Chapter 6

"Ah, Ruka-Ōsama (1). You came"

Akiyuki's blunt (and monotone) statement broke STARISH's stunned silence while greetings were heard from the children.

"Konbanwa, Ruka-nii-san!"

"Ne, Ruka-nii-san, what's for dinner?"

"Konnichiwa, Ruka-nii!"

Ruka smiled a little and nodded to them.

"Konbanwa, mina," he said then turned to the others who entered the room with them. "Sit down and get comfortable. This is going to be a long night"

As told, everyone sat on any available place. STARISH sat on a large (and long) plush couch while Hana and Ruka with two others sat on another. Akiyuki sat at the edge of the crowd on an equally plush chair next to the balcony. Others opted to stand.

"Ne, Ruka-nii-san, shouldn't we introduce ourselves first?" someone said.

"Well, that seems appropriate. Everyone will introduce themselves in a clockwise direction starting from Hana-san," Ruka said, "You don't have to reintroduce yourselves, though," he nodded to STARISH then nudged Hana.

"Alright. Hajimemashite, my name's Hijirikawa Hana, 16 and elected Queen of the Council," Hana said with a small smile.

"I'm Kotobuki Ryuuji, 17 and the Council's Jack!" Ryuuji, the mousy haired teen proclaimed cheerily.

"He's really like his dad," Otoya mumbled.

Syo groaned. "Tell me about it"

"Konbanwa," the raven haired girl said politely and bowed. "I'm Ichinose Misaki, 15. I've been the Council's Alice for some time now"

Tokiya's lips twitched upwards at the thought that he might have raised a great daughter in the near future. Otoya nudged him and grinned.

The Alice nodded to Sora who was on another couch.

"I've already told you my name but reintroducing won't hurt. I'm Kurusu Sora," he said then placed his hand on a girl who looks exactly like him sitting next to him. "and she's my sister, Hikari"

"Onii-chan's only a year older than me," the girl added with a smile.

"Eh, Syo-chan, your children are cute!" Natsuki squeeled with hearts in his eyes.

Syo only face palmed in response.

"Ah, mina-san, Shinomiya-san really likes cute things," Haruka said smiled.

Sora gave a small shiver while Hikari giggled. "It's alright. We're used to it since Uncle Natsuki has a copy"

"I feel sorry for them," Cecil mused, "Sora-kun must have a hard life"

Syo only nodded his head solemnly.

"I'm Ichinose Hayato. Nice to meet you," Hayato said then faced a boy much younger than him, "It's your turn now"

The boy only mumbled something in a very soft manner.

Hayato sighed. "Hikaru's not really good in socializing. He's timid and usually soft-spoken. By the way, he's my younger brother by four years"

"So Icchi has three kids, huh?" Ren smirked.

Tokiya stiffened, catching Ren's drift. "Shut up, Jinguji"

Haruka peered at them curiously. "What were they talking about?"

Otoya laughed nervously and Masato only sighed. "It would be better if you don't know"

"Why not tell her?" Callen interjected. "Ah, that was rude of me. I'm Jinguji Callen. This is Maria." He said, patting his sister's head.

"So it's my turn now. I'm Shinomiya Elizabeth, 14! Konbanwa!" Elizabeth chirped happily.

Natsuki gave Elizabeth a thumbs-up. "That was a great introduction, Lizzy-chan!"

"Hai!"

Everyone (except some people) sweat dropped at the exchange.

"Ah mina-san, I'm sorry that Natsumi isn't here right now. I'll give him a good lecture on being late," Elizabeth pouted.

"Natsumi?" Haruka asked.

Syo's eyes widened. "Natsuki has two kids?!"

"Hmm?" Natsuki stared at Syo, not really understanding his outburst. "What's wrong Syo-chan?"

"Ah, don't worry Oto-san," Sora said. "Natsumi-kun's decent"

"That's great news," Syo sighed in relief.

"Elizabeth, that won't be needed since I asked him and Ken-kun to do something for me," Ruka stated. Fast footsteps outside the room were suddenly heard. "Ah, here they are"

Everyone turned to face the large doors when it suddenly burst open, revealing two panting teens, one blond and an orangish-red head.

"I will not do that ever again," the blond wheezed out between pants.

"Agreed," the other stated, also panting hard then glared at Ruka. "You owe us for this"

Ruka smiled. "I'll keep my end of the agreement (2)"

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Elizabeth whined.

"We'll come to that later on," Ruka stated, "For the mean time, you two should introduce yourselves"

The blond blinked in confusion then Ruka motioned to STARISH. "Ah, sōdesu ka. I'm Shinomiya Natsumi, twin of Elizabeth"

"Thank goodness that the guy is decent," Syo mumbled to himself.

"Eh?! Twin?" Natsuki exclaimed, "That's so cute!"

Natsumi's eyebrow twitched and tried to hide a small frown.

"You're not supposed to call a guy cute," he grumbled softly, out of respect for the people there and for his own sanity. Being called by that word (he refuse to utter it anymore) almost every day by his father and sister (and some others who like to tease him) can be hazardous to his health.

The other teen sighed. "Moving on, my name's Jinguji Ken, 13 years old. I hope that my brother hadn't flirted with anyone, has he?" his gaze turned to Hana.

Cecil, Syo and Otoya almost fell out of their seats and Masato almost gagged on the water that he was drinking. Tokiya couldn't believe what he just heard.

Is that really HIS kid?! Almost everyone thought.

"It's alright, Ken-kun. It's the usual," Hana shrugged.

"Alright, there's only six more who hadn't introduced themselves!" Ryuuji said. "It's your turn, Len!"

Len kept reading his book while speaking. "Nice to meet you, I'm Hijirikawa Len"

Masato frowned a little. I thought that I wasn't hard on them in the future?

Hana sensed Masato's discomfort and smiled. "Don't worry about him. He tends to be like that when interrupted from his reading"

Masato nodded and smiled a little. So he's just the typical bookworm. Nothing wrong there.

"My name's Mikado Nagisa. I'm 11," a girl shyly said.

"Mi-Mikado?!" Syo uttered incredously.

"Ah, HEAVENS and STARISH aren't really friends yet in your timeline, huh?" a pale girl said. "You'll be in good terms in the future- well, future of your timeline. By the way, I'm Aijima Cecilia, 14. Nice to meet you" she bowed politely.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you so pale?" Haruka asked since Cecilia's skin tone was contrasting to Cecil's and Tomoya's.

Cecilia shrugged a little. "Besides being born in Japan and living here my whole life, I don't really get out much often. Moreover, I got it from my mother"

As expected, Cecil and Masato raised an eyebrow and the others were in varying reactions. They glanced at Haruka and her skin was indeed pale. More than just that, Cecilia had reddish hair. Cecil smirked not so secretly.

"Aina desu. 12," a pale cyan blue haired girl stated while checking out some books on a nearby shelf.

"EH?!" Natsuki exclaimed, "You're Ai-sempai's daughter? So kawaii!"

"To think that that guy would actually have a kid," Syo said bewildered.

Aina blinked owlishly. "Ai-sempai…?"

"Mikaze Ai. He is your father, is he not?" Masato supplied.

"Ah, sōdesu ka," Aina replied monotonously, "Seems like they don't know yet (3)," she muttered under her breath.

"Alright, alright!" Ryuuji called out, gaining everyone's attention, "Only one person left, though it should have been three but they're busy somewhere at the moment. Your turn to shine, Yu-tan!"

"Yu-tan?" Otoya said, not really sure if he should be impressed by the number of nicknames everyone has for his future daughter.

Akiyuki closed the book she was reading halfway through (Since when did she stated to read since we got here?! Cecil thought, amused).

"I'm Ittoki Akiyuki, 13 desu."

Otoya let out a breath he didn't know that he was holding. He realized that he was the only one in his group that has only one kid, not that he'd say that out loud.

Ruka clasped his hands. "Alright, introductions are done. Let's get on to business."

"Wow, he's quite the opposite of Ranmaru-sempai," Otoya whispered to Syo.

"I can't believe it too. Good thing he isn't bipolar like his dad," Syo whispered back.

"Children aren't always supposed to be the exact copy of their parents, right?" Misaki said softly while sipping a cup of tea (Where did they get that?! Syo thought). Misaki put the teacup on the table. "Every one of us develops our own personalities, whether our parents like it or not. That's why you might be surprised by our differences"

Tokiya smiled. He did raise a great daughter after all.

"Then again, you didn't really raise us in the first place," Hikari whispered.

That earned an awkward silence.

"Hikari, you shouldn't have really said that," Hayato said, breaking the ice. "Ruka-nii-san, you were saying?"

Ruka smiled. "Ah, so let's start from the beginning, but I'd have to ask Akiyuki something important"

"What is it?" she asked, now tinkering her cubed gadget with a screwdriver, without looking up.

"Seriously, how does that child do that?" Masato muttered then stole a glance at Otoya. They're really different from each other…

"What should we tell them?"

"You're the King. Think of something," Akiyuki answered monotonously for the nth time without looking up from her work.

A tick appeared on Ruka's head. He was used to Akiyuki's blunt answers but this is not the time for that.

"I meant specifically," Ruka stressed, "You know what I mean"

Akiyuki finally looked up and tilted her head to the side. "I have no idea about what you're saying"

Ruka massaged his temples. "Sometimes I really don't know how to knock some sense into you"

"For the record," Cecilia interrupted, "We don't know what you're talking about."

"I think I understand," Hayato said, playing with a ball that who knows where he got, "You meant that we can't tell them everything 'cause it might change the past drastically, right?"

A hush fell into the room. Everyone understood perfectly what he said and the consequences, but maybe except for STARISH.

Natsuki raised his hand, "I don't really understand, mina," he said sheepishly, voicing their thoughts.

"It means that if you knew something from this timeline that you're not supposed to know in the first place, you might do something that originally didn't happen in our past that can change the future- this timeline- completely," Ruka explained.

Nobody from the children added "And we might not be born in the first place" to what Ruka said.

"Currently," Ruka said, breaking the uneasy silence, "we've calculated that you are 23 years in the future, seeing your ages and ours. In those 23 years, a lot has happened and we don't know what information we are going to disclose that wouldn't cause consequences, that's why I was asking Akiyuki"

"If you don't mind me asking," Tokiya said, "Why is it that it's Akiyuki you're asking and not the rest of the council? If you ask me, she's practically one of the youngest here and not one to take that kind of responsibility"

Hana blinked. One… Two… then chuckled along with Ryuuji (who erupted to a fit of suppressed laughter) and the silent Misaki and some others. Len even allowed himself a small snicker.

STARISH, especially Tokiya, was confused at their reactions.

"Did I say something wrong?" Tokiya demanded, not really used to being laughed at for a very intelligent and professional statement- at least in his mind. They (everyone from his timeline) don't really comment about his words so might as well praise himself- secretly.

Ryuuji wiped the tears in his eyes. "No, nothing's wrong with it, it's just that nobody really gets it at first try"

"Get what?" Tokiya pressed.

"I don't really see what you're coming to," Masato added.

Sora grinned, "You haven't noticed it yet? Akiyuki's mannerisms? Chose of words? Her personality change from when you met her to now? But I wouldn't blame you though; she looks like a bipolar to me"

Akiyuki glared dangerously at Sora.

STARISH did notice it alright. She was friendly and sociable (well, if count their meeting sociable) at first, but now she seemed quiet yet composed and professional, with her words limited but having multiple meanings. She was now blunt and monotone but with an aura of a leader, Cecil knew and was positive that she was the girl he heard from the cube, even with the choice of words.

Ruka chuckled. "I bet she was stressed when you met her, otherwise, she wouldn't even try to talk more than ten words in the span of 15 minutes. Moreover, she's the one who perfectly understands time paradoxes, time travel, quantum physics and the likes"

Of course, STARISH was taken aback, even Haruka. Quantum physics? How smart is this kid?

She's becoming more and more distant from Otoya as time passes… Tokiya stole a glance at Otoya. He can tell that he was thinking the same thing because he looked troubled.

"Maudit! Je déteste le gouvernement!" Akiyuki suddenly cried out in a perfect French accent after she face palmed in exasperation.

Ren smirked. "French. I never thought the your daughter would know the language of love, Ikki"

Otoya only shrugged his shoulders, indifferently, as if he was still in deep thought. Tokiya was taken aback. That's something new. Not even an annoying laugh?

Apparently, the rest of STARISH noticed it (Haruka was even deathly worried) but didn't comment.

"She tends to speak in another language when annoyed. We wouldn't know if she's even cursing someone or something that way," Natsumi waved her outburst off.

Misaki was alarmed. She could definitely speak French and understood perfectly what Akiyuki had said. 'Curses! I hate the government!' It wasn't like her to suddenly exclaim something about her hatred or even about any emotion at all.

"Akiyuki-chan, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"They had the nerve to 'improve' (with air quotations, per se) my design with those stuck up ideas of theirs that don't even make sense in the first place!" Akiyuki hissed.

Everyone gulped. Maybe this is how Otoya is when he's mad… STARISH thought simultaneously.

Apparently, this is one of those very rare times that Akiyuki's truly pissed off (Not angry. She's much, much worse when she's angry). All of those times concerned her ideas and gizmos. Usually, the indication was an exclamation in another language (It would vary, but don't try asking how many she knows unless you value your sanity), a statement in the form of a hiss and a commoner's word in that statement (Which was stuck up since she usually opts for more complicated words). Check, check and check. Yup, she's pissed.

They knew trying to calm her down was suicide and nobody would want that, right? But then, they suddenly found Len in front of the fuming genius. He flicked her forehead.

"Calm your nerves down, Akinari. You're not supposed to make decisions on an enraged mind. Now breathe in and breathe out"

Every one let out a breathe they weren't aware of holding while Akiyuki did as told. STARISH was warned: never piss off Akiyuki, maybe Otoya too for that matter.

Good thing that they had Len. Maybe Masato might even be useful if Otoya might ever be pissed off.

Unfortunately for Len, theyhad noticed the name Len used to call Akiyuki.

"'Akinari' was it?" Elizabeth mocked cooed, "Since when did Len-kun started giving nicknames?"

"Elizabeth, we've been calling her that since five years old," Sora reminded her with an edge in his voice.

Elizabeth pouted. "But this is the first time I've heard Len-kun call her that! It was always Ittoki-san or Akiyuki-san!"

Natsumi pinched her arm and looked away from her so she wouldn't see his face. "Don't bring up unnecessary topics," he muttered.

"And also, that's besides the point," Ken added.

"Ara? Do we have a little quarrel here?" Callen smirked which made the guys (Ken, Natsumi and Sora) turn their heads away.

Natsuki tilted his head to the side, "Ara, are we missing out something here?"

Otoya looked at them questioningly. He might be happy-go-lucky, but he understands things perfectly.

Hikari giggled. "Nothing much. It's just that Onii-chan and the others have a little cru-"

Sora clamped his hand on Hikari's mouth. "I dare you to continue that sentence and I'd steal Mr. Wiggles from you" he threatened.

Hikari only nodded nimbly in response.

"Mr… Wiggles?" Syo asked uncertain and amused.

"Forget that we ever said anything," Hikari said.

As for the other children, they were very amused at the turn of events. Akiyuki might be a genius, but she was as oblivious as a rock.

"Okay, now back to what we're saying," Ryuuji said and faced Akiyuki. "What did they do to your gizmo, Yu-tan?"

Akiyuki didn't hide the frown and irritation on her face.

"Um, they? Who's they?" Cecil asked, finally voicing his thoughts.

"Like I've told you when we met. The Japanese government and military," Sora said with unhidden disgust.

Now that perked STARISH's interest.

"Come again?" Masato said uncertainly. What had that sector did to them? Don't tell me that Japan turned totalitarian in the span of 23 years.

"The government," Akiyuki started with the same venom, "is the one thing I detest most"

"Whaaa? I don't understand this," Natsuki exclaimed, not hiding his confusion.

Ruka sighed. "Akiyuki, tell us what's the problem first"

"Alright, but I don't want any interruptions," Akiyuki eyed each one of them and made each of them squirm in their seats or feel a shiver down their spine even if they only locked eyes for a second.

Why do I feel like I've just seen the devil himself? Tokiya thought a little unsure of himself.

Nobody noticed it but when Akiyuki's eyes reached Otoya, she lingered a second longer and her eyes softened. At least Otoya did. He gave her a soft smile in exchange even only for a second so she can see that he acknowledges her. Akiyuki also gave a miniscule smile then turned to the last person, which was unfortunately Elizabeth.

Elizabeth squirmed in her seat. Akiyuki's gaze on her was intense. She did that for another three seconds.

"Stop that, Yu-chan! It feels like I'm being smiled on by the Grim Reaper!"

Akiyuki was taken aback. Why do I feel a little déjà vu at that?

"I want no interruptions," she repeated.

Elizabeth threw her arms in the air, "Fine, fine!"

Akiyuki nodded then turned to face all of them so that they can see her clearly. She held out the cube.

"I realized that I haven't really told you what this is. This is the QBE"

Tomoya blinked in confusion, "Uh-uh. We can see that"

Akiyuki groaned inwardly. "Not cube as in c-u-b-e. I meant it as Q-B-E, as in Quantum Bonded Energy (4). I especially designed and wrote the blueprints about three months ago."

STARISH's eyes widened but the others didn't bat an eyelash.

"You mean to say that you're also the supposed inventor if ever the government didn't steal the blueprint in the first place?" Tokiya inquired.

Akiyuki's face soured for a moment at the reminder but disappeared as quickly as it came. Act reasonably, be orderly, state professionally and think equally. That was her motto: ROPE.

"Yes. Exactly as you've said it"

Masato's mouth was slightly open but quickly shut it.

The others weren't really faring any better.

"So back to business," Akiyuki said, ignoring that she was, in fact, interrupted. "This device was the one which brought you here"

"You mean it turned back time?" Ren asked, interested.

Akiyuki almost didn't bother hiding her rolling eyes. Almost.

"Actually, no. Like I've said, it brought you here using quantum physics and other applied sciences. It didn't turn back time. That statement, in itself, was already wrong"

Goodness! What kind of technology could people make in this timeline? Cecil thought incredulously. I don't even know if I'm impressed that one of Muse's servants actually overtook her using science.

"I've made the designs for QBE to prove a certain theory of mine, but that's besides the point. I'll tell you the problem straight on," Akiyuki's eyes flickered dangerously, "Because they tried to interfere with the programming and the resources that were used, they didn't notice that they removed an important feature. That is, the QBE's ability to return whatever objects it transported to a certain timeline can't return them to their own. In other words," Akiyuki paused a little and whispered the last part but was still audible, "You can't go back"

"Eh?" Otoya uttered unintelligently.

Syo stood up, shocked, "You mean we're stuck here?!"

"Syo-kun, please sit down," Haruka told Syo who obeyed. She then eyed Akiyuki worriedly.

Haruka hadn't said much since they came here because she was observing the girl. She can tell right from the beginning that she was very much troubled and was hiding something. And that something is one she can't find out.

"Do we have other options?" Ruka asked Akiyuki who was clearly troubled as day.

"Yes," she answered softly. "I'll rebuild QBE but I need some specific items and resources."

"How long will that take?"

"About one and a half month for building. That doesn't count the time for collecting the items. I calculate that all in all, it would take three months minimum"

"Then that's good," Cecil smiled, "We can still come home and finish the song. I think already a day passed there now"

The others (STARISH) nodded in agreement.

Akiyuki looked at him weirdly. "You do realize that we can return you to the exact moment that you woke up the day you got here, right?"

Cecil only turned a little red in embarrassment for not realizing that sooner.

Haruka observed the girl again. She was tense.

"Akiyuki-chan, I don't want to be rude, but I know that you're not telling us something important," Haruka stated gently as not to pressure the already stressed-out girl.

Akiyuki stiffened. I knew I should've taken acting classes…

Ruka knew what Akiyuki was hiding. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Except our guests. They don't know the first thing that's happening right now.

Ruka sighed. This isn't going to be pretty. "How much can we tell them?"

Akiyuki answered without missing a beat. "Limited, nothing if possible. Nothing at all"

"But Yu-chan!" Elizabeth whined. "They'll find out sooner or later whether we like it or not because of goodness how long they'll be here"

"Find out what?" Cecil asked carefully. He was sensing danger.

Len closed his book and glanced at the crowd. "We can tell them, Akinari. From what I understand of quantum physics, we can return them at exactly a second before they were transported here and not remember meeting us at all. Even if we manage to erase their memories before we return them to their timeline, they'll still come back here because it's a loop. What we need is something that will erase their memories after they come back to their timeline, after the supposed time they transported here in the first place. "

Akiyuki nodded in understanding. The others though were gaping at the display of intelligence. Unfortunately for Len, they still noticed the nickname even if they won't point it out to the oblivious girl.

"Alright. We'll tell them anything except for the most important facts that leads to this future for them," Akiyuki said, deciding on the best course of action.

"Um, Akiyuki-chan, can you explain that statement to us?" Otoya requested sheepishly. "We'll forget them anyway, right? What's the point of not telling us?"

"I'll take the honor of explaining that, Akiyuki-chan," Hana said gently to the tired girl who nodded.

"First thing, we don't really know how long you'll be here. Too much information can cause too much trouble and complications," Hana started, "Second, even if we find a way to erase your memories after you come back to your timeline, the brain does not completely forget. If you see something powerful enough to trigger memories of ever coming here, this timeline's doomed to be lost forever if you set a course of action that you weren't supposed to.

"As for what Akiyuki-chan meant, in your current timeline, there are still lots of possible futures besides this one. If the courses of actions you take are the same one which our parents remember, it will lead to this one. If not, those would lead you to another," Hana explained.

"In other words, this timeline is still fickle. One wrong move and this future would never exist," Hayato finished nonchalantly.

Tokiya was inexplicably flabbergasted. I can't believe their knowledge in this kind of things. And they even managed to stay calm all the while.

"Mina, I'll let Misaki explain the current problems of this timeline," Ruka said, clasping Miaski's shoulder lightly. Misaki nodded.

"Eh? Why not me?" Ryuuji complained.

"Your explanation would cause more headaches than having two finals in one day," Callen rebutted, "And trust me. I know from experience."

"Mina, I want you to believe whatever I'm going to say, alright?" Misaki requested where she got nods.

"Alright. Let's start first with the current problem. Japan today hasn't really changed from your timeline and life goes on smoothly to the citizens who have no idea what's going on. Basically, the current Prime Minister of Japan is tying bonds with Russia and Germany to bring down America"

Masato almost gagged on the coffee he was offered. Seriously? Bring down America? Are they insane?

Natsuki, Ren and Tokiya were impassive but were deep in thought. Cecil, Otoya and Syo almost fell out of their seats. Haruka couldn't believe what she just heard.

Now I understand why Akiyuki-chan was reluctant to tell us anything, she thought.

Misaki continued after they calmed down. "We found out about that. Of course, our parents- you in this timeline- wanted to do something but found out that it's the Prime Minister that's your enemy so filing a case won't work. Shining Saotome proposed about sabotaging their plans by hacking and stuff like that. That's where we come in. We're the ones who spoil their plans."

"But you guys are still kids!" Syo exclaimed. He still couldn't believe his ears. "I mean, if Saotome wants to play hero, he doesn't have to drag children in his problem! He could've easily hired some hackers or something!"

The rest of STARISH couldn't help but agree. They're still kids; they're supposed to be worrying about college and school, not about a possible threat to national security and a World War III. Well, maybe a little, but this isn't supposed to be their jobs.

Misaki only smiled, albeit forced. "That's the thing. Shining Saotome can't do that because it's the head of government he's against with. Hiring someone would backfire him. We're the best solution. And besides," Misaki shrugged, "It's not like we hate what we're doing."

What she said earned collective nods of approval from the others. They weren't forced at all to do this. They wanted to in the first place.

STARISH calmed down their selves to hear out the next explanations. They knew that arguing with them was pointless because they themselves were unwittingly stubborn.

"That's what Natsumi-kun and Ken-kun doing a while ago. They made sure no one followed you here," Ruka explained.

"And it caused us a lot of trouble," Natsumi grumbled.

Ruka waved him off and motioned for Misaki to continue. She nodded.

"We created the Council to lead. If you noticed, the Council is made up by the eldest of us and willing to lead and have the desirable characteristics," Misaki paused as if contemplating something, "I think that it would be better if we reintroduce ourselves with our roles"

Ruka nodded. "Then I'll start. I, Kurosaki Ruka, am the King of the Council. Besides being the eldest of everyone here, I'm the one who creates order here and approves and implements the rules created and decided upon by the whole council. Your turn, Hana"

"I take the role as Queen. My main duty is keeping the peace and understanding. I also act as the Judge when we have cases and weighting the rules that we want to implement. I'm also the one managing school records and such," Hana explained with a soft smile.

"Looks like I'm next!" Ryuuji proclaimed energetically which earned sweat drops at his enthusiasm. "Hiya! Kotobuki Ryuuji here as Jack. I keep everyone here in tip top shape everyday and I usually partner up with Misa-tan to schedule some events and I even act as the P.I.O. Besides that, I'm usually the one patrolling for rule breakers and keeping the schedule and curfew intact!"

Misaki giggled at Ryuuji then spoke. "As Alice, I create the schedules for everything and also act as secretary, writing down anything important. I also act as the one keeping communication open. Also I'm the one who think of events here for entertainment"

Explaining what the Council was cleared up a lot of questions from the STARISH members (plus Haruka). Now they understand what 'King' meant here.

"Thought we still have one more in the Council," Hana suddenly said which was unexpected.

"Yup! Whoever you are, you don't have to be shy!" Ryuuji grinned while calling out.

No response whatsoever.

"Is there someone else that we didn't meet?" Haruka asked.

"Nope. She just hates attention," Ryuuji answered.

"Goodness," Ruka exclaimed, "It's alright if they find out, Akiyuki. They'll find out anytime anyway"

Akiyuki glared at him then sighed afterwards. "Alright, alright. I'll introduce"

"Eh?! Akiyuki-chan's a member of the Council?" Natsuki exclaimed, "But isn't she only 13?"

"Yes, but the role fits her perfectly," Misaki answered, "She's our Joker"

Well that really didn't make the reactions Misaki was hoping for. There were snickers in the room.

"You people…," Akiyuki grumbled as a tick appeared on her head. She introduced herself anyway. "I, Ittoki Akiyuki, am the elected Joker of the Council.. I'm the one writing programs for the various items I've invented in this place. Technically, I also keep the power here running for free without anyone from the outside knowing. Besides that," Akiyuki paused, finding the right words to say, "I practically plan every sabotage we have in store and the lead hacker here. I also have the final say on everything that happens here"

Well that definitely stopped the snickers.

"Now that we're done here, let's have dinner," Ruka said which earned smiles.

"Ne, ne, Yu-chan," Elizabeth called out to her, "So we can tell them anything but not things that are very very important?"

"Yes," Akiyuki replied then put a finger to her chin, thinking then it clicked. "Oh, except for one thing"

Ruka was about to tell everyone to head to the dining room when he heard Akiyuki.

"Akiyuki, what would that be?" Ruka asked.

"Don't tell them who our mothers are. For the record, don't even tell them who Nanami-san ended up with"

And that made them STARISH in their tracks.

"EH?!"

OMAKE 1:

Ken sighed. "Stop muttering curses, Natsumi"

"Sorry, I can't help it. By this time, we could've already eaten dinner," Natsumi replied.

"Then let's finish this as soon as we can"

They were walking quietly in the forest were Akiyuki and the others came from.

"We just have to make sure they don't follow them to the mansion," Ken added.

"Easier said than done," Natsumi snorted then noticed something he picked it up..

"Hey, what's this?" he asked.

They suddenly heard a twig snap near them which caused them to stop in their tracks.

"Um, did you hear that?" Ken asked alarmed.

Natsumi gulped, "Yup"

"I found them!" a voice from a small distance called.

Ken glanced at Natsumi, "Retreat!"

The two ran as fast as they can before anyone can spot them. After they left, a military guy appeared and crouched down on the spot Natsumi dropped the item. He picked it up.

"I finally found you!" he said, hugging his binoculars.

OMAKE 2:

Ken and Natsumi held Ruka at the end of the group heading to the dining room and stepped to the side. When they were out of sight, Ken spoke.

"Ruka-nii-san, we kept our end of the agreement. It's time for yours"

Ruka smirked, "Hai, hai," he said then took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Use it wisely," he said before turning on his heels and following the others.

Natsumi smoothed up the folded paper and read the contents.

"Akiyuki-chan loves chocolate to the point that we can bribe her with it?" Natsume said incredously.

"It seems like she also likes the sound of a piano-violin duet. Hmm…," Ken was in deep thought.

"So, care to partner up with me to do just that?" Natsumi smirked and held out his hand.

Ken shook his hand, "Agreed"

"You, my friend, are the best"


(1) Ruka-osama: literally 'King Ruka'

(2) Refer to Omake no. 2

(3) It's a spoiler if you don't know what Aine meant. If you really don't know, just refer to Ai's profile in wikia. That information isn't really important in this story, it was only mentioned.

(4) QBE is actually redundant. There is no such thing as quantum bonded energy because quantum energy is already bonded in the first place.

Please don't take everything I've written seriously and commit into heart! I wrote what I understood of quantum physics so not everything I wrote are solid truths. Most are just theories of mine. Remember: I'm not even in college or 16 in that matter so I don't really understand physics.

So, how was the chapter?