They continued chatting for hours, draining several more glasses of wine as the night wore on. The alcohol quickly left Graves feeling distinctly warm and tipsy—a sharp contrast to his companions. Thanks to their opened Gene Locks, the rest of the squad possessed advanced metabolic systems that effortlessly filtered toxins, meaning they could hardly ever get drunk or tipsy. They all listened intently as they traded nostalgic tales of their grueling academy life, a journey they had spent almost entirely together. It was a profoundly bittersweet realization.
"Let's toast to those of us who actually made it! To becoming full-fledged NHF soldiers!!!" a young, ecstatic soldier shouted from atop a table not far from their group, raising his glass to the entire room.
The cafeteria happily obliged, a chorus of cheers echoing through the hall. With cans of beer and glasses of wine clinking together in a chaotic symphony, people laughed their hearts out, celebrating their survival.
It was already past midnight when the squad finally snuck out of the cafeteria. It seemed their superiors had intentionally turned a blind eye for the night, granting them this rare window to celebrate; on any normal day, the military police would have cleared the hall hours ago.
Gamby was the first to say her goodbyes, roughly patting Graves's hair before walking away with her signature boisterous stride, followed closely by Apollo and Julius. The military command had already ordained new, quarters for the graduated combatants outside the academy walls, meaning they would now be living in the official military barracks.
A few moments later, Graves and Winter stood side by side just outside the structure. A cool evening breeze swept past them, causing Winter's short, light blue hair to dance gently along with the wind.
It was only then that Graves realized he had never actually spent any time alone with a girl—or anyone of the opposite gender, for that matter—at such an awkward, intimate hour. He was only seventeen years old, after all, and he genuinely had no idea how to go about initiating a conversation. He internally debated if there was even any need to speak; he certainly didn't want to bore her with his awkward presence. Letting out a quiet internal sigh, he stole a quick glance at her profile. She seemed to be staring intently up at the dark canopy of the sky.
Graves followed her gaze, staring up into the void. Back at the academy, Instructor Han had once told them that before the nuclear fallout, the nighttime sky had been decorated with uncountable, shimmering lights called stars. But following the cataclysm, the atmosphere had been permanently choked by a dense layer of radioactive nuclear energy and heavy ash.
"It's beautiful," Winter finally said, her soft, melodic voice gently pulling Graves out of his thoughts.
Graves honestly didn't know if she was referring to the dull, irradiated sky or the artificial military flora decorating the pathway.
"Yes... it's beautiful," he replied, his palms suddenly becoming slick with nervous sweat. Taking a breath to steady his racing heart, he turned to look at her. "Winter... I want to thank you. For standing up for me, and for convincing your parents to pull those strings with the military brass to let me stay. Thank you so much. It really meant the world to me."
She seemed not to hear him at first, her gaze remaining fixed on the horizon. After a long moment, she gave a slow nod and turned her body to face him fully.
"I only did what I would do for someone I truly care about," she replied, looking slightly upward to meet his eyes. Graves stood a bit taller than her, creating a soft, intimate boundary between them. "I couldn't just sit back and watch your dreams fly away like that."
Noticing the intensity of her gentle stare, Graves swallowed hard, his heart pounding violently against his ribs. He vividly recalled Julius once telling him that females could instantly sense fear in a man, and that if a guy showed hesitation, they would immediately find him unattractive. Apollo had chimed in during that exact conversation, adding that absolute confidence made a man look like an 'alpha male'—the kind of soldier any girl would die for. But was he seriously trying to be an alpha male to her right now? Shaking the ridiculous thought out of his head, Graves quickly looked forward, deliberately avoiding her piercing stare.
"You, Apollo, Gamby, and Julius... you are all so incredibly precious to me," Winter spoke softly, her eyes shimmering with raw emotion. "When you broke formation and ran toward those devils, I genuinely thought you were going to die. I absolutely hate losing the things close to my heart. Promise me... promise me you won't ever be that reckless again."
Graves's heart completely melted upon hearing her words. For a boy who had spent his entire developmental life scraping by in the outskirts, expressing or receiving genuine affection was practically suicidal. He had only ever shared that kind of bond with his mother. Seeing someone like Winter offer him that same unconditioned warmth made it incredibly easy for his fractured soul to find an anchor—someone to tether his entire being to since his mother's passing.
But a dark, pragmatic thought quickly intruded. Why would I anchor my being to someone who is susceptible to death at any given moment? She's a front-line combatant... a soldier.
"I promise," Graves replied aloud, forcing the cynical thoughts down. "I will not risk my life recklessly again."
Winter stared at him intently for a few silent seconds, as if scanning his expression for even a single atom of a lie. Satisfied with what she saw, she offered a soft smile. "Fine. I'll take that to heart," she said, turning her head back toward the path. She closed her eyes, her head beginning to nod in a rhythmic, gentle motion.
A short while later, Winter murmured her goodbyes and departed down the path toward the barracks, leaving Graves standing entirely by himself outside the quiet facility. It was only after she vanished into the shadows that he realized she hadn't been nodding in agreement to his words at the end—she had simply been moving her head to the faint, muffled music still drifting out from the cafeteria doors.
He let out a quiet laugh, shook his head at his own denseness, and turned to walk toward his own quarters.
Tomorrow was a massive day. He was officially going to be introduced to his new unit: the military medical team.
Smoothening his white hair with the tips of his fingers, Graves let out one final, deep sigh.. ... "The drinks were nice" he thought.