in without hesitation.
The lights came on automatically.
"..."
Syd looked around.
He remembered that on the first day when he showed her around, the room hadn't been this clean...
There were a few items lying around, but the furniture hadn't been moved at all.
This was his second visit. After a quick scan of the room to satisfy his curiosity, he headed straight for his objective:
The fridge.
Jody's fridge.
The one that held his beloved strawberry milk.
Cue flashback to the day before...
Where his mother confronted him right after leaving her office—
"Gift, sweetheart."
"...?"
"I thought you told me you were done with sweet milk."
"Uh..."
"You broke your promise, Gift. I let you drink plain milk only, didn't I? You said it yourself."
"..."
"..."
"Just a little bit, okay? Just a couple cartons. That won't kill me."
"A little bit? Your 'little' and mine don't seem to match, sweetie."
"..."
"..."
"Gift. You know Grandma had diabetes, right? And you—my darling sugar-addicted son—you are very likely to end up the same if you're not careful."
"Oh come on! You're paranoid about everything! Where's the joy in life, huh? What if I don't even make it to diabetes age, huh?!"
"Gift."
It was Anong Wongphudi's voice now—no longer his mother's soft tone, but Grandmaster-level calm authority.
Why? Why had her tone changed so suddenly? Like he'd said something unforgivable?
He didn't know.
No one did, except mother and son.
But whatever it was, it sent a chill down Syd's spine.
"..."
"..."
"...Don't talk like that."
"..."
"I'm letting this go because I heard Jody's been controlling your intake."
"Where the hell did you hear that..."
"I'm your mother. I know everything."
Annie calmly slid a book back into her drawer as she spoke.
"Just like I knew you used the company card to buy a PornHub Premium membership."
"Ugh—!!"
Syd paled instantly. Shivers ran down his spine.
"You even bought a T-shirt from their store. Thought I wouldn't find it? You hid it under your bed in Bangkok."
"Who told you...?! It was Night, wasn't it?!"
"Hehehe..."
Annie just smiled smugly. She didn't answer. That same smirk Jody always gave him when teasing—playful, smug, doting.
That smile.
That infuriating smile Syd hated more than anything.
Back to the present.
It was hard to accept, but there were now two people in his life who gave him that smile.
He'd thought he'd escaped his mother's tyranny, but now Jody had entered his life... and she was just like her.
At least Jody couldn't fight yet, so he could still grab her by the neck and force her to stop.
But his mom?
He couldn't do anything to her.
And soon... very soon... Jody would be trained and strong enough.
Then he'd be screwed.
"She's not my mom! Nosy little stalker..."
He grumbled under his breath, standing in front of Jody's fridge at last.
But something still bothered him.
He could feel it.
Jody was stressed.
It didn't take a genius to see.
Even though she joked and played along with his antics, the vibe around her was off.
She was holding something in.
She was quieter—more than usual. Though she still responded normally if spoken to.
She just didn't want him to notice... but Syd could tell.
"..."
Thunk!
He opened the fridge, cold air rushing out to hit his face.
His eyes scanned the contents. It was packed. Time to dig.
"Sheesh..."
"..."
"Not this... not that... what is this? Salad... bananas... apples... What is she, a giraffe? Tosses aside Yogurt... soda... nope... raisins... crackers... nope... mineral water... orange juice... nope... Pocky? Seriously!? I'm banned from eating this and she eats it?! Frickin' hypocrite... oh wait, wasn't that the one Roxy gave her?"
Still rummaging
"Aha..."
There it was.
His holy grail.
A pack of strawberry milk, hidden at the very back of the fridge.
He carefully pulled it out and set it down.
Thump.
"Ooh... nice and cold... perfect for this time of day..."
He peeled it open—only to stop dead in his tracks.
A sticky note was tucked under the flap.
Gift, what are you doing?
No no, don't do this, sweetie.
Don't sneak in when Jody's not looking.
"!?"
GASP.
A trap!
She knew he'd try to steal it!
"..."
"...So what?? You're not my mom. Why would I care what you think?"
There were five boxes.
Another note underneath:
If I check later and see one missing, I'll move the stash.
You'll never find it again.
"...Oh crap. She's one step ahead..."
He stared at it.
Then another line:
If you do that, I'll be sad.
Eat the guava in the fridge instead.
It's good for you, Syd.
"...Sad? You get sad? Pffft... please."
Still—there it was. A little yellow tupperware tub of sliced guava.
" Nah bruh I ain't having this shit no—"
CHOMP.
"..."
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
"...Where'd you get the guava?"
"Man, shut the fuck up."
Syd sat back down, sulking as he chewed the bitter, vitamin-packed fruit... silently watching his friends play.