IS: Valkyrie

Author's Notes: Here is the long awaited duel. Enjoy it to the fullest, I had to take some time off to think this battle through and how to present it and I am hoping it satisfies.

Let's continue with the story now.

Disclaimer: I don't own sh-what? I can't swear? Oh okay, who needs it…anyways I do not own both the animation works and the light novel which belongs rightfully to Izuru Yumizuru. Heh, that perv…


One week later,

Stadium, Arena 3

"It's finally here, eh Ichika?" Houki muttered to her childhood friend as she watched his mouth curl upwards into a smile, his hands clenching nervously as they walked down the path that led to the stadium upstairs Ichika remembering his lessons from the past week flashing through his mind as his confidence was high, waiting anxiously for the duel.

After a hard week of actually improving and working hard by Houki beating-I mean training him in kendo and Merle's more complicated explanations of basic IS functioning, Ichika finally reached the date where he would fight the Representative of Britain in a duel due to said Representative displaying an overtly arrogant and insulting nature that caused the whole class and their teachers to be offended, even though Yamada the only peaceful character besides Merle who was a bit more open to the suggestion of a humbling defeat. Ichika flexed his hands, trying to find a way to get rid of the tension and anticipation that had been plaguing him for a full week awaiting his IS and the showdown with Cecelia still fresh in his mind. Seeing him do so, Houki reacted by slapping his hands snapping him out of his nervousness as she pointed to Merle who was waiting right down the hallway dressed differently than the other two days, replacing his unique shirt with a simple short sleeved orange T-shirt completed by large block letters spelling out "Just keep calm and do the Crazed Butt Stabber" clearly on the shirt making Ichika hang his jaw open in disbelief while Houki had a similar expression to the last three words being bolder and bigger than the rest of the sentence much to the assistant teacher's self-amused face as he noticed their stares being directed at his shirt with intensity before he placed a thumb to it jabbing the last three words to twist the knife of shame in both students' minds.

"Well I see you appreciate my shirt, it's was a shirt made by a famous youtuber I admired. You want me to order two more in different colors?"

"No!" Ichika and his childhood friend both yelled at the same time, cutting off any negotiations for such a weird piece of clothing before Merle gave a mocking frown of disappointment.

"Well nice to see how much my students appreciate all I've done, it's just so touching it can make me cry." Merle sighed in depression as he began to walk away, the two teens suddenly running past him and stopping him in his tracks, both their faces expressing anger.

"You are not wearing that shirt!"

"It's too ugly a shirt, sensei!" Houki respectfully expressed her denial, no way was she going to go through the stadium seats with rows of girls while Merle was wearing that shirt in broad daylight.

"Aw come on, people won't notice…besides it's a punishment." Merle explained calmly as he shot a look at Ichika in particular, the boy tensing up in confusion at his look before Merle clarified the statement.

"I was challenged to do a better job at your sister during a game and I had to wear this shirt even when I won the challenge, apparently Chifuyu said that the reason being due to my little taunts on the first day of school at the representative, she had a good time though." He finished off much to Ichika's worry as it just intensified by a bit, the boy suddenly speaking to Houki with an apologetic look on his face at the girl who was about to retort back his hand clamping her shoulder.

"Eep!" She cried before Ichika suddenly gave another look of apology.

"Sorry if I scared you, Houki but I uh…" He gave a quick glance at the assistant teacher who then spoke up for him, Houki turning back utterly confused by their sudden actions as she saw Merle point to the door behind him down the corridor.

"Go to the stadium through the door behind me and keep going straight, after that take a left and enter the changing room where the launch ramp would be lying on the other side. Me and Ichika will catch up with you later, just get there first or you won't see your boyfriend here for that good luck kiss." He stated cheekily before dodging the bokken that suddenly flew to her hand from an imaginary pocket behind her back, the man laughing loudly as he got into a fighting stance his hands at the side while shooting a playful glare at the furious girl wielding her bokken in front of her.

"You're such a tsundere." He stated bluntly as he dodged yet again from the attack and grabbed her wrist using his free hand to grab her underarm and flip her onto the floor, Houki crashing on her back while Ichika rushed towards her in concern giving the teacher a glare before he knelt beside the girl, clutching her head with her hand as her world was in disorientation Merle simply shrugging without a care in the world as he addressed the girl with a bit of an edge in his tone.

"Careful who you try to hit girl, because I don't take physical violence lightly and if you try it again I will not hesitate to put you in the hospital wards. If you want to actually start a fight, Miss Shinonono… you better get ready to pay for your hospital bills. Got it?" He warned harshly, Houki a bit taken aback by his sudden change in personality before he jabbed a finger at the door with a deadly glare that threatened the hotheaded girl, Ichika stood up and shot back a glare of his own.

"Leave, Houki…I'll talk to him."

"Ichika…" Houki trailed off as Ichika nodded at the door, the girl holding her bokken at her side as she moved towards the exit unable to look Merle in the eye as his glare bored a hole in the back of her head even when she had cleared off from the two men, leaving Ichika to look at Merle with a serious face.

"Why did you even do that, Merle-san? She was a student, and my friend!"

"She was acting against me with a weapon, and I took precautionary efforts to ensure my personal safety. Academy rules on self-defense." He stated coolly brushing off the glare that Ichika gave him as he leaned against the wall, folding his arms in waiting as Ichika just looked at him in exasperation.

"How can you be so calm about this? You threatened a student! And my friend!" Ichika argued back as Merle gave a cold glare at the boy making him sweat a little as the assistant teacher relaxed, releasing the tension in his muscles and looked at the ceiling before he turned back to his former charge with a more sober look in his eyes.

"I was beaten by my father." The simple sentence brought everything crashing down on Ichika as his arguments fell apart at the fact, his eyes just staring on in unbelief as Merle pushed the right sleeve up turning to let Ichika gasp at the giant spider-like scar that covered the entirety of his shoulder before Merle simply gave a point at the former injury.

"That was by him, the one I called father. He once thought what it would feel to 'twist the knife' in a more literal sense." He spoke bitterly as he pulled the sleeve back down, glaring intently at Ichika who couldn't recover from his shock.

"I got over my abuse long ago, the memory sears but the past is done. Your friend however, Houki…she's a damn volcano that will explode and hurt all around her because of that fire. If anything you best tell her to actually do something about it and advise her well, or I will make sure she remembers the next time she tries a stunt like that on me or anyone else it will cost her dearly." He saw Ichika nod, but his face not yet understanding as Merle decided to try and get this point in at least. "It's obvious you're not getting the entire point, so let me explain it to you. Back then when we had the match, although we had it in good fun Houki had taken the match very seriously and I probably guess that she took it out on you?"

"Uh, no…she didn't." Merle just snorted, how dense was this guy trying to be?

"Don't lie, I can tell from her strikes that she put in a lot of effort to bring me down…that and I lingered around the dojo to see you train so I had full access to what she did to you. Struck a nerve back then huh?" He said as Ichika kept his tongue held back, unable to even answer that question while he fidgeted at even telling the truth that his best friend was being overly aggressive while Merle just continued.

"She's ruled by strength, anger as well. All that kendo and mumbo jumbo about cultivating a vigorous spirit and peace through the art of the sword is BS. Swords and weapons are tricky, they do not give you peace when you cut a person down, and neither is it meant to bring prosperity to the people with mindless bloodshed…it is a weapon where you can choose to kill, or not at all." He finished his little lecture before he watched Ichika go into thought at that.

"That may be true, sensei…but I have to get stronger so that I can protect Chifuyu-nee-"

"Does that mean you're willing to kill and murder for the protection of your sister?" Merle simply glanced hard at Ichika who just stood his own ground, his head shaking in denial before Merle just gave a shake of his own head at the boy before he looked back up at his former charge.

" I will give you a piece of advice though for both you and Houki to think about…'Put your sword back into its place, for all who shall take the sword will perish by the sword'. Well Ichika my friend, you had a question for me yes?" Merle just changed topics, the current train of thought was going to a place he felt uncomfortable with and the assistant teacher himself wasn't going to relive some of the more…visual memories he had in his mind.

"What is your relationship with Chifuyu-nee?" Merle gagged a little, clearing his throat a little as he looked away for a moment before he turned back with a simple smile, wondering how the conversation went to that topic of discussion as he replied flatly.

"We're friends." He just stated, Ichika somehow looking at him with his arms folded doubt clearly on his features as Merle raised a brow before repeating himself. "We're just friends, we got along after I managed to properly talk to her during the year when I was just updating her about you and your progress in your studies while I was under house arrest. That's all there is to it."

"Is that really it?" Now Merle was the one to have a suspicious look on his face, Ichika sounded somewhat…relieved at the fact he and Chifuyu were friends? But what the hell was that all about then, was there something he missed? Merle shrugged and just filed the expression in the back of his mind for later, doubting that he was going to get a proper explanation right out of the teen anytime soon as he spoke simply with a nod. "Yep." He said as he made his way out, Ichika suddenly speaking out again behind him making him stop in his stride.

"Merle-san, I am willing to use the IS for protection and defense of others. Isn't that a good thing?" Merle just nodded in reply, his frown thinly veiled as he turned to face Ichika with a stern expression.

"I'm saying that nowadays it isn't the solution to everything and that you need not use lethal force to defend yourself and others. Don't get those two mixed up, there's a difference between protection and just killing because you have the power to or your belief that killing solves everything. Now come, we have an IS to fit on you."


Arena 3's hanger bay

"Well Ichika, are you ready to meet your new baby?" Merle asked as Ichika alongside Houki stood beside the man as they entered the launch hanger for the IS, the man noting Ichika's own energetic face full of anticipation for the big reveal of his suit whereas Houki simply had a stoic look on her face…one that Merle was watching rather intently as he saw a flicker of sadness and worry, the young teacher making a mental note to actually talk to her before the match even began as Chifuyu's voice sounded over the intercom in the hanger.

"Okay Ichika, it took a bit of work but now you can see the personal IS that we've managed to make for you. Brace yourselves, especially you Merle…don't spoil the moment." She announced as Merle gave a light shrug at that, seeing the two students staring at him for answers as he just gave them a look that said not to ask any questions before the lights lit up revealing the not so hidden IS suit that laid at the very launch track ready for takeoff as Ichika's eyes widened in surprise while Houki also opened her mouth but for a different reason while Merle just had a nostalgic look at the one year old ghost he never thought he would see again.

"Byakushiki…"

"Is yours now, Ichika. Take good care of that suit, the owner saved my life and I owe her for it." Merle simply stated plainly for the stunned teen looking at him almost disbelievingly, like it was some joke they were playing on him, the young teacher had to smile at seeing Ichika's face light up in recognition and surprise that his very own sister would even give him her old suit much less let him call it his own.

"Byakushiki is a 3rd generation model which is melee focused, a very strong IS mobile suit with the sword it carries as its main functioning weapon. It is also able to catch up to any long range IS suit and close in, its speed however is as powerful as its strength if not more effective." Chifuyu proudly stated the design over the intercom keeping an even tone as she gave Ichika the rundown while he looked up at the suit moving up to touch it with his palm and closed his eyes.

"Hm…it's no good, I can't feel anything this time." He muttered to himself momentarily unaware of the two others in the hanger before Merle spoke up first, his face too holding some curiosity to Ichika's words as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder snapping him out of his concentration as Ichika simply gave a shake of his head removing his hand from the surface of the suit.

"You shouldn't worry too much about your connection, such established bonds between other pilots and their own IS suit took time as well. You're not the only one so worrying about it won't make the adjustment to you suddenly go faster, relax." Merle just slapped Ichika to assure the man he was experiencing something normal as Ichika gave him a nod, Merle almost about to leave before he turned back to our protagonist with a slightly serious face.

"So Ichika did you managed to get the whole theory of IS or at least a degree of it? Cause trying it out will of course be different from just reading about it, but did you at least memorize how to pilot and move around?" Ichika scratched his head at that, the words stuck in his throat as Merle just gave a sigh at the boy's own cluelessness as he rephrased his words carefully to make it clearer.

"You do know how to fly and move around right?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Ichika began but was cut off by Merle who gave a clap of his hands, a satisfied look on his face as he turned around and walked away gesturing to Houki to follow him up to the control center as he called back out behind him, Houki giving him an encouraging smile before she followed behind the teacher leaving him to handle the rest.

"Well that's good enough for me, Ichika…go out there and give that British girl a good serving of respect!" Ichika nodded as he turned back to the IS suit, his eyes roaming around the suit as he just looked in awe. At the same time, Houki was nervously following Merle who was leading her to the control room where the teachers would be overseeing the entire match and taking security measures for the students sitting in the seats around the arena, the earlier conversation and her reckless action haunting her thoughts as her thoughts began to circulate in her head.

"Assaulting the teacher, what were you thinking, Houki! You made him angry with your reckless action!" Houki was so absorbed in her actions that she did not notice Merle stop abruptly at the stairs leading to the control room, resulting in the girl bumping head first into his back as the assistant teacher turned to face her with a serious face, arms crossed and his left feet tapping on the concrete floor giving her a look that demanded an explanation for her earlier actions.

"I-I'm sorry, sensei I don't know what came over me…" Merle waited patiently, his eyes still searching her face as she hung her head out of shame before he tapped her shoulder making her face him before Merle wrapped his hands around her body and pulled her into a hug, stunning the girl at the older man's action as he clapped her back.

"You're embarrassed, I get that. You were angry and let your anger take over you, but I promise you now I will get your anger under control." Merle broke away from the one-sided hug, the girl standing in her place stunned by his words and expression…they held no anger nor hatred, no judgmental look or blame even remotely shown on his face which confused her greatly. Just what was this man saying?

"Why? Why aren't you angry at all, I attacked you for no apparent reason and it was my fault I made you-" She was stopped by Merle's own hand being held in her face as he interrupted. "Uh uh, no blaming yourself for something that you already done and has been forgiven." He said with a caring smile as Houki felt a burden drop from her shoulders, disarmed by the man's words before he patted her shoulder with a face of understanding.

"I know how that feels, doing something out of impulse. I had someone who did that, had the chance to walk away from every opportunity of hurt and causing despair but he refused to follow that path and paid for it dearly, I've seen your anger in action back at the dojo and don't lie to me I can tell a practice swing from an aggressive one."

"The thing is, I have seen how anger reigning over someone destroys them from the inside out. And when I saw you coming at me, it was intent to beat and humiliate me in front of all those people…and of course I knew at that moment you were someone I needed to look out for. Someone who needed control." He spoke as he looked at Houki who stared back at him, his words striking something in her mind as she turned to him with a pleading look in her eyes before he finished his statement.

"I can give you control, but only if you agree to be trained under me. If you do this, I will personally take that burning rage and anger and help you cast it away along with the self-blame that you still hold deep in your heart. Help me to free you of your anger, please."


Minutes later…

"Ichika, get ready to launch off!"

"Ok!" Ichika stated back to Yamada as he felt himself sail out and get tossed into the air, the teen almost felt overwhelmed by the sudden increase of speed before he kept his cool and got his IS to land perfectly on the ground Ichika letting out a sigh of relief as he hovered barely over the dusty ground of the arena before a laugh caught his attention skywards as he saw the Representative of England looking down on him from the sky, a smug look on her face as she displayed her IS to the boy below with pride.

"Look on, Ichika Orimura and see how advanced my IS truly is compared to yours…3rd generation at its highest peak in ability! Blue Tears, let's give him a tune to dance to!" Cecelia shouted loudly as her IS began to launch several detachable parts that zoomed straight at Ichika firing their lasers forcing the boy to go on the defensive right at the start, Ichika dodged and weaved as the annoying parts flew around him creating small webs of lasers to throw him off as he gritted his teeth.

"Damn, she's good. Now how to get the weapons out? Remember what Merle told you." He said as he moved out of the way, a small screen suddenly popped up in the middle of his face as he looked it over with a frown almost feeling dissatisfied with the weapon slots being empty, save for one weapon.

"Looks like I really can't play long range, I have to make this quick!" Ichika said as the sword formed into his hand, the teen moving straight ahead for Cecilia who just smirked and blocked his direct path with her lasers, Ichika diving out of the way as he tried to slash at her but grazed her shields slightly instead.

"Damn it!"

"It's not over, Ichika Orimura!" The representative yelled out as she brought her rifle up, firing a few well-timed shots that impacted with Ichika's IS sending him flying into the stadium wall before he moved away as the parts began to fly after him, forcing him to dodge again while he kept an eye on Cecelia. In the control room meanwhile, Yamada was staring strangely at Merle who was sitting at a table near the wall sipping on tea her eyes falling on the bold-lettered words that donned his shirt, turning to look at Houki who simply looked away from the man in silent appellation before Yamada just spoke a comment.

"That's a nice shirt." At that, Merle just smiled brightly while Chifuyu smeared a palm down her face counting to 10 inwardly while Houki choked on her spit, the girl slamming a fist on the table while grabbing her neck all the time staring slack-jawed at the green-haired woman who smiled in continued bliss.

"Why thank you, I can give you one with more innocent words." Merle just said, his face wincing as he saw Ichika get blasted point blank by Cecelia in a mistake that he made coming in close as he fell back down to earth, Ichika however wouldn't be beat as he looked up to dodge more of the detachable lasers flying around as the teen's face suddenly turned from a stressful strain to that of a hidden smile before he raced towards her hacking two of the laser bits which soon fell to the ground and he raised his sword at her while dodging the lasers behind.

"No!" Cecilia yelled as she called off her bits, the detachable lasers suddenly halting their pursuit behind him as Cecilia moved to the side, the melee weapon missing its intended target before she pulled out her trump card, the two barrels at her hip lowering to fire two missiles aimed at Ichika forcing him to move away as he ducked and weaved but finding the projectiles were still on to him while the laser detachable bits were now resuming their assault on Ichika, Cecilia taking the two remaining bits back to her IS before she fired a few more shots narrowing his escape routes.

"I have to do something or I'm going to be defeated…" Ichika suddenly felt an explosion at his back sending him flying straight into the ground, dust flying up all around the air as Cecilia had a frustrated look on her face reading the screen on her heads up display.

"He managed to take down two of my detachable lasers and he brought my shield down by a third? I hope this will end the match, Ichika Orimura." She muttered but a shred of doubt was still looking down at the dust cloud, suddenly giving way to give the representative a shocking sight. Down there, true to her own suspicions and standing tall though nearly out of shields was the Byakushiki and its panting owner who held his sword up for her to see, but instead of the large metal sword that she saw was instead a blade made of pure energy Ichika on the other hand was gasping for breath as a red pop-out indicated his shield was below a 100 out of the full capacity. Meaning he had only one shot as he clenched the blade, holding it in both hands before he performed a final rush while Cecilia stood there shocked by the readings.

"This is the tell-tale signs of a First Shift…he's only been toying with me with the initial settings?!" She said as she sent her lasers out in defense only to see Byakushiki cut them down with relative ease before he closed in on her, the girl unable to react as Ichika raised his blade-

"Match is over…winner is Cecilia Alcott!" Chifuyu's voice cut off all sense of victory for the teen male, his confidence suddenly taking a dive as Ichika's eyebrow began to twitch erratically in a stunning moment that ended his chance for victory snatched away by the haughty English girl, Ichika abandoned all sense of awareness as he looked up to the sky and took a deep breath.

"NOOOOOOO!" At the same time, unknowingly to the teen in the control room a silence fell as Ichika's shields went to naught before he could touch Cecilia signaling the end of the match as the crowd of girls that gathered for the big event began to yell a chorus of 'Eh?!' to the sky, the new owner of Byakushiki soon joining in the sea of shock at the result. As Chifuyu put down the mic that connected to the stadium speakers, a clatter of a cup turned their attention to Merle who was honestly stunned as hell by the outcome of the match, ignoring the stares from the three other occupants in the room as his hands began to tremble uncontrollably, words tumbling out in mutters as everyone including Chifuyu who had a shiver down her spine, began to worry for the man who was twitching his eyebrow.

"How…he was…just a few seconds…won…"

"A-Ano, Merle-sensei?" Houki asked reaching for the man's shoulder before he stood up abruptly, his body bent forwards in a trembling fit before he looked up at the sky and began to open his mouth, unaware that the speaker system was still turned on as he roared one single word.

"FFFFFFUUUUUU-"


Night time, Ichika's room

In the dorm room they shared, Ichika was hanging his head in shame as his childhood friend was yelling at him in disbelief her shock evidently more profound than it initially seemed. Apparently when he had gone to the control room to find out why he had lost, he was met with a blue clipboard smashing his head repeatedly as Chifuyu gave a lecture on watching out for the One-off Ability that he pulled as it drained a considerable amount of energy and he had sacrificed all of his remaining shields smacking him once again when he accidentally let slip that most of the lessons with Merle did not really enter his memory. So in the end, he had to sit in his chair and take the verbal assault of his friend Houki.

"How did you not know your shields were going down? Did you know you could have won back there, if you had a bigger amount of shields and the attack succeeded…" Houki threw her hands up as she lay back down on the bed, already changed into her sleepwear while she glanced at Ichika just letting out a sigh as he covered his face with his hands obviously as upset about the result as she was. Deciding that he had enough abuse-I mean reminders for the day about learning the basics, Houki rose from the bed and moved to the table where her tea set laid unused until now as she poured two cups of tea and handed one to Ichika who nodded his thanks, both taking their drinks.

"Mmm, this tea is good Houki-cha-" He stopped in mid-sentence, aware of a sudden shift in the room before he left the sentence unsaid drinking the tea before Houki's voice replied back her tone unsteady as she turned away with a blush on her face.

"H-Houki-chan?" Ichika just nodded, unsure of the strange feeling that rose in his stomach just by looking at her glancing momentarily at him before she looked down again, her fingers encasing the cup tightly as he replied with a scratch of his head.

"Y-yeah, Houki-chan like how I used to call you in the old days back when we were in school, you said it was okay but if you're sensitive to it now I suppose I could-"

"Ichika." Houki's voice cut his thoughts as he looked up, his blush spreading further as Houki brought a finger to her lips in thought the action making Ichika's blood pump faster while his own heart was threatening to burst out of his chest right there and then. "Y-you ca-can call me that if you really want…but only because we're friends!" Ichika just gave a laugh at that, his heartbeat still racing as he gave her a warm smile.

"I would like that, Houki-chan."

"What kind of a feeling is this? I feel warm…" Ichika felt as his heart was still racing, the silent moment suddenly ruined by a thud and a loud scream upstairs as Houki placed her cup on the table and rose from her seat, yawning and stretching her hands in the air as she looked at Ichika with a small smile.

"Goodnight Ichika."

"Goodnight, Houki-chan." He replied back not noticing a look of bliss came upon Houki as she went to bed a happy girl, his words still ringing in her ears like a choir singing a beautiful hymn. Meanwhile Ichika was left to his own thoughts, the teen recounting the encounter back at the stadium again as he poured himself another cup of tea shivering as the image of the spider shaped scar haunted his vision at the moment seeing the man's glimpse of pain and hurt, it made Ichika uneasy. His words regarding Houki made its way back as Ichika turned back to look upon her sleeping form on the bed, the words repeating itself like a buzzing in his ear that would not go away as he moved to the side of Houki's bed cautiously hearing the girl's quiet breathing as he knelt down beside the bed and traced a finger unknowingly along her strands of dark hair, Merle's last words on the topic too echoed in his head as Ichika caught the scene of shampoo filling his nose while he stroked his childhood friend's hair in thought.

"Merle-san…what did you mean ruled by anger and strength? And why is Houki such a concern?" Ichika wondered before he realized his unthoughtful action and withdrew his hand from Houki's hair, the girl letting out a tired groan as Ichika looked down at his hand unsure of what to feel before he shook off the strange butterflies in his stomach and decided to retire for the night.


Merle's room

"Ow!" Merle yelled as he rubbed his head, soreness reverberated in his skull as he clutched his scalp while he stared up at the towering form of Chifuyu glaring down on him in the chair while clenching her fist shaking furiously at the man. "What the hell, Chifuyu-ow!"

"How dare you? Swearing in the arena, what were you thinking?!" Chifuyu shouted at Merle who just hung his head in shame, recounting the aftermath of the scream resulting in a lecture by Yamada about proper teacher's etiquette and Chifuyu just giving him the death glare for the rest of the day, the duel apparently counted as a lesson for the first-years who were invited to watch before she gave them the day off but not without letting her brother know what she thought of his reckless performance.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know what I was doing and having to see my student so close to winning, it just…took me by surprise I guess." Merle explained, rubbing his head some more as he tried to help his sore head ease off on the hard knuckle grind to his scalp earlier when they entered the room. It was true though, Merle was actually surprised at the way Ichika handled himself when he landed perfectly on the arena floor and his dodging skills were there as well as the strategy of rushing in and ending the battle quickly against a long-range IS was the smart choice…in fact he had hoped his student would wipe the floor with the British spoilt brat but it seemed that life was deciding to throw a wild card at him.

"Do you know how many complaints I could have had if this was an international tournament?! It went all over the loudspeaker for crying out loud!" Chifuyu crossed her arms and sat beside Merle who just gave an annoyed click of his tongue.

"I know, I know…I'm still very sorry."

"Doesn't matter, this is a trivial matter. I'm hearing that you're training Houki yourself?" She asked as Merle nodded, a sad gleam in his eye as he spoke in contemplation staring ahead at the wall, Chifuyu frowning slightly as she noticed the subtle change in his reaction as the room grew quieter with the majority of the dorm most likely sleeping.

"Yeah, I am."

"You sound worried and concerned." Chifuyu stated plainly, the tone underlying a further elaboration on his words which Merle picked up quickly…throughout the one year of updating Chifuyu about the state of the household while she was in Germany he picked up a few things about her habits, when she was tired or stressed to the tells that say she was wanting an explanation due to her emphasis on tone whenever she spoke, a skill she no doubt carried due to her ex-position as the legendary IS pilot and her past which he had only learnt of in passing: that her parents left her and Ichika alone in the house one day and never came back home, sending her into a frenzy upon the discovery. He could sympathize with that, but of course his experience was drastically different and he just listened as she went on about the tough life she had to lead because of the responsibilities stacked on her alongside being a top student in school. Clasping his hands, Merle stared up at the wall before he let her know his thoughts.

"I am. She has a…anger problem I believe stemming from her sister, bunny bitch and I do not know what it could be. You heard her in the classroom, she seems angry at something I don't know yet and I am hoping that I can take away the source of her anger and help her calm down. I proposed the idea to her and she agreed but…"

"You don't know if she even trusts you due to student and teacher." Chifuyu guessed as Merle looked at her in wonder before he spoke letting his hands lie on his knees. "How is it that you gained such a perspective instinct?" He asked as Chifuyu stared back at him with a thin smile, her hand grasping his own in reassurance much to his own surprise at her action.

"You'll figure it out, you're a teacher and from what I can see you're doing well already handling the class for that lecture a week back." Merle felt some of his doubts clear but he had to ask one more question, turning back to the wall.

"How did you manage to handle your own class the first time? I mean, was it so unnerving or even intimidating to have so many people who admire your talents sitting there waiting for you to show them the ropes?" He asked as Chifuyu chuckled lightly, her laugh almost like a melody to Merle as he watched her turn to him with a strange look.

"Are you kidding? I thought I was going to get swarmed!" At that both of the young adults laughed, Merle laughing the hardest at that as he recalled the girlish squeals and fandom that erupted when she first introduced herself to the students, their starry eyes were amusing to see especially after what he did next to stun them.

"You are a funny woman, Chifuyu." He complimented the woman, Chifuyu immediately feeling a bit of red on her face as she turned away awkwardly shifting herself a bit when she realized she was getting too close to Merle's body, her hand leaving his own as she held back a disappointed glance before she looked back at the PS4 sitting there on the table an idea popping into her head. "I know you can do it, have more faith in yourself and your ability to teach others."

"In fact," Chifuyu got up from the bed making her way to the PS4 and turned it on, slotting the familiar Assassin's Creed game disc into the console as she handed a controller back to him sitting by his side as Merle looked up at the screen in slight confusion before she faced him her orange eyes glinting brightly in the light of the room. "You look like you should relax yourself. I can give you tomorrow off, if you'd prefer to go and plan your training with Houki when you finally start those private lessons. And, right now you can teach me how to improve at this game." Chifuyu pointed to the start menu as Merle glanced up before he met her orange eyes feeling his mood lighten before he grasped the controller in hand, opening the save slot to play, a sudden realization struck him as he looked at Chifuyu who was looking at the television in silence.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in bed for tomorrow?"

"Yamada can handle herself."

Yamada-sensei's room

"Achew!" The green-haired woman suddenly rose her head slightly, rubbing her eyes lazily as she fell back down on the bed a hazy feeling blocking her body from responding to her brain before she fell asleep again muttering to herself about being on her own in a classroom for one day, and also how that would really make her nervous. If only she knew.

End

Author's Notes: Well, another chapter and the duel between Cecilia and Ichika is done and dusted, and also I imagine I should provide answers to a few things that were said in the story.

Firstly was the conversation between Ichika and Merle about Houki. Now she is a good fighter, but in my opinion she cannot find peace because she has strength and the power to beat, even kill that can overtake her which of course with Merle being the counterbalance of abstaining or doing his best to avoid it as much as he can would be concerned that she snaps during a battle. For Ichika in terms of morality, he is using it to protect but the thing that if you haven't managed to catch and I am sorry if the conversation never did clarify it, was that he was in the risk of using self-defense as an excuse to kill which was why the question was posed to him and Ichika of course is a guy who protects, but that doesn't mean it could happen.