Well, I'm sure you are all royally pissed at my long absence, but at least it was for a good cause. I've been going through everything Infinite Stratos related, from the manga, to the anime, and through the light novels. All so I could go through this story and revise it all. Even though this fic is so popular, looking back through it there was just so much stuff that could have been improved. And so I did. I spent a lot of time redoing every chapter in this fic for massive improvement.
Now under normal circumstances I would never recommend going backwards in a story, but this story overhaul was so big that I really do think you readers should go back through it, particularly the earliest chapters. There is far more detail about the I.S. universe now, and the characters have even more in-depth thoughts and feelings than before. Also, some scenes have literally changed completely, meaning that you may be confused later in the story if you don't know what changed. If anything, it would at least give you something to do until the next update, which will take nowhere near as long as this one did, since I won't be redoing the whole story.
Under normal circumstances, Church hated waking up early in the morning. But even though he was currently rolling out of bed at seven-thirty, he was eager to start the day. After all, he was going to spend it out on the town with a bunch of girls, and on top of that he wasn't going to have to pay for much, if anything. She may have been selfish about a lot of things, but Cecilia wasn't stingy about providing for her friends, at the very least. Of course, maybe that was because she had more money than she could reasonably need for herself, or maybe she just felt good about herself when she was generous. Either way, Church was glad for it.
After they had all declined to the day before, the group of vacationing teenagers had decided on storming the city today, starting early that morning to get as much out of it as possible. Of course Ichika had been reluctant to get up early for something like this, but Church, not one to question good fortune, was perfectly willing to break his normal sleep cycle to spend the day enjoying himself with a full complement of pretty girls. He honestly didn't know how anyone could look on this situation unfavorably, especially anyone male...
Perhaps it is because he already has a girlfriend, Operator?
Digging through the clothes he owned so he could find something simple to wear, Church scoffed. Girlfriend or not, why look down on a chance to hang out with both her and four other babes?
Are boyfriends not supposed to avoid spending time with other women?
Supposedly yes, but fuck that. Besides, they're the ones going for him, not vice versa...
Since today was supposed to be a little colder than the last few had been, Church settled on a long sleeve black shirt and a pair of jeans. Less than that and he would probably be uncomfortably cold.
Really Operator? Wouldn't you rather wear something less plain?
Like what? First off, this is a casual outing. Second, I don't have anything fancier than casual clothes. It's not like I brought a damn Tuxedo on this trip.
If you say so Operator. But don't complain when you're the odd man out in the group today.
Regardless of what the girls wear, I doubt Orimura will be dressed much better than I am. In that case I won't be the only one.
With the equivalent of a mental shrug, Cerberus left the conversation at that as it dwelt on something else probably equally abstract. Church accepted this boon gratefully, but unfortunately the silence was quickly broken by a loud bang on the other side of the wall, followed by an agonized voice he recognized as Rin's.
"Dammit, why didn't I think of this before coming here?!"
Church simply stared at the wall where the noise had originated. Huh. I didn't even know her room was right next to mine.
Meanwhile, the sole occupant of this room was tossing all manner of clothing around as she tried to pick something to wear. Laura's comment yesterday about competing with her for Church's attention had kept the idea of competition on Rin's mind all night and all morning. She had originally been looking forward to going out today, but then she had remembered that she was also going to be heading out with four other girls, all of whom were, in her own opinion, prettier than she was.
With a ratio of two men to five girls, Rin figured she was least likely to be noticed by either of the former, since she was the least physically attractive. This had led her to tear through her suitcase for anything that could improve her odds against those bastards she called friends.
Not that it would be easy. Obviously Houki and Cecilia were better endowed than any of the rest of them, and even Charlotte was a step above her and Laura. But even when it came down to the two of them, Rin felt inferior to Laura somehow, even knowing that she was in fact a little bigger than the German girl was.
Maybe it was the hips? Or her willingness to get kind of flirty and bold after whatever incident had built her confidence? Rin didn't really know, but she felt that compared to the others, everyone saw her as some sort of child. She definitely had to change that.
But unfortunately for her, Rin wasn't sure how to do it. Mostly because she wasn't quite sure what she was lacking outside of the physical aspect of things. Was it her choice of clothing? Or was it perhaps her hairstyle?
With that in mind Rin stepped in front of the full-length mirror her room had, still clad in her pajamas because she hadn't decided on what to change into. She had yet to do her hair up in its normal style, so she simply used her hands to imitate the usual twin-tails and judged them critically. While she was personally biased towards favoring this hairstyle, Rin had to admit that she looked younger this way, which wasn't exactly her goal at the moment. Maybe if she had a body to match her age wearing her hair like this would be fine, but since that wasn't the case...
With a defeated sigh, the troubled girl decided to leave it down today. Whether or not it would make a noticeable difference, it couldn't hurt to try.
Even so, she still had to decide what to wear, and most of her clothes weren't incredibly flattering on her figure. Most of the casual clothing Rin owned was tomboyish in nature, revolving mostly around t-shirts and jean shorts and whatnot. In fact, her uniform might have been the only skirt she owned...
And of course, she felt the need to wear one today. Guys liked skirts because it gave them a chance to catch glimpses of forbidden places, right? Surely she'd be more noticeable in that than if she were wearing something else.
Of course, as she tore through everything she had packed in her suitcase, Rin was unable to find anything of that nature. This frustrated her enough to lift the entire thing in a burst of strength and toss it at the far wall of her room.
"Dammit! Why didn't I think about this before coming here?!"
She may have laughed if she could have seen the reaction of the boy on the other side of that wall, but as it was Rin could only glower at the now scattered pile of clothing strewn across her floor. Thankfully, her scowl quickly transformed to a victorious grin as she spotted exactly what she had been looking for lying on the room's floor.
"Oh, so I did have one! Geez, where the hell was it earlier...?"
Leaving that rhetorical question in the air, Rin quickly changed into the forest green skirt she had miraculously discovered, before coming to her next dilemma. Angling her rear end towards the mirror, she couldn't help but notice that the thing was a little shorter than it had first appeared.
"Crap... even standing straight up I can almost see my underwear. If I bent over even a little, I'd be pretty exposed..."
The thought of it almost made her ditch the idea entirely in favor of shorts or jeans, but after a few moments of thought Rin decided to stay on course. Well... I know that Church is probably a pervert, so he'd like this, right...? And Ichika may be denser than a black hole, but even he should like it a little...
Thinking about the latter's reaction, Rin soon grimaced in dismay. Actually, he'd probably just say something stupid like, 'aren't you cold like that? You should put some pants on.' God, what an oblivious moron... but I guess being noticed by at least one of the boys would be better than nothing...
Finding it kind of worrisome that she actually preferred a pervert's reaction, Rin wondered if she should just take it all the way and go all out. She wasn't all that comfortable being this bold, but if it meant outdoing the others...
With that in mind she started rummaging through the clothing strewn around, in search of one thing in particular. To be honest she wasn't sure why she had brought it along, considering that she hadn't brought its complement as well.
If there was one thing Rin actually knew she looked great in, it was the traditional Qipao Chinese dress. It was the one outfit that made her feel undeniably feminine and beautiful. Of course, the short model dress that Rin preferred had slits on the sides that exposed her legs all the way up to her hips. That being the case, when wearing that outfit she also had to wear higher-riding panties that weren't visible at her waist. It was probably the most scandalous pair she owned, even though that wasn't why it was worn in cooperation with the dress.
So, while the mere thought of it almost made Rin pass out in embarrassment, she decided to wear it with her already too short skirt. Surely one of the boys would find that sexy?
For a brief moment Rin wondered why she was trying so hard, but she remembered the moment she visualized the other girls. She was at a huge disadvantage, and had to use everything she could to even the odds, even if it meant being ridiculously risque.
Right... it's embarrassing, but... it'll be worth it if it works, right...?
Somewhat doubting that, Rin nevertheless hunted down a pair of black thigh-highs to wear, along with a long-sleeve gray shirt with dark green sleeves that exposed a little bit of midriff, and by extension, the straps of her black underwear.
Though she felt entirely out of her element, as Rin looked into the mirror again, she had to admit that she looked pretty good. Or at least, she thought she did. She'd have to wait until one of the guys saw her to find out for sure...
Thinking of what they would say or think almost made Rin change her entire outfit to something more modest, but before she could act on such a notion, someone knocked on her door.
Caught off guard while flustered, Rin fumbled for a response. "Uh, ah, what? Who is it?"
Worried that someone was going to open the door unannounced, Rin was relieved to hear Houki's ever short, blunt voice on the other side. "We're going to be leaving soon. Hurry up and get downstairs!"
Certainly not wanting to be the last one ready, Rin glanced back at the bra she had neglected to put on in her haste to put an outfit together. Then she glanced back at the mirror with a defeated look. "Ugh... not like I even need one..."
Coming to that conclusion, Rin left her room without it and headed for the lower level of the mansion. For some reason, everyone except Cecilia was already there, but Rin really only locked onto the sight of Church conversing lightheartedly with Laura, who had put her hair into short twin-tails for today's excursion. Seeing the two of them getting along so well made Rin jealous, but she decided against simply butting in like a child. She had to be above interrupting them just because they were enjoying a conversation. Besides, she didn't have any reason to be jealous of those two. It was Ichika's attention she supposedly wanted...
That being the case, Rin simply sidled over to the side of the group, where her presence was mostly ignored until Ichika caught sight of her. Unfortunately, his initial reaction was a confused frown. "Rin, what are you wearing? It doesn't suit you at all..."
Noticing Rin's immediately crestfallen expression, Charlotte inwardly cringed at her boyfriend's lack of tact. He was really, really bad at this. "I-I think she looks just fine..."
Their brief conversation distracting Church from his own, he turned to face the new commotion. Needless to say, his reaction to Rin's attire was far more positive. As Rin herself had expected, it was incredibly embarrassing to watch him scrutinize her so intently, but it also felt quite gratifying to know he was attracted to her current look enough to stare like he was.
"I think she looks great. You look really good with your hair down Rin: seems like you and Laura traded hairstyles today..."
Rin tried to mutter out a response to the compliment, but she was too flustered to do anything but stutter. She inwardly berated herself for being so pathetic, especially when the compliment was coming from the wrong male to begin with...
Either way, Rin was unable to muster any words. Thankfully, Cecilia's ever boisterous voice cut in before the Chinese girl could make a fool out of herself.
"Well now, since your hostess has finally arrived, we can all relax and enjoy ourselves! Shall we?"
Folding her arms but smiling nonetheless, Laura leaned out from behind Church's larger form to eye Cecilia at the top of the stairs in a navy blue cardigan and knee-length skirt. Her own navy blue top and jeans were a poor comparison, but she didn't care for dressing up that nicely for a casual day out. Surprisingly, she had come to find herself much more confident in appearance every time she recalled a particular individual's words to her. "Are you implying that we weren't enjoying ourselves before now?"
As if the answer was too obvious to bother giving, Cecilia simply descended to her friends' level and strode towards them with pride. "So, are we ready to go? I figured we could eat breakfast in town."
Everyone either nodded or neglected to speak dissidence, so Cecilia simply motioned for them to head out the door where the limo was waiting. Before Rin could make it out though, Cecilia leveled a glare at her.
"What? What are you staring at?"
Her cerulean eyes narrowing, Cecilia jabbed a finger at her rival. "Don't think that I don't know what you're up to, Rin. I'll admit that you've likely outdone me in apparel today, but I won't let you hog all the attention for yourself!"
While she was secretly pleased to hear Cecilia admit defeat in some sense, Rin nevertheless grimaced. "Seriously? Considering that you want all of the attention all the time, you can't let me have one day?"
Cecilia folded her arms in defiance. "Of course not! With you dressed like such a skank, one hour of attention is too risky, never mind a whole day!"
"Hold on, you just said that I had outdone you! How can you call me a skank if I dressed better than you did?!"
"Hmph. Well, if it were me, I would have managed to dress more seductively and with more class."
Now feeling quite full of herself for crushing Cecilia in this regard, Rin simply smirked at her. "Well you didn't, now did you? So you can sit in a corner and cry as Church ignores you all day for me instead."
Not bothering to mention Ichika since he would likely ignore her all day anyway (dense dumbass that he was), Rin unwittingly reduced her more mature image by sticking her tongue out at the blonde as she exited the mansion, leaving the conversation in favor of getting to their ride in time to sit where she wanted. As for Cecilia, she was left behind to merely grumble about her loss today. Still, it wasn't over yet. She had all day, and the better part of a month besides to steal someone's heart.
Either way, Cecilia could do nothing right now but follow her rival to the car so Dudley could drive them all to the town. Honestly driving seemed terribly slow and mundane to I.S. pilots, but they couldn't very well fly around in deadly war machines without authorization. Sure, I.S. were only officially used for sport, but no one was ignorant to the danger they could pose if used improperly. One powerful I.S. could decimate entire armies. That being the case, unauthorized usage of I.S. anywhere could cause widespread panic and even hostile response.
Of course, Cecilia herself, as England's Representative Candidate, actually could pilot Blue Tears in her home country without fear of reprisal. She and her machine were registered for flight authorization anywhere in England's airspace, just like the other Representatives were for their own.
So technically Cecilia could have been in town in mere minutes, but since she would much rather spend an hour in the car with two boys she was heavily infatuated with (albeit to different extents), she rejected the idea without much effort.
Unfortunately for the blonde, anywhere that she might have wanted to sit was taken. The limo had two long booth seats that faced each other from the front and back. Church had elected to sit in the front, while Ichika had sat in the back. And since everyone else had gotten there before Cecilia did, both boys were already flanked on both sides. Naturally, Charlotte was right next to Ichika (the two seemed nearly inseparable these days, much to Cecilia's chagrin), but she was surprised to see Rin on the other side of him. She had expected her to steal a spot next to Church instead, but then again, he was already flanked by both Laura and Houki.
Why the latter was next to him instead of Ichika, Cecilia had no idea. As far as she knew Houki really didn't interact with Church all that much: but she did look a little upset, so maybe she was mad at Ichika for something?
Either way, Cecilia grumbled in disappointment as she was forced to take a seat next to one of the girls instead. In the end she chose to sit next to Charlotte: at least that way she could be across from the guy most likely to actually pay decent attention to her.
With everyone now ready to depart, the elderly Dudley stepped into the driver's seat and began the hour long drive towards their destination for the day.
As for Church, this was the perfect opportunity to exploit. With Houki right beside him, Cerberus was free to scan Akatsubaki's standby mode once again. While they had acquired a decent amount of data the day before, there was plenty more to discover.
Cerberus, since we have such a golden opportunity here, gather as much data as you can on Houki's I.S. And if you can manage it, go ahead and scan Laura's as well. I'm sure the Commander will appreciate both.
Cerberus seemed mildly offended at 'if you can manage it,' but nevertheless began its appointed task without dissent. This left Church to focus on far more pleasant matters, namely conversing with the many pretty girls within five feet of him.
Being one of the most talkative of the bunch, Cecilia jumped on the opportunity to start a conversation with him, faster than anyone else who may have wanted to. Of course, even though Rin was one of the latter, she was too embarrassed to speak to him at the moment anyway. Being right across from Church, she felt exposed to his gaze even though he wasn't looking at her. That being the case, she didn't want to call his attention to herself just yet. She needed to psych up first. Needless to say, she was inwardly regretting going bra-less today, as it did nothing to help calm her nerves.
"So Church, despite how well we've all gotten along so far, it just occurred to me that we really don't know all that much about you. That seems like a terrible sin to me, so wouldn't you like to share a bit about yourself?"
Church fought down a grimace as he watched practically everyone, even Ichika, glance at him curiously. Now that Cecilia had mentioned it, everyone realized that they really didn't know much about their American visitor at all. Even Church himself now found himself shocked to acknowledge that no one had truly questioned him until now.
Worry not Operator, it is unlikely they want to know anything other than some personal information.
While Cerberus was likely correct, Church couldn't help but feel anxious now. Conversations had a way of evolving as they progressed. There was no guarantee that a dangerous question wouldn't crop up somewhere.
Even so, he couldn't just tell them no. That would have raised far too many suspicions. "Sure. What kind of questions do you have?"
Cecilia had apparently planned this conversation out fairly well, because she spent no time at all thinking about her question. "Well, I've been wondering ever since I met you, but surely Church isn't your first name, right?"
Oh God no...
Rin perked up as Cecilia began this tangent. Her curiosity on this matter was enough to quell her embarrassment. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I don't think you've told any of us your first name. Why not?"
Church tried to think of some excuse to get him out of answering this particular question, but couldn't think of any. Unfortunately, Cerberus' attempts to help did the exact opposite.
Operator, surely you haven't forgotten your own name. It's P-
I know what my God damn name is!
With his unwillingness to answer apparent to everyone, Cecilia couldn't hold back a small grin. "Aw, if it's something embarrassing you don't have to worry. We won't laugh you know."
Church stared her down. "I don't believe you."
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad! Just tell us!"
Eager to dissuade everyone from this course, Church folded his arms as he delivered his ultimatum. "The only way I'll tell any of you is if one of you tells me something completely humiliating about yourself in exchange."
This put a grimace on the face of almost every girl in the vehicle. No one wanted to reveal anything too embarrassing to a man...
"I accidentally called Chifuyu 'mother' not once, but twice during my training with her."
The entire car fell silent as they turned their gazes to Laura, whose expectant expression was on Church alone. "Well? There you go. It's your turn now."
Church's eyebrow twitched as he glared down at the seemingly innocent German girl beside him.
What the fuck?! Why on earth was she so damn eager to share just so she could get this out of me?!
Glad that she had not been the one to reveal anything, Rin leaned forward to eye the man across from her. "Well, a deal's a deal. C'mon Church, you are a man of your word, right?"
Gritting his teeth, Church inwardly contemplated how he would get Laura back for this. He was too fond of her to do anything truly horrible, but still, he couldn't let this crime go without vengeance. Either way, he did say that he would tell them under these circumstances... with a sigh, Church resigned himself to the no doubt inevitable howling laughter that would follow his revelation.
"Alright alright, fine... since you persistent jackals won't let it rest... it's Pe-"
As if by divine intervention itself, the utterance of Church's name was cut off by a painfully loud squeal from the limousine's brakes as it came to a complete stop in mere seconds. Needless to say, the sudden, drastic shift in momentum also threw everyone in the back seat towards those in the front. Despite the training they all had, everything happened much too fast for anyone to think about conscious reaction. Church himself simply threw his hands up in reflex as Rin came flying at him.
Her impact was surprisingly soft, or perhaps she had just been going much slower than she had looked, but either way, Church suffered no injury as he now cradled the girl he had caught on reflex. And while his azure gaze was locked with her own shocked emerald stare, Church managed to mentally note many pleasant things about this situation through his other senses.
The first thing he noticed was that his hands had managed to latch themselves onto Rin's upper thighs when she came at him. By extension, the first thing he noticed was that she was pleasantly soft and warm. There was nothing perverted to this notion, unlike all of the other things Church noticed afterwards, such as the position Rin's body was in relation to his own.
She had practically fallen on top of his right leg, which was now firmly nestled in between her thighs. The mere thought of it was almost enough to allow Church to ignore everything else, but he couldn't help but feel her chest pressed against his own, and the fact that she was missing a particular item of clothing under that long-sleeve shirt of hers.
While those things primarily dominated Church's attention, some small part of him also noted that she smelled rather nice -a little like orchids, maybe- and that their lips had been brought incredibly close together by this sudden situation.
For a moment, Church was worried that Rin would simply panic and punch him in the face, but she honestly didn't seem like she was going to. Maybe it was just because she was still in shock at having been put into a compromising situation so suddenly.
You know Cerberus, not that you care, but Rin has really sexy eyes...
You're right Operator, I really don't.
Before either one of them could think to break their sudden intimate embrace, the moment was disrupted by the people who had also been thrown into one another on the left and right, though in much less scandalous ways.
Ichika had managed to bury his face directly into Houki's lap, while Cecilia had landed on top of a rather irritated Laura. The former was quick to shove Ichika off of her, while the latter was helpless under the crushing weight of Cecilia's breasts.
"If England is still mad about the Blitz, this is not the way to get us back..."
With such a comment effectively ruining the strange mood between the only embracing duo in the car, Rin immediately came to her senses as she bolted off of the man below her, blushing furiously all the while as she retreated. Charlotte, who had miraculously avoided being thrown into anybody, did not miss any of this as she looked up from her now prone position on the floor.
As for Cecilia, she shoved herself off of Laura's small body, irritably shoving open the door the limo to lean out and shout at the driver. "Dudley, what on earth-! What... a sheep crossing?! Are you kidding me?!"
While he was still suffering from a major distraction in what had just happened between himself and Rin, Church realized that the Chinese girl probably needed a quick breather, specifically one were he acted like nothing weird had happened and didn't look in her direction.
That being the case, he decided to look outside of the limo alongside Cecilia, where he spotted a decent-sized herd of sheep blocking the road they were on. They weren't really moving so much as just standing around.
Cecilia seemed immensely irritated with this situation. "Where on earth is the shepherd?! Who lets their livestock roam around like this?!"
Not wanting her to pop a blood vessel or anything, Church stepped out of the vehicle and proceeded towards the small herd. "Calm down Cecilia, I'm sure we can persuade them to move."
With half a mind to mobilize her sniper rifle, Cecilia merely grumbled after him. "Hmph, maybe if I turned them into lunch..."
Aside from that, Church could hear Houki yelling at Ichika, telling him to get outside and help with the sheep, but Church ignored that in favor of kneeling in front of the first animal he reached. The dumb creature locked eyes with the boy next to it, at which point Church jokingly spoke to the thing, thanking it for the role it had played in putting a cute girl in his arms.
"I owe you one, Lamb Chop. High-five?"
The sheep blinked once before bleating at him and walking away, with a fair number of its herd following suit.
"I'll take that as a 'you're welcome.'"
An hour later, the group of young teens had finally reached their destination. Shooing away the sheep from earlier had only taken about ten minutes, so they weren't too far behind schedule. Fortunately everyone had apparently forgotten about Church divulging his name after the incident, but unfortunately, Church had noticed that Rin had been incredibly uncomfortable the entire ride, having barely spoken a word to anyone, especially him. This was upsetting for Church because he definitely wanted to spend some time with the girl while they were in town that day.
This seemed to be an unlikely prospect for now, because even as the group stepped out of Cecilia's limo, Rin purposefully put several of her friends between her and Church, much to his dismay.
Damn, is she really that bothered by it? It's not like it was my fault...
As always, Cerberus was not willing to stay quiet. Perhaps not, but neither did you apologize for essentially molesting her Operator.
Of course not! I'm not going to apologize for something like that! First of all I don't regret it in the least, secondly there was literally nothing I could have done about it!
Whatever you prefer, Operator. I am merely pointing out that she probably doesn't desire to be touched that way by you.
Glaring over at Ichika, who was busy saying something to Charlotte, Church scowled. Yeah... for some reason she'd rather have that dork do it. What does everyone see in him anyway?
Oh my Operator, are you jealous? Would you like a swooning harem of your own?
You idiot, what guy wouldn't?
While it had been in a joking mood until now, Cerberus was quick to speak seriously on the matter. Operator, I must advise you against developing any type of affection for these girls. The chances of your mission pitting you against them in potentially lethal combat is very high.
This only made Church's scowl deepen even further, though it was now for more valid reasons. It had only been a few weeks since he had arrived at the I.S. Academy, and now more than ever his mission seemed like some eventual evil that he just wanted to ignore. Walking around with these people, befriending them, knowing that they trusted him even though he was just here to undermine them... it was becoming harder and harder for Church to accept this reality.
Despite how deeply occupied he was by these thoughts, Church's attention was called back to his surroundings when he felt someone grab a hold of his right arm. Glancing over (and down) at the perpetrator, Church locked eyes with a rather happy looking Laura. The notion of spending the entire day with him in town seemed to please her greatly.
Damn it, don't look at me like that... I don't deserve that at all...
Still, he wasn't going to tell the girl to get off of him, especially since he enjoyed her presence despite his own misgivings. That being the case, Church merely turned his attention back to the group, in time to hear Ichika question their hostess about their current location. "Cecilia, this town looks kind of weird. Where are we?"
With mostly unneeded flair, Cecilia introduced the town that was going to be their playground for the day. "Why, this is Bath. Famous for its natural hot springs and, as you can see, beautiful Georgian architecture. It's quite amazing isn't it?"
To Cecilia's chagrin, everyone just looked confused, though Charlotte voiced it first. "Well, it is pretty, but why is it named Bath? Isn't that a little too literal?"
Their blonde hostess folded her arms defiantly. "It was named that long before it could be taken literally!"
Leaning past Church's body to look at Charlotte, Laura decided to side against her. "Isn't there a town in France named Mariol?"
The mention of that particular town caused Charlotte to sigh in defeat, though no one else knew why. Naturally, Ichika decided to ask. "What does Mariol mean?"
"Ah, well... d-dumbass..."
"W-why are you calling me that?! It was just a question Charl..."
"No, I mean the name of the town is... y'know... literally 'dumbass'. B-but hey, you have no right to talk Laura! Germany has a town named uh, well... F-bomb Mills!"
While Church merely cocked an eyebrow at the French girl too innocent (at least in that regard) to use the F-word, Laura did not seem at all bothered by the blonde's very fair point. "Ah yes, Fickmühlen. Even now I still wonder who named that one."
Apparently a little irritated with the current conversation, Houki plowed it over. "Can we please get back on task and do something other than discuss silly names? I would very much like to eat breakfast at some point."
Deciding that was indeed a better course of action than the current discussion, Cecilia wasted no time in rounding up her friends and leading them off into Bath in search of a somewhat classy establishment to eat breakfast. Being a popular tourist location, the town itself was quite crowded, but even so Cecilia somehow managed to part groups of people with ease. Maybe they were able to recognize their own wealthy countrymen? Even so, the group as a whole had to walk pretty close together, not that Church found this problematic at all. Laura was even taking advantage of it to walk even closer to him.
Unfortunately Rin was not, but that still wasn't enough to completely dampen Church's mood. Unfortunately Cerberus was quick to rectify that.
Operator, have you not thought to question why Bodewig has been getting so close to you lately? It's an awfully big turnaround from the way she initially treated you.
What are you talking about Cerb? She obviously likes me, what is there to question?
Did we not just discuss why it was a bad idea to get so deeply ingrained with these people?
Church made sure to keep any negative expression from his face. Which is why I haven't pulled her off to the side and said 'hey, I like you too, want to go make out?' Look, I know damn good and well that relationships like that are the worst possible idea during this mission. That's why I won't act on any of their feelings no matter how obvious they are. Heck, it's even pretty clear that Cecilia's developed a thing for me, but I promise you nothing around here will be reciprocated.
Oh really? What if it were Chifuyu Orimura in question?
The mention of said woman brought forth a very particular image of her in Church's mind, but thankfully he managed to avoid making any suspicious expressions. First off, that would literally never, ever happen. Second, on the practically infinitesimal chance that it did, then I would abandon this mission without hesitation.
That is really not comforting to hear Operator...
Ignoring the machine from that point forward, Church's attention was once again called to the feeling of Laura's light grip on his arm. Glancing at the ridiculously adorable girl at his side, and knowing that she felt something for him one way or another, he couldn't help but feel bad about having to ignore it. Especially since he definitely would have reciprocated those feelings without regret if the circumstances weren't what they were. Still, even if he couldn't afford to get dragged into a relationship with anyone, he could at least make them laugh and smile. They deserved that much, when he considered how much pain he'd could potentially inflict on them if his true motives were discovered.
Doing his best to ignore the dire thoughts plaguing him, Church made every effort to maintain a semblance of satisfaction and happiness as he followed Cecilia throughout Bath with the others. Unfortunately this attitude was only skin-deep, because every time one of the girls smiled at him he felt only guilt. Thankfully, as Cecilia led them into a well-established traditional cafe, it was easier to ignore the things on his mind. After all, as the group was led to a table large enough for all of them (the wait time was suspiciously short), Church was occupied with thoughts of what he'd want to eat.
But before he could even do that, he was struck with the odd nature in which the girls were situating themselves: mostly because Charlotte seemed to be directing it for some reason. The French blonde was organizing the seating arrangement with an innocent smile on her face, but with too much force to be easily ignored. For some reason she seemed intently focused on seating Rin in a particular spot, as she was holding the Chinese girl back with some mindless talk about what she should try for breakfast.
This was made even more obvious as Cecilia tried to sit on one side of Church (Laura had taken the other side already), only for Charlotte to 'accidentally' bump their hostess into the next seat over before forcing Rin to take her place, despite the brunette's protests. Needless to say, it was painfully obvious that Charlotte was trying to orchestrate something, much to both Rin and Cecilia's chagrin.
Still, it would have been rude to make a fuss over the situation after the fact, So Cecilia didn't make any move to take her place back, even as Charlotte retreated to a seat next to Ichika.
As for Church, he was painfully aware that Rin did not want to be this close to him. She looked like she would have much rather been on the opposite end of the table, or even outside of the cafe itself. Needless to say this made Church kind of miserable, since this was the first time Rin had ever acted like she wanted nothing to do with him.
Attempting to bury his sorrows by reading the menu that was placed before him, Church more or less ignored the conversation that engulfed the rest of the group. Unfortunately he was not entirely keen on what would have been a good choice for breakfast around here. Culturally he knew nothing about England's food. That being the case, he decided to question the only native at the table.
"Uh, Cecilia? Any suggestions for breakfast?"
"But of course! The most popular choice is the full English breakfast, but you could also go for bagels and salmon, or maybe porridge. Oh! Or how about a bacon sandwich?"
Unable to discern what a full English breakfast even consisted of and unwilling to try salmon for breakfast (or porridge for that matter), Church decided on that last option. After all, a bacon sandwich sounded like the most American option.
So in the end he went with that, while everyone else selected options that may have been closer to their own tastes. Cecilia had naturally selected the full breakfast, while Charlotte went with croissants and coffee. The Japanese members of the table went with salmon (because it was closest to their own cuisine perhaps?), and Laura went with a Danish pastry, which made a fair bit of sense. As for Rin, she had gone with something called eggs Benedict; if Church had to guess why, it was because she wanted the hollandaise sauce, which probably offered a less bland alternative to the other breakfast options.
While Ichika and Houki both quietly muttered 'itadakimasu' before they began eating, the rest of the group didn't bother. After all, they weren't in Japan, and by extension there was no need to apply their cultural norms, even though the entire group (Church excluded) had gotten used to it during their stay at the Academy.
That being the case they all dug into their food, but practically everyone except Cecilia was forced to hold back varying expressions of distaste. Having selected foods somewhat close to their own favored cuisine, Charlotte and Laura looked the least displeased (actually Laura looked entirely indifferent), but their Asian counterparts all seemed put off by their food. Even Houki felt the need to voice her thoughts.
"Why... why is it so bland...?"
Nodding to himself even as he ate, Ichika replied as quietly as possible to avoid Cecilia overhearing him. "I guess they'll be winning that award again this year..."
Too polite to actually say anything rude about her meal, Charlotte merely glanced over at Laura. "H-how is yours, Laura?"
The German girl cocked an eyebrow at the question. "I don't understand the question. As a soldier I do not question the quality of food: I am simply thankful to have any."
Church couldn't help but think that this was likely a notion drilled into the girl's head by Chifuyu, but he didn't say anything to refute her words. Instead, he merely looked over at Rin, who was judging her own food with the critical eye of a chef. He could hear her mumbling to herself about it.
"The flavors are used all wrong, geez... without the sauce the rest of this would just be bland and boring..."
Glancing over at Cecilia, Church noticed that she seemed too enraptured with her own meal to even hear any of the others. Maybe she was just happy to eat something familiar again?
Either way, since he had yet to bite into his own sandwich, Church decided to give the English cuisine the benefit of the doubt. After all, maybe everyone else was biased because they were used to way different foods? Being American Church felt that his country's cuisine should have been somewhat similar. Furthermore, he was just eating bread and bacon: how could that possibly go wrong?
Unfortunately, it could. It definitely could. As he bit into his own choice of breakfast, Church was not bombarded with the savory flavor of the bacon he was used to. For some reason the flavor was just entirely basic.
How... how could anyone mess up bacon of all things? I didn't think that was physically possible...
Filled with nigh delusional disappointment, Church turned to Rin, for a moment forgetting that she was more or less trying to ignore his existence. "Rin..."
Having not expected him to speak to her at all for most of the day, never mind during breakfast, Rin's immediate reaction was to stare wide-eyed at the man next to her. "H-huh...?"
Still too crushed by his tasteless sandwich to take note of Rin's reaction, Church continued his thought. "When we get back to the mansion tonight, could you maybe cook something for me? If we're going to have to eat stuff like this all day, I think I'll need something actually good to maintain my sanity..."
While making eye contact with the man who had held her in his arms earlier made Rin too flustered and embarrassed to even think straight, she couldn't help but note that he was viewing her food (though he had only tried it once) as some sort of wonderful salvation from horrible cuisine. That meant he really liked her cookinh, right? Enough to ask her to cook for him again?
While that made her superbly happy, Rin still couldn't formulate some sort of response. Because even as she felt a surge of joy at someone asking her specifically to cook for them, she couldn't help but remember that Church had been half an inch away from fondling her butt earlier that morning, and that she had pressed her practically naked chest against him, and that their lips had been right next to each other... and that she had locked eyes with him for such a long time...
With the flustering experience coming back to her in explicit detail, Rin couldn't manage any response at all, so she simply got up from the table in an attempt to escape. Naturally her friends were confused, but Cecilia was the first to call out to her. "Rin, where are you going? Is something wrong?"
"I-I-I-I'm just going outside for a second!"
"For what?"
Wanting to get away as quickly as possible, Rin threw aside politeness in favor of speeding up her escape. "I feel kinda sick so I'm going outside for a second!"
Considering that there was no way she could have missed this insult, Cecilia folded her arms indignantly as her Chinese friend quickly stepped out of the cafe. "How unbelievably rude! Who could possibly insult such fine food?"
There were several shared looks of amusement between everyone else at the table, as well as some suspicious coughing from Houki. Even so, Cecilia was oblivious to all of it.
As for Church, he felt like he had just suffered a mortal blow. A girl had literally just run away from him. That was just too painful. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually regret what happened earlier at this point...
Since it was obvious that she wanted to be alone for a moment, no one made any move to go after Rin, instead choosing to continue their meal. Unfortunately it was a little awkward now, though as always Laura seemed indifferent to the atmosphere. That being said, she seemed to realize something as she was eating, at which point she leaned over to whisper to Church.
"You know, I had forgotten until now, but you never did tell me your name."
Church considered choking on his food and dying, since he had hoped no one would remember this today. At the moment it was a very viable option.
"So, you are going to tell us now, right? You gave your word earlier."
Seeing as how none of the other girls were aware of the conversation they were having, Church did his best to minimize his losses. "L-Laura... if I just tell you, that will be enough, right...?"
The girl thought on it for a moment, possibly just trying to make Church squirm, but in the end she agreed with his plea. "Alright. That is acceptable."
"And you won't share it with everyone else the moment I tell you?"
"You have my word."
Church had half a mind to make her promise she wouldn't laugh as well, but he knew that was likely pointless. So with palpable reluctance he leaned closer to the girl at his side to make doubly sure that no one else heard him utter his hated first name.
To her credit, Laura managed to keep a straight face for a few moments, but she quickly broke down into a quiet fit of suppressed giggles, resulting in a furious glare from the man beside her. Dammit, I thought her of all people would be the least likely to laugh!
Seeing that Church was not at all happy about her reaction, Laura tried to console him, though she was still smiling. "Don't worry, it's a very noble name. I believe a very famous knight once had it."
If that was supposed to make him feel better, it didn't. Especially since Laura was still fighting down a fit of laughter. Supremely irritated by this, Church rose from the table.
"I'm uh, going to make sure Rin isn't actually sick or anything. She's been out there for a while, after all."
While most of the others simply nodded, for some reason Charlotte gave him a discreet thumbs-up. What was her deal today...?
Wasting no time in escaping, Church inwardly lamented this turn of events. With his luck Laura would never be able to hold another conversation with him with a straight face.
I can't believe this... of all the secrets I didn't want to reveal, that was number one.
Even more than our mission, Operator?
Way more than the stupid mission!
But it was out of the bag now, so Church simply sighed and actually looked around the streets of Bath for Rin. She had been gone for nearly ten minutes, after all. Strangely, she was not close to the cafe her friends were eating at. In fact, Church didn't immediately see her anywhere. It wasn't until Cerberus scanned the area and pointed her out to him that Church laid eyes on her, and the situation she was in.
You've got to be kidding me... isn't this scene straight out of a romantic anime or something?
Some ways down the street, Rin had her back against a wall as two taller boys were accosting her. She looked more angry than uncomfortable, but there wasn't really anything she could do to make the two strangers back off. After all, using her I.S. in a situation like this would have had huge backlash from her sponsors, and even if she simply punched one of the guys harassing her in the face, such actions could result in her position as Representative Candidate being stripped from her. Neither of these consequences were something she was willing to endure.
While he was flabbergasted as to how such a stereotypical situation had arisen, Church nevertheless found himself very irritated. Those shit-faced bastards were much too close to Rin for him to be comfortable. Not to mention the fact that she was clearly uncomfortable as well, which made him angry.
Operator, it seems to me you may be jealous. Is this really something you should interfere in?
Not deigning the machine with a response, Church stalked towards the scene before him, thinking about how he would resolve it. Since he was not an I.S. pilot who had to worry about social standing and records, he could have easily assaulted these assholes with abandon. As long as he got away before someone called the cops, he'd be fine. But that path would have caused a lot of unnecessary trouble for his friends, and likely ruin their day as well. No, he could probably handle this with words alone.
Then again, when he heard the voices of Rin's harassers as he drew closer, Church seriously considered physical violence as a means of rectification.
"C'mon, an exotic eastern chick like you needs a guide around here, right?"
"Forget it mate, she probably doesn't even know what we're saying. Let's just pay her, she'll probably come along."
With his ability to detect the Church's emotions through the chemicals running through his body, Cerberus made sure to at least try and keep his human partner in line. Operator, please refrain from snapping that particular meatbag's neck. The publicity would not be very good for you.
Despite how much he may have wished to do just that, Church nevertheless agreed with his A.I. companion, so instead of ramming his fist into that guy's spleen, he simply shoved his way in-between the two of them to reach Rin, who he then wrapped an arm around. The girl hadn't seen him coming, so she was just as surprised as the strangers that were harassing her.
Of course, if she seemed surprised by Church's sudden appearance and proximity to her, Rin was absolutely shocked when he spoke his first words. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't harass my girlfriend."
My God Operator, I could literally pull up dozens of anime or manga series that have used this super cliche scenario.
I know, but what else am I supposed to do?
You could have said she was your sister.
No one with half a brain could mistake us for siblings!
With his internal conversation heard only by him, and with Rin unable to say anything at all as she inwardly freaked out at being called someone's girlfriend, the two boys who had been messing with her gave Church looks of disbelief.
"Seriously mate, you think we haven't heard that one before? I bet you don't even know this girl! Stop playing the hero and get out of the way, we saw her first."
Damn, the only thing worse than assholes is 'smart' assholes. Now what?
Surprisingly, Cerberus was there to offer a valuable suggestion. If you wish to avoid confrontation and resolve it with this current lie, then you must simply sell it further. Do something you would never do to a girl you didn't know.
While he inwardly admitted that this was good advice, it nevertheless left Church hanging. The only way he could further build the impression that Rin was his girlfriend, considering that he already had an arm around her, was to either kiss her or touch her inappropriately. And he didn't quite know which one was preferable.
If he operated under the assumption that Rin was still a make-out virgin, then she would likely be absolutely livid to have her first kiss taken in such a manner. On the other hand, he had already accidentally gotten pretty frisky with her earlier...
Alright then, I guess today we're going two for two!
Doing his best to look completely confident even though he was in internal disarray, Church reached the arm he had around Rin's shoulders to her chest, simultaneously groping the girl and pulling her closer to him. Too absolutely stunned to say anything, Rin nevertheless released a very slight moan that came immeasurably close to making Church lose his cool. Thankfully he managed to look smug and confident just long enough to deliver his final defense.
"Trust me, Rin is my girlfriend. So make yourselves scarce."
Unwilling to think that this guy before them would molest some stranger he didn't know, the two boys that had been messing with Rin simply expressed looks of defeat and displeasure before moving off to probably do the exact same thing to another girl that looked like a tourist. The moment they turned their eyes away from them, Rin shook Church off of her before turning her back to him completely. As expected, her voice came out as a mix of accusation, disbelief, and embarrassment.
"Ch-Chu-Church, y-y-y-you... y-you-!"
Doing his best to quell the surging pleasure he felt from having gotten so physical with Rin, Church tried to sound apologetic. "I'm sorry, but it was the only way I could think of to get those guys away without being violent..."
"B-but, you, y-y-you, twice today..."
"Rin, calm down. It wasn't even-"
As he started this sentence, Rin turned in fury to glare at her rescuer. "Not even what?! You were going to say that it wasn't even worth it, weren't you?! So I guess you didn't feel anything at all huh, because I'm so damn flat! You bastard, I-"
Not even sure how Rin had jumped to this conclusion, Church tried to defuse the situation, though he was now confused. At first she was mortified that he had touched her, but now she was angry because she thought he hadn't derived pleasure from it? "H-hey, I didn't say any of that! Aren't you assuming a little too much?!"
"Hardly! It's obvious that the reason you were able to do something like that was because you didn't see it as any different than grabbing a guy, right?! Isn't that it?!"
Kind of irritated that Rin was angry with him instead of grateful for saving her, Church raised his voice as well. As for him, saying such things so loudly was not a good idea, but it didn't occur to him that he was speaking without much tact. "No, that isn't right at all! I mean for God's sake, none of what you're saying even makes sense, you aren't that small! I mean I can clearly see the curve of your breasts through your shirt right now, and trust me, there was plenty to grab hold of just then! I thought it was amazing, so your accusation is totally mistaken!"
Only realizing the blunt nature of his own words after he said them, Church was afraid that Rin would draw a Dragon Cannon on him, but her reaction was actually stunned silence alone. Well, that and an even more prominent blush than before as she stared directly at the man before her. Still, it didn't seem like a negative reaction, especially as Rin actually weaved her hands behind her in a fidgety manner, even as she pushed her chest out a bit more.
"S-so... you don't think they're... too small?"
Church was unsure of how he should answer this at first. This was probably the most sexually straightforward conversation he had ever had with a girl, and it had literally come out of nowhere.
Wait, is this a trap? Will she get mad if I compliment her like this?
It is, Operator. It definitely is.
Aware that Cerberus was only trying to dissuade him from developing certain ties to the people around him, Church decided to simply be honest, though it was hard to get the words out. "W-w-well... I mean, I think they're, y'know... r-really nice..."
Damn, I always thought I was pretty smooth with girls, but this is super awkward! How am I supposed to tell a girl to her face that I think she has nice boobs, huh?!
While inwardly distraught, Church couldn't ignore the fact that Rin seemed really happy, if also incredibly embarrassed. Based on what he could see through her shirt, she was apparently also excited. "I-i-is that so? T-that's really... um..."
Seeing as how they were coming to an irreconcilable awkward silence, Church quickly cut in before it reached that level. "Y-y'know, we should probably get back to the cafe... the others are probably wondering where we are..."
In an effort to force Rin along with him, Church turned on his heel and began walking back to the cafe, but he was stopped when she felt Rin grab onto his arm. "Ah, Church..."
"Y-yes?!"
"While we're in town today, I'll see if I can find the ingredients to make you some Xiaolongbao when we get back to the mansion... I think you'll like them."
Though he had no idea what those were, Church had no doubt that anything Rin made for him would be delicious. That being the case, he simply nodded his thanks to her as they returned to the cafe were the others had last seen them. As for Church, he had no other choice but to withstand the enthralled gaze of the girl next to him for the rest of the morning.
Tabane Shinonono had sequestered herself within the room she was housing Exeter in since yesterday. While it may have seemed that she was just doing her best to repair the Exeter suit, she was actually just hiding from Chifuyu: the woman had leveled a never before seen amount of anger and indignation at her genius friend, so much that even Tabane felt slightly threatened by her. She and Chifuyu were on near equal terms as far as skill went, but Tabane didn't really want to test her luck if Chifuyu snapped at some point.
Honestly, Tabane couldn't see why the woman was so angry. She had low-key complained about a lack of a relationship several times over the years: practically every time she said she could have been married already if not for how busy she was. Of course Tabane doubted Chifuyu was actually ready for anything that serious, but she could tell that her friend wouldn't have minded a relationship of some sort.
Of course, Tabane firmly believed that Chifuyu would need help in that regard. The eldest Orimura sibling had been isolated and unapproachable even when she was young. As the one who had to provide for both herself and her little brother, Chifuyu had always taken everything about life very seriously. She had always been too focused on her work to think about relationships or even relaxing more than once or twice a year, if that.
To some extent, Tabane believed that was why the two of them had become friends in the first place. Though Tabane herself had been marginally more serious back then as well, she had still been more carefree than Chifuyu, who may have allowed Tabane to befriend her for the sake of enjoying her attitude because she couldn't employ it herself. A de facto enjoyment of the carefree, expressed through another person.
Either way, it was unlikely that Chifuyu would ever be able to land a serious romantic partner as she was currently. Though Ichika could to some extent take care of himself by now, Chifuyu had been playing a caretaker role for so long that her personality had been set in stone. Despite how beautiful she was, there were very few men who would be content to live with a woman of such... brusque personality.
Besides, Chifuyu's job meant she interacted with very few men in the first place, so Tabane had taken it upon herself to rectify the situation. Granted, she didn't know much about human relations in the first place, but Tabane did know a lot about Chifuyu specifically, and she knew how to break her down.
The first step was to select a viable target for her affections. That had been easy, as there were only two males Chifuyu interacted with on a level beyond strangers: Ichika and Church. For reasons that were obvious even to a social ditz like Tabane, the first boy was not an option, so that only left her with the second. And despite the fact that she was still suspicious of the boy, Tabane was able to separate that from her nefarious schemes.
Either way, it was convenient to start with. Chifuyu wasn't the type of woman to just hook up with any kind of man. She would only ever consider someone of a certain caliber. And thanks to his actions during the Crucible incident, Tabane knew that Chifuyu was already quite partial to the American boy. Of course there was the age thing to consider, especially since Chifuyu herself found issue with it, but in the end Tabane was sure she could overcome that obstacle.
That being said, the second step was to break down Chifuyu's very formidable emotional walls. It was more of an emotional fortress really, but either way Tabane knew she could chip away at it a little bit at a time, hence why she had pulled the stunt that had infuriated Chifuyu in the first place. More than that though, Tabane knew it embarrassed her, which was incredibly rare for the woman. Once Church returned to the Academy, Chifuyu wouldn't be able to even look at him without feeling embarrassed, and by extension, vulnerable. Making her feel exposed to certain emotions she was unused to was the most important part of Tabane's plans to make her happy in the long run. Sure, she didn't appreciate it now, but Tabane was sure her dear Chi-Chan would thank her one day.
Lost in these musings, Tabane almost didn't notice that the Exeter suit she was working on had just moved on its own accord. It had been little more than a twitch, but the machine had definitely moved.
Taking a step back from the thing, Tabane simply smiled as she watched the metal exoskeleton sit up on its own. She didn't know if she had reactivated something herself or if it had simply been returned to a self-functioning state, but either way the machine seemed to be following a certain protocol now. As the thing planted its heavy feet on the floor, its head mechanically scanned the room before it, before going completely still for a few moments. It seemed to be processing something.
Continuing to merely watch in curiosity, Tabane stepped aside when the machine walked towards her, because it was actually just trying to walk to the door to the maintenance room. It stopped at the metal sliding door, at which point Tabane thought it might actually open it correctly. But a moment after that thought, the Exeter suit punched a hole through the steel before pushing it apart to an extent wide enough to get through. It then proceeded to walk down the hall, where Tabane lost sight of it from the room she was in.
A few moments later she heard another sound of destruction, along with that of engines being activated. Huh. Chi-Chan is gonna be really pissed about another wall.
Somewhere in the waters of the Pacific Ocean near Japan, an unmarked submersible was scanning the ocean floor with a powerful searchlight. This vehicle was operating in absolute secrecy. There was only one man on the entire Earth who knew it was there aside from the crew itself.
That was because its mission was too important to be compromised for any reason. This vehicle had been on the hunt for days, meticulously searching these waters for one very valuable piece of equipment. They had found bits and pieces of it lying around, but they were still missing the most critical component...
"Sir! I... I think I found it!"
The vessel's captain followed the searchlight beam that one of his crewman was pointing towards a cleft in the ocean floor. Illuminated by this light was mostly useless wreckage, covered in encroaching sea life. But within the center of the scrap metal was one very much intact Infinite Stratos core.
"Contact the Commander. The Silver Gospel's core has been recovered."
And there we go. I think this chapter is a good way to return here, with a good mix of both plot and relationships. Unfortunately we didn't get any direct Chifuyu love this time, but she'll have plenty of time to herself later.
Now, like I said above, I would highly recommend going back through the story if you haven't already. It has been monumentally improved in almost every aspect, and I believe you'll find it time well spent as you go back and enjoy this fic's... 'Second Shift.'
*Proceeds to hang self for awful joke*