CHAPTER 10

In a secret location, far from the eyes of the world, Tabane Shinonono typed vigorously on her computer. The purple haired rabbit, ever keeping that dorky smile, then heard her cell phone on her left begin to play a familiar ringtone, making her mechanical bunny ears perk up. On it was Houki, her little sister.

"Th-This ringtone is…" Tabane answered the phone and in an annoying and child-like response, said, "Yo, yo, hey, hey! 'Sup! This is everyone's idol, Tabane Shinonono."

Houki could only have a huge cross pop-vein on her head as she took the phone away from her ear, intent on ending the call. This was a bad idea to begin with!

"Wait, wait! Don't hang up on me, Houki-chan!"

Houki brought the phone back to her ear. "Nee-san."

"Hello, hello, my sister. Yes, yes, I know what you want! You want your own personal IS, right?"

Houki could only gasp at that response. It was exactly why she called, yet for Tabane to be aware of it…Perhaps it was a good idea to call.

Tabane turned around and said "It's got the best of everything and beats everyone else's specs. And it looks good next to the white."

"Nee-san, about that…" Houki said which caught Tabane's attention. Houki then took a long deep breath and asked "Is it possible for it to be matched to something else?"

Tabane could only tilt in confusion. "Ohh? And what's wrong? You don't want a personal IS? But I worked so hard on it for you! GASP! Could this mean my little sister not want my precious gift?! Waaaahhh!"

"NEE-SAN!" Houki yelled into the phone.

Tabane then asked "If not the white one, then who?"

Houki answered "I want it to be matched to the Lion Heart and its pilot."

Tabane could only widen her eyes at the mere mention of that name. Lion Heart was the one IS that she was not allowed to take part in its construction, especially among its IS core. And no matter how much information she could try to get about this particular IS, all she could come up with was nothing. Not even her splendid hacking skills could get her the information she needed.

Tabane sighed and said "Houki-chan, I don't have any data on that IS." Houki on the other side could sigh in defeat until she heard,

"But I'll do what I can. I hope you know what you're asking for."

Houki had ended the call and merely looked up at the night sky with hope in her heart.

The sun that frantically tried to enter the room passed through the window, and the chirping of the sparrows seemed like they were prompting Ichika to get up. Unfortunately, even though it was morning, Ichika was still tired and had a long day yesterday.

Unfortunately, he could not sleep as he felt something pressing hard against him. What was more is that what he was feeling around his palm was like the skin of a human being. That feeling intensified when something snake-like wrapped around his leg.

"What the…" He immediately shot up in panic before he saw the blanket rustle.

Ichika looked under the blanket to see a certain silver haired girl with an eyepatch sleeping. What's more is that she was naked. Ichika immediately screamed at this, prompting Raiden to wake up one floor above him.

"The hell was that?" asked Raiden as he sat up; only to find a naked Tatenashi with him in bed to which he wasn't surprised. He immediately fell back asleep.

Ichika could only sit in fear and panic as Laura sat up and rubbed her one eye to wake up. The only thing wrapped around her was the blanket.

"Morning already?"

"When did you get here?" asked Ichika. Just as he said it though, the blanket fell off of Laura yet she didn't feel ashamed of her naked body in front of Ichika. The poor boy could only shut his eyes. "Hey, cover yourself up!"

"I heard married couples don't hide anything from each other. Besides, you're my bride."

"What's gotten into you?!"

"I heard the Japanese refer to people they like as 'my bride.'"

Ichika could only shakily point his finger at the German girl and asked "Who's the one giving you incorrect information?"

Laura however grabbed Ichika's pointed arm and pinned him down onto the bed. She then used her legs to trap Ichika in an arm bar, making him yell in pain.

"You really need to practice on your mat technique some more. If you need lessons on the mat, I can help you."

"Why are you blushing?" asked a struggling Ichika.

A few knocks were then heard from the door.

"Ichika, wake up. You're late for training."

Houki entered into the door in her Kendo uniform while carrying a shinai upon her shoulders. However, as she entered the room, what she saw completely made her frozen as she unconsciously dropped her shinai and only stuttered.

Ichika could only look with an expression of dread while Laura remained indifferent as she nonchalantly said,

"How rude of you. You should know better than to barge into a couple's room."

"Couple?!" Houki was now on fire and that fire only increased with her rage.

"W-Wait, Houki!" cried a frantic Ichika. "This is all a misunderstanding. It's—"

Houki completely ignored it and, picking up her shinai, raised it high and charged at the defenseless boy.

"HOW…HOW INDECENT!"

Ichika screamed as he was constantly beaten by the shinai from Houki. Those screams made Raiden wake up a second time, asking the same damn question.

"The hell was that?!"

"Sigh. What a terrible way to start the morning." said Ichika. He was currently on the train with Charlotte as they made their way out to the shopping district.

"Um…why did you invite only me?" asked a curious Charlotte.

"The beach class is coming up, right? You said you don't have a girl's swimwear. And I don't have swim trunks either. I was planning on buying one for myself, too, so I thought about it while you were at it."

Charlotte could only give a somber look as a depressing aura surrounded her.

While you were at it, huh?

"It's what I would have guessed, anyway." said Charlotte as she turned away for a bit.

"Did you say something, Charles?" asked Ichika.

"It's Charlotte! Did you not hear my name when I reintroduced myself?" clarified the French girl with Ichika holding up his hands in apologies.

"Right. I'm sorry, Charlotte."

"A guy who plays with a girls' heart deserves to be kicked by a horse and die."

"What's with this all of a sudden?" asked a confused Ichika before turning frontwards. "But yeah, a guy like that does deserves to die."

Ichika could already hear Raiden's words speak to him if he were ever present. It would probably be along the lines of,

You already are one, you idiot!

The train soon stopped at the station to which both Ichika and Charlotte made their stop. For Charlotte however, she didn't like being played around with and kept somewhat of a mean look.

"Wait." said Ichika. "Why are you mad at me?"

Charlotte then turned around and held her hand out. "Here. I'll forgive you if you shake hands with me."

"Oh something like that? Okay." Ichika took a gentle hold of Charlotte's hand and shook it. For Charlotte, even she found it charming, her heart just did not flutter in response to Ichika's hand. It would've been much better if it with Raiden but sadly, she heard that he made a promise to Houki for going out after the tournament. Even though the two did catch up to make up time, Charlotte still wanted to be with the blind boy.

"It be bad if we lose track of each other in a city we don't know. Stay close, okay?"

Charlotte could only give a sigh and said "Blockhead." Now she really wished Raiden were here with her.

Unknown to the two, three particular girls; one a blonde British, another a brunette Chinese, and the last a silver German, were closely following them.

Meanwhile, on another side of the district, Houki and Raiden were walking together in their casual clothing. Raiden had on a black leather bomber jacket with a fur trim collar and a V-neck white shirt, black pants with two interconnecting belts, and black boots and gloves. Cuffs of fur are decorated on his wrists, neck, and right waist. The pants held a lion belt buckle around it and Raiden sport a silver lion chain necklace.

Houki wore a simple dress with thigh length black stockings, a red pleated skirt about an inch before the stockings and tied with a long red bow. She wore a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up and a white blouse underneath and to finish it off was a red bracelet on her left wrist.

Why were these two out and about and together? Oh, right. Raiden made a promise to go on a date with her, even if she didn't win and he was in a coma. Some people were eyeing on them and their reactions with mixed; some of them acknowledging this date while others questioned Raiden's blindfold.

For Houki however, she slowly began to see a side of herself that she never thought she had. One that was cute, energetic, if not a bit sexy. She found it embarrassingly initially yet grew comfortable over, thinking if Raiden likes sexy. At least she acknowledged that Raiden was not a pervert, unlike her childhood friend even if on accident.

The two came before the entrance to the shopping district. "So…I take it you thought of everything?" asked Raiden.

Houki was caught off guard and nervously said while playing with her fingers "W-Well…Yes. I-I did. Wh-Why don't we check out that store over there?"

Raiden could only smile as he and Houki entered into a store where it displayed some fine quality katana swords on display.

"Hello." said the owner at his front desk. "Looking for some fine quality katana blades?"

"Just browsing." said Raiden.

"Take your time then. We got all the finest blades that come in all shapes, sizes, and style."

Houki and Raiden looked around but along the way, Raiden accidently dropped his iron war fan that was in his inward pocket. It hit the ground with a loud thud, catching the owner's attention. Raiden picked it up yet was met with the usual glare from Houki.

"You're carrying your iron fan with you?"

"Pays to be prepared for the unexpected." said Raiden.

"Excuse me." said the owner as he asked "May I have a look at that fan of yours?"

"Sure, but be sure to give it back. That thing is precious to me." Raiden then handed the owner his iron fan to which the elderly man, looked closely at the weapon.

"I've never seen such a war fan made purely out of iron. It would take years just to fashion something like this."

"You've made war fans before?" asked Raiden.

"I have, but they're always tricky. You need to get it right or one wrong step, even the tiniest mistake, will result in failure." The owner folded the fan out briefly and then folded it back in before he handed it back to Raiden.

"Thank you for letting me examine this." said the owner.

"You're welcome. Let's go, Houki."

"Oh…yes." As soon as the two got out of the store, they saw the district busy with a lot of people. In fact, there were so many people that it would be easy to lose track of one person or the other.

"Houki…" said Raiden making the girl perk up. "We'll easily get lost in this crowd. Stay close to me, okay?"

With that said, Raiden grabbed Houki's hand gently but the girl immediately blushed and couldn't let go. Nonetheless, Houki went along and, while she was initially startled, began to feel calm as she felt the strength Raiden's hand.

Those hands…They're so strong. And big…And very gentle.

The two continued to wander around for a little while before they found themselves at a clothes shopping.

"Dammit. I forgot we have that trip. And I need swim trunks." said Raiden.

Houki immediately blushed upon hearing that, immediately thinking of Raiden's upper naked body, and said "We-Well…I don't have one either. So, let's get one then."

The two looked at a variety of swim suits before Raiden found himself in front of one of the changing rooms, waiting for Houki to emerge. He had in his arms a pair of black swim trunks and a black tank top as he merely leaned against the wall next to the changing room that Houki was in.

"D-Don't…Don't peak in here, you hear me?! If you do, you are dead!" warned Houki.

Raiden responded "I know. I'm not a pervert."

The curtain then opened and Houki came out, with Raiden widening his eyes form his blindfold and giving off a small whistle. Houki was in a two-piece white bikini as her face was burning mad with a blush.

"D-Do…Do you like?" asked the blushing girl.

The blind boy merely smiled and said "What's not to like. You look absolutely beautiful in it."

Houki could only let off a cute moan before Raiden stroked a piece of hair from her side and put it behind her ear. Some of the girls got so astonished of this sight that they began to gather one by one, ticking Houki off.

"Now then…shall I go try mine on?" asked Raiden. Houki then asked this question that made Raiden freeze in his tracks for a bit.

"M-M-Ma-May I join you?"

"What?" asked Raiden.

Houki then brushed it off and dragged Raiden back into the changing room and shutting the curtains.

"What's this about now?" asked a confused Raiden.

"W-W-W-Well…I-I wanted to see it for myself."

Raiden was only more confused before he left off a sigh and said "Alright. But turn around until I am finished okay?"

Raiden proceeded to take of his jacket and his shirt so as to put on the tank top. Houki, meanwhile, was blushing like mad and was very deep in thought.

S-Stupid! What was I thinking? Why did I drag him in here with me? I only wanted to not let the other girls have him!

Houki briefly took a peek behind her with her eyes before she reverted back as her blush continued to grow.

And yet…the thought of seeing him without his shirt is… (Houki then shakes her head) No no no! Get yourself together! You are a samurai and you shouldn't think of things like that!

Raiden then took off his pants and left his undergarments on as soon as he slipped on the trunks. He then said,

"Okay. All done."

Houki turned around and what she saw astonished her completely. Raiden was in his black swim trunks and black tank top. His muscular arms being shown which made Houki unconsciously stroke them with her arms. Raiden responded by stroking her hair and lifting her chin up while trying to keep that cool look.

"What do you think?" asked Raiden.

Houki stuttered over this and said "Y-Y-You look…sexy."

Raiden could not hear the last part and asked "What did you say?"

Houki struggled to say it again. "Y-You look…sexy."

Raiden was a little surprised yet amused. He then flirtatiously said this to Houki,

"Not sexy enough as you."

Houki could only blush redder than perhaps the reddest of all things. Her hands then reached under Raiden's arms as she unconsciously clung onto his back and stroke it, feeling all the muscles back there, while bringing herself close to Raiden. Raiden, in turn, stroked Houki's left cheek with his right arm and the two merely nuzzled each other.

But before the moment could go on, a couple of familiar voices were heard from behind.

"That voice just now, could it be…"

The curtain from behind were thrown open and Houki yelped while Raiden turned his head and had his jaw slightly dropped.

"Shinonono?! Hataru?!" asked Yamada-sensei as they were revealing more than what they had showed. The two remained in their awkward position.

"What are you two doing?" asked Chifuyu as she stared at them. Raiden could only say a few words,

"Ugh. Son of a…"

The two were then in their seating positions fully clothed in their normal clothes before they were given a lecture by Yamada-sensei.

"Now listen, even if you are classmates, a line must be drawn. Boys and girls cannot enter the changing rooms together!"

"Sorry." The both of them said.

Once Yamada-sensei was finished and took a sigh of relief, Houki and Raiden went over to the counter and paid for their stuff before exiting out of the store.

The two continued to walk before Raiden saw a jewelry store. He then requested, "Hey Houki. Can you wait for a bit? There are some things that I need to attend to."

"Oh. Uh, okay." This was perfect for Houki as she found a bench to sit on while Raiden left. She then began to reminisce her experience while embracing her blush. She could still feel Raiden's muscles on her body, the scent of his smell made her excited.

What's this feeling I have? Not just in my heart, but my whole body…I-I want more!

Meanwhile, Raiden had entered into a jewelry store and saw something that caught his eye. He saw a fox necklace that was silver yet also orange in color. The entire thing was made of silver except for the pendant itself.

"Excuse me." called Raiden to one of the people behind the table. He pointed to the necklace and asked "How much is that necklace?"

Raiden was soon finished and found Houki by the bench, still contemplating yet also waiting patiently for him. She then saw him come up to him and came to him with a smile on her face, which amused Raiden and made him happy.

"Sorry it took a while. Shall we?" asked Raiden.

Houki then said "Yes. Let's." She then wrapped her arm around Raiden's left arm as the two continued to walk around the district, visiting all sorts of places before the two settled down by a patch of grass and watch the sunset. They then had to depart back to the Academy to get ready for the trip.

"Everyone, make sure to be back at the Inn by dinnertime!" yelled Yamada-sensei.

Everyone looked out to see the beautiful view of the ocean. Ichika wore a simple blue trunks swimsuit while Raiden wore something similar but in black with a silver lion pouncing on the right side of the trunks. Also, because of the scars Raiden has, he wore a black tank top despite the hot weather.

"Hey, Orimu. Play volleyball with us. You too, Hatata." said Honne Nohotoke who was still wearing her familiar fox suit.

The word "Hatata" ticked Raiden off, making him pinch and stretch out her cheeks and say "Is my last name even Hatata?!"

Ichika could only laugh at that. Sure, Honne may act like a child every now and then but at least she was cute. Suddenly, Rin assaulted Ichika from behind and sat on top of his shoulders.

"Woah. It's so high up here. I can see all the way yonder!"

"What are you doing?! Are you a cat or something?" asked Ichika as he struggled to get Rin off.

"That looks fun!" said Honne. "I wanna do it, too!"

"Then I'm after her!" said another girl.

"I'm not a watchtower! Get off of me already!" cried Ichika.

"For now, you are. Give these girls a chance." said Raiden.

"Raiden, you're supposed to help me." retorted Ichika.

"And you're supposed to play nice." countered Raiden.

Cecilia came over with an umbrella and towel and, after seeing what Rin and Ichika were doing, only puffed her cheeks.

"What are you two even doing?" Cecilia asked.

"Can't you tell?" said Rin. "It's a mobile patrol watchtower."

Cecilia could only smile but this smile was not one of happiness. "Ichika-san, have you forgotten the promise we made on the bus?!" She then thrusted her umbrella deep into the sand before laying out her towel. She then laid on it and unclasped her bikini before handing Ichika the suntan oil.

"If you please, Ichika-san."

Rin immediately got off and asked "What are you planning on making Ichika do?"

"As you can see, I'm going to let him rub some suntan oil on me. A gentleman does not break promises he makes with a lady."

Raiden then told Ichika "She's got a point there."

"Raiden, whose side are you picking on?" asked Ichika.

"I'm on my own side, for crying out loud. Then again, I'm always on the winning side. In this case, Cecil's."

"Aww. Aniki, you're so nice." said Cecilia.

"Only to you, imouto." said Raiden with a smile.

"Oh well." said a reluctant Ichika. "I got no choice."

As Ichika put the oil on his right hand, he could only feel slightly repulsed at the texture of it. As he put it on Cecilia's back, the British blonde startled in shock.

"Ichika-san, warm it up first with your hands."

"Sorry." said Ichika as he proceeded. "I've never done anything like this before."

"Where have you been in life?" asked Raiden.

"Well…I guess I could forgive you if this is your first time." said Cecilia with a smile.

"Why do you look so happy?" asked a cranky Rin.

Ichika proceeded to rub the oil on Cecilia's back and as he did, he could only blush at what he was doing. Cecilia was not having it any better, at least for Ichika's ears. She kept on moaning and moaning since Ichika's hands, big as they are, gently massaged the back.

"Wow. She looks like she is enjoying this." commented one girl.

"It makes my heart racing faster." said another glasses girl as she brought her hands to her cheeks in amazement.

Raiden could only roll his eyes and shake his head slightly at the comments. These girls don't even know what it's like to have a man massage them.

After Ichika was finished, he asked "Am I done?"

"Actually, can you do everywhere else as well?" asked Cecilia.

"Everywhere?!" asked a startled Ichika.

"My legs and…my buttocks too."

Ichika could only gasp in shock before rescue came to him in the form of Raiden who took a hand to his shoulder.

"Let me take care of that for you, imouto. After all, a big brother has got to do something like this for his little sister, right?"

Raiden began to massage gently Cecilia's back with the suntan oil before he moved onto the shoulders and neck for massage. For Cecilia however, this was but a new experience. In fact, this was maybe ten times better than what Ichika did earlier.

From her ribcage to her armpits to her shoulder blades and even to her hips, Raiden looked as if he was a master at this and didn't hold anything back. Cecilia could only moan louder and louder, much louder than what Ichika did.

"A-A-Aniki, how are you so~~ good at this?" asked Cecilia as she struggled to speak.

"Six years with a certain Mentor of mine, you pick up a thing or two." answered Raiden. "Okay, now for the legs."

Raiden gently used the oil to massage the legs from Cecilia's thighs to her calves. Everyone else watching could only stare in amazement before Cecilia let off her loudest moan yet and merely collapsed, panting hard if not sweating a little.

"I think that'll do." said Raiden. "She's about to fall asleep anyway." Raiden turned and only saw gaping mouths directed towards him.

"What?"

A few moments and conundrums later, Raiden decided to take a swim in the ocean. Not only were his hands still smelly from the suntan oil, but also the fact that it was getting a little too hot. Taking his tank top off and storing it in his bag, he dove into the salty water before emerging out, blowing off some of the water from his mouth.

Raiden then stood up to bring his hands to his head and let his long hair flow back. He then floated in the water on his back, just trying to take in the cold water cooling him off from the hot sun. Some of the girls even saw him and many blushed at the sight of his muscular body, along with the scars.

Then, Raiden heard a scream from the beach. He goes up to the shore and sees Rin being attended to by Ichika, Cecilia, and one other girl. Everyone else just watched.

As soon as Raiden arrived with his tank top on, he asked "What happened?"

"I don't know." answered Ichika.

Raiden took a look at Rin's foot before he said "Nothing serious. Just a small cramp on the foot. Walk it off and stretch it out."

"That was quote the catastrophe, Rin. Let me wake you back to the guest house." said Cecilia.

"Huh?" asked the confused girl. "No, wait. Ichika can…"

Cecilia turned towards the other girl as they dragged Rin back to the house, the girl helplessly thrashing around and calling out to Ichika for help.

"With that much energy, I'm sure she's alright." said Ichika.

"Yeah. She'll walk it off." said Ichika.

"Ichika. Raiden. There you are." cried a familiar voice of Charlotte. She was accompanied by someone wrapped around in white cloth from head to toe with an eyepatch around the left socket. Her silver hair was also in the form of two large twin tails. Ichika could only get surprised at that while Raiden was indifferent.

Raiden only said "Charlotte, it's not Halloween yet." The French girl could only giggle at that remark.

"Come on. Show Ichika. You're fine." Charlotte said to the wrapped figure.

"I…I'll decide if I'm fine or not." said the figure whose voice was female and familiar.

"That voice. Is that Laura?" asked Ichika.

Didn't recognize the eyepatch, bozo? Thought Raiden.

"You changed into your swimsuit, so you have to show Ichika." whispered Charlotte.

"W-Wait! I need to prepare myself for this…" said the figure.

"Oh? Then I'll go ahead and play with Ichika in the ocean. Is that alright with you?"

"N-No, you can't!"

Charlotte then unwrapped Laura who was then shown in a two-piece black bikini. Immediately, she blushed heavily with a red face.

"L-Laugh at me if you wish."

"It looks good on her, doesn't it Ichika?" asked Charlotte.

"Yeah. You look cute in it."

Laura all but gasped and began to play with her fingers before monologuing to herself.

C-Cute? He just called me cute! That's the first time anyone has ever called me that.

"Come on, Ichika. The girls want to play volleyball with us." said Raiden.

"Sure. Come on, Charlotte!" called Ichika. With Charlotte, the two boys were set up on one side of the court against Honne Nohotoke and her two friends.

The ball was tossed from the other side as it came over to Charlotte before Ichika passed it over to Raiden who jumped up and spiked it, only for it to be caught and passed over to the other side.

The ball kept on going back and forth before it was spiked by one of the girls. It was too fast for anyone to track and the ball smacked into something that made Ichika and Raiden wince away.

Laura took the full brunt of the hit and merely fell back into the sand. The three came over to check on the downed German girl.

"Laura. Are you ok?" asked Ichika.

"I think she'll be fine." said Raiden. "She is a soldier after all."

"Laura, what happened?" asked Charlotte.

Laura could only stutter and say "Wh-When he said…I'm c-cute…I…"

"Were you still blushing over that?" asked Charlotte.

Laura could only look at Ichika in a much redder face than being sunburnt before she turned and ran for the ocean.

"What's wrong with her? Should we go after her?" asked Ichika.

"I think it's better if we left her alone." answered Charlotte.

"Probably wise." agreed Raiden.

Screams of delight were then heard as the trio watched to see Yamada-sensei and Chifuyu approach in their own swimsuits. Raiden could only give a small wolf whistle at the sight of his big sister. When he turned over to Ichika, he could only be aghast at his sister's sight.

"Huh. You never told me you had a sister complex." joked Raiden which frightened Ichika.

"W-W-What?! I have nothing like that!" panicked Ichika.

"Keep dreaming." said Raiden.

Honne, Chifuyu, and Yamada were set up on their side of the court while Raiden, Ichika, and Charlotte did the same. Charlotte served the ball which was caught by Yamada-sensei who awkwardly hit it back before it came to Chifuyu and she attempted to spike it but it was caught by Raiden.

The game kept on going before the teams were even with each other in terms of score. Only one point remained and then it was game. After the ball was spiked, both Ichika and Raiden saw the ball come towards the middle of their court within reaching distance of each other and both simultaneously went after it.

"I got this." said Raiden.

"No, I got it." said Ichika.

The two boys tried to dive for the ball but their heads collided with one another and they both fell, holding their heads. The ball landed and Chifuyu's team won the game by one point.

Raiden sat up and said "What the hell?! I had that, you idiot!"

"No! I had it! I called it mine!" countered Ichika.

"I called it first! Did you not hear me say it?"

"I was going after it! You should've let me handle it!"

"I could say the same for you, you dumbwit!"

The two boys stared intently at each other's eyes before they playfully tackled each other. Some of the girls gasped at the sight of the fight and neither of the combatants seemed to get under each other and slam them. Their heads were then smacked by Chifuyu on the same area where their heads collided. They could only hold it in pain as it worsened.

"Quit you two! Honestly, you're like babies fighting over a useless toy. Make up for it and move on."

"Yes, Ma'am." They both said. They then shook hands before the two laughed at their comical situation.

The rest of the afternoon played out afterwards, with some great moments here and there and some awkward instants as well. Ichika could only rest on a floaty out on the ocean while Raiden sat on a bedrock by the beach, both the boys enjoying the sun and relaxing for once in a lifetime.

Sunset had approached as Houki stood at the edge of a cliff while staring at the sight. She desperately wanted to be down by the beach and enjoy spending the time with Raiden but unfortunately, there were other things on her mind that prevented her from doing so. She then heard some footsteps and a voice come to her from behind.

"So this is where you are."

Houki turned around as Chifuyu walked up to her, making her a bit surprised.

"Chifu—Orimura-sensei."

"It seems your heart is not in the right place. What is wrong?"

"Well…"

"Is it about Tabane?" asked Chifuyu, making Houki surprised at that remark. "I called her the other day. She was not connected to Laura's VT System."

"Yes." Acknowledged Houki.

"Tomorrow's July 7th. She may show up."

Houki acknowledged it as she could clearly remember the words that Tabane had promised. However, it was not the only thing she thought of as the next words from Tabane came back to her mind.

I hope you know what you are asking for.

Houki could only turn to look at the sky and with one thought in mind.

I will protect Raiden. With this new IS. At any cost.