Pool Date …

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“I still haven’t asked—how did you end up in the Air Force? When are you going back to your original base?”

“I can take a half-month break, plus my aircraft needs some repairs. By the way, I didn’t expect you to call me. Didn’t I shatter your beautiful dream? Shouldn’t you be blowing up like a cat with its tail stepped on?” Leslie’s voice was like a stream flowing over rocks—calm and soothing, even though his words were sarcastic—they sounded pleasant to Levi.

“I’m past the age of being a hot-tempered cat. What are your plans for tomorrow? Sleep?”

“You think I’m flying the Pristine Lady? The Blue Crisis isn’t that mentally exhausting. I’m planning to go swimming tomorrow.”

“Want to go together?”

“What, you want me to strip down and show you that I’m really not a girl?”
“Right now—I can only think of you as an Air Force captain who just happens to look like Vivian LeClerc.”

“You’re so nonchalant about it that it almost takes the fun out of teasing you about the past. Fine, tomorrow morning after I wake up meet me at the city pool, Snotty.” Leslie hung up the phone before Levi could respond.

“Hey—didn’t I tell you not to call me Snotty! Did you hear me? Hey!” Levi yelled, but the line was already dead.

Levi Van Pelt hadn’t been called “Snotty” in years!

The next day—Levi arrived at the pool early, swimming a few laps but not seeing Leslie. Since it wasn’t a public holiday, there weren’t many officers on break, and only a few people were scattered around the pool. Levi soaked in the water for so long he was beginning to feel shriveled, and still, no sign of Leslie.

“Did I get the place wrong?” Levi mumbled, leaning against the pool’s edge and checking the electronic clock. It was already past eleven.

“There’s only one city pool, though,” Levi muttered. Despite losing contact after elementary school—he had been looking forward to catching up with Leslie after running into him in another fortress city.

Just as Levi was about to climb out and head back to his dorm for a nap—a tall figure approached slowly from the side of the pool.

The person had beautifully defined muscles, a balance of strength and elegance. Wearing swim goggles, his eyes were hidden, but the curve of his lips—poised but without a smile—gave off an air that kept others at a distance.

“Hey, Snotty.”

“Huh? Leslie, why are you so late?” Levi was a little annoyed.

“Didn’t I say ‘after I wake up’ we’d meet? Looks like you got here early to see me, didn’t you?” Leslie’s lips tugged into a teasing smile—one that practically invited a punch.
“Tch—don’t flatter yourself. I was just bored.” Levi couldn’t help but admit that when he saw Leslie’s “figure,” all of his childhood fantasies faded away.

Leisurely—Leslie climbed down the ladder and swam over to Levi. “Who would’ve guessed that the scrawny kid who couldn’t beat anyone back then now has some muscle?”

“Still better than you, Barbie Hulk,” Levi snorted. “Did you warm up yet? If you cramp, I’m not saving you.”

“Beat me first, then talk.” Leslie spun gracefully in the water—splashing as he swam toward the opposite side.

“Hey—that’s cheating!” Levi quickly chased after him.

Leslie’s strokes were so graceful they caught the attention of the few people around the pool, while Levi, using all his strength—could only manage to keep up behind him.
When they reached the other side of the pool—Levi was nearly exhausted. He leaned against the edge, gasping for breath, while Leslie looked at him with amusement.
“Levi, you’re done already?”

“You’ve got some nerve to say that! I’ve been swimming all morning.” Levi climbed out of the pool. “You can keep swimming if you want, but I’m going to get some food.”

He had only taken a few steps when Leslie called out loudly from the pool, “Levi, remember when you said as a kid that you wanted to swim in the sea?”

“Hmm?” Levi turned, hands on his hips, as the water glistened off Leslie’s face—giving him a charming look. “Swimming in the sea is as much a dream as thinking of you as a girl—something that will never come true.”

“You can’t compare the two,” Leslie said as he effortlessly pushed himself out of the pool, now standing face-to-face with Levi. “I’m a guy—that’s a fact that will never change. But swimming in the sea? That can happen, as long as you’re determined to drive the invaders out of the solar system.”

“I’ve never believed in the idea of a lone hero.” Levi shrugged. “By the way, welcome to Base K11. There are plenty of pretty female officers here—though none of them can match your face.”

In the locker room, under the shower—Levi let the water wash over his ears and face, smiling to himself. His childhood self had been adorably naive.

It was in fifth grade when he tried to sneak out of school by crouching low against the walls. As he passed by a window—he looked up and saw a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair.
His heart raced so fast at that moment that even now, Levi finds it absurd when he thinks about it.
School for Levi was like a cage of rules, and that blonde girl was the only bright spot in that cage.

He used to rush to her class during breaks just to see her. He’d save snacks from his lunch to give to her, even though she never cared. He even foolishly wrote her love letters—only to have her frown in disdain and say, “Your handwriting is terrible.”
More than once, she told him, “Stop following me and don’t show up in front of me again. I’m a boy, and I don’t like being chased by another boy.”

Levi didn’t believe her. What boy could have such beautiful blonde hair, such stunning eyes, and look so good even when angry? He preferred to believe that she just didn’t like him.

One day—he couldn’t help but compliment her, “Leslie, your hair is so beautiful.”

She furrowed her brow deeply. “I don’t need compliments from a snotty kid like you!”
The next day, she showed up with a buzz cut, wearing very boyish clothes—as if determined to convince Levi, “I am a boy.”

Levi felt heartbroken. Why cut off such beautiful hair? It was like it reflected the sun itself—more radiant and elegant than moonlight.

“Hey, Lieutenant Van Pelt, here’s your fried calamari and beer,” the bartender’s voice pulled Levi out of his thoughts, and reality came rushing back. After leaving the pool, Levi had come to his usual bar—where he zoned out the moment he sat down at the counter. If the bartender hadn’t known his usual order—Levi might have spent hours just staring blankly at the empty table.

“He told me from the start, but I refused to believe it,” Levi chuckled and took a big gulp from his glass. He hadn’t had much to drink. Learning that his first love was a boy wasn’t enough of a blow to make him drown his sorrows.

As he was about to pay the bill, an emergency broadcast came on. “All fighter pilots, prepare for combat! All fighter pilots, prepare for combat!”

Levi was still on leave and wasn’t sure if he was included in the “all” category. Just as he was about to take it easy for another two seconds—he heard Leslie’s fighter jet number.

What’s going on? Leslie wasn’t part of the K11 squadron—why was his jet being prepared for battle?

Levi quickly paid his bill and rushed back to the base. In the prep area—he saw the ground crew and mechanics working busily, while Leslie was getting ready to enter his fighter jet.

“Leslie—” Levi hurried over but was stopped by a ground technician.
“Sorry, Lieutenant Van Pelt—Leslie’s fighter is about to launch. You can’t go over there.”

“For some reason, I’ve been transferred to K11,” Leslie gave Levi a thumbs-down gesture, mockingly—before closing the cockpit door.

During emergency operations like this, there was no time to explain. Levi turned to the technician. “What’s the situation? Even those on leave are being called to battle?”
“You know about the mining site between the K11 and St. Louis fortress cities, right? The one with rare metals. We’ve been secretly co-mining with St. Louis, all done underground. Somehow, the invaders found out about it and sent a dozen fighters to seize the resources!”

“Damn—maybe the universe isn’t ours, but Earth sure is! Those alien pigs just don’t quit!” Levi stormed off quickly.
“Lieutenant, are you going to fly the Pristine Lady?”

“Of course!” If the enemy’s numbers were only a dozen for now—they’d probably send double that soon to secure the resources, leading to a prolonged battle. Typically, the casualty rate of our fighters is about one-third—this time, it could be even higher.
When Levi arrived at the Pristine Lady, Claude was checking the data.

“Why didn’t you tell me about such an important mission?” Levi snatched the tablet from Claude’s hand.

“You’re getting more and more disrespectful,” Claude said, looking at Levi. “What’s got you so worked up? You usually don’t care about these emergency broadcasts.”
“I’m a fighter pilot. The fate of humanity, Earth’s future—none of that matters to me. I just want to fight. I don’t want to be some porcelain doll you’re always protecting.” Levi’s analogy made Claude frown.

“I’ve never thought of you as a porcelain doll. But I want you to understand, the Pristine Lady is still a prototype. Its systems are unstable. All our data is based on calculations, not real combat…”

Looking into Claude’s eyes—Levi noticed for the first time how tired he looked. While Levi was on leave, Claude had been working tirelessly to fine-tune the Prisitine Lady using the single combat data they had. He probably hadn’t slept in days.

“Sorry,” Levi said—not one to apologize easily. “The Pristine Lady is special. Only when it’s in top shape can…”

“Levi, I think you’ve misunderstood.”

“What?”

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