The next day, as everyone was ready to train, Mia showed up wearing the golden uniform.
Liebe said, "Well, you showed up, Mia."
Mia said, "Of course, sir."
Licht said, "Welcome to the team. My team is Iris, Olivia, and Roy. And you—look, Alyssa, I won!"
Alyssa said, "It's not funny."
Licht said, "Yeah."
M said, "Did you two fight for a team member? If I had known, I would have thrown my hat in the ring."
Licht said, "Sorry, first come, first serve."
Alyssa said, "Then she should have joined my team!"
Licht said, "Your team? And what? Eosian, Aile, and Nior? Your team has one—just one—decent member besides you, and that's Celestio. The dude is good. You are strong. The other three? Trash. Those three are the rejects people sell, and they pay the customers."
Liebe said, "I have a better explanation."
Licht said, "Sure."
Liebe said, "Dollar store idiots on a 90% discount and a $10 cashback."
Licht just laughed and said, "You didn't even try, and you still beat me."
M said, "Wow. Just wow. I feel bad for you."
Alyssa said, "Thank you."
M said, "At this point, my pity is high enough I might trade Aoi for Nior."
Alyssa said, "Not happening. That trade is bad."
Liebe said, "Damn."
Iris said, "Great, now they treat us like we are tradeable."
Hedin said, "Now we are being treated like Pokémon cards."
Lumos said, "Better than being eaten by Liebe's dragon."
Iris said, "Can't disagree."
Licht said, "What are you guys whispering?"
They said, "Nothing."
Liebe said, "By the way, Mia, let me introduce everyone." As he pointed towards Alyssa, he said, "This one has SAD." As he pointed towards himself, he said, "This one probably has or will have STD." And as he pointed towards M, he said, "This one has MAD."
Mia said, "Umm, SAD, STD, and MAD, sir?"
Licht said, "Social Anxiety Disorder, Sexually Transmitting Diseases, and Muscle Addiction Disorder."
Mia said, "Sorry, sir."
Licht said, "Umm, well, how do I put it? Besides work, Alyssa has huge—and I mean huge—social anxiety. Liebe, he has a tendency to sleep around."
Mia said, "Sleep around, sir?"
Licht said, "He sleeps with almost every girl he sees outside work or the academy. And M, she has muscles for brains because she goes to bed at 11 p.m. and goes for her morning training at exactly 2 a.m. till 7 a.m."
Mia said, "That much, sir?"
Licht said, "Sadly, yeah. And trust me, almost every girl here slept with Liebe, except Elizabeth, and I guess M."
M said, "Sadly, I'm also on the list."
Licht and Mia screamed, "What?!"
Licht grabbed Liebe by the collar and started to shake him, saying, "What the hell is wrong with you?! And when did you do this?! And why the hell don't you have anything better to do?! And when the hell did you do it?!"
Liebe said, "I forgot."
Licht said, "Get a hold of yourself, dumbass!"
Mia said, "I'm starting to understand what Admiral Licht meant by 'sleeping around.'"
Alyssa said, "Anyways, basically, Licht and Liebe are best friends, and Licht has SAD, and they both have tendencies of sleeping around."
Mia said, "The Fleet Admiral makes sense, but Admiral Licht too? He also sleeps around with other girls?"
Alyssa said, "No, it's the same words, different meaning, like synonyms. Licht sleeps in different parts of the bed—once in the middle, once in the corner, sometimes on the floor. And sometimes we see him go to bed on a bed and wake up on the tile floor. While, on the other hand, Liebe goes to bed and wakes up in the same spot, but usually it's beside different girls. And then I have to clean the corpse."
Mia, frightened, said, "Corpse, ma'am?"
Licht said, "You done scaring the kid? We both know you just give them breakfast and tell them to leave."
Alyssa said, "Sorry about that."
Licht said, "Time to start training, then."
As Liebe snapped his fingers, Gelda appeared.
Liebe said, "I need a portal. Abyssal Zone, 0 km deep."
Gelda said, "Understood, Lord," as she made the portal. On the other side was Fang.
Mia almost fainted.
Iris said, "Should we tell her?"
Olivia said, "No, let's just watch."
As Mia was white, Liebe said, "Let me introduce the star of our team, my familia, Fang. He is a good boy. He doesn't bite."
Mia, pale from fear, said, "Does he need to?"
Liebe said, "Yeah."
Licht said, "And let me introduce my familia, the star of our team." As Titan came out of the ground like a worm, he said, "This is Titan. He bites."
Iris said, "Is Titan always this big?"
Licht said, "No, he grew a bit. Right now, he is about 100 meters long."
Mia fainted.
Iris said, "We should probably help her."
As Mia woke up, she said, "Oh, great. It was just a dream. Why would the admirals ask me to join their teams? Two of them, no less."
Licht said, "It's not a dream."
Mia said, "Yeah, yeah, Mia. I get the joke. Commoners like us shouldn't dream big, but maybe, just maybe, one day I can actually join them."
Licht whispered to Liebe, "Should we tell her it's not a dream?"
Liebe and Alyssa said, "Shush! This is far too great of a cinema to stop. Just watch. And Gelda, get me some chicken popcorn."
Licht said, "I want a hotdog."
Gelda said, "Of course."
As they watched Mia and her morning routine, Alyssa said, "This is some Disney princess-level stuff."
Licht said, "I know, right? Somehow, she even has background music with birds chirping and everything. There are literally no birds here."
Licht said, "Shushhh, I want to see if this princess finds love or not. We are in the best part."
At this point, even Fang and Titan were invested.
Alyssa said, "Now, where is that prince?"
Liebe said, "Ohhhh, now I realize. She is in the Rapunzel movie drama. No wonder."
Hedin said, "This is beautiful."
Olivia said, "I know. She definitely practiced."
Iris said, "Should we tell her she is awake?"
Olivia said, "Do that, and I will murder you."
Meanwhile, through Gelda's portal, Lilith came through.
As Lilith came through, she said, "What are you doing?"
Liebe, Alyssa, and Licht said, "Shush! Just watch. Don't talk."
As everyone watched—after it all happened, all the dancing and singing—Mia said, "Why must reality be so cruel? Why can't I just be a princess? Well, guess now that I'm awake, time to wash my face and put on my glasses and see the sad reality of classes."
Then Fang and Titan rushed her and started to lick her.
Mia said, "What is this? Why is it snowing in my room? And why are the walls hitting me?"
Liebe and everyone just laughed and said, "This is gold."
Licht said, "No, glad she joined my team."
Liebe said, "Yeah, bring her for game nights."
Licht said, "Oh, I will."
Mia said, "Come on, someone give me my glasses."
As Fang gets her glasses from the sand with his tongue, Mia said, "Thank you." As she puts them on, she sees Fang and Titan, and she screams.
Liebe said, "Good morning."
Mia said, "What? I'm still dreaming?"
Liebe said, "Nope, this is reality, and you are part of our team—more like part of Licht's team. Also, they like you. That's for sure. Look how much they want to be cuddled by you."
Mia just faints again.
Licht said, "I think we should wake her up."
Liebe said, "Shush, I want to see."
Licht said, "See what?"
Liebe said, "If a new movie starts or not. Just watch."
Licht said, "Sure."
After a few more times, with different Disney princesses each time, it was about 10 p.m.
Licht said, "We should go."
Liebe said, "Are you crazy? It's 10 p.m."
Licht said, "So, we shouldn't leave her here?"
Liebe said, "Of course not. I just want to see if this time she starts Frozen or not. And wait, will she be Elsa or Anna?"
Alyssa said, "Yeah, it's my favorite movie."
Lilith said, "Same. It's been so long since I watched Frozen with my late husband and Liebe."
Gelda said, "Shut up, it's starting. And I'm sure Tenebris's ghost is watching too. He isn't stupid enough to miss something this good."
Finally, after finishing Frozen and being scared by Fang and Titan, Licht said, "Well, it's 12:30. Time to wake her up."
After standing up, Liebe stretched a bit and said, "Yeah, it's getting late."
As Licht shook her, she said, "Am I dreaming? This silhouette—it must be my prince charming."
Licht said, "What? Now again?"
Mia said, "My prince charming, pale and handsome."
Liebe said, "Now this is getting out of hand."
Lilith said, "Shush, this is the original. Even better. We don't even know what happens next. Just watch."
Gelda said, "Same. Just watch. Plus, if Licht misses this chance, I am about 99% sure of the fact that I'm 100% sure the poor dude will die a virgin."
Licht screamed, "Guys, help!"
Liebe said, "Just do it as I told you."
Licht said, "You didn't teach me anything besides how to get gi— Ohhhhh, hell no."
Alyssa said, "You are doing great. Keep it up."
As Mia grabbed him by the face, she said, "Now, my prince charming, kiss me."
As she grabbed Licht's face, Iris said, "Should we do something?"
Olivia said, "No, this is gold."
As she pulled Licht's face closer, Licht tried his best to resist but failed and ended up kissing her.
Alyssa said, "Licht's first time, and we are all here to watch."
Liebe said, "Forget watching, I'm recording it. If things go like this, in about the next nine months, Licht will quite literally become the All-Father."
Lilith said, "How? What now? I thought I got to choose the next All-Father."
Gelda covered Lilith's ears and said, "You are far too innocent to understand these jokes, even though you are the one who gave birth to Liebe. But it's best if you don't understand."
After they finally stopped kissing, Mia said, "It was my first time, my prince charming."
Licht screamed, "Huh?! It was my first time, too!"
Iris said, "Enough of this," as she put Mia's glasses on her face.
Mia said, "This is strange. I didn't know I needed glasses to see my dreams." And as she saw Licht, she said, "I never knew my prince charming was Admiral Licht. But he is just too handsome."
Iris pinched her hands and said, "It's reality. Stop kissing him."
As both Mia and Licht's face turned red, Liebe said, "Damn."
As Mia said, "Sir, why are you here holding me?"
Licht said, "I don't know, but if I let go, you will most probably fall."
Mia said, "Sorry, sir," as Licht gently let go. She stood up and screamed, "My first time was with Admiral Licht!"
Liebe said, "Yeah, it was. Congrats."
As Mia and Licht were on both sides, red, saying, "This isn't real. This isn't real. This is a dream."
Liebe said, "It isn't." Then he said, "Well, it's getting late either way. And Mia, you watch too much Disney. You should probably start avoiding it a bit, if at all possible."
And then they went home.
That night, neither Mia nor Licht could sleep. At 4 a.m., when Liebe woke up to use the washroom—basically, for the first time in his life—he saw Licht actually awake and just standing in front of the wall.
Liebe said, "Yo, Licht. You awake, buddy? Or is it just that you learned to sleep with your eyes open now?"
Licht said, "I'm awake."
Liebe thought, Why the hell is the dude so creepy? He said, "You want to talk?"
Licht said, "Yeah."
Liebe said, "Lemme use the washroom, then let's talk."
Licht said, "Sure."
After a while, Liebe said, "Now, what do you want to say?"
Licht said, "I don't know."
Liebe said, "Is it about your first kiss?"
Licht said, "Guess so."
Liebe said, "Now, how do you feel?"
Licht said, "I don't know. I should be feeling great or something."
Liebe said, "Whatever you're expecting."
Licht said, "I don't know. I thought I wanted to be with Iris, but when Mia kissed me, I couldn't do anything."
Liebe said, "Did you hate it?"
Licht said, "It felt weird."
Liebe said, "Did you hate it?"
Licht said, "No."
Liebe said, "Then maybe Iris fell for you, and well, maybe you fell for Mia."
Licht said, "Now you're just spewing BS."
Liebe said, "Well, if you truly disliked her, then I know you could have just resisted her. But you didn't. Maybe—well—"
Licht said, "Okay, I get what you're trying to say."
Liebe said, "Good. Okay, then, goodnight. Now that you get it, you solve the rest."
Licht said, "Huh? What?"
Liebe said, "Quiet down. Now, for once in my life, I get to sleep. Quiet down. I'm trying to sleep here," as Liebe went to bed.
The next morning, after Mia woke up, she said, "Well, that was a weird dream. I saw my prince charming, and I finally did it. I kissed him. And then Iris put on my glasses, and I clearly saw it was Admiral Licht. But it was just a dream. And then someone pinched me, and the dream went away. Wait, why is that spot red? Ehh, maybe I hurt my hand there."
Alyssa said, "Nope, it was reality."
Mia screamed, "Admiral Alyssa, why are you here?"
Alyssa said, "Liebe was worried, so he asked if I would stay in your room. Your friend Niki was worried if you were in any trouble or not, so I told her. And she was the one who changed your uniform."
Mia said, "So what happened yesterday was reality?"
Alyssa said, "Yup."
Mia said, "Did I really kiss—"
Alyssa said, "Yeah, you did."
Mia said, "What have I done? I kissed someone like him. I'm not worthy of such grace."
Alyssa said, "Believe it or not, it was his first time, too. And, like, pretty sure he didn't hate it. Also, while my SAD meant Social Anxiety Disorder, his means Sleep Addiction Disorder."
Mia said, "I don't know if I can wear the golden uniform after what happened."
Alyssa said, "We all make mistakes, but whether you can face them afterwards makes the difference. So wear it. I'm sure Licht would be proud."
Mia said, "Thank you, ma'am."
Niki came in and said, "You are still sleeping, Mia? I swear to God, it's 9:30 a.m., and you are still sleeping. Oh, I suppose I should be calling you ma'am now, since you are a great vice admiral under Admiral Licht. And ma'am, I made breakfast. I hope you like it."
Alyssa said, "Of course. Thank you for the hospitality."
Niki said, "Of course, ma'am. Also, Mia here is a cartoon-addicted idiot. She doesn't know the difference between dreams and reality. Please forgive her. She really is a four-eyed idiot without brains. We are sorry for what happened to Admiral Licht."
Alyssa said, "I'm sure Licht didn't mind that much. And Niki, want to join my team?"
Niki said, "Of course, ma'am."
Alyssa said, "Here, your new uniform."
Niki said, "Thank you, ma'am."
Later, when they met for training, Mia saw Licht and ran away.
Licht said to Liebe, "Did she hate it so much that she is running away? I mean, I know I'm a bad kisser since it was my first and all, but—"
Liebe said, "Don't worry."
Later, when Niki dragged Mia back, Mia said, "Admiral Licht, I'm so sorry! You took me under your wing, and I did indescribable things to you. Please forgive me for this crime. I will take my own life."
Liebe said, "Now that's a bit much."
As Licht stopped her, he said, "I don't know what happened, but I forgot. Thank you for the drama. Now, it's time to train. Let's go."
Liebe and Alyssa just laughed and said, "This really is pure gold."