Chapter I

Greetings and salutations my wonderful readers! I come to you with a new story, yes an actually full new story. So new I do not think I have another story with this set up. Anyway, the story is Armored Spirit, a somewhat big crossover. For now, the crossover is Hundred, Masou Gakuen HxH, Date A Live, Infinite Stratos, and a couple others that I will not reveal just yet. The main character is Shidou Itsuka, a character I have yet to use in anything. And of course it is a harem story, as all of them are. As per usual, Bakuto Masaki is along for the ride helping me put this mess together, so hopefully you all enjoy it! So be sure to let me know what you think with a review. Off we go!

A young man with short, messy blue hair and amber eyes slept silently in his bed as a figure crept through his door.

"Wake up, Big Bro!" a girl shouted before landing on the teen with force.

"Gah!" the boy shouted before groaning as he opened his eyes to see a petite girl with red hair tied in twintails and matching red eyes sitting on him after leaping into the air. "Why'd you do that, Kotori…?"

"To wake you up, Shidou!" Kotori teased.

A petite girl with long, straight black hair and brown eyes entered the room riding a mechanical wheelchair and frowned at Kotori. "K – Kotori! You shouldn't wake Big Brother like that!"

Kotori turned to her with a pout. "Gets him up, don't it, Karen?"

"It's also possible it could kill him," a woman with long, silky black hair and dark blue eyes wearing a white and black, military officer's uniform remarked as she walked into the room, her swelling bust bouncing as she whacked Kotori on the head.

"Ow! That hurt, Reiri!"

"You okay, Big Brother?" Karen asked, knocking Kotori off of him and to the floor.

"Y – Yeah…" Shidou replied as he sat up.

Reiri nodded plainly. "Good. Breakfast is almost ready."

Shidou winced in terror. "… Who made it?"

"Don't worry. We made something simple."

"Right…"

Shidou sat at the breakfast table staring at a placid bowl of oatmeal suspiciously.

Another woman, slightly younger than Reiri and her body not quite as curvaceous, wearing a suit that hugged her sizable bust tightly and her black hair tied in a ponytail, huffed at his reaction. "Just eat it. I only made with water and the microwave." As Shidou was about to speak, the woman retaliated. "If you dare say you worry about me making even that I'll throw you out the window."

Kotori merely sniggered in amusement. "You can't blame him for being suspicious, Chifuyu."

Kotori immediately went flying out the window.

"KKKYYYAAA!"

Karen and Shidou just sat in shock before immediately starting to eat their meals.

However, as soon as Shidou tried to eat it, he realized the spoon was firmly stuck inside. Trying once more, he used all of his strength and ended up sending the bowl, meal and all, out the window.

"OW!"

"Sorry!" Shidou called out the window before turning silently to Chifuyu.

She simply stared silently. "… I'll make some toast…"

Karen weakly added, "Wh – Why don't you let Big Brother do it…?"

"… I can handle it."

Kotori, crawling back in through the window, sniggered, "I bet it'd be a burnt brick," before Chifuyu swiftly threw her own bowl of oatmeal at the redhead, knocking her right back out the window.

Eventually, Chifuyu finished preparing the toast, and Shidou and Karen both sat silently looking at the black bricks sat in front of them before poking it with a knife, to no effect.

After a moment of silence passed, Shidou began to speak. "I'll –"

"Please do," Chifuyu interrupted.

Shidou immediately dashed into the kitchen before tossing the toast aside.

"Gah!" Kotori shrieked when it whacked her as she walked in.

Chifuyu sat in disbelief as she looked at the breakfast before them all, a mixture of eggs fried to perfection, bacon that was not too crispy or too soft, and toast warmed with butter and flour.

"It's the quickest thing I could make up this morning," Shidou remarked as he sat down.

Kotori grabbed a long strip of bacon from her plate before Reiri suddenly smacked it out of her hand.

"You know better," Reiri retorted harshly.

"But I'm hungry…"

"Take it in small bites."

"… Fine…" the redhead relented before nibbling small bites from the food.

Shidou watched with mild confusion as each bite elicited a small shiver in them. "You know… if it's that bad you don't need to eat it."

Reiri immediately shook her head. "No. It's the… best way to savor the flavor," she added before taking a small forkful of egg.

"Right…"

Shidou sighed as he walked to school with the others.

Kotori then walked up beside him with a smirk. "So, wanna meet up after the first day of school?"

Karen nodded in agreement to her plan. "That would be good."

Shidou liked the idea as well. "Right. How about the diner down the street?"

Chifuyu added, "Reiri and I will head there after work with Karen, so you do the same after school."

"Right."

Shidou turned to make his way to school as three students watched him, one blonde with her hair tied up, one with short brown hair held loose, and the other with long black hair.

The blonde frowned in thought. "Geez, doesn't he seem a little TOO close to his sisters?"

The brunette added, "You said it, Ai. I heard he's a total Siscon."

Ai just nodded. "I heard that too, Mai."

"That's so lame," the black-haired girl commented.

"Same here, Mii."

Shidou frowned as he looked at the trio. "I'm not a Siscon…"

The three girls stiffened, realizing he heard them, and quickly turned and walked away.

Shidou just sighed before a figure jumped him from behind with a hug. "Gah!"

"Shidou!" a petite girl with short, light brown hair and amber eyes wearing the same uniform as the other girls shouted as she hung from his shoulder. "Start of the new school year!"

Shidou chuckled lightly as she hung on him. "And you're as energetic as ever, Hibiki… Do you ever run out of energy…?"

"Nope!" she chirped.

Shidou narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How much sugar you have in your breakfast this morning?"

Hibiki immediately tensed and began to sweat. "Um… none?"

"You're a bad liar."

Hibiki hopped down from him and just pouted. "You're a meanie."

Eventually, the duo made their way to the high school, Raizen, and to the classroom.

Once Hibiki realized Shidou was walking into the same room as her she cheered loudly. "Yay! We're in the same class!"

"Y – Yeah…" he stuttered as he followed her in before she dragged him to a set of two seats in the back.

"Let's sit here!"

"Right." As he set his bag against the desk, a new voice got his attention.

"Shidou Hida?"

Shidou turned in surprise to a girl with short, chin-length white hair and blue eyes, a moderate bust pushing out her clothing. "Um… yes? How do you know my name?"

The girl simply looked at him a moment before sitting down.

Shidou frowned and turned to Hibiki in confusion. "… Hibiki, who is that?"

Tilting her head to see past Shidou, the girl answered, "Huh? Oh I think that's Origami. How do you not know literally the most popular girl in school?"

Giving her a deadpan look, he just answered, "Been a little busy with family matters."

"Oh… right… my bad…"

Shidou's attention was drawn away when the door opened and the teacher walked in, a woman with chin-length, curly brown hair and matching chestnut eyes behind her round glasses, wearing a formal, pink uniform.

"Oh yeah! It's Tamae!" one of the students cheered.

The woman merely laughed good-naturedly. "It's Ms. Okamine. Now, everyone take your seats."

Later in the day, Shidou sighed as the final bell rang. "So is the day over yet?"

"Not yet, ya lazy bum," a girl with short green hair teased as she smacked him on the back.

"Gah!"

Hibiki pouted to the girl in disappointment. "Miku, you really need to stop hitting Shidou like that. And besides, he's not lazy."

"Yeah right!" Miku taunted.

"I'm not, Big Sis is," Shidou argued, rubbing his back.

"Oh? Then what'd you do over break?"

"Took care of the house."

Miku twitched an eyebrow. "What about your sisters?"

Shidou shrugged and answered, "Karen is in a wheelchair. Kotori usually stayed in her room playing games while Chifuyu just laid on the couch and Reiri…" he trailed off deep in thought. "What did Reiri do…? She actually wasn't home most of the time."

Tamae then spoke up to the class. "Alright everyone, that concludes classes for th –"

She was interrupted when loud sirens began to blare across the city.

"No way, another one!?" Hibiki exclaimed.

"A Spatial Quake?!" Miku shouted.

"E – Everyone, get to the shelter near the school!" Tamae called out.

As the group all stood to leave, Shidou noticed Origami heading in the opposite direction as the rest of the students. 'Where's she going…?'

Shortly after, the students, directed by Tamae, filed into an escalator leading underground, Shidou holding his phone desperately.

"Come on… come on…"

"What's wrong?" Hibiki asked, noticing his expression.

"It's Kotori… she's not answering her phone…"

"So? Isn't she with your sisters?"

"No. Reiri and Chifuyu took Karen to work with them, Kotori went to school."

"Oh… well maybe her shelter just has bad reception."

"Maybe… still… just to be sure…" He poked through several screens before opening a GPS tracker, paling as he saw a blip labeled "Kotori" out front of the diner from that morning. "No!" he hollered before immediately rushing out of the shelter.

"Wh – What the…?! Shidou!"

Shidou growled as he sprinted down one of the city's many, now empty, streets. "You've got to be kidding me…! The city's about to be destroyed and she's worried about a promise!? She should know the others wouldn't go there in such chaos!"

As he ran, a massive black orb of energy erupted in the center of the city, the shock wave sending Shidou flying and tumbling. "That hurt…" He groaned as he stood up and noticed a massive crater nearby.

Making his way towards it, he gaped when he saw a person standing in the center. A young woman with long, iridescent violet hair, bright, glowing lavender eyes, and purple and gold armor with luminous lavender cloth mixed in, holding a huge sword, standing on a large golden throne. "Whoa… H – Hey! You okay?"

The girl took notice of him and frowned, slamming the sword down, slicing through the throne and sending a powerful blast of energy at Shidou, who barely dove out of the way.

"H – Hey! What was that for?!"

Suddenly, the girl stood in front of him, her sword pointed at his chest. "So… are you with them?"

"Wh – What?"

"Don't deny it. You're here to kill me."

Shidou could look at her in bewilderment, both from her beauty and from the utter insanity of the current situation. "… Eh? Why would I?"

She was about to respond when her attention was drawn to the side.

Shidou looked in the same direction and saw several women clad in black and grey armor with large swords, guns, wings, and various weaponry, flying towards the girl. "Huh? Slayers?"

The Slayers, eying the girl, launched a barrage of missiles at her, which she blocked by raising a single arm, a large dome of energy appearing that blocked and destroyed the missiles.

Shidou only watched in disbelief as she leapt into the air and sent crescents of energy at the Slayers, which they all dodged. 'What… the hell is going on…? I… am so confused…' He watched their battle continue, amazed as the armor-clad girl easily took on six women in armor, firing beams of energy, missiles, and other attacks at her, repelling them all. 'She's so powerful… but then why is she…' he trailed off, as he noticed the pained frown on her delicate features, 'so sad…?' After a moment he shook his head vigorously. '… And why the hell am I still standing in the middle of all this?!'

As he turned to run, the girl destroyed the thrusters on one of the Slayers, knocking her out of the sky. He gaped when he realized it was Origami. "T – Tobiichi!? You're a Slayer?!"

Origami, surprised to see him, almost answered him before watching the armored girl take out one of her teammates and turned her attention to her, summoning a long rifle that fired large rounds at the violet-haired woman.

"Hey!"

"Shidou, stay back," Origami urged, lobbing a grenade at the girl, who slashed it out of the air with ease.

Shidou watched in awe as the woman dove down and sliced Origami's rifle in half, the white-haired girl positioning herself between the armored woman and Shidou, drawing a small hilt from her waist that emitted a blade of energy, entering a clash of sword with the woman.

"Die!" the normally calm Origami suddenly howled with rage as she crossed blades with the woman.

Shidou gaped in disbelief as he watched before the armored woman's sword began to glow brightly. "Stop!" he shouted before reaching out, the woman sending a blast of energy at Origami, who blocked with her sword, resulting in a powerful explosion that knocked Shidou unconscious.

Shidou was not aware how much time had passed, but he was aware of a figure standing over him.

"Finally… we meet again," stated a voice that sounded distant yet familiar to the teen.

"Huh…? That voice…"

"I'm so glad. Just wait, a little while longer," the voice continued, seemingly ignoring his comments.

"Wait… who are you…?"

Not able to see the source, Shidou still felt a smile through its voice. "I won't ever let you go again. I won't ever be wrong again."

"What do you mean? Who are you…?!" Before he could get any answers, Shidou became fully conscious and aware of his surroundings, a room that smelled of antiseptic and bleach, a bed that was far too hard, and a ceiling that was all white. A room in a hospital.

After that, he snapped his eyes shut, realizing, strangely late, there was a light shining right in his face.

"Good, you're awake," a voice behind the late stated blandly.

The light going away, he saw it was a flashlight being held by a woman with long, blue-grey hair tied to the side in a ponytail, dark blue eyes with heavy bags of fatigue underneath, wearing a pink blouse that was harshly stretched by her bulging bosom, a white lab coat overtop, a tight purple skirt, long, dark brown stockings, and purple, bear-faced slippers that matched a small, worn, tattered teddy bear in her pocket, numerous stitches barely holding its aged fabric together.

Looking over her in thought, he considered her for a moment before sitting up suddenly in shock.

"You're safe, no need to freak out," she eased, although ineffectively from her fatigued affectation.

"Who… are you?"

"Reine Murasame, the ship's medical officer."

"Am I… in a hospital…?" the teen questioned, looking around.

The woman shook her head. "No. You're in Fraxinus' sick bay."

Shidou blinked weakly, trying to understand the word. "Fragi – what?"

"Fraxinus."

"Foxyinu?" Shaking his head, the recent events filed into his memory. "Wait, did I pass out? What happened to those girls?! And where's Kotori?! And has Big Sis found out about my screw up?!"

Reine simply shrugged. "I'm not really in a position to answer those questions. You'll want to speak with the vice-commander."

Shidou just frowned in growing bewilderment. "Who?" 'Why does she sound familiar…?'

Reine then led Shidou out of the sick bay into a long, metal hallway, down to a double door at the end that opened to a massive room with large windows, numerous seats with screens in front of them, and a raised seat in the center. Though he was unable to take in most of this, since as soon as he walked in, he found his face stuck between two soft pillows.

'So soft…'

After a moment, a rather annoyed voice urged, "How long are you going to stay zhere?"

Shidou immediately jumped back. "S – Sorry!" he apologized to a young woman with long, straight blonde hair and piercing blue eyes wearing a grey, red, and black uniform that left little to the imagination, wrapping tightly around her bulging bust. Unfortunately, his backing caused him to bump into Reine, whom he swore he heard make a strange sound. "C – Crap! Sorry!"

"Stop goofing around," a voice he recognized, though sounding much sterner and colder than normal, grumbled.

To his surprise, Shidou looked up and saw Kotori, wearing a white military-like uniform with a red coat over her shoulders and her normal white ribbons replaced with black, looking down at him with a proud smirk. "Eh? Kotori? Why are you trying to imitate Reiri?"

Her visage faltered as she stumbled in her seat. "I – I am not!"

Shidou pointed at her and answered plainly, "Explain the captain costume."

Kotori twitched an eyebrow at him. "It's not a costume! I'm the commander of the Fraxinus, you moron."

Shidou blinked in confusion and turned to the blonde he bumped into. "… It's not the beautiful blonde?"

The blonde shook her head in denial. "I am Bismarck, zhe Vice-commander."

Shidou's jaw dropped as he took in everything before turning to Reine. "… This is a joke, right?"

"No," Reine denied. "Kotori Hida is the commander of the Fraxinus."

"… Right… What the heck's going on here?"

Kotori sighed as she pulled the lollipop from her mouth with a frown. "If you'll stop talking for five seconds I'll tell you."

Shidou twitched an eyebrow at the girl's hubris. "… I'm telling Reiri and Chifuyu," he threatened, causing her to turn white with fear. "I'll even bet they are wondering where we are. Since your phone signal is showing at that diner!"

Kotori frowned in confusion before blinking in realization. "Oh? Ah, I guess that makes sense. You see, we're actually above the diner."

Shidou frowned suspiciously. "… You knew this would happen today. Didn't you."

Kotori simply shrugged. "Ratatoskr had indications it would."

"… Who?"

"The organization I work for."

"… Sis needs to know about this."

"No!" Kotori shouted, slamming a hand on her desk before Shidou grabbed his phone. "Bismarck!" she called out, the blonde snatching Shidou's phone and slamming it against the floor, smashing it.

Shidou and Kotori just stared in disbelief.

"I didn't mean break it you ninny! Now Big Sis will think something bad happened!"

"… Verdammt," Bismarck cursed.

Shidou just looked at Kotori suspiciously. "Why are you trying to imitate Big Sis?"

"I'm not!" Kotori snapped.

"Then how come you're wearing a military jacket the same way she does?"

"Coincidence!"

"Rriigghhtt…" Shidou answered incredulously.

Kotori snarled and stamped her foot, stomping it on Bismarck's. "Coincidence, dammit! Now, do you want to keep screwing around or shall I explain why you're here?"

"Um…" Shidou pointed out before he noticed her black ribbons beginning to twitch furiously, causing him to flail his hands franticly. "L – Let's get to explaining, then!" He winced when he felt his hand land on something soft, realizing it was one of Reine's soft orbs. He attempted to pull his hand away but the woman, in a movement far swifter than expected of such a tired-looking person, grasped his hand tightly in place. "… Eh?"

"Good, now maybe you'll listen," Kotori grumbled, crossing her legs confidently.

"Just tell him," Bismarck insisted, rubbing her sore foot.

Kotori turned her attention to a large screen at the front of the room, where an image of the girl in purple armor appeared. Pointing to it, she explained, "You see that girl? She's a monster known as a Spirit. One of the many monsters seemingly showing up out of nowhere on Earth."

Shidou looked between Kotori and the supposed Spirit several times. "… Just because she has bigger boobs than you doesn't mean she's a monster."

Kotori stamped on Bismarck's foot again. "That has nothing to do with it!"

"Stop stomping on my foot!" Bismarck howled.

Shidou frowned in confusion. "… Why are you suddenly a Tsun, Kotori? Are you trying to be like Big Sis Chifuyu too?"

Kotori's pigtails practically stood on end as she growled in annoyance. "Shut… up! Anyway! You know the vibration phenomena we call Space Quakes? Spirits like that girl there are the cause."

Shidou looked at the image of the girl in thought. "I see… Seriously…? One girl causes all that destruction?"

Kotori, her composure back in place, continued. "Yes. Each time a Spirit appears in our world, a Space Quake is caused and can potentially kill people. Which is why," she paused, an image of the group of uniformly adorned Slayers appearing, "the Anti-Spirit Taskforce, or AST, exists."

Shidou frowned suspiciously as he looked at the image. "Umm… pretty sure Big Sis never authorized this…"

Kotori shook her head in denial. "She didn't. The AST are commanded above Sis' head."

"… Eh?"

"DEM Industries, one of the backers of Sis' school, is the one commanding them."

"Who's DEM?"

"Deus Ex Machina Industries. One of the world's most premier mechanical and technological companies."

"Vile," Reine spat with a surprising amount of venom.

"Indeed. Anyway, to DEM and the AST, the only way they care about neutralizing Spirits as a threat is to kill them."

Shidou frowned with anger as she continued.

"But, that isn't the only way to deal with them. Which is where you come in."

"… Huh?"

"Reine will need to start training you immediately."

Reine responded by letting go of his hand and pulling his arm into her valley tightly.

Shidou snarled in capped anger. "Will you hold on a second!? This is all completely weird! And you're the weirdest one of all dammit!"

Kotori frowned and pointed her lolli at him. "The commander is taking the time to explain all of this to you personally, you should feel grateful."

"Okay, that's enough imitating Reiri, start explaining what's going on here, really!"

"Coincidence!" the redhead reflexively shouted.

"Oh shut up about that already – and let go of me!" Shidou instantly recoiled as he thought he saw the fatigued woman's lip quiver. Deciding not to push it, he just sighed. "… Fine…"

She responded by holding his arm tighter.

"So, we'll start your training tomorrow."

"Hey! You haven't even told me what that training is or why I'm the one who can stop those things! Or even how?!"

"You'll learn everything tomorrow. For now, you should just return to school like nothing happened."

After a short silence, Kotori's phone began to ring.

Seeing she was not answering it, Shidou pointed it out.

"I know, but I'm busy."

For a moment the ringing stopped, but immediately resumed.

Shidou remarked, "We both know who it is. And she will only get madder the longer you wait."

Eventually the ringing did stop before a new phone started to jingle.

Bismarck fumbled through her pocket before pulling out a smartphone and answered it.

"Put my sister on. Now," a very livid Reiri demanded coldly on the other end.

Bismarck felt a shiver down her spine as she handed the phone to Kotori. "… It's for you…"

Kotori gulped and put the phone slowly to her ear. "… Hel –?" she stopped as she pulled the phone away in pain.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

"Uh…"

"She's trying to imitate you!" Shidou shouted as loudly as he could, hoping Reiri could hear her, which she did.

"Is that so…?"

"Nuh-uh!" the girl instantly retorted, scowling at Shidou.

"And apparently, she's captain of some weird ship!"

There was a short pause on the line. "… Ah. Now I know where to start looking for you both. Wait right there. Chifuyu, go get a couple IS."

Kotori's face went white as a sheet when Reiri hung up. "… Crap."

"You brought this on yourself," Shidou cautioned.

Shidou watched in shocked silence next to Reine as Chifuyu tugged on Kotori's twintails like a toy.

"I thought we told you this was to be over?" Reiri growled at the petite redhead, who only squawked in pain.

Shidou looked at Reiri in surprised confusion. "Wait, you knew about this?"

Reiri glanced back at him with a nod. "Yes. Ratatoskr approached us about Kotori being Fraxinus' captain."

The boy merely dropped his jaw slightly in disbelief.

Turning her attention back to Kotori, Reiri continued harshly, "However, after the last mission they sent her on nearly got her ship shot out of the sky, I quite explicitly told her she was to cut ties with them. And it seems she did not listen."

Shidou swiftly added, "She also got me near ground-zero of a Space Quake."

Reiri's ire to the girl swiftly increased. "Let me guess, you told him he's the one who can neutralize Spirits without killing them?"

"… Yes…" the girl answered quietly.

"Did you tell him how?"

"No…"

One of the women on the ship's bridge leaned to another and commented quietly, "I'm not used to seeing the Commander be so quiet…"

The other girl nodded in agreement. "It's kinda unnerving…"

Kotori paled, feeling her image she had built up to her crew shattering.

Reiri merely narrowed her eyes dangerously. "So you really have been imitating me?"

"N – No I haven – ow, ow, ow!" she argued, stopping midsentence as Chifuyu again yanked on her pigtails. "Sis, stop!"

Shidou sighed and decided to get the conversation back on track. "… So what exactly do I do to stop these Spirits then…?"

"Make them fall in love with you!" Kotori suddenly shouted.

Shidou's features went flat. "You really are imitating Big Sis!"

"She's telling the truth," Reiri added.

"Still! She's trying to get me with several girls like you do!"

"I don't do that."

Shidou just stared at her.

Kotori, trying to ignore Chifuyu's actions, continued, "You have to make the Spirits fall in love with you and then kiss them, it'll neutralize their powers and make them harmless."

"… What?"

"What?"

"How is that supposed to work?"

Reiri sighed before explaining. "It's a bit complicated, but to put it simply, you have the unique skill to absorb a Spirit's power." Reine nodded in agreement to her statement.

"… Why?"

"We don't know."

"I see… Wait, then how do you know I can do this?"

"Because you've done it before."

"… Eh?"

Reine's eyes narrowed slightly before Reiri answered, "If you don't remember then it's not important. Just know that you can do it."

"I see…"

Chifuyu gave Kotori's pigtails one last tug, causing them to curl like chips.

He just stared in bewilderment before remembering Bismarck, who just stood silently nearby. "What about Bismarck?"

"Her job is to keep me informed on Kotori's activities," Reiri explained bluntly, causing the blonde to flinch.

"Ah…"

"Speaking of the old lady…"

Bismarck twitched an eyebrow with insult. "Oi! Just because I am a mozher does not mean I'm old!"

Shidou stared at her in disbelief. "You're a mother…?!"

Bismarck turned to him in mild irritation. "Yes. Vhy?"

"You don't look old enough to be…"

The blonde's face stiffened slightly as her cheeks reddened.

"Ahem," Reiri coughed, breaking the moment.

"Y – Yes?"

"That's enough flirting."

Bismarck winced as Shidou shouted, "I'm not!"

"Right…" Chifuyu mumbled incredulously.

Sighing, he asked, "So basically I need to make that girl fall in love with me…?"

Kotori, desperately trying to straighten her twintails, replied, "Not just her, all the other Spirits too."

"Please don't whore me out like Reiri is trying to…" Shidou deadpanned.

Reiri, seemingly ignoring the accusation, responded, "If you don't, those bastards at DEM will kill them."

Shidou twitched an eyebrow before sighing in defeat. "… Fine. Though shouldn't you be able to stop it?"

Reiri groaned in frustration. "I could if the AST was under Little Garden supervision. Sadly they're under the direct command of DEM."

"I see…"

Reiri then looked to Bismarck, who was stood with shame. "Also, Bismarck, do you need any more pilots here?"

Bismarck immediately snapped attention and looked at Reiri. "Ve can alvays use more hands."

"Right. I've got a few students in mind that need field experience, as well as one or two fully trained ones that just need to get out more."

"Understood."

"This is insane…" Shidou grumbled as he flopped onto the sofa.

"Really?" Reiri asked in mild surprise.

"Yes!" he shouted before hearing a chiming sound. "What now?! Oh… a text…"

"How many phones do you have?" Chifuyu asked in annoyance.

"Reiri asked I have at least two."

"Who's it from?" Karen asked curiously as she rolled her chair up to him.

"Huh… Huh? Oh, sorry, an online friend of mine, Miza."

Kotori looked at him with faux surprise. "You have friends?" She was immediately reprimanded by Reiri with a whack on the head. "Kya!"

"Oops," Reiri weakly played it off as an accident. "Who's Miza exactly?"

Shidou just shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know much about her."

Karen frowned slightly. "Eh? … Her?"

Shidou looked at her in mild confusion. "Yeah. Why?"

Karen flinched before turning away suddenly. "Uh, n – no reason."

"Okay…?"

"So, who is Miza?" Reiri urged.

"Like I said, I don't know much about her, but I do know she sings."

"Really?" Karen asked, turning back to him with interest.

"Yeah. I don't know anything beyond that."

"I see…"

"She got worried because my phone signal vanished."

"Ah…"

Chifuyu frowned suspiciously as she walked up to him. "So this supposed girl you've never met and know nothing about has your tracking information?"

Shidou just stared.

"Idiot."

He looked at her puzzled.

"Forget it."

"Okay…? So what about Tobiichi?"

Reiri sighed and rubbed her temple in frustration.

"Apparently she's a Slayer and working for the AST."

Reiri folded her arms in consideration. "I see… That is… a predicament…"

"Yeah. This is all a mess… Why couldn't today not happen?" Shidou sighed as he considered the events of the day.

"What were you even doing there?" Kotori accused.

Shidou looked at her, very irritated. "Looking for you, ya dummy! Why else would I have been in the middle of a Space Quake?!"

"Because you're dumb?" Again the girl was smacked by Reiri. "Ugyah!"

"Ooooppss."

Shidou and Karen just watched the proceedings in exasperation.

The next day, Shidou made his way towards the school when someone suddenly grabbed him by the arm and tugged him to the side. "H – Hey!"

Origami, standing close to him, insisted in her usual monotone, "Shidou, I want to talk to you."

Shidou's eyebrows scrunched with suspicion. "… Why…?"

"About yesterday."

"… You mean that girl. The girl you attacked?"

Origami curled her lips with a visual hiss as she retorted, "That thing is a Spirit. A monster. It would be best for everyone if you just forgot what you saw."

Shidou frowned with disappointment. "That 'thing' is a living being. Not some Savage or Abyssal, or anything else like them."

"You're wrong. They're just as evil and destructive as they are. I watched as a Spirit burned my parents alive in front of me."

Shidou was taken aback by the claim, but maintained his position. "… If that's true, then she would have killed me instead of talking to me."

"Even monsters can learn to lie. Stay out of this Shidou, I'm going to make the Spirits pay for my parents' deaths. I'm going to kill them all."

"All because of the actions of one?"

"They're not human, they don't belong here." Origami did not leave an opening for rebuttal as she turned and walked away.

Shidou tried to argue but she did not hear him and just sighed in frustration. "… Well… this could be bad…"

Shidou sat silently in class as Tamae, always energetic, stood at the front of the room. "Okay everyone, we have a new teacher joining us."

To Shidou's disbelief, Reine walked into the room, looking as fatigued as ever. "I'm Reine Murasame. I teach physics. I don't really want to be here." And with that she immediately hit the floor with a loud thump.

"M – Miss Murasame!?"

Shidou just stared in befuddlement.

Later in the day, Shidou followed Reine to a room sequestered in the school where Kotori waited for him, sitting in front of a large series of monitors. "How did you become a teacher at my school…?" he asked the ever-exhausted woman.

"Don't worry about it Shin," Reine answered somewhat incoherently as she sat down.

"What? My name's Shidou."

"Is that so, Shane?"

"You weren't even trying!"

"Don't worry about it, Shirou."

Shidou sighed before taking a look into the woman's eyes before frowning. "You're really out of it… When did you last sleep…?"

"Hm… it's been about twenty years."

Shidou just looked at her in disbelief. "… No one should even be able to go that long without sleep…"

"Anyway, we're starting your training now. Okay?"

"Um… sure…"

Kotori smirked confidently and pointed to the elaborate computer. "Right, Reine, fire up the training program!"

Clicking a few keys, Reine opened up a game titled "Fall in Love: My Little Shidou".

Shidou remained silent for several moments waiting for the real program to show, but it did not. "…This is a dating sim."

Kotori nodded with a face full of pride. "Yup. It's the perfect way to learn how to deal with women."

Reine sneezed harshly, with Shidou certain he heard a word mixed in. "Reine?"

The grey-haired woman waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing, I'm fine. Just need some rest."

"Right… are you sure this is the best way?"

"I suggested a live date, but Commander Hida denied it."

"Well if I need to make them fall in love with me, experience with a real woman seems better than some stupid game."

Kotori's twintails began twitching like cats' tails. "I – It's not stupid!"

Shidou saw straight through her. "… You helped create it, didn't you?"

"She's its producer," Reine answered.

"Knew it."

The petite redhead's face sunk as Reine continued, "So, going on a date with someone who can show you how would be best."

"Agreed. Any suggestions?"

Reine raised her hand slightly.

"Um… sure. When will be good for you Reine?"

"Right now."

Shidou laughed in mild amusement. "I can't, I still have classes."

"… Saturday?"

"That should –" he began, stopping when his phone rang. "… Hello?"

Reiri, the caller in question, stated bluntly, "We're going on a trip Saturday."

"… Where?"

"An IS exposition. Charlotte is unveiling some new invention and she wants us there."

"… I see… Can I bring a date?"

It was almost possible to hear the gears in Reiri's head stop completely. "… Hah? Um… yeah, whatever."

"Great!"

"Right…" Reiri answered weakly as she hung up before turning slowly to Chifuyu, the two sitting inside of a large office. "Something is weird…"

"What?" Chifuyu asked unconcerned, taking a sip of coffee as she read several documents.

"Shidou said he's bringing a date to that trip Saturday."

Chifuyu spit her coffee harshly and coughed as she attempted to get her head on straight. "Wh – What…? Who? What?! Why?! How!? When!? The fuck!?"

"I have no idea…"

Chifuyu thought deeply for a moment. "… Could it be that Miza girl?!"

"He said he doesn't know her personally."

Chifuyu bit one of her nails in deep consideration. "Dammit… who is it…? What little hussy is trying to get to our little brother?" After a moment she noticed Reiri staring at her with an amused smirk. "What? Don't look at me like that."

Reiri just kept staring silently with a smile.

"What!?"

"Fu… nothing."

Shidou hung up the phone with light confusion. "Well… that was weird… On the bright side got a location for the date."

Reine nodded in acceptance. "Okay, Sean, you just show up. I'll handle everything."

"Right… Be sure to get a good day's rest."

"No promises…" she answered tiredly.

That night, Shidou frowned as he looked through his closet curiously. "Geez… what to wear… Hmm… Since it's at the expo maybe… this? Wait, but would Reine like something so nerdy…? … Maybe I should just wear something normal. Right. Normal." His considerations were stopped when he thought someone was watching him in his doorway, though when he turned to look no one was there. "Huh… Odd…"

"Figure it out?" Chifuyu questioned as Reiri walked into the family room with the others.

Reiri shook her head as she sat down. "No, and I don't think we need to add any extra pressure to him."

"But this is important!"

"We'll find out tomorrow either way."

"Right…" Chifuyu agreed begrudgingly before she resumed her previous activity, sharpening a long katana.

"What's Big Sister doing…?" Karen asked her larger-chested sister.

"Being psychotically overprotective," Reiri answered.

"Why…?"

"It's… complicated."

"I see…"

Shidou, Reiri, Chifuyu, Karen, and Kotori, who had her standard white ribbons in her hair, made their way to a massively large building with thousands of people walking in and out of its doors, Shidou gulping nervously.

Eventually as they approached, the group saw Reine, who nodded affirmatively to herself before walking up to them. "Ah, so I had the right place in mind."

"Ah, Reine!"

Chifuyu just stared incredulously. "… Her?"

"Y – Yeah…" he answered sheepishly, worried by Chifuyu's expression.

Chifuyu just continued staring, Reine tilting her head slightly in thought. "… She's your date…?"

"Yeah…? Is that a problem?"

"She's older than you."

"Meaning she's in a position to teach me what a good date is."

Reine nodded firmly and grabbed his arm, pulling it into her cleavage, which was far more exposed than normal with her low-cut dress.

"… Cougar…" Chifuyu growled, Reine ignoring her and keeping her focus on Shidou.

"Just let it go," Reiri recommended, Chifuyu relenting unwillingly.

"Right…"

As the group walked inside, Karen looked around at all the different displays, statues, and videos showing various styles of armor, weaponry, and different abilities.

Seeing the girl's response, Reiri could only smile. "Wonder of technology, aren't they?"

Shidou pouted slightly. "The Objects seem more impressive to me. And more powerful."

Chifuyu, still irritated by Reine's presence, childishly shot back, "Those giant hunks of metal are practically useless."

"Why? They seem pretty useful to me."

"They're too slow and cumbersome to face off against Abyssals or Savages."

"They have huge guns and heavy armor.

Reiri raised a hand between the two, frowning. "That's enough you two. No need to bicker. We're here to support Charlotte, anyway, not to discuss something like that."

"U – Understood," Shidou answered with slight worry.

"Shidou!" an excited voice called out.

Shidou turned with surprise to see Hibiki and Miku running up to him. "Huh? Hibiki? Why are you here?"

"Miku wanted to see the IS up close," the chestnut-haired girl answered innocently.

"Ah."

"Miku?" Karen asked with sudden excitement.

"A friend from school."

"Oh…"

Miku pouted as she looked at Hibiki. "Don't put it like that, Hibiki, you make me sound like some mecha freak."

"But it's true!"

Shidou looked away from the two as he noticed a frown on Reine's face. "Reine?"

She hummed curiously, turning her attention to him.

"You alright?"

"Fine," she answered, tightening her grip around his arm.

Hibiki and Chifuyu, however, also noticed this.

Kotori snickered mischievously. "Jealous," which earned her a hard smack from Chifuyu. "Kya!"

Shidou sighed in response. "Can you please stop fighting…? You're like cats… and we are in public."

Reiri folded her arms incredulously. "Indeed. It's almost like you're still a kid Chifuyu."

"… Take that back."

"See?"

Chifuyu just sighed. "… Tch… Let's just go…"

"Okay!" Hibiki chirped with excitement.

"Too many…" Reine muttered quietly.

"Huh?" Shidou questioned, not properly hearing her.

"Nothing."

The, now much larger, group spent nearly an hour just wandering around the exposition looking at the exhibits.

Shidou sighed with mild disappointment. "Don't they do anything except IS?"

Reiri responded, "They're our most effective weapon currently besides the Valkyries."

"The what?"

"They're special Slayers whose voices have the ability to freeze the Savages in place when they sing at specific frequencies."

"I see… I still think Objects would be better…"

"Enough. All discussion of which is better is forbidden. You two can butt heads about that later."

"… But you –"

"No."

"But –"

"No."

"… Let's just go… Is there a bathroom here somewhere?"

Hibiki pointed to a long hallway nearby. "I think I saw the boy's room just around the corner down that hall."

"Ah, thanks!" he replied before pulling his arm out from Reine's grasp and ran down the hall.

"… He turned the wrong way."

"Don't worry," Reiri eased, "it's just IS storage."

"Ah."

Shidou grumbled as he walked down a maze of hallways. "Great… I'm lost… Just great…" As he continued walking, he noticed a larger than normal door. "Hm… maybe this one?" Pushing the door open, its edge scraping on a hard floor, he looked inside to see it was completely empty. "Uh… Right, light switch…" He walked through the room, feeling for the wall. "Light switch… light switch…" He grunted lightly when he walked into a cold metal surface. "Was that… a sink?" His eyes adjusting to the darkness, he gaped slightly when he realized it was, in fact, not a sink but a large, collapsed, folded up suit of mechanical armor. "… Ah… IS storage."

Turning to leave, Shidou stopped when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

"You're his date?" Hibiki asked, looking over Reine curiously. "That's so weir –" the girl commented before stopping when they all heard a characteristic scream from Shidou in terror.

Reine, in an unexpected reaction, sprinted away, Reiri and the others following swiftly after, shocked to find Shidou who was clad fully in the armor.

"Help! This thing attacked me!"

"The hell!?"

"Help!"

"Alright, alright," Reiri muttered. "Quit shrieking."

"But this thing is wearing me!"

"How'd you even get in there?" she asked, walking up to him.

"I didn't! It pulled me in! I was about to leave and it grabbed and ate me!"

"That doesn't happen you moron," Chifuyu chastised.

"It did!"

Reiri pushed a button on the back of the machine, causing it to essentially spit him out.

Rather than hitting the floor, Shidou ended up landing right in Reine's bosom. "Safe now…"

Hibiki then swiftly grabbed Shidou and tried to pull him away from her. "Cut it out! You're suffocating him with those airbags!"

Shidou swiftly pulled his face from her cleavage and gasped for air. "Air!"

Reine just pouted. However, he stopped and froze when he felt his hand on something very soft. He immediately pulled his hands away, Reine pouting slightly.

Chifuyu walked up to him, irritated. "Enough nonsense, tell the truth."

"I am!" he argued desperately.

Reiri broke up the argument by pointing out, "Charlotte should have access to the security footage, we'll ask her."

Shortly later, Shidou, Reiri, Chifuyu, Kotori, Reine, Hibiki, Miku, and Karen stood amongst a large crowd of people in front of a large stage with a dark purple curtain.

Shidou looked around in surprise. "That's a lot of people. Why though?"

"Charlotte's presentation," Reiri explained.

Shidou remained silent for a moment. "… Think it's a new Object design?"

Reiri smacked him on the head.

"Ow!" Grumbling, he looked into the crowd again. "There's a lot of people here to see Charlotte's little invention. Actually, where is she?"

"No clue," Chifuyu replied. "She'll be presenting Mei-Mei in a bit. We can talk to her when she's done."

"The hell's Mei-Mei?"

"The name of her invention."

"And that is…?"

"She hasn't told anyone," Reiri answered.

At that moment, the curtain opened and a young woman with long, knee-length, light brown hair, tied back in a braided ponytail, a black and yellow bow resembling cat ears atop her head, her fringe stopping just above her dark purple eyes, her bangs framing her face and ending just atop her generous breasts, wearing a black and white maid uniform with a large gap in the chest exposing her cleavage, a long yellow tie falling between their valley, small gaps on her hips, large white gloves, a frilled white skirt, and long, thigh-length, white and black boots, stepped out and bowed with an apologetic smile. "Please be patient, Professor Diamandius will be out soon. Sorry everyone, she'll only be a few more minutes." The woman then stepped back behind the curtain.

Shidou blinked in surprise. "Didn't know she hired a maid. I didn't know she could afford one…"

"Yeah…" Chifuyu remarked in confusion.

Moments later, a young-looking girl with long, knee-length, wavy, messy purple hair, her fringe parting over her forehead and stopping above her light brown eyes, the top of her hair tied back in a tuft, round, frameless glasses sitting over her eyes, a lollipop stick sticking from her lips, wearing a plain white lab coat with a black and yellow dress underneath with white frills, a matching black and yellow tie, a white dress shirt under that, and thigh-high black stockings with yellow trim stepped out with a smile. "Sorry for the wait. But I hope you all liked my new invention."

Shidou furrowed his brow in thought. "Huh? But we d – oh… She made a maid."

Charlotte snickered lightly before motioning to the side, the curtain pulling aside to reveal the brown-haired maid once more, standing calmly with a smile. "Let me introduce you to Mei-Mei. The world's first fully functional android."

"Called it…"

Chifuyu gaped slightly in surprise. "Oh my god… she went and made herself a friend…" She was suddenly knocked back as a pen came flying at her forehead. "Gah!"

Shidou looked at her with a flat expression. "To be fair, you deserved that."

"So, what do you think?" the petite inventor asked out to the audience.

Shidou immediately raised a hand. "Can we have her at our house so I don't have to clean on my own?"

"Any legitimate questions?"

Shidou lowered his hand with a pout. "That was one…"

Charlotte continued looking out into the crowd, one man raising his hand with a snicker.

"How is she in bed?" the man asked with a wry grin, causing most of the women in the audience as well as Shidou to scowl deeply at him.

Charlotte kept her same expression before turning to Mei-Mei. "Mei-Mei, why don't you show him by putting him in a bed for a while?"

Mei-Mei, still smiling politely, suddenly dashed forward at high speed, and slammed her knee between the man's legs, sending him flying into a wall.

Charlotte chuckled confidently before addressing the crowd. "Any other stupid questions?"

Shidou brought up his again. "… Can you please let me have her help take care of my home?"

"No," she answered snappily.

Mei-Mei could only snicker in amusement. "Fufu, why? You want to first?"

Charlotte twitched an eyebrow before pressing a button on a remote she held.

"Owie!" Mei-Mei squeaked as she was hit with a light zap.

Shidou just stared in disbelief while Reiri sighed in exasperation.

Shortly later, after the crowd had dispersed, Charlotte stood with Shidou and the others along with Mei-Mei beside her. "So, what's up?"

"Out of control Uchiganes," Shidou answered swiftly.

Reiri then slapped a hand over his mouth. "It seems Shidou is a Slayer."

Shidou pulled her hand down with a frown. "How? That thing grabbed and ate me!"

Charlotte tilted her head in befuddlement. "What?"

Chifuyu then urged, "Look at the security footage from the IS storage room."

Charlotte frowned in even further confusion. "… Why was he in there? I thought he liked Objects?"

"I got lost looking for the bathroom."

"They're in completely opposite directions," she answered with a layer of sarcasm.

"How was I supposed to know that?"

Charlotte just sighed with a shrug. "Whatever. Mei-Mei –"

Mei-Mei proceeded to hand her a tablet with a video feed loaded. "Already done."

"Thank you. See? She's efficient too." Shidou and the others just waited as Charlotte watched the footage with confusion. "I don't understand. How is this possible?"

Shidou replied desperately, "I don't know! It got up and ate me!"

Charlotte looked back at the image and then put a hand on her chin. "Let me examine the IS that did it and I'll let you know what I find."

Shidou nodded in agreement. "You do that. Reine, come on, we'll go get something to eat."

Reine nodded and grabbed his hand, the duo leaving the room.

Charlotte just stared silently for a moment. "That was odd."

"You have no idea…" Reiri groaned.

Outside the room, Shidou and Reine walked around the exhibition in frustration. "There has to be a restaurant or something here somewhere… But where?"

Reine just watched as he walked ahead before he harshly bumped into someone.

"Gah!" he grumbled as he stumbled back. "S – Sorry…" he stammered before looking at the person he ran into, an attractive young woman with dark, chocolate brown skin, with short, messy blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a bulging pair barely hidden by her white and red, flame-patterned bikini top, along with a skimpy pair of jean shorts, and knee-high brown boots.

"Hey! Watch it!" the dark-skinned beauty shouted, before noticing his reddened expression. "What's wrong with you?"

"N – Nothing!" he stammered, Reine frowning in disappointment.

"Okay…?"

Reine pulled on his sleeve. "Shidou, food…"

The girl immediately got an excited glint in her eyes. "Ah! Then you should come to my stall. I'm Ikumi Mito, best meat dishes here!"

Reine was not very amused, though Shidou did not notice. "Really? Sounds like a good idea. Reine?"

"Sure…" she answered quietly.

"Cool! Right this way you two!" Ikumi urged, before noticing them holding hands. "Wait, so are you two on a date?"

Shidou stiffened and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Y – Yeah."

Ikumi gained a wide smirk.

"Wh – What…?"

"Nothing, let's go!"

After leading them to a small food stall on the edge of the expo building, Ikumi shouted inside, "Oy! Let's prepare one premium Couples' Bowl!"

Reine smiled slightly as she and Shidou sat down, waiting only a scant few minutes before a massive bowl of meat, rice, and vegetables was slammed down in front of them.

"It's huge!" Shidou exclaimed.

"Of course!" Ikumi proclaimed proudly, thumping a hand over her chest, causing her globes to shift in her top.

His excitement quickly gave way to dread. "… How much does it cost…?"

"Fifteen hundred yen."

"That's… a pretty decent price." After a short pause to admire the dish's preparation, Shidou took a large bite of the mixed ingredients and his eyes shot wide. "Whoa! This is good! The heating is good and the seasoning of the meat as well."

Reine nodded silently in agreement.

Ikumi smirked happily. "Thanks! If I'm lucky I'll get into Totsuki. It's actually one of the reasons I'm here too."

Shidou looked at her curiously as he ate hurriedly. "What's Totsuki?"

"Cooking school," Reine answered, taking a pause between mouthfuls.

Ikumi huffed in response. "Not just a cooking school, one of the premier culinary academies perched within Little Garden, meaning I'll get to sell my family's supreme, A5 Grade meat to a bunch of wealthy and hungry military kids."

"Really? Huh, my sisters work on Little Garden."

"Seriously? Who are they?" she asked before taking a drink from a bottle of water.

"Reiri and Chifuyu Hida."

"WHAT!?"

Shidou lurched back at her sudden shout.

"You're their little brother!?" she exclaimed, leaning forward suddenly, her orbs shifting just in front of the teen's face.

"Y – Yes. Why?"

Ikumi grabbed his hand tightly and pulled it towards herself, unwitting burying it in her valley. "Can I meet them?"

And fin! Thus ends the first chapter of Armored Spirit. If you enjoyed it be sure to leave a review letting me know. If you were confused, unsure, or simply have questions about anything leave a review with your query and I will address what I can in the next reviewer response. Though do be aware if your question pertains to future story events or anything spoiler related it will not be answered in full here, so you would do better with a PM. If you did not enjoy the chapter, leave a review with your issues if you insist, though do try to have proper English skills. That said, this chapter is done, so until next time, bye-bye!