Chapter 52: Crisis on the Class Trip

I don't own IS or any of the other references that I will use. All credit for them goes to their creators.

Welcome to Chapter 52. Last time the gang learned that the Phantom Task crew had been freed so things were on high alert. As for Ichika himself, he was busy messing with the Phantom Task spy Mahiru using his various girls to send her into a horny frenzy. With the class trip approaching, what would Ichika do and how would things play out?

(Ichika's House)

"Ughh! That's the last time I have a harem orgy." Ichika groaned as he slowly got up from the bed. It was the morning of the trip to Kyoto, so Ichika celebrated by inviting the whole harem, aside from Ms Yamada and Tabane, over to his actual home for a barbeque. Naturally the night ended with every single girl wanting a taste of Ichika, who obliged. On his bed naked next to him were Houki and Rin. On various futons around the bed the girls were laid out naked and with smiling faces. As he slowly made his way down to get some breakfast he wondered what would happen next. After all Mahiru surely would've checked the cameras to spy once again. Unfortunately for Mahiru, Ichika finally dealt with her cameras by putting a message in front of them saying he knew she was watching and that if she tried to sneak into the room she would get exposed instantly. Walking downstairs he was surprised to find Chifuyu was sitting down drinking coffee and was dressed and ready to go.

"Have a good night?" Chifuyu asked sarcastically.

"You know the answer, but that's not why you're waiting to talk to me." Ichika said smirking back.

"You're right, so what are you gonna do about our little spy? I know you know who it is and the fact you haven't said anything yet is shocking." Chifuyu chastised.

"Yep, if I reveal the truth, Phantom Task will be irrational and do more damage. I'm surprised you haven't done anything if you know all of this."

"Because of the very thing you mentioned. A group like that has something to do in case Mahiru is discovered. If they do, that will be a problem." Chifuyu groaned.

"Yeah, but once we arrive my only choice is to let Phantom Task spring their trap. I already have a good idea of how they plan to attack me." Ichika admitted with a sigh.

"Wait, how do you know that?" Chifuyu exclaimed angrily.

"Because I looked at our trip and realized the perfect way to attack. I'm an evil genius, remember?" Ichika replied with confidence.

Chifuyu frowned slightly because Ichika was indeed a genius. "Okay then, so what do you want to do?" Chifuyu asked worriedly. If he knew what was going to happen then he clearly had a plan.

"We'll do this…." Ichika whispered his plan. Chifuyu's sadistic grin as he told her was something Ichika could take pride in. Soon enough Houki came downstairs and the rest of the girls soon followed so the gang had a big time breakfast before everyone went back to the academy.

(Scene skip)

Ichika sat on the train while the girls played cards next to him. The group was on the bullet train to Kyoto for the trip and Ichika knew things were going to get interesting.

"Almost got you, Laura." Houki said angrily. Laura's confidence was obvious since Houki had no poker face to speak of. Card games were something that Houki struggled with. Something about her samurai personality making her easy to read

"Good grief." Ichika smirked as he thought about the plan. While the girls played Ichika was focused on Phantom Task and whether or not his suspicion was right. Then again he was sure that was the case.

"Man, Houki sucks at card games, doesn't she, Ichika?" Mahiru said as she sat next to him. That was part of Ichika's plan. After all, if he kept Mahiru close to him he could control her actions to a slight degree.

"Yeah she does, Mahiru, but you shouldn't focus on that." Ichika said in amusement.

"Right." Mahiru said regrettably. As Ichika suspected, when Mahiru checked the cameras she put in Ichika's room she saw the message he left for her. With her cover blown, she had two options. Tell Squall and risk her own fate, or hide the truth and wonder what will happen when the group arrives. Finding out that not only was she next to Ichika on the train, but she was in his group for the trip meant she was trapped. "So what will you do with me, Ichika? You have me trapped. The only thing preventing me from getting arrested is you."

"I'm not sure yet, I'll see how much I enjoy Kyoto. So relax Mahiru, right now the only ones who know are me and my sister, well….potentially Tatenashi, but she won't act rashly." Ichika assured the nervous spy. 'At least I hope Tatenashi won't act rashly' Ichika muttered to himself.

"Fine. I guess we'll enjoy the trip." Mahiru calmed down as the group finally arrived.

The morning trip went pretty much as expected for Ichika and crew. In the morning they walked around Kyoto and did activities among the group. Mahiru knew she was in trouble since Laura and Cecilia both kept looking at her curiously. Though she was certain they didn't realize she was a spy, the fact that she was in the group was something the two surely questioned. After all, Ichika wouldn't have put somebody outside of his 'harem' with him unless he had a reason.

"Alright everybody, you get a few hours to have fun now, so enjoy yourselves. Oh and keep it wholesome. I don't want to find out about any nonsense." Chifuyu said coldly. Ichika knew that was addressed at him and his harem because the girls loved their antics. Proven true when Tatenashi appeared having stored herself in some luggage.

"Very well sis." Ichika replied before turning to the girls "Let's all go together and then if you want to do something individually let me know." Ichika said in amusement. The girls groaned but at the very least honored the idea. After all they all got time with Ichika, instead of one person being favored.

The next few hours were fairly peaceful for Ichika. The group went and visited the various shops that Kyoto had to offer. To Ichika's amusement the girls began to separate as they found things to enjoy. Houki found a samurai exhibit, so after giving the girl a kiss, let her go. Charlotte and Laura went to enjoy the various food stalls, and of course got a kiss of their own. The stores were kind enough to give free samples to IS academy students, then again if they knew such a prestigious school was coming they'd make exceptions no matter what. Cecelia and Takatsuki went to check out the stores. The fashion conscious Cecelia wanting to find something she could use to charm Ichika. Rin seemed to stick around the longest though eventually she left also to join Laura and Charlotte. All of this left Ichika alone with Mahiru, something the girls seemed unwilling to do for a while. Of course they weren't truly alone since Kanzashi, Tatenashi, and Honne were secretly watching. 'Gotta love having super spies as girlfriends.' Ichika smirked as he walked with Mahiru.

"So Ichika, care to tell me why the girls left us all alone?" Mahiru wondered as Mahiru led Ichika to the place where the ambush was supposed to occur. At least according to the original plan.

"I don't know, you'd have to ask them. Like I said earlier, I never told any of them directly that you were a spy, but I think they figured it out. My guess is the girls simply wanted to enjoy the trip while you led me where you were going to lead me." Ichika said happily.

"So why are you so calm? What makes you think I'm not the trap Phantom Task has waiting." Mahiru groaned. Ichika was way too good and she knew it.

"Because, if you were the trap, you would've done something far sooner. The fact you're leading me to a clearing means somebody is waiting for me. Isn't that right?" Ichika smirked.

"Yes, it's as you thought." Mahiru confirmed nervously as she knew they were approaching the location where Madoka was waiting.

(Scene Skip)

While Ichika and Mahiru made their way towards the location, most of the girls returned to the train. "Are you sure this is okay? I mean leaving Ichika with Mahiru seems dangerous." Rin said nervously as the group arrived in the train station for the bullet train.

"Of course it's alright. Ichika is aware that Mahiru is with Phantom Task. I would've thought that was obvious." Laura said nonchalantly. Though the girls freaked out when she said that.

"Wait a minute. Mahiru's with Phantom Task?" Cecelia yelled in astonishment. That idea completely went above Cecelia's head and she didn't like it.

"It is pretty obvious now that I realize it." Charlotte said calmly. "I mean, after all, she was the only one willing to be in the booth with him. Most of the girls all wanted to make sure we didn't freak out"

"Yeah, I guess. So now what do we do?" Houki said nervously. Ichika was strong and Phantom Task was irrational. Anything could happen.

"Simple, we go on the train and wait for things to play out. After all Tatenashi and Honne are hunting Phantom Task also. Plus Kanzashi knows almost all of Ichika's tricks and has some stuff in case we need it." Laura replied.

"Okay everybody, let's go!" Houki yelled out as the girls made their way onto the train.

(Scene Skip)

As the girls got on the train Tatenashi was certainly surprised when she noticed a certain person waiting for her at the top of a water tower. After all, the person in question was extremely popular. "Who would've guessed that Squall Meusel was the leader of Phantom Task?" Tatenashi said teasingly.

"It's the perfect cover. Going all around the world lets me get the trust of important people. It's genius isn't it." Squall replied cheekily.

"Yeah, I have to admit if we hadn't caught your sister, all would've been lost. I take it she's back at the base safe and sound?" Tatenashi teased.

"Naturally. I wouldn't want her getting near these girls. Though I suppose having you is certainly fun enough. I wonder how Madoka's doing with her family reunion." Squall teased.

(Scene Skip)

"My my, seems you're back to normal. I figured our last encounter would tear you apart" Honne teased as she looked at her familiar foe, Autumn. Her armor had been fully restored and now she sported a miniature cannon that could do serious damage.

"Yes I am. I have to admit I never guessed I could get away, but hey, you do what you gotta do. Shame those other two aren't around so I can truly get my revenge." Autumn scowled angrily as she prepared to attack.

(Scene Skip)

Mahiru and Ichika continued to make their way until finally Mahiru stopped at a nice little clearing. "Here we are, Ichika. Your opponent is waiting for you." Mahiru said innocently.

Ichika smirked knowing who was waiting and could only do one thing. "Yo! Madoka! How are you doing, little sis?" Ichika yelled towards where he knew his sister was waiting.

"Hmph! Couldn't you at least pretend to be surprised? Such a troublesome brother." Madoka scowled as she sat in her typical garb.

"I could, but then again I figured you'd be waiting. Autumn is no match for me and Squall likely wants to deal with Tatenashi. Not that I mind, granted, I am curious why not activate Mahiru sooner?"

"Hmph, we always figured that we wouldn't have to. That's enough talk though. Now we fight." Madoka said as she deployed her IS. "Come! Black Zephyrus!"

"Ahh! So your IS has improved." Ichika said happily. While the original Silent Zephyrus resembled Blue Tears, this was more like a butterfly. With its wings and outer shell Ichika had no idea what to expect.

"Come! Dragon's Ascent!" Ichika shouted out with glee. As Ichika's IS flashed into life the on-looking Mahiru wondered just what this battle would bring.

(Scene Skip)

"I guess the battles have begun." Chifuyu said calmly as she sat on the train. She could see the flashes from the IS that appeared nearby so she knew everyone was in combat.

"Hmm….so now what ma'am?" Maya Yamada said nervously.

"Well, we see what's happening on this train." Chifuyu said nonchalantly. As the students all gathered, pretty soon everyone was on board and now the question was what would Phantom Task do? The answer soon arrived as the train sped out of the terminal catching everybody off guard. "Damn it! That's their plan!" Chifuyu cursed.

"Don't worry, Lady Chifuyu. I can start hacking into the system the minute we can. Ichika has a few tricks of his own that will save things." Kanzashi said confidently. Amid the chaos it was clear to all parties involved that things were about to get good.

That's it for Chapter 52. Next time Kanzashi and crew stop the train while the other battles finally take care of themselves. There isn't much left so enjoy it while you can everybody. I hope you've all enjoyed Ichika Stratos up to this point.