Infinite Stratos, and all its characters, belong to Izuru Yumizuru

Text means Ichika's thoughts

XXXXXXXX

Friday evening

IS Academy, Infirmary

For Ichika, the world was starting to come back together.

Holy shit. Where am I? Why is everything black? Chifuyu-nee? Tabane-nee? Dan? Is anyone there?

Ichika shot straight up, rigid.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He screamed.

"WHERE THE HELL AM I?" He shouted at the nearest person.

"It's fine, Orimura. You're in the Academy hospital." Chifuyu said.

Hmm... Chifuyu-nee looks a little worse for the wear. And I think her voice was almost shaking a bit... I wonder if...

Ichika, however, was unable to complete that thought, as he had fallen asleep.

Chifuyu sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Christ, he's hopeless. He overclocked his IS a little and now he's wiped..."

XXXXXXXX

There were many men surrounding the little boy and girl in the warehouse. Both had black hair and dark brown eyes. The boy's hair was short, and the girl's was longer. The boy was about the same height as the girl.

"No! Don't... Don't take her away!" The boy cried.

"There ain't nothin' you can do about it, boy." One of the men sneered.

"N-a-..." The girl whispered.

"It's fine, -a-k-. I won't let them take you..." The boy whispered back.

One of the men grabbed the girl and walked away. She screeched.

The little boy immediately charged after the man, arms flailing.

Damn it... if I only had a sword...

One of the other men laughed and kicked the little boy. Soon, the other men joined in. The boy curled into a ball to protect himself.

Eventually, they got bored and stopped hitting him.

"Give... her... back..." The boy began, between ragged breathes.

"Do... you... know... what... will... happen... when... nee-san... finds... you...? She'll... kill... you... all..."

A man sneered.

"Your sister ain't coming for you, boy. An' even if she is, yer never seein' her again." He said.

The man picked him up by the hair on his head, and for the boy, the world was made up of dark and pain.

XXXXXXXX

Ichika shot straight up from his bed.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed. He panted for a couple of seconds. He looked at his surroundings.

Huh... Why am I back in my room? I thought I had been in the hospital... did Chifuyu-nee have me sent back here? What was with that dream anyway... I can't seem to remember it...

Ichika clutched his head.

A headache? Coming from my eyes... why? No matter... need to call Tabane-nee... tell her I broke it... Hm? None of my lights are on... why is it so bright...

Ichika toward the window.

What day is it? What time is it? Likely early- to mid-night. My window faces west, and it's dark.

His stomach rumbled.

I'm hungry. Need to make something to eat. Time to get up.

Ichika tried to stand, and his legs immediately collapsed under him, and he fell, face to the floor.

Why the hell do my legs hurt so much?

He tried to push himself off the floor. His arms buckled.

And my arms... at least they don't feel atrophied, so it can't have been too long...

The door to Ichika's room opened and he heard two pairs of footsteps.

He heard a sigh and a gasp.

"Let me guess. You tried to get up, didn't you?" Chifuyu said.

"Yes. What day is it?" Ichika responded.

"Saturday." The other person responded. Ichika could only see a pair of white pants.

"Chifuyu-nee, who is that other person with you?" Ichika asked.

"Charles Dunois. Remember him? He's going to be your roommate, and since there is no school right now we figured we'd have you show him around." Chifuyu responded, and Ichika could tell from her voice that she was quite disinterested about the whole situation.

Okay, that's reasonable. A couple of days early. I'll just need an excuse for some privacy. There are some files I'm going to need...

"Okay, that's fine. Charles-kun, Chifuyu-nee, could you please help me up?" Ichika said.

Ichika waited about two seconds before feeling the pressure on his arms as Chifuyu lifted him up.

Damn, this is embarrassing. The last time I had to have her do this was back then...

Chifuyu paused for a moment, as if sizing Ichika up.

"Ichika. You've gotten flabby. You haven't been practicing enough." She stated flatly.

Ichika's face constricted in horror.

Oh no. This... I hope I manage to make it...

"Do something for dinner. Tomorrow, like it or not, you will come to the dojo. Let's see if we can get you back some muscles worthy of my little brother." Chifuyu barked. She strode out of the room.

Charles scratched the back of his head.

"Eheheh..." He said.

Charles was wearing the same male uniform as Ichika and had an orange pendant with a pair of wings and a spike on the bottom.

That must be the standby mode for his IS...

Well, with my body like this, I'm not really going to be able to cook, and we need dinner...

"Alright, Charles-kun, I'll tell you a few things right off the bat." Ichika began. Charles straightened, and looked in his eyes.

"I recommend against even trying to eat any meals in the cafeteria. Assume that every girl here, especially the freshmen, have ulterior motives in anything they might do for us. I have seen a disturbing lack of any evidence indicating that there might be some girls that are... uninterested in boys. It's rather odd."

Charles nodded.

"I can cook. However, like this, I can't really do much. Can you cook, Charles-kun?" Ichika asked in French.

"Yes, I can, Ichika-san. What do you want me to make?" Charles responded in his native tongue.

"Whatever you want. I should have plenty of ingredients, so whatever you think is best." Ichika said, switching back to Japanese.

Charles nodded.

He walked over to the sink and washed his hands, then went to the fridge and grabbed ingredients.

He walks like a nobleman. I suppose that's to be expected...

Charles started to chop the ingredients and prepared a pan.

Hm, he's pretty good after all. Maybe we should organize times for who does meals. Might make my life a little easier.

Ichika looked over at his phone, on the table across the room.

Maybe I should start sending Tabane-nee texts instead? He might be listening in, especially if I ask for some privacy. I wonder how his Raphael Revive Mk. 2 is working... maybe I should ask? No.

Ichika got a quick glimpse of Charles' face as he was cooking. Charles was smiling, but his eyes were distant, as though he was remembering something.

Hm... what's he making? He seems to really be enjoying it. Must be something he remembers.

Ichika silently watched as Charles cut the vegetables and simmered them. He slowly inhaled, taking in the scent of the food that was being made.

French... vegetables... Ratatouille, huh? That's unexpected. I would think that somebody from a more rich family would make something fancier... If they can cook at all...

Eventually, Charles was done, and he brought the food on a tray to Ichika.

"I hope it's fine, I haven't made this in a few years." Charles said.

"I'm sure it will be, Charles-kun. Now, can you get me my phone? I need to send somebody a message." Ichika said.

Charles blushed for a second, before shaking his head side to side and grabbing Ichika's phone, then setting it down on Ichika's nightstand.

"Thank you, Charles-kun. Go ahead and eat now, I think I can feed myself." Ichika said.

He doesn't act like a Frenchman, that's for sure...

Ichika started eating, slowly taking every bite into his mouth and savoring it.

It's pretty good...

Charles was sadly looking at his plate and slowly eating the Ratatouille.

Yes, he definitely has some memories about this. Better not press him about it. Considering what happened last time I pressed someone about something...

After they both finished eating, Charles collected their plates and washed them.

"Do you have any particular questions about anything, Charles-kun?" Ichika asked.

Charles jumped.

"Huh? O-Oh, no. Nothing at all... eheheh..." He responded.

Yeah, he's hiding something. However, this seems interesting. I think I won't ask for the files, after all...

"Okay, then. Do you have anything you want to do before we go to sleep, or are you fine?" Ichika asked.

"No, that's okay. Thank you for asking, anyway, Ichika-san." Charles responded.

No problem, ignore the guy trying to be a decent host...

Ichika took out his cell phone and began to type in a message for Tabane. After hearing the clicking, Charles began to watch Ichika.

'Dear Tabane-nee,'

It began,

'I'm sorry that I didn't contact you sooner. Byakushiki wasn't built to handle the speeds that I achieved during the battle against your golem. I'm going to assume that you have a recording of it. Anyway, I blacked out, was conscious for a few seconds that night, then fell asleep. I woke up a few hours ago, in my room. I now have Claude Dunois' son, Charles Dunois, as my roommate. I think he's here for more than just learning to pilot an IS, so I'm going to be sticking to texts for now. It's too dangerous to try and call you.

Ichika, signing out.'

Ichika pressed send. Charles was looking at him curiously.

"Texting your girlfriend?" He asked innocently.

No. No, and, no. Not going to happen.

"No. And it's not going to happen. I'm not someone in any condition to be dating."

"If you say so, Ichika-san." Charles responded.

Ichika paused for a few moments.

Need to change the subject.

"I think we should discuss meals." Ichika began,

"If you make breakfast, I'll make lunch and we can alternate dinner. On the weekends, we can go into the town to get groceries. How does that sound to you?"

Charles thought for a moment.

"It sounds fine, Ichika-san." Charles replied.

"Good. I'm going back to sleep now." Ichika wobbled into their restroom and brushed his teeth. Wobbling out in his nightclothes, Ichika said,

"Good night, Charles-kun." He got under the covers and went to sleep.

"Good night, Ichika-san." Charles responded.

XXXXXXXX

Sunday morning

IS Academy dojo

The dojo was covered in tatami mats, and had a decorative calligraphy hanging in the back. Ichika, Charles, and Chifuyu were each dressed in a gi, and were sitting in seiza (sitting with most of your weight on your knees). Ichika and Chifuyu both had a shinai (a kendo bamboo practice sword) before them, and Charles was looking on from the side. Ichika glanced around nervously.

"Are you sure that it isn't going to be a problem to use this area?" Ichika asked Chifuyu anxiously

This is going to suck. Normally, I can almost do this, but I haven't healed yet. This will be a long few hours.

"It is fine. Everything is accounted for. Ichika, you aren't going to be able to get out of this. Just accept it." Chifuyu commanded.

You're not the one who has to go through it...

"I will hear no complaints!" Chifuyu barked. She stood up, grabbed her shinai, and took her stance.

When did she start reading my mind?

"From the start. Now, stand, and let's get you some muscles!"

Well, no point in arguing. Being in good shape is nice, anyway. And I could use the kendo practice. Strong basics are always nice to have, despite my throwing weapons not having a formal style.

Chifuyu lunged at Ichika, and they started sparring ferociously.

Yeah, this is really going to suck.

XXXXXXXX

About four hours later

IS Academy dojo changing room

As Ichika was taking off his gi, Charles was looking the other direction, covering his eyes with both hands, cheeks red. Charles had somehow already changed out of his gi and into his uniform, despite only having been out of Ichika's line of sight for about two seconds.

Ichika looked over his shoulder, shrugged, and finished stripping.

That's weird. France, last I checked, doesn't really have a nudity taboo, and casual nudity is pretty common. There should be no reason for him to feel uncomfortable around another naked guy. Besides that, no guy can change that fast. I think that would count as a record. Well, whatever. I need to shower.

"Charles-kun, I'm going to take a shower. Wait outside the changing rooms for me, okay?" Ichika said.

"S-Sure, Ichika-san!" Charles stuttered, still blushing.

XXXXXXXX

Thirty minutes later

IS Academy, outside the dojo

As Ichika and Charles were leaving the dojo, they noticed that Houki was standing before them, arms crossed.

"Charles-kun, can you stay there while I talk to her? She's one of our classmates." Ichika told Charles.

"No problem, Ichika-san." Charles responded, and he hung back to the entrance.

Ichika walked in front of Houki and smiled.

"What is it, Houki-san?" Ichika asked.

"A-About the grade level individual tournament next month..." She began, blushing slightly.

Betting, eh? That's not allowed, Houki-san.

"I-If I w-win the tournament..." She continued, stuttering.

"Y-You'll go out with me!" She shouted. She strode off before Ichika could get a word in.

Ichika stood, motionless and expressionless, as she left.

Well, shit. This isn't going to go well. When the hell did I trigger this flag?

Around the corner, just barely in sight, were three girls, the three main gossip magnets of class 1-1. He could almost hear their excited whispering.

Never mind. This is going to get twisted so far out away from the truth, that the least I can do is take advantage of it.

Ichika turned to where Charles was behind him, smiling. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Well, Charles-kun, since neither of us were able to prepare a lunch today, how about we go to the cafeteria for once?"

"Y-You aren't going to do anything about that?" Charles asked.

"No, I have a feeling that this isn't going to be a problem." Ichika responded.

Let's see... with those three, I'd say that the entire school will know by tomorrow morning. One of them is likely to tell it wrong, so that'll make things... interesting. Can't wait for tomorrow.

"You seem very calm about the whole thing. She seemed pretty cute. You aren't interested?" Charles asked.

Ichika laughed.

"No, I'm not. It's... well, you'll know what I mean when we get to the cafeteria. Anyway, what's it like in France?" Ichika asked.

"Well, it's very different then being here, because..." Charles began.

They continued their conversation on their way in to the cafeteria.

When they reached the cafeteria, Ichika looked around the room.

This place barely qualifies, as usual. At least the spot I want is open.

Ichika and Charles grabbed their trays and entered the line. Ichika could feel the stares from everyone in the line. The people who were sitting close enough to the entrance were gawking as well.

"Eheheh..." Charles whispered, scratching the back of his head.

"Ichika-san, why are they staring this way?"

"Because I haven't been here in about two weeks, and I am with someone who is obviously another boy, who is wearing the school uniform, who hasn't been introduced yet." Ichika responded nonchalantly.

They continued down the line.

"Orimura-kun!" The second-year in front of Ichika began.

"Yes, senpai?" He asked.

"Can I sit with you for lunch?" She asked innocently.

No. No way in hell.

"Well, give me a second here." Ichika began, turning to look at Charles behind him.

"Charles-kun, do you want to sit with anyone?" He asked. His voice had a hint of urgency.

Please say no. Please.

"Sure, it's no problem." Charles said. He beamed. He seemed to actually glow with... beauty? No...

Shit. No excuses now. God, I'm not going to ever be able to argue with a smile like that.

Ichika turned around to face the second-year in front of him again, smiling tightly.

"Well, senpai, since Charles-kun doesn't mind it, I don't see why not." He said. His senpai didn't seem to notice the resignation in his voice.

After getting their food, Ichika led Charles and the senpai to a booth with a wall behind it, which was right by the emergency exit and positioned so that you could see the main entrance easily without having to look directly at it. Ichika could feel the eyes on him, even if he couldn't see the girls who were staring. After reaching their table and sitting down, the senpai asked Ichika,

"Orimura-kun, who is this man with you?"

"He's a transfer student from France who will be joining my class starting tomorrow. He's my new roommate, so I'm showing him around the campus and decided to show him the cafeteria." Ichika responded.

"I'm Charles Dunois." Charles said.

Ichika noticed movement from the entrance of the cafeteria, and was approached by a pair of girls from his year.

"Orimura-kun, is it true that you'll go out with whoever wins the grade-level individual tournament?" They asked.

Charles inhaled deeply. The senpai, who was taking a bite of her food, started to choke.

That'll go well. Now, set the bait...

"Yes, I'll go out with one of the winners of the tournament. It'll be my choice. Each and every grade level is included." Ichika said honestly.

The two girls looked at each other, wide-eyed, and ran off to tell their peers.

About five minutes later, a number of first- and third-years asked if they could sit with Ichika and Charles.

And because of this senpai, I've now set a precedent that means that if I turn them down, it'll look like there's something more going on here with this senpai.

Though, it makes sense that none of the second-years are even trying. There is probably not a single student here capable of beating Sarashiki-senpai.

Ichika's lunch was not eaten in peace.

XXXXXXXX

About an hour later

IS Academy, Ichika and Charles' room

As Charles stepped out of the restroom, he noticed that Ichika was on the computer, looking at a particular website. Leaning over his shoulder, Charles realized that the page was in French and was covering some sort of new research.

Charles sat down on the chair next to Ichika.

"Hey, Ichika-san?" Charles asked.

"Yes, Charles-kun?"

"What kind of adult did you want to be, before you came here? I can tell that you didn't want to come here, and that it threw your whole life out of alignment."

Ichika paused, looking at Charles wide-eyed.

I underestimated this person's intelligence and perception.

Ichika looked past Charles, out the window to the evening sky beyond it.

"I wanted to overcome my problems and become a scientist, using the money that Chifuyu-nee seems to easily acquire as funding for my research." Ichika said wistfully.

"Why?" Charles asked, interest clear in his eyes.

"It's amazing, Charles-kun. The technologies for the IS are causing people to look at hovercrafts as realistic, and the cores could solve our energy crisis if Tabane-nee would only share with the world how they are made. Nobody thought that this would have been possible a little more than a decade ago, and look at the world now. We are on the cusp of a major technological revolution, Charles-kun. With the IS cores, interplanetary travel is starting to look practical. And yet the governments of the world waste trillions of dollars on developing IS'-weapons- which aren't even supposed to be used in war. What is wrong with humanity, Charles-kun? Are we really going to destroy ourselves one day? I wanted to change that. I..."

I want to prove to myself that humanity can be trusted, after all.

Charles looked at Ichika, wide-eyed. He seemed sad.

I wonder why this person is so sad...

"Do you hate it here, at this school?" Charles asked.

"Yes. If I could, I would leave without hesitation."

"Why don't you, then?"

"Because... I... I want to fly. I'd rather not talk about why, but... I want to be free." Ichika said.

I want to be free from all my worries, my responsibilities, my concerns. I want to be free, and maybe then I can remember.

Remember? Remember what?

Ichika looked Charles in the eyes.

"Since we're sharing, Dunois-san... when were you planning on telling me that you're actually a girl?" Ichika asked casually, as though he wasn't saying anything unusual at all.

Charles' eyes widened, and 'his' face just froze in an expression of shock.

"H-how could you..."

"Tell? Do you really want me to answer that? I know from personal experience that I'm rather... insensitive when I'm explaining my conclusions." Ichika responded deadpan.

"T-tell me anyway. I'm supposed to fool everyone." 'Charles' told Ichika.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you..." Ichika began.

"Based off of your cooking and general behavior, you probably lived in the countryside with your mother until a few years ago, unaware of your father's true identity, and then she either died or was otherwise unable to properly take care of you and sent you to your father, who might or might not have been aware of your existence prior to your appearance. How close am I so far?"

'Charles' was still in shock.

"You're right, but... how could you tell?"

Because I'm just that damn good. Kidding.

"Ratatouille isn't something that rich people in France normally eat, and if you approached a family chef and asked him to teach you how to cook, he probably wouldn't teach you that, either. Besides, when you were making dinner last night, you had a wistful look on your face- like you were remembering bittersweet memories. Believe me when I say I know that feeling well."

'Charles' was looking at Ichika like he was an alien.

"You figured out that I'm a girl because of one meal that I made?" 'Charles' asked.

"No. I figured out a possible reason why your father would tell you to pretend to be a boy because of one meal that you made. I figured out you were a girl because you were far too uncomfortable with me changing around you to be a guy. Even if you're shy, it wouldn't be that bad. Besides, you change far, far too quickly to be a guy. And your smile is just too... well, I'm going to go with 'radiant'. Your smile is too radiant to be anything that a man would have."

'Charles' just stared at Ichika.

"What are you going to do now that you know?" 'Charles' asked.

"Not tell anyone besides my sister, and swear her to secrecy." Ichika responded.

"But... why?" 'Charles' asked.

'Charles' was still looking at Ichika, wide-eyed, and as the conversation continued, her confusion only seemed to heighten.

"Because. You want to stay here, don't you? I don't care if your father had any ulterior motives for sending you, as long as they aren't going to be actively harmful to me or my objectives."

"But... he wanted me to get you to trust me and steal performance data from your IS." 'Charles' whispered.

"The thing is, Dunois-san, you didn't. You didn't begin to try." Ichika responded gently.

Be nice to her, Ichika. She's going to be your roommate for a while.

'Charles' looked in Ichika's eyes, desperate.

"But I was lying!" She responded.

"So? Everyone lies sometimes. You look like you don't like lying, right? Then, it's fine."

At least you don't seem too bad.

"Well, what are we going to do now? If father finds out that anyone knows, he'll try and take me back to France and send me to prison..." 'Charles' began.

"We won't mention it, and besides... didn't you read the academy special articles?" Ichika asked.

"No...?"

Christ, she wouldn't have had to worry about anything if she had read it...

"According to the IS Academy special articles, 'The students within this academy, while they are enrolled, do not belong to any country, organization, or group.' You're fine for three years. Your father has no legal ground to have you deported back to France, Dunois-san."

'Charles' nodded in appreciation.

"What are we going to do now?" She asked.

"First, you tell me your real name so that I can stop calling you Dunois-san. Then, we call Chifuyu-nee and explain the situation to her. After that, we organize schedules for showers and changing so that we don't get into uncomfortable situations." Ichika explained.

"The name my mother gave me was Charlotte... but... why are you doing this for me?" Charlotte asked.

I don't know.

"Because. And I need no other reason." Ichika said. He got up, stretched, and picked up his phone.

"I need to make a call."

XXXXXXXX

Fifteen minutes later

Ichika and Charlotte were sitting on the chairs in front of their computers, facing towards the beds. Standing before them, with her arms crossed and glaring was Chifuyu.

"So, you're a girl?" Chifuyu asked.

"Yes, Orimura-sensei." Charlotte responded.

"You weren't sent here to seduce my little brother?" She asked more seriously.

Ichika stood straight up and shouted,

"Chifuyu-nee!" the same time as Charlotte's eyes widened and she started blushing.

"Well, that's a no. I see no problems, I just want to check one thing..." Chifuyu began.

"Dunois, follow me. Orimura, stay." Chifuyu barked.

Ichika and Charlotte both groaned,

"Yes, Sensei." At the same time.

Chifuyu led Charlotte into the restroom, where Ichika heard a click as the door locked. Charlotte yelped for some reason, and Ichika swore he could hear Chifuyu saying,

"It must hurt to hide those the way you do all the time. Here's an idea..." before Ichika covered his ears and ran to the far corner of the room.

I don't need to know about this. It's bad enough I'm going to be living with her, I don't need my life to get any harder. Wait, no, let's say... more troublesome. Yes.

About ten minutes later, Chifuyu led a blushing Charlotte who now had her arms wrapped around her chest out of the restroom. Chifuyu looked at Ichika.

"I will see you in class tomorrow." She barked. Chifuyu strode out of the dorm room.

Blushing slightly, Charlotte whispered to Ichika,

"How much did you hear?"

"Chifuyu-nee said 'It must hurt to hide those all the time,' and then I covered my ears. I didn't hear anything after that."

Thankfully.

Charlotte wrapped her arms a little tighter around her chest.

"Ichika, you pervert." She whispered.

Nope, sorry, not having this conversation.

XXXXXXXX

Monday morning

IS Academy, Classroom 1-1

As Ichika neared the classroom, he heard excited chattering among his classmates.

"Did you hear that rumor?" One girl asked.

"About the new transfer student?" Another responded.

"No! We've already confirmed it's another boy! But get this: apparently, if you win the tournament, you can go out with Orimura-kun!" The first girl exclaimed.

"Really? Wow!"

Ichika smiled to himself.

Really, these girls are so easy to manipulate if you control the flow of information. It's almost sad.

Almost.

As Ichika silently entered the classroom and took his seat, all of their eyes were upon him. He looked to the sides out of the corner of his eyes.

Window is clear. Shouldn't need to run from an emergency today. Charlotte-san already agreed to help me divert the attention a little.

Chifuyu and Yamada walked into the room.

"All of you quiet down and take your seats." Chifuyu barked. Ichika's classmates all complied instantly.

"Today, I will be introducing a new transfer student." Yamada explained, smiling. She seemed excited.

Of course she's excited. More boys in the class, and by some standards, 'Charles' is attractive. I guess Yamada-sensei likes bishounen?

The door to the classroom slid open and the entire class was silent as Charlotte strode in, wearing the same uniform as Ichika.

Charlotte stood smiling a radiant smile in front of the blackboard as her fake name appeared in the background.

"My name is Charles Dunois. I come from France. Nice to meet you all!" She said, and closed her eyes, smiled widely, and put her hands behind her back.

Her radiance was almost blinding.

"I heard that there was someone in the same situation as me here, so I transferred from my country-" Charlotte began to explain.

"EEEEEHHHHHH?" The entire class, save Ichika, shouted simultaneously.

"A boy?"

"And he's handsome, the kind you want to protect, too!"

"I'm so glad I'm in this class~"

Chifuyu glared around.

"Everyone settle down! Be quiet." She commanded.

Suddenly, you could hear a pin drop in the classroom.

Chifuyu put her right hand on her hip.

"We will be doing IS practice together with class 4. Everyone, change quickly and gather up at the second training arena." Chifuyu explained.

"Orimura, I assume I don't need to tell you to keep an eye on your new roommate?" She asked, looking over at Ichika.

"Of course not, Orimura-sensei."

Ichika felt a... pink... aura around him.

No. Danger. This isn't good. They're starting sooner than normal.

"Charles-kun, we need to leave now." He said.

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

Right, I hadn't told her about this one.

"Our classmates are changing faster than normal. I'm afraid to turn around." Ichika explained.

As realization dawned on her face, Charlotte just kind of stood there.

No time.

Ichika grabbed her hand and started running out of the classroom. He didn't notice Charlotte's cheeks coloring a little bit.

Going through the halls, he began his explanation.

"I'm terrible, not telling you this. We'll travel this distance every time we have practice. We change at the arena. There are a lot of lockers, so privacy won't be an issue. The girls change in the classroom."

"Right!" Charlotte nodded.

Two girls appeared from seemingly nowhere ahead of Ichika and Charlotte in the hallway.

"Rumored transfer student detected!" One of them said.

"And he's holding hands with Orimura-kun!" The other replied.

Ichika stopped. Looking behind, he saw a legion of first-year girls behind them.

"They're over here!"

"Come on out, everyone!"

"Orimura-kun's black hair is nice, but blonde is good, too!"

"I-Ichika-san?" Charlotte asked, looking to her roommate.

Nope. Can't go through them. Both directions are blocked. However, they're just standing there.

"Charles-kun," Ichika whispered.

"How fast can you run?"

"As fast as you, from what I've seen." She responded.

Good.

"Let's go. Follow me." Ichika said.

They ran towards the horde, then turned sharply to the right, down a different hallway.

"Does this happen every time?" Charlotte asked.

"Only when... yes." Ichika responded.

It really gets old.

Somehow, they lost their pursuers before they got to their changing, Ichika and Charlotte changed in separate areas in peace.

After changing, Ichika and Charlotte walked over to the arena.

XXXXXXXX

Monday, After classes

IS Academy Dorms, Ichika and Charlotte's room

...During the joint practice, Chifuyu-nee made Cecilia-san and Rin-san have a mock combat. Cecilia-san wasn't very enthusiastic. Chifuyu-nee told her that it's her chance to show off. That was an... interesting... image change. They fought Yamada-sensei, who almost crashed into me. Yamada-sensei completely destroyed them. I'm starting to understand why Yamada-sensei is, well, a teacher. That was pretty impressive. She was using a Raphael Revive, and of course Cecilia-san and Rin-san were in their 3rd generation IS'. After classes, Charlotte-san and I took showers, myself first, and now I'm about to prepare dinner...

Ichika shut his diary and stashed it away before setting to work in the kitchen.

I wonder when I'll need to call Tabane-nee again...

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Tuesday morning

IS Academy, classroom 1-1

Yamada was standing in the center of the classroom with a slightly afraid expression on her face. To her left was a petite silver-haired girl wearing a black eye patch. Her arms were behind her back, as if she was standing at attention. She was not smiling. Chifuyu was to this girl's left, arms crossed. Ichika was in his usual seat, with Charlotte to his right.

"Um..." Yamada began.

"I have another happy announcement today."

New transfer student? Two days in a row? Seriously? This is getting ridiculous.

"Our class will be joined by a new friend."

The screen lit up behind her with a name on it.

"This is Laura Bodewig-san, a transfer student from Germany." Yamada paused.

The classroom erupted in chatter. They were all asking about what was going on, because it was unusual. Two transfer students, two days in a row?

"Um... would everyone please by quiet? We haven't finished introducing her yet." Yamada called with a slightly harried voice.

I can't believe I never doubted her ability as a teacher until now. She can't even command the respect of her students.

Chifuyu took this moment to look around the classroom, glaring at every student. She then looked at Laura.

"Say your greetings, Laura." She ordered.

"Yes, Instructor." Laura replied crisply.

This is great. Finally, someone trustworthy. Not only is she from Germany, but she was one of Chifuyu-nee's students when she was teaching there. That's one less classmate to be afraid of. She probably has AIC, too, so that's another plus for her.

"I am Laura Bodewig." Laura said.

She was silent. The class stared. After a few seconds, Yamada turned to look at her.

"Um... is that it?" She asked Laura.

"That is all." Laura responded.

She turned her head and glared at Ichika.

"So it's you..." She hissed, acid dripping off her words.

Ichika tensed. He brought his hands in front of him, ready to defend at a moment's notice.

Shit. Looks like I spoke too soon. Wonder why this new student doesn't like me.

Laura stopped in front of Ichika. Moving her right hand in front of her body, she attempted to slap Ichika with the back of her hand.

Before anyone, save a few trained eyes, could notice what was going on, Ichika's right arm snapped in position, his large hand expertly grabbing her wrist, stopping her slap mid-motion. Laura's eye widened in surprise at someone being able to catch her attack.

Her face contorted into a mask of fury, and she cried,

"I will never accept you as her younger brother!"

Oh. That. Is. It. Shit's going to go down now.

Ichika glared at Laura, and tightened his grip on her wrist.

"That's too bad." Ichika said. Ichika leaned up at her face.

"Kass mich nicht an, kleines Mädchen." Ichika hissed. He threw Laura's wrist down to her side.

"Now, as your class leader, I am formally telling you to sit down, Mädchen. We are in front of teachers at the moment." Ichika said in Japanese.

Everyone in the classroom was just staring blankly and Ichika and Laura.

Well then, time to get started, I suppose.

XXXXXXXX

AN: Well then, that's the end of that chapter. What Ichika is saying at the end is 'Do not touch me, little girl', using a translation that wasn't the Google one (Babylon).