Disclaimer: Infinite Stratos and it's canon characters belong to Izuru Yumizuru. FRACTURE belongs to EthernalRain and is used with permission.
Infinite Stratos – An Academy Story
Chapter 1 – Straight Jet
March 29, 2020
IS Academy - office
"Sir, are these orders really necessary?"
"If they weren't, they wouldn't have been issued, now would they?"
A young man rubbed his forehead with frustration, looking at the screen which had his superior officer on screen. "Alright, I'll repeat my orders just to make things clear; observe Ichika Orimura when he arrives at the IS Academy, and if necessary, be his bodyguard if targeted by unknown nations."
"That's correct Lieutenant Sr. Grade Seiei, and those will be your standing orders until further notice," Then the Commander's face relaxed a bit as he dropped the formalities. "Oh, one other thing you might want to know. Lindy woke up shortly after you left, and she's been asking about you."
"She is? That's a surprise," The man raised an eyebrow at the news, "Well, I'm sure that Major Timat is glad that she's awake at least. Please send her my regards."
"Will do son. Now I better prepare myself for the Professor. I know that she won't like it when-."
"*BANG* Commander, you have some explaining to do, NOW!"
"Oh shit, that's her right now, gotta go now Akira!"
The link closed with a click, and the man, Akira Seiei leaned back in his seat in his office with a sigh, "I wonder how that conversation is going to go…"
[I'm sure that the commander is going to get a verbal lashing from the Professor this time.] A voice that came from around Akira's neck spoke up.
"No need to state the obvious Vic, I'm pretty sure anyone can imagine what was going to happen next."
The man in the seat, Akira S. Seiei, had short black hair that covered his ears, and had a ponytail at the back that was tied by a thin rope, along with having green eyes. Right now, the man was an IS Mechanic for the IS Academy, but that was just a cover job, even though he was damn good at it. In reality, Akira was part of the Freedom ACTion Unity Redemption Elimination organization, or FRACTURE for short, acting as an agent inside the Academy. His original mission was to collect data from the Academy to send to FRACTURE over the course of a month, but as anyone could see, that has changed.
[I know Boss, and I wish I was there to hear it.] This was Invictus, nicknamed 'Vic' for short. A 'sentient' AI, it takes the form of a dark blue round jewel the size of a large marble that's around Akira's neck. It has its own personality, and can be a little snarky at times.
"I know you would Vic, I know you would…" Akira was about to get back to his deskwork when he heard a buzz at the door, and quickly slipped on his 'glasses'. "Who is it?"
"It's me Seiei-san." A serious female voice replied on the other side.
Akira relaxed as he turned around to greet his guest. "Ah, Orimura-sensei, please come in."
The door opened, revealing Chifuyu Orimura in her black work suit, holding a folder in her hands. "I thought that you were supposed be heading back to FRACTURE already, yet you haven't handed in your resignation. What happened?"
"It's your brother, that's what happened," When Chifuyu's eyes narrowed, Akira explained, "FRACTURE sent me new orders; to observe Ichika and be his undercover bodyguard if necessary until further notice."
Hearing that, Chifuyu furrowed her brow as she put the folder she had down on Akira's desk. "Ugh, another thing to worry about. Well, at the very least it's someone I know is doing it and not some stranger…"
"Uh huh, well that means that I'll be sticking around much longer, and that means I've been temporary promoted as head IS mechanic."
"Head IS mechanic? What happened to Takeda?"
"From what I've heard, she's taking a vacation in order to get over her embarrassing loss. She was the one that faced Ichika during the examination, though you gotta admit, KOing yourself by crashing head first into a wall is pretty funny."
"More like she got cocky and overconfident," Chifuyu let off a soft laugh before she folded her arms. "Are you going to congratulate me too?"
"For what? Ichika entering the Academy? FRACTURE cut back on my vacation and I was about to go get it back after this assignment was done, and now I'm being delayed getting it back. It's nice to see Ichika again, I must admit, but these aren't the very best circumstances, especially since the students are going to be looking at him like a piece of very delicious meat."
"Ain't that the truth… Anyway, I just came here to drop off some files; they're in the folder on your desk," Chifuyu turned to leave when she added, "Oh, and those glasses definitely don't suit you. They make you look like a dork."
"Hey, at least with these, the girls think I'm some nerdy female IS mechanic, and that's good enough for me. I came here to do my job, and having students swarm you just because you're a guy is counterproductive. And besides, the glasses were her idea to ward them off."
"Heh, I can see that. Oh, and loosen up a bit, you look like a stressed up office worker, not a FRACTURE agent."
[Look who's talking Lady Orimura.]
"And Invictus still has that snarky attitude. See you later Akira, and do try to talk to Ichika when he gets here, if you get the chance, okay?"
Akira just shook his head at the door before getting to work, though all he saw were IS maintenance reports in the folder, something that he was not looking forward too. In the end, all he gave was a sigh and got to work, wondering what tomorrow, the start of the new semester, would bring, "Well, at least it can't get any worse…"
A buzz came from the door and a voice called out to him, "Seiei-san? It's Hinomiya."
"Ha, come in Hinomiya-san."
The door opened and let in Azumi Hinomiya, a fellow IS mechanic whose personality can be comparable to Maya Yamada, who had dark green hair and brown eyes in a ISA mechanic uniform, and she held a thin stack of papers in her hands, "Um, here are the forms from the mechanics that filed for vacation leave…"
Akira had to bite his lip to prevent himself from freaking out, instead taking a deep breath and putting on a strained smile that didn't look very convincing. "Just put them on the desk Hinomiya-san."
"Okay Seiei-san…" Knowing that Akira's smile was fake, Azumi quickly put the papers on the desk before making herself scarce.
Rubbing his forehead, Akira got to work, but not before muttering, "When you get back Takeda-san, I'll be sure to have a surprise waiting for you as welcome back gift…"
April 1, 2020
IS Academy – Akira's office/Class 1-1
The next day, Akira was back in his office, but this time, had his computer on, which had a 'sound only' window on it, and coming from the computer was the clicking of shoes walking down a hallway. Then Chifuyu's voice came through asking, "Is it working properly?"
"Loud and clear Orimura-sensei, though I wish there was something to look at too…"
"Hold on a minute…" There was a moment of silence before a screen appeared, showing a hallway at head level. "There, does it work now?"
"What did you just do?"
"I have a small black camera clip in my hair that's also the microphone. It won't be noticed unless someone takes a good look."
"Okay then," Akira got himself comfortable as he watched the computer screen. "Hmm, I wonder how Ichika's handling himself now."
[Better not get your hopes up Boss,] Invictus chirped, [If we know Ichika, I'm sure that he's squirming from being in the spotlight.]
Akira just snorted as he just sat back and watched what was happening. From what he could see, Chifuyu reached her destination, and the door opened, just in time to hear Ichika say, "Eh, my name is Orimura Ichika. Pleased to meet you."
Since everyone was focused on Ichika, no one noticed Chifuyu had entered the room. There was a beat before Ichika went on, "That's all!"
Everyone face faulted while Akira raised an eyebrow in amusement. "That's it?"
Chifuyu muttered something incomprehensible as she quickly walked over and whacked Ichika on the head with her fist. Akira suppressed a laugh as Ichika called out Chifuyu's name in surprise, earning another fist to the head. Invictus commented, [You think she's going to go for a third try?]
"At school, it's Orimura-sensei." Chifuyu corrected Ichika, before turning her attention to Maya.
"Ah sensei, did the meeting end?"
"Yeah, it did Yamada-kun. I'm sorry for making you greet the class in my stead."
"That meeting was just plain agonizing…" Akira looked back on that meeting, and was lucky that he was allowed to leave early, since the topic was mainly about Ichika. Shaking his head, Akira turned his attention back to the screen, where he heard Chifuyu introduce herself.
"Folks, I am your homeroom teacher, Orimura Chifuyu. It's my job to completely train you in one year on how to pilot an IS, among other things."
The class erupted in an excited uproar, something that made Akira smirk in amusement, while Invictus commented, [Sounds like something you would hear at a boy band concert.]
"Chifuyu-sama, it's the real Chifuyu-sama!"
"I came all the way from Kitakyuushuu because I admired you Onee-sama!"
"I could die for Onee-sama!"
Chifuyu sighed in exasperation as she heard Akira biting back a laugh on her earpiece. "It's really quite a sight to see so many idiots gathered here every year, especially the freshmen. Are they all just coming to my class?"
"Onee-sama, please scold and abuse us more!"
"But be nice at times too!"
"And train us so that we don't act up!"
"Oh my gawd, this is some kinky fanclub you've got here Orimura-sensei!" Akira couldn't hold it back and started laughing at the class' antics.
"Shut up you," Chifuyu muttered through gritted teeth before turning her attention back to Ichika, putting her hands together menacingly. "So, you fail to even make a simple greeting?"
"No, Chifuyu-nee, I'm-!"
In a flash, Chifuyu had slammed Ichika's head onto his desk as she repeated to him, "Call me Orimura-sensei."
[Let's just hope the third time's the charm,] Invictus spoke up, [But knowing Ichika, Lady Orimura's gonna have to hit his head a few more times to let it sink in.]
"Hmm, that's not a bad idea…" Chifuyu muttered to herself she removed her hand from Ichika's head, heading back to the front of the class.
The chatter started to build up again, until Chifuyu shouted out, "Be quiet! I'll have every one of you memorize the basics of IS within six months. After that, it's hands-on. You should let the basic maneuvers sink into your body within half a month. Got it? If you're okay with it, answer me. Even if you aren't, still answer me."
"Yes!"
"Wow, you can really get a class' attention Orimura-sensei," Akira commented, looking impressed. "Though the fangirl attitude is a bit disturbing…"
"Tell me about it…" Chifuyu muttered, covering her mouth to hide her talking. When Chifuyu motioned to Maya to start the introduction on IS, Chifuyu turned away from the class and whispered from the corner of her mouth. "So, what are your thoughts?"
"Thoughts? Honestly Orimura-sensei, I'm not sure what FRACTURE's worried about. Ichika looks like a clueless mook thrown into surprising circumstances. Nothing will happen now, but maybe something will change down the line…" Akira replied, "Oh yeah, please tell the students to be careful with the training ISes, since our maintenance capacity was just cut in half."
"Will do," Chifuyu whispered. When Maya finished her introduction, Chifuyu coughed to catch everyone's attention and said, "I almost forgot. When handling the training ISes, please make sure not to get them unnecessarily damaged. For some reason, half our IS maintenance crew decided to take a vacation, the Head Mechanic among them. Our temporary head and rest of the crew are already swamped in work, so please don't make their jobs any harder."
As the class acknowledged Chifuyu's word, Akira spoke up through the earpiece, "Thank you for that Chifuyu-san. I think I've seen enough, so you can cut the feed now. I'll just head to the rooftop for some fresh air and an open place to work…"
The line went dead after that, and Chifuyu just crossed her arms as Maya went on with class until the bell rang, signaling the end of first period.
IS Academy - rooftop
Up on the rooftop, Akira was busy with the data for the Uchigane Flight Enhanced and was busy putting the data for the plans when he heard the door open and both Ichika and Houki Shinonono walked out. Since Akira was on top of the part of the roof that had the exit, they didn't see him, but he did notice them. Akira's eyes narrowed on Houki for a moment before he shook his head and went back to work.
The two caught up for a bit until the bell rang, and Ichika called to Houki to follow him back to class. That's when Ichika noticed Akira, but didn't recognize him due to the glasses. Akira had put earplugs into his ears so that he wouldn't be distracted and was facing away from Ichika, so that he only saw the side of his face.
"Who is that?" Ichika squinted to get a clearer picture, but that didn't help any so he tried calling out, "Hello? Can you hear me?"
"Ichika?" Houki looked in the direction Ichika was looking at, and saw Akira, "That's…an IS Academy maintenance uniform. She must be part of the maintenance crew."
"Maintenance crew?"
"Yeah, and it looks like she's really busy too, if those screens are any indication. We'd better leave her alone for now Ichika. Let's head back to class."
"Okay…" Ichika took one last look at Akira before muttering, "I swear that she looks familiar though…"
When Ichika and Houki left, Akira looked at the spot where the two of them once stood, "Well, Ichika's still the same as ever… So that's Houki Shinonono huh? Hard to believe she's her sister…"
[No kidding boss, they don't even look related to each other] Invictus added, [Not to mention their personalities are totally the opposite of each other.]
"That last one's to be expected Vic; you know that she has a…eccentric personality. Not sure if there's anyone else like her in the world."
[If there was, then the Earth's doomed already.]
"Hey, she's not that bad," Akira closed the window that had the Uchigane Flight Enhanced data after saving his work. "She just tends to overdo things."
[Yeah, if introducing Infinite Stratos to the world is anything to go by…]
"Ugh, just shut up and help me with sorting these files."
[Roger that bossman.]
IS Academy – class 1-1
"Sensei, I barely understand any of this!"
Ichika was having a hard time following the lecture that came afterwards, and it was no surprise, having thrown away the reference book Chifuyu gave him, thinking it was an old telephone book. Unfortunately for him, that topic would soon come up after Maya asked the class if anyone else didn't understand, which was met with a resounding silence…
"Orimura, did you read the reference book before entering the school?" Chifuyu looked skeptical, as if she was guessing what Ichika's answer would be.
"Ah…was it that really thick one?"
"Yes, and the words 'compulsory to read' were printed on the cover."
"Well…I mistook it for the phone book and threw it away-ack!"
Chifuyu just whacked Ichika on the head with her book as she suppressed a sigh, "I'll issue you another copy later. Memorize it within one week, got it?"
Ichika didn't like the sound of that as he tried to bargain, "Uhh…within one week, that thickness is a little…"
Turning around to look at her little brother, Chifuyu had a glint in her eye as she laid it down, "I'm telling you to do it."
Ichika knew that arguing with her was useless, and eventually caved in, "Yes…I'll do it."
That's when Chifuyu had a sudden though and added, "Well, since you're so far behind, I'll issue you a tutor Orimura. I have just the person in mind."
"A tutor?" Ichika wondered what that was about, but Chifuyu just motioned to Maya to continue teaching before she folded her arms. 'I wonder who Chifuyu-nee knows that would tutor me? Probably a staff member…'
IS Academy – Akira's office
"Achoo!"
Akira shook off the sneeze he had as he managed to finish the plans for the Uchigane Flight Enhanced. Now he wondered, "Hmm, who the heck am I going to get to test pilot this thing anyway?"
[Wonder about that when you actually finish the thing Boss.] Invictus chirped.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll just take a break in the meantime…"
Time passed as Akira lounged in his chair listening to music until the bell rang to signal the start of recess. Soon after, there was a knock at the door and Chifuyu's voice came through. "Oi Seiei, are you there?"
Turning down the music, Akira replied, "Yes, what is it?"
Chifuyu entered, and noticed the lax state Akira was in. "A few days in as Head Mechanic, and you're already slacking off."
"I was just taking a break Orimura-sensei," Akira sat up straight, turning his full attention onto Chifuyu. "I just finished fine tuning the plans for the Uchigane Flight Enhanced you know. Anyway is there something you needed?"
"Yes, I need you to tutor Ichika in IS terminology. That idiot threw away his reference book thinking it was an old telephone book."
"Pfft, are you serious?" When Chifuyu gave him a hard look, Akira cleared his throat. "Alright I'll do it, though he is going to be surprised when he sees me though."
"I don't care, as long as you get him up to speed. It's embarrassing to see that he's behind because of some stupid reason…" That's when Chifuyu grabbed a pen and wrote something down on a piece of paper before giving it to Akira. "That's the room he's staying in, so stop by to give him the news, alright?"
"Yes Orimura-sensei."
Chifuyu nodded as she turned to leave, leaving Akira by himself, "Ara ara, more work added to the table, but since this is for Ichika…"
[Want me to help boss?]
"No Vic," Akira shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Even though Ichika knows about you, I'm supposed to keep you a secret. You are a semi 'sentient' AI after all…"
[True, true, but I can disguise my voice to sound like him.]
"No, I'll bring you out only if the entire mechanic crew is swamped in work." Akira put his foot down and Invictus fell silent. He went over to pick up the paper Chifuyu left him and read, "Room 1025 huh? The boy is going to be living in a girls' dorm…"
IS Academy – 1st Year Dorms
"Room 1025, room 1025…" Akira muttered to himself as he walked down the hall, looking at the numbers of each door.
Having entered the first year dormitory with Chifuyu's permission, Akira was busy looking for the room Ichika was staying in, passing by the girls who looked at him curiously. Being first years, they didn't know who Akira was, though then again, a very large number of second and third year students don't know who Akira was.
"Hey, who is that girl?"
"I'm not sure, but that's an ISA mechanic uniform isn't it?"
"Hmm, I think that's the Head Mechanic due to the insignia on her shoulder. I think her name was Seiei…Akira-sensei, right?"
"What's with those glasses though? They don't look cute in the slightest."
"Maybe she's shy. She does look like the type."
Akira didn't know whether to be grateful or angry overhearing the whispers of the girls. On one hand, pretty much every student and teacher that saw him in his uniform and glasses assumed that he was a flat-chested girl that was shy, and it allowed him to pass by in peace, if the ruckus caused over Ichika was any indication. On the other hand, even without the getup, every stranger that he met assumed that he was a girl due to his hairstyle and looks. He admitted that having a hairstyle that looked like Makoto Kikuchi's from Idolmaster 2 with a short ponytail at the back was feminine, but she absolutely loved it and demanded that he kept it that way. He suppressed a sigh and kept on walking, thinking that Invictus would have a field day with him later about the whispers.
Eventually he managed to reach room 1025, and the first thing he noticed was the holes in the door, 'What the hell happened here? It looks like someone tried stabbing the door with a lot of force or something…oh God, what if Ichika's hurt?'
Akira quickly knocked on the door and a female voice answered, "I'm coming, just hold on a minute."
Hearing the voice made the mechanic raise an eyebrow, 'Ichika's living with a girl?'
The door opened to reveal Houki Shinonono with her hair down, and the girl was surprised to see Akira, recognizing the uniform. "Uh, is there something the matter, um…?"
"Seiei Akira," Akira introduced himself, "Is Orimura Ichika in? I have something I need to talk to him about."
"Uh, yes he is, but um…" Houki was fidgeting, making Akira think that she was hiding something. "Sleeping right now. Yes, he's sleeping right now."
Seeing Houki nod a bit nervously made Akira more suspicious, but he let it slide for now as he took out a pen and pad and started writing something down. He then tore the note off the pad and folded it, giving it to Houki. "Please give this to him when he wakes up, and please don't read it. It's for his eyes only."
"I-I understand Seiei-sensei."
Houki was about to reach for the doorknob when Akira asked, "By the way, what happened to the door?"
"Eh? Uh…well…there was a-an…accident with, uh, a bokken…"
Looking over Houki's shoulder, Akira could see a bokken leaning on the desk, and Akira shrugged, "Okay then, I'll have the door replaced by tomorrow, okay?"
"T-thank you Seiei-sensei." Houki gave a bow in thanks hearing that.
"No problem, and good night, um…"
"Shinonono Houki."
Akira froze right there for a second in shock, due to the fact that Houki had her hair down which made her unrecognizable to him at first, before he managed to say, "Good night Shinonono-san."
"Good night Seiei-sensei."
When the door closed, Akira stood there for a few seconds before he started to make his way out of the dorms. When he was outside he finally said, "Ha, so that's her sister up close huh? Sure left me surprised…"
[No kidding boss,] Invictus spoke up, [She's really is the total opposite of the Professor from what I saw.]
"Yeah well, as long as Ichika gets the note, it really doesn't matter to me who she is to be honest…"
[Hey, but you gotta admit, she is pretty hot.]
"…Shut up Vic."
April 2, 2020
IS Academy – IS hangar
Akira was busy looking over a disassembled Uchigane that was going to be rebuilt as an Uchigane Flight Enhanced when he overheard the mechanics talking excitedly amongst themselves. Looking over to Azumi, who was beside him looking over the parts, he asked, "Hey Hinomiya-san, what's everyone talking about this morning?"
Azumi looked surprised for some reason as she replied, "You haven't heard Seiei-san?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking you now would I?"
Wincing at the flat tone Akira was using, Azumi told him, "Apparently, earlier this morning, Class 1-1's Orimura Ichika challenged England's IS Representative Candidate Cecilia Alcott to a fight to determine who would be their Class Representative. From what I hear, it's hot gossip, despite it happening first period. I'm sure that the entire school will know about it by lunch time."
"Huh, really…" Akira was about to go back to work when he asked, "What's the name of the England Representative Candidate again?"
"Cecilia Alcott," Azumi replied, "From what I've heard, she's one of those 'Ojou-sama' types, though she does have a personal IS, Blue Tears, I think it's called."
"I see…" However, in Akira's mind a thought was running along, 'Cecilia Alcott? I wonder if she's related to Lindy…she did say that she doesn't know if she has any living relatives last I heard. Maybe it's just a coincidence…'
A sigh escaped Akira's lips, making Azumi look at him with a hint of concern, "Is everything alright Seiei-san?"
"I'm fine, just thinking how much work the Uchigane Flight Enhanced will take." Akira said, which Azumi bought, while inside the head mechanic thought, 'Wow Ichika, the second day here and you already have gotten yourself into a predicament…'
Notes: Well, here's another Infinite Stratos Story, and the second one that's an AU of Heart of the Machine. If you've read EthernalRain's story, you'll pretty much recognize a couple of names. Akira Seiei, Lindy Alcott, and Selvaria Timat are of my creation, and are used with permission in his story. Just to note, Akira S. Seiei is the original name, and Ethernal Rain just...tweaked it so it's Seisei in his story, so it isn't wrong. Other than that, I hope you readers enjoy this story, and throw a review if you have something to say.