November 2009, Between Mars and Earth
Marissa lowered her gun and squinted as she looked over at the dummy across the room. She frowned as she saw several bullet holes that had missed their mark. She had gone to the firing range that day to brush up on her shooting, but it seemed like her fears had been confirmed: she was a lousy shot the further away a target was, regardless of whether she was in a Valkyrie or not.
She sighed and slipped off her earmuffs, scratching her ears and wiping away sweat. She was about to put her earmuffs back on when she saw a familiar face from the corner of her eye.
“Hey,” she said, smiling.
A man with blue hair, glasses and a wiry build smiled back. “Hi.”
Maximilian Jenius was the Skull Squadron’s best ace pilot. Many of his squad mates called him “Genius.” He was part of Ichijyo’s Vermilion Team, but Marissa wouldn’t be surprised if sooner or later Max would get a team of his own.
When Max’s amazing piloting skills became apparent, Marissa had screwed up the courage to ask him to help her be a better shot. He agreed, but made the mistake of bringing his teammate Kakizaki along. It took both Max’s embarrassed coaxing and Marissa’s stern rejections to stop Kakizaki’s shameless flirting with her. Nevertheless, Marissa and Max parted on good terms and remained friends since then.
“What brings you here today?” Marissa asked, “Surely you of all people don’t need help with your aim!”
Max laughed. “Oh, you know. Practice!”
Was it her, or was Max’s laughter just a tiny bit forced?
“Hey,” she said, a little more seriously, “I know you’ve probably had a lot of people ask, but are you okay? You know, after being behind enemy lines…”
It had been over a week since Max, Ichijyo, Kakizaki, and Commander Hayase had returned from being captured by the enemy. Since their return, they were ordered not to say a word about their experience to anyone. Everyone else in Skull Squadron was dying to know what they had seen. Marissa was no different, but she was also concerned about how the four of them were handling the experience. For one, she had noticed Ichijyo and Commander Hayase acting incredibly awkward around each other, instead of being at each other’s throats like usual.
“I’m hanging in there,” Max answered, “Thanks for asking!”
“Did something happen between Ichijyo and Commander Hayase?” Marissa couldn’t help but ask.
Max looked at her shrewdly. “Well… I’m not one to gossip-”
Marissa placed a hand over her heart. “I won’t tell a single soul, I promise!”
“If I’m not mistaken,” Max said quietly, “They definitely have a thing for each other, though I don’t think they’d ever admit it.”
Marissa’s eyebrows rose. “Really? I thought Ichijyo was involved with Lynn Minmay!” At least, that was what the tabloids said. In fact, they painted a lurid picture of a love triangle between Minmay, her cousin Kaifun, and Ichijyo.
Max’s eyes twinkled. “My instincts don’t lie.”
Later that evening, Marissa and Cal spent a quiet night at her apartment, watching a variety show with a special segment featuring Lynn Minmay. As Minmay finished singing “My Boyfriend is a Pilot,” she gave a cute little bow and embraced her cousin, Kaifun.
Remembering her conversation with Max, Marissa eyed Kaifun thoughtfully. She made a note of how darkly handsome he was, and concluded that Ichijyo didn’t have a chance against him.