"Doctor!"
A cheerful voice called drawing Sam's attention. Turning around he saw a young girl waving at him as she approached with a smile.
"Did I make you wait?"
"No, I just arrived myself."
As he answered her question he took his time observing her appearance. Her choice of clothes was very simple: a pure white summer dress and a pair of sandals in addition to a small bag hanging from her shoulder. Her long blond hair was tied into twin tails using blue lace. Even so one can't possibly the overwhelming cuteness she portrayed, though Sam felt a bit nervous at how she managed to look more youthful than usual. Who knew that wearing something other than a military uniform would make such a big difference.
"You look very cute today, Miku." He spoke with a smile, blocking the voice in his head telling him he was doing something illegal.
"Really?" The young Valkyrie beamed. She took a step back and spun around once as if to show herself. "I never wore anything like this before so I was worried. I'm glad it's to Doctor's liking."
As a Valkyrie Miku was guaranteed to look in anything she wears, Sam was sure of that fact. He reached toward her with his hand and gently patted her head before turning around.
"Alright then. Let's get going."
"Um!"
The excitement filled Miku jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his left. Sam was startled at first but seeing her smile he could only sigh and let her do as she pleases.
"Doctor looks somewhat different today too." She said.
"Well, I rarely wear casual clothes at the base."
"So I got to see a new side of Doctor before the others, huh?"
"I guess so..."
If he had to be honest Sam would say that not having his lab coat on felt quite uncomfortable, which he was afraid would ruin their plans for the day.
Today was the long-awaited date Miku had requested as her compensation for being neglected. From building an interdimensional portal to deciding on how to deal with the aftermath of the war, the preparations for the peace conference with the Nephilim had kept Sam busy for the past few weeks leaving him with no choice but to postpone the event until he had some free time.
Thankfully with everything done an entire day was left open in his schedule so he decided to take it as his chance to unwind. Still, what kind of date could they have with most of the world destroyed?
"This is amazing!" Miku exclaimed. "Is this what a city looked like before the war?"
Her eyes darted from one direction to the other taking in the sights around them. Sam was doing the same, although he did a better job at keeping his expression neutral.
"More or less."
Clean paved roads, intact buildings and open shops, billboards and giant screens, then there are the cars and other kinds of vehicles driving around. Nowadays only a few districts in the surviving human settlements have such sights, with only the wealthy and important individuals having access to them. Of course with a Valkyrie as his companion Sam couldn't just waltz around a place like that. The attention they would draw to themselves would make it impossible to enjoy themselves, not that there is much to do in human settlements anyway.
Their choices for a date were quite limited at one point, however thanks to Odin that problem was quickly solved.
Asgard is a city built inside a virtual world. It simulates everything from the world before Calamities minus the various types of pollution giving everything a more vibrant hue.
According to the old man, it was the place Valkyries spent most of their time in before receiving their physical bodies, though most of their memories of that time have been erased. The equipment used to enter this world is directly connected to their central processors, their brains in other words, and with all five senses accurately simulated the avatars they're using felt no different from their real bodies.
As they arrived at the station and boarded one of the trains, Sam found himself looking around more and more. The virtual city is impressive enough, however what he found himself surprised by was the crowds surrounding them.
Virtual or not leaving such a big place empty would turn it into something else, and since Valkyrie needed to learn Howe to function in human society as they grew up Odin decided to fill it with thousands of NPCs that could play the role of other citizens.
Unlike Valkyries, those NPCs are nothing but computer programs even if they have quite the advanced AI. Apparently they're capable of holding a normal conversation and performing some tasks but their abilities are still limited so it is advised to not strain them too much.
"So this is a train..." Miku said. "I only read about it in books so this is my first time riding one."
Watching the young Valkyrie's reactions warmed Sam's heart. Still, if a normal city was enough to make her this excited he could only wonder how she would feel when they reach their destination.
The train ride didn't take too long and after a five-minute walk they were standing at the entrance to the location of their date.
"Whoa!" Miku gasped, her eyes sparkling.
While Sam was pondering over where they should go for their date, a surprising suggestion came from Odin of all people. He was the one to recommend using the virtual world and this place specifically.
Dream Land is a theme park built at the edge of Asgard. A place of games and fun one is guaranteed to enjoy spending time in. At the entrance stood the park's mascot, a round pink rabbit named Rolly, greeting people as they went in. Looking up Sam was able to see the twisting tracks of rollercoasters and other rides, and excited screams and cries could be heard in the distance.
"Doctor! Let's go! Hurry!"
Mike's excitement peaked as she started pulling Sam along. Seeing her liveliness which contrasted her usual calm and cold appearance filled his heart with warmth. He found himself thinking that such a young girl deserves to live a carefree life, playing around and having fun instead of fighting in a war. Sadly the fate of the Valkyries will always lead them back to the battlefield. Even now that the war has ended they have no choice but to move on to the next.
'Calm down' Sam told himself, the guilt from before coming back much stronger. 'The old man said they're all over eighteen at this point...'
According to Odin the time in Asgard is usually accelerated to help the Valkyries mature in a small time span, allowing them to live many years in a really short time. Even the youngest looking among them has been seventeen by the time she left Asgard, and since it has been an entire year since the last generation arrived in the real world every Valkyrie should be legal by now.
Still, that didn't stop Sam from feeling like a creep for what he plans on doing from now on. Not that it matters at this point since he has already crossed the line on many occasions.
Having decided to focus on enjoying himself, Sam followed Miku into the theme park. Being surrounded by the joyful NPCs and colorful attractions neither of them expected anyone else to be there with them, nor did it occur to them that they were being followed.
"And there they go," B3 said, the smile she wore spoke of her excitement.
"That sure looks nice," Nino added looking a little deflated. "I'm starting to feel a bit jealous."
"A date..." Ichigo was blushing intensely, her mind working all kinds of fantasies at the moment.
Having heard the news from Miku herself, the three of them decided to sneak in to see how things will go for themselves. They all had their reasons for doing so, but all three understood that it would be really bad if they got caught which is why they have been spying on those two from behind a tree nearby.
"Should we go in now?" B3 asked.
"We don't want to lose track of them," Nino said, stepping out from their hiding spot.
"A date..." Ichigo did the same, her fists clenched as if she had just gained some resolve.
Though they came to that place for one reason, those three would soon get distracted and end up spending most of their time having fun, only realizing what happened long after the fact.
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