Chapter 15

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The Luci desserts were not yet finished when Justine happened to come in to get ice, noticing the gloomy expressions on their faces one by one. She placed the bucket of ice on the table and sat down herself.

“Everyone, come here.”

The eight of them sat neatly opposite her, fingers tapping on the table as she made them lift their heads.

“Professor Ross’s lessons were all for nothing, weren’t they?”

The eight stared blankly at her, not understanding.

Justine pinched the bridge of her nose.

“They didn’t win easily. Sand and Raven quickly took down six people, which forced Eric to take a risk. He just gambled and got lucky. Your strategy was very effective; he wasn’t fooled. He simply didn’t want you to stand out in the competition. Have you been influenced by him, shaken, losing confidence?”

Every time Justine spoke, their heads bowed a little more.

The dessert—apple meringue pie—was placed in front of Justine, its caramelized sweetness filling her palate. She ate without stopping, eyes never rising.

“What are you still doing here? Go back.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The eight stood up, responding with firm voices.

In the dormitory, Axton bit his blanket in the empty darkness, furious that everyone had abandoned him. He really wanted to follow them and sleep on the floor.

Justine took the remaining half of the apple meringue pie upstairs. Seven stood at the door, holding blankets and pillows, looking up at her like little puppies.

When the door opened, the seven quickly went inside, lying down on the floor to sleep.

The room was filled with music from the turntable. Feeling at ease, the seven soon fell into deep sleep on the floor.

Justine sat at the desk, flipping through a magazine. It was a military enthusiast journal about new weapons. Occasionally, she took a bite of dessert.

A small desk lamp cast a corner of light. The room was silent except for the rustle of pages and the steady rise and fall of breathing.

The next morning, Justine watched four snipers until their eyes dropped to their toes. She called their names.

“Have you understood the difference?”

The four straightened their chests and answered loudly,

“Yes, we understand.”

“Still going to slack off?”

“Absolutely not!”

The four snipers had also stayed awake all night.

For snipers, improving accuracy was paramount. Holding the high ground was important, but accuracy was the most crucial.

The other three support members were also named and reprimanded by Justine. Her cold gaze swept over them.

“You’re too relaxed. Being the bait isn’t a death sentence.”

The three blushed deeply. Eric as bait was meant to kill enemies, but they had thought of handing enemies over to teammates.

The reason for the morning’s reprimand was to make them reflect overnight. External pressure is less effective than self-discipline.

Justine led the morning run. Fifteen people followed behind, faces somber, clearing away all feelings of failure and shame. From now on, they would work twice as hard.

The defeats before the Silver Tournament didn’t really count as failures.

The long warm season passed, and the brief icy winter began. The base’s second round of home leave started. It was nearing the year’s biggest festival—Spirit Festival.

Before the empire gained independence, Spirit Festival didn’t mean family reunion.

But now, the holiday represented family.

The three who had been tricked into joining were happily going home for the festival.

Axton informed his parents he couldn’t return for the festival. They were proud of him and promised to send gifts to the base.

Soldiers who couldn’t go home for Spirit Festival were granted three days off at the base, per regulations.

Because of the cold weather, most soldiers chose to stay at the base, sleeping in and playing cards to celebrate.

As the holiday approached, shops in Margaret Town were especially busy, often with lines stretching into the streets.

Inside Axton’s house, Marcia and Talib had decorated beautifully. Snow fell outside, but inside was warm and brightly lit.

Night had already fallen. Only Justine and Axton were inside; the others were in town with their families.

They all had their families settled in the town, living in one area to look out for each other.

Justine wore a white knitted pullover with sleeves rolled up, chopping vegetables.

Axton wore a plaid shirt, sleeves also rolled up. He was slightly better at cooking than Justine. Tonight’s Spirit Festival dinner was just the two of them.

The living room screen played holiday programs as background noise.

Axton was preparing his family’s Spirit Festival dinner, chatting casually with Justine.

“Commander, will you ever get married?”

“I don’t know.”

“If you don’t marry, you’ll spend Spirit Festival all alone.”

“I’m not going to marry just to celebrate Spirit Festival.”

Justine poured the chopped potatoes into a boiling pot and asked,

“What’s wrong with you? Why didn’t you go to Marcia’s for dinner today?”

“I left because you’d be lonely alone.”

“I want the truth.”

Axton stirred the soup to prevent it from sticking. His hair was styled, gelled upright.

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“What if Marcia doesn’t want me around? If I showed up, it might trouble her.”

“Axton, you’re so considerate. Your ex-girlfriend must have been blind.”

“Commander, thanks for the comfort.”

Though big and burly, Axton was actually quite sensitive inside. Justine patted his back.

“You’ll definitely get married. A warm family man like you is perfect.”

Axton chuckled.

“I used to have girls chasing me.”

“Oh? Tell me about it.”

Justine listened to Axton’s past in the kitchen. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. She thought it was a neighbor. Opening the door, it was Raven.

Justine was surprised.

“What are you doing here?”

Raven hung up his coat, revealing a blue sweater. He turned and hugged Justine.

“Afraid you’d go hungry.”

Axton overheard and grumbled,

“It’s not like you’re the only one who can cook. I’m good too.”

Raven looked up.

“Captain, I brought food from home. Want some?”

“You should have come sooner!”

Axton turned off the stove, uncertain if his cooking was even edible.

Raven smiled, having brought his family’s Spirit Festival food.

When they lifted the lid, Justine and Axton’s eyes widened at the sight of roasted pork ribs, aromatic and enticing.

They quickly pulled out chairs and sat down. Raven went to tidy up the messy kitchen.

They were about to dig in when the doorbell rang again. Axton, mouth full of ribs, went to answer. It was Sand and Talib, also carrying food.

Axton ignored them, took the food from their hands, and went back.

Sand and Talib smiled and entered, closing the door.

The table now held chestnut stew chicken and Spirit pudding. The kitchen grew busier as Sand and Talib prepared cookies.

Seeing the soup, Talib asked,

“What is this? It looks disgusting.”

Raven poured it out.

“The captain’s specialty.”

Talib glanced at the two hunched over eating outside and laughed.

Afterward, the doorbell kept ringing. The dining table was piled high with food. Axton sighed happily,

“Commander, this must be a taste only heaven can offer.”

He commemorated the moment, taking photos of the untouched food and selfies with Justine.

On the long-neglected “Commander’s Most Handsome” account, Axton uploaded two photos of their Spirit Festival dinner.

Others saw it and were displeased. Such an important day, yet they were left out.

Axton, annoyed, was ordered to take photos with them too.

Justine sat in the center, Marcia and Talib on either side, the other seven standing behind.

After that photo, everyone sat down. Axton adjusted the camera and took a group photo of all at the Spirit Festival dinner table.

“Commander’s Most Handsome” posted another photo. Axton was mocked again in the comments—rough man among beauties, so out of place.

Amber went to a quiet corner, enlarged the group photo, and felt an indescribable emotion. Amber felt distant from Justine, especially with two women now in the frame.

Someone approached. Amber turned off the globe.

The grand hall was brightly lit, many people dining at Amber’s home for Spirit Festival.

The visitor was Vivian, a girl from an all-girls school. Their families were longstanding friends, and their parents hoped they would spend more time together.

“Amber, why did you suddenly leave earlier?”

“I was replying to a classmate’s greeting, that’s all.”

Vivian hooked her arm around his.

“Come back quickly. Auntie is looking for you.”

Amber returned to the table. His parents smiled and announced publicly that he and Vivian were about to be engaged and would marry after graduation.

Amber showed no reaction, calmly accepting everyone’s congratulations.

Dinner lasted late into the night. Amber escorted Vivian to her private residence. She invited him inside.

They were adults; having a relationship was normal. After all, they were to be engaged.

Amber made an excuse and left, avoiding Vivian’s angry face.

At home, he sent a message to the commander: “A bit tired.”

The reply came quickly, but not from Justine herself.

“The commander is asleep. Thank you for your blessing. I will pass it on.”

Amber’s face darkened. The sneaky little spy into Justine’s privacy.

In the bedroom, Justine, drunk, had fallen asleep. Torlan secretly logged into her account to browse.

He remembered Amber’s account and, with a familiar tone, reminded them how annoying it was to bother Justine so late.

Torlan went downstairs and told others about it. The account was listed under Justine’s contacts as Amber.

For a moment, no one knew whether to condemn Torlan for invading privacy or praise him for uncovering information.

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They began clearing the followers of “Commander’s Most Handsome” account. Five belonged to the Enisha region, had never left comments.

All were blocked, and the account was set to require approval for new followers.

Amber calmed down after his shower. When he came out, a notification popped up: he had been blocked by “Commander’s Most Handsome.”

His eyes grew cold and dark. A petty sneak peeking into Justine’s privacy.

The next morning, Justine yawned and went downstairs. She poured a glass of water and stood by the window.

The weather was terrible. The wind howled, and snow piled up quickly.

Everyone else was still asleep in the house. Rare holidays meant sleeping in, and none had risen yet.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Justine turned to see Perin, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he came down. Seeing her by the window, he instantly woke.

“Commander, why are you up so early?”

Ten minutes later, Justine ate a rolled omelet stuffed with brightly colored vegetables.

The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. The stairs clattered with footsteps. Justine found it strange—they were all downstairs, some not even fully dressed.

Seeing Marcia and Talib come down, she was even more puzzled. Everyone flooded into the kitchen.

Perin brought out pumpkin bagels, golden and fragrant. Justine reached for one but was sharply told by Sand,

“You’re only allowed one!”

“Huh?”

The oven was busy, timers going off, opening and closing.

The aroma roused Axton, who came downstairs shouting,

“I want to eat!”

He was stopped.

“Captain, you can’t have bread, but everything else is fine.”

Seven types of beautiful bread lay before Justine: babka, meat leaf rolls, honey bread, croissants, pumpkin bagels, maple toast, and black tea pastries.

All seven were arranged on one large platter. She took a photo and posted it on her account.

Many classmates and teachers left comments praising the bread’s beauty.

No bakery could have opened today; this was homemade.

Besides bread, Marcia and Talib prepared a sumptuous breakfast comparable to a luxury hotel’s.

The eleven sat together. Axton ate happily.

“Marcia, your cooking is delicious.”

Marcia smiled at him. Axton intended to eat it all without waste.

Just then, Justine’s phone rang repeatedly. It was a call.

She didn’t answer, but the ringing continued.

Justine stood and went to the backyard, answering the call. Roshi’s face appeared, with his bedroom as background.

Justine was impatient.

“What do you want?”

Roshi had just woken, hair tousled in a spike.

“Who are you having breakfast with?”

“Someone you don’t know.”

“Show me who’s there.”

“Are you done? What’s it to you?”

“Why didn’t you answer yesterday? Who did you spend Spirit Festival with?”

“Roshi, enough. Mind your own business.”

“I’ll come find you.”

“The base won’t let you in.”

“Then I’ll bring an order to see you.”

“Damn it, don’t act like you’re untouchable because of your brother.”

Roshi snorted.

“Then come back and marry me.”

“Do you have amnesia? Hayes warned me that if I come near you, he’ll kill me.”

“We’ll register the marriage first. Then he can’t do anything.”

The door opened, followed by a cold voice.

“Who do you plan to marry?”

Justine saw Hayes’s face, cold and harsh.

“Justine, if you seduce Roshi, don’t ever think of coming back.”

“Damn!”

Justine angrily ended the call. Crazy brothers.

She had blocked Roshi, so how could he still follow her?

Justine returned to her breakfast. Sand asked who it was.

“A mentally twisted person,” she replied.