It has been four days since Lori and Leni set out on their journey to reunite with their now estranged brother, and they survived the trek solely through sheer grit. The instant they left the barrier, they hightailed it as far and as fast as they possibly could, and they didn't stop until they saw the daylight. And even then they took short rests knowing that they could die anytime. They kept running until they saw a lone car in the wilderness, which by then they knew they were nearing civilization. They stuck their thumbs out hoping that someone would pick them up; strangely, no one came.
Well, they did attract two shady looking cars. One of them got the message and left them alone. The other didn't; the people came for Lori and Leni's assets...and they left with bellies full of snow, and their everything hijacked.
The elder sisters stopped at a small gas station to top up and recuperate themselves.
"Our sisters have got to be worried sick about us right now..." Leni thought.
"That's the way it has to be," Lori responded while filling the tank, "The moment things start to relax, they're gonna look for another lightning rod. We have to strip them of as much moral protection as we can so they don't get any ideas."
"Are you sure?" Leni was having second thoughts about Lori's mission, "I understand peeling away from them but...outright abandoning them?"
"You got any better ideas?" Lori snapped.
Leni got frightened, "Uh...Well..."
"I'm sorry..." Lori backed off, "It's just...Why are we even doing this?..."
"I thought we were supposed to find Lincoln?" Leni wondered.
"I don't know anymore..." Lori muttered.
They parked the car nearby and went inside. They bought some snacks and went to the only register and tv, just in time to hear:
["The Infinite Stratos League was out and about again this Christmas season! Last seen at the Sakura Park Restaurant with the Brunhilde herself, they are no doubt gearing up for the New Year Celebration ~~~"]
"Oh my god, make it stop..." Lori groaned.
"Looks like he's making a name for himself!" Leni commented.
"Come on, let's go..." Lori took everything outside.
Leni saw her run out, "What's wrong?"
"I literally felt a vein pop out of my heart."
"What?!" Leni jumped, "Stay there! I'll get help-"
"Leni!" Lori yanked her down, "Not that kind of vein..."
"Oh..." Leni stood herself up again, "Well, then, what kind of help do you need?"
"Nothing you can provide..." Lori muttered.
"Prov-eh?..." Leni raised an eyebrow. Then she met Lori at the driver's seat, "Ok, I know I'm not that smart, but I also know when your heart is in a seriously jumbled mess."
"I am aware," Lori said, "I just have to sort this out before I can get any piece of mind."
"Why is it that grating on you? I don't understand why you have to leave Mom and Dad just to meet with Lincoln!"
"Maybe because I LITERALLY CAUSED US TO BE HERE!" Lori snapped, "YOU THINK OF THAT?!"
"I did think of that!" Leni said, "And I still don't get it!"
"Which is exactly why you're the slow one of the family," Lori poked her forehead, "Actually use your brain for once!"
Leni sighed and jumped in the back seat. She waited until the gas station was out of sight to speak again, "I miss him, too...but is this what he would want?..."
Lori looked at the dashboard momentarily before keeping her eyes on the open road, "No, it's not...but it's what he needs."
Leni wasn't so sure, but she decided to not say anything after that; she could tell that Lori was one wrong word away from unleashing utter mayhem. She waited until they reached Sapporo to say anything, "So, once we get to Lincoln, what then? What are we gonna say to him?"
"I'll plan for it once we get there," Lori said, "For now, we have to take it one step at a time."
"Ok..." Leni didn't say anything about it afterwards. She just stared out into the Japanese cityscape, with all its dazzling lights and serene beauty. She experienced the snow before, but not like this. Sprinkling in the glittering white snow with the colorful light show was overwhelming for her. "It's all so br-"
"Worry about the lights later," Lori ordered, "For now, help me flag down an airport."
"Well..." Leni thought, "I've only seen one that has a flag we can down."
Lori gritted her teeth and gripped the steering wheel extra hard before taking a deep breath and relaxing herself. "...And where would that be?..." she exhaled.
"Over there," Leni pointed directly to her right.
"Uh-WAH!" Causing Lori to swerve to the other land and jam the wheels to the right. She drifted the entire way to the parking lot, parallel parking perfectly without any mishaps. "GUH..." she breathed, "Leni...we need to work on your awareness..."
"Sorry," Leni muttered.
"Whatever..." Lori took her bag and got out, "I'm gonna get us a flight. You stay here and please don't leave until I come back."
"Ok..." Leni nodded while Lori darted inside. She wasn't happy about being confined in the parking lot at dark, but at least she got to witness the hustle and bustle of the night crowd amongst the colorful light lines. At least until she saw a shadowy figure among the sea of silhouettes.
"O...k..." Leni laid back and waited. After a while, she turned back to the crowd. The dark shadow was gone. "Whew..." she sighed, "For a second, I was-" and then she looked the other way "-YIPE!"
The shadow figure was already at the car. But it didn't look hostile. It just looked like an observer. A petite woman who was genuinely curious about the blonde creature in the car.
"Um..." Leni greeted nervously, "Can I help you?..."
"No, you can't," the woman said. And that was it. She just left after that.
That was the second time she was told she couldn't help someone, "Huh...wonder what her deal was..." Leni whispered.
Just then, Lori returned to the car, "Leni! I got us a flight, but we have to leave..." She suddenly saw the look of confusion in her green eyes, "...now...uh, you ok?"
"Not really..." Leni answered, "This creepy lady came to me and just eyed me out."
"Ugh, save your delusions for later!" Lori yanked her out, "Our flight's in one hour!" And dragged her to the airport.
"No, really!" Leni stammered, "She had this like dominatrix outfit, and a really cute locket-"
"Leni, we can talk about it once we get to Shibuya. Now, zip it!"
"Well, if-uh..." Leni heard the S-word.
Lori pushed her way through the concierge and purchased her tickets. "Ok, I got us-" But during the purchase, Leni disappeared, "Leni? What the-Leni!" She went in to the waiting area to find her, and not two minutes in did she spot her in a fashion outlet loading up with whatever she could get her hands on. "Leni!" She shouted, "What are you doing?!"
"Oh-You go on ahead! I'll catch up!" Leni said, earning a grunt from Lori. Then, she turned back to the receptionist and... 「これらの服は夏と冬に適していますか？」
「実際、私はこのセットをお勧めします。」
「ああ！ とてもシックなこの服！」
...stunted Lori brain dead.
Twenty minutes later, Lori was at the assigned terminal still reeling from Leni's sudden second language skill.
When Leni appeared behind her, "Ok, I'm ready!"
"How on earth did you learn Japanese?!" Lori snapped.
"You said we're going to Shibuya! How could I not?" Leni held out her arms, which were completely full of bags of clothes, accessories, and various other fashion knickknacks, "Good thing I did, because I told that we were Lincoln's sisters, and she gave us a 95% discount!"
Lori growled, "Ok, one: you literally just blew our cover. You weren't supposed to tell anyone we're Lincoln's sisters!"
"Huh?" Leni tilted her head, "Why not?"
"Because, that!" Lori pointed to the store Leni just came out of, which was suddenly swarmed with people asking about their presence.
"I dunno," Leni said, "They seemed like fans of his-"
"Maybe they knew the kind of crud we did to him!" Lori snapped.
Thankfully, an announcement came on the PA: "WE WILL NOW BOARD THE DOMESTIC FLIGHT TO NARITA. ALL PASSENGERS PLEASE COME TO TERMINAL D8 AT THIS TIME."
"Oh my god..." Lori sighed, "Come on!" She yanked Leni along and made it through the gate before anyone could recognize them. "Whew..." she muttered, "That was a close one..."
"How did you get through those guys?" Leni asked.
"Someone left me a grab bag of goodies we could use."
"Who?"
"...a friend...a couple of friends..."
Once they made it into the airplane, they began to settle themselves into the flight, which was thankfully a smooth transition thanks to the plane being half empty. Leni was filling up three overhead lockers when Lori yanked her down again.
"And, two," Lori whispered, "NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OFF?!"
"Heeheehee," Leni grinned, "It helps to know people."
During the flight, while Leni was sleeping, Lori was thinking about how Lincoln was hanging out with his new friends. She thought that he must be having the time of his life now that he didn't have anyone to tie him down. Contrasting that current life with his previous life gave her new insight on his choice to leave. Whenever anyone in the family had any fun or free time, it was always conditional. It was always an inherent give-and-take relationship, regardless of how they thought, and it was the wrong way to think. It should have been mutual. This problem was not caused by keeping the secret, but it definitely contributed to the lie.
"Nnn, come on..." Lori groaned, "When did we go wrong..."
She then turned to the Casagrande household for any idea of their current life. She thought they must have been horrified when they found Lincoln on the news. She wondered what they would think if...when they found out the truth about the battle of Detroit. Bobby must not want anything to do with her now. Maybe he's gone and thrown away every single object that even remotely reminded him of her.
That thought kept her awake for the entire flight. By the time they landed she was the most groggy she had ever been, while Leni was the most refreshed she had ever been.
"Ahhhhhhh! That was amaze balls!" Leni stretched his body, "Who knew that those cramped chairs could do wonders for you?"
"Leni, your face was in my face, and your feet was on the window," Lori growled.
"Ohhhhh, so that's why my mouth felt so good..."
Lori slammed her forehead, "Just call a darn taxi already..."
"Ok," Immediately, Leni ran to a yellow cab, 「タクシー! タクシーが必要です！」
...and succeeded in flagging down a taxi to a capsule hotel.
"What in the ever-loving hell..." Lori muttered.
"Well, this is a nice place, wouldn't you say?" Leni cheerfully replied.
"I said I wanted a nice place to take a small break! I didn't mean a small place place to take a nice break!"
"Aren't they the same?"
"No, they aren't!" Upon screaming, Lori started to lose her strength, "Ggg-I'm going down..."
"Whoa whoa whoa what!" Leni dropped her stuff and caught Lori, "Are you ok?!"
"Ngh...just get me inside..." Lori panted.
Leni hauled Lori in one arm, and every single belonging they had in the other, straight to the capsule hotel, to the bewilderment of everyone inside. Without breaking so much as a pant, 「こんにちは。 二人用の部屋を頂けますか？」
One of the bags slipped past her grip, making the receptionist a bit uncomfortable, 「私に何ができるか見ていきます。」
Soon after, Leni settled Lori into her assigned capsule. "This is exactly what I was talking about," she said, "You're tiring yourself out going after Lincoln. We have to rethink this crazy quest."
"The heck are... you talking about..." Lori moaned, "I'm perfectly... alright..."
"No, you're not," Leni insisted, "I'll watch you. You just need to get yourself re-pook-erated."
"It's...recuperated..." Lori panted, "And...I... don't...need...t..." before she passed out.
"Lori?" Leni whispered, "Lori?" She gently scruffed Lori's hair off her forehead and felt it. She didn't know if it felt too warm or if their hands felt too cold, so she readied a damp cloth and set it on her forehead. Then, she turned off the capsule's lights and sealed it off.
"Great," she muttered, "Now, what do I do?" She stuffed everything in her capsule and went to the bathroom to try and get her mindset together.
Some time later, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Hospital, Lincoln was visiting Margo with Laura and a blue-haired girl with glasses.
"There she is," Laura said, "Still unresponsive."
"It's been more than a month," Lincoln turned to the blue-haired girl, "What do you think, Kanzashi? Can we do anything?"
"No," she said, "not us."
Only time. "I see," Lincoln nodded. Then, he placed a small bouquet of alstroemerias and lilies in Margo's hands. Afterwards, the trio left and wandered along the sidewalk, "Well, that was a big letdown."
"Agreed," Laura commented, "To think that after this time, there has been no progress whatsoever."
"The IS programmed itself to sync with the pilot's mind," Kanzashi explained, "My guess is that the Gospel had its neural locks disabled, and that's what allowed whoever's hijacked it to accidentally link Margo's mind with the IS's."
"Huh?..." Lincoln's mind short-circuited.
"You wouldn't understand," Laura smirked.
"Just let me have one holiday to myself! Please!" Lincoln wailed.
Back at the Orimura residence, Ichika was preparing the house for the New Year celebrations when he heard the doorbell.
"Coming!" Ichika slid down the banister and launched himself, sticking the landing right at the door.
Charlotte was leaning back and forth with a bag in hand, trying to plan for the day ahead. Although she just wanted an easy day with Ichika, she was almost certain that the other girls would somehow come barging in and come to a grave misunderstanding, despite the talk he gave during the class trip. She shook it off and rang the doorbell again.
"Hey, Charl!" Ichika called, "What brings you here?"
"Hello, Ichika," Charlotte greeted, "I was wondering if you were available to hang out today."
"Naw, I don't mind," Ichika responded, "Make yourself at home."
Once Charlotte was inside, she settled on the couch and waited as Ichika tended to the rest of the chores. She noticed all of the decorations hanging from the ceiling, as well as some choice plants on the counters, "So, you are celebrating New Year's Day as well?"
"Yep," Ichika said, "My sister's extremely busy, but she always makes time for us on the holiday season."
"Ah, so you are the one taking care of the house?"
"Pretty much," Ichika said while preparing a cup of barley tea, "There was a long time when she was wasn't here."
"I understand," Charlotte said while he handed her the tea, "You know, I think you would make a good househusband."
"I get that a lot," Ichika scratched his head, "I don't understand why they said that though." Just then, the doorbell rang. "Hm? Would could that be?"
"Probably one of the other girls?" Charlotte said.
"Gotta be Houki or Rin," Ichika got up and answered the door, "What the...Cecilia?"
"Hello there!" Cecilia greeted, "How are you doing today, my dear Ichika? I happened to be passing through this area, so I thought I would stop by to check on you."
"Passing through in this area?" Ichika repeated.
Making Cecilia flinch, "Uh, yes! I just stopped by that famous cake shop with all their fancy assortments, see?!"
As soon as she was let inside, Houki and Rin popped out from behind the brick wall.
Rin giggled like a madwoman, "Did you see the look on her face?! And she already tanked her diet-HAAAhahahaha~~~"
"We gave her the address," Houki sighed, "What else was she gonna do?..."
Rin stopped giggling, "You're no fun." She led Houki out and rang for Ichika, "Hey! Olly olly oxen free!"
Once the group has been assembled, Ichika sat everyone down and tried to have a small talk, bearing in mind the girls' uneasy expressions, "I don't mind you stopping by, but it would've been nice if at least one of you let me know you were coming."
"And just how would I have done that?" Houki turned her head away, "I had no idea I was doing anything till now."
"Yeah, what gives?" Rin peered, "Are you saying that showing up without notice is a problem? Could that be because you have something to hide?"
"More like, something to do," Charlotte quickly rushed in, "You do know what tomorrow is, do you?"
"Oh! New Year's Day!" Cecilia clapped, "I've always wanted to see the prefecture at night! All those dazzling colorful stars-"
"Don't try to divert attention!" Rin snapped.
"Actually, they're right, Rin," Ichika pointed to the ceiling and the backyard, "The past couple days, I've spent preparing for the New Year. I've been trying to get rid of whatever old crud I could find."
"We could've helped!" Cecilia said, "You have four very capable friends here to help you anytime!"
"Yeah, what's with that?!" Rin hugged Cecilia while eyeing him, "Why didn't you ask us to come over?!"
Ichika blinked, then he realized that he went to Lincoln for help first, "Oh, yeah... I had Lincoln help with the cleaning."
The girls went "Huh?!"
"You know, you keep going to him for crud like this instead of us," Houki griped, "What's he got that we don't?"
"A lot of things..." Ichika blurted out.
"Well, we're here now," Cecilia said, "Why don't we all help out with the decorations?"
"I see!" Charlotte brightened up, "And then we can all go see the fireworks together!"
"That's not a bad idea," Ichika said, "Alright, the mats have already been dusted. Who's up for a little house cleaning?"
The girls cheered. This was the time they got to Ichika alone, and no one could ruin this glorious day...except themselves.
Rin ended up turning the cleaning into a competition to see who could get through the house first, and she ended up toppling so many end tables and plants that she sprayed the other girls with dirt and water. Which utterly angered Cecilia and Houk, to the point where they had to chase her down and fling dirt all over the walls. Meanwhile Charlotte and Ichika were desperately trying to keep up with the mess Rin made, and they slipped and slid and bumped into each other before they were able to clean everything up.
Rin slid down the hallway and launched herself into the backyard, "Kick flip!" She slammed her broom into the mats and let out a gigantic cloud of dust, "How'd ya like that, Ichika?!"
Ichika was too tired to say anything. He was barely holding himself up by his mop. Charlotte was completely wiped out.
But Cecilia and Houki were on the verge of snapping. They emerged from the house, damp, dirtied, and downright ready to clean house.
"I don't know what you heard, Houki," Cecilia growled, "but that sounded like a big mouth on a wet ass to me."
"Wuh?..." Rin didn't catch that.
Houki handed Cecilia a towel and shampoo, "It must've taught some manners," and then readied a mop and pail, "Allow me to assist."
"With pleasure," Cecilia muttered. Then the two laughed like catatonic serial killers.
"Uh-ok," and Rin caught that, "Let's not get in over our heads...I-it's just a comp, right-eep!" She was backed into the dreaded corner, leaving her at the mercy of-
"WASH AWAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"
"AAAAAAA-*BLUBLUBLUBLUB~~~*"
"YOU DON'T MIND SOME CONDITIONER, DO YOU?!"
"Get offa-"
"AND SOME LAVENDER, TOO!"
"No, not there-AAA!"
"I THINK I MISSED A SPOT!"
"Ichikaaaaaaaaaa! Heeeelp~~~~*"
Ichika didn't even bother. He collapsed on the floor, exhausted out of his mind, "You wanna go out for drinks?..."
Charlotte was so out of it, she welcomed the spilling of her tea on her lap, "...yeah...sure..."
Meanwhile, Lincoln bolted out of a pastry shop raising a bag high in the air, "MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI~~~"
Laura and Kanzashi just waltzed right out.
"What is the matter with him?" Kanzashi wondered.
"I still have yet to understand that," Laura said.
"MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI MOCH-ACK!" Lincoln kept running until he slammed into someone's- "So soft-HOLY!" and then toppled backwards and tried to crawl away.
"Hahah, don't worry about it!" The woman chuckled, "Everyone's gotta get a good stuffing at least once in their lives, am I right?"
"Uh...yeah, if you say so," Lincoln said while being helped to his feet by the woman.
Who had blue hair and red eyes like Kanzashi did, but she was more curvaceous and slightly more playful, "So, you're the hot commodity I've been hearing about."
"Hot commodity?" Lincoln said while walking back.
"Ever since your little spiel about your family. The whole community's been abuzz about you."
"Ugh," Lincoln groaned, "Like I actually needed that..."
"Just wondering, though. You're not here by yourself, are you?"
"No, I'm with Laura and-"
Then, right in front of him, he heard something break.
Kanzashi had dropped her new figurine, in horror, as she saw the one person who kept her in the dark, the one person she did not want to see. The one person who she felt was ruling over her life. She ran away, surprising Laura.
"Dangit," Lincoln sighed, "And I just got her outta her room..."
"You...know her?..." the girl gasped.
"Kanzashi Sarashiki," Lincoln responded, "A toned down otaku who doesn't want to leave her room for some reason..." He scratched his head while Laura eyed his new companion very closely. "What's up, Laura? You see something?"
"Yes," Laura creeped closer to the girl, "By chance you are related to Kanzashi?"
"Hoo-boy..." The girl let out a giant sigh, "Y'all better walk me to your destination. This'll take a while..."
Later that night...
"Mmm...nnn...oh...ow, my head..."
Lori woke up from her lengthy slumber, drenched in warm liquid. "Ugh-ew-eewwww..." she ditched the wet towels and sheets, then crawled out of her capsule and wobbled her way to the bathroom. She washed off the grime from her body, but she couldn't wash away the lingering feeling that maybe, just maybe...this was all pointless. She already knew how Lincoln felt, so why did she want to see him? She looked down at her hands as she couldn't remember what urged her to leave her shelter.
Then, out of nowhere, "Hi, Lori!"
"AAAAAA!" Lori zipped back to her capsule.
While Leni approached her, "Oh, good! You're back to normal! I have so many outfits I need you to try on!"
"Leni?!" Lori panted, then grabbed her shoulders, "Are you out of your mind?!"
Leni looked up, then at her body, then at Lori, "It's supposed to be that way?"
"Ugh!" Lori drooped. She took some clothes and went outside, and was absolutely stunned by all the lights, the decorations, and the people. It was the most festive scene she had ever seen, and she knew what that meant. "Uh...quick question," she went back to Leni, "How long was I out?"
"You weren't out at all," Leni answered, "You were asleep for a few days."
"Days?!" Lori shouted, "You mean I slept all the way to-" she suddenly collapsed, "Ugh...what...what's happening to me..."
"Oh! Oh! I know what this is!" Leni wrapped herself with winter clothing and dragged Lori into the street, "You haven't eaten in days, so we need to get you some fuel! STAT!"
"What about our stuff?!" Lori panted before she looked over her shoulder and saw all of their belongings packed into two suitcases, hoisted over Leni's other hand.
"Oh, I got everything covered," Leni said, making Lori faint again.
When Lori awoke again, she found herself lying on a dining seat. "Oh my goodness..." she groaned, her head now in worse pain than earlier, "What's happened?..."
"Well, I saw you faint," Leni popped up from behind her, "so I figured I'd get you something to eat."
"Huh?..." Lori rolled her eyes downward and saw a fresh sushi platter, flame-broiled steak, and crisp salad, all in front of her, "The heck is all this?..."
"It's your food," Leni said, then she whispered, "I might've asked them for whatever's good for revitalization and...broke our card..."
Lori was shocked, to think that Leni went that far just for her, "Why..."
"Well, let's just say that I've gotten tired of not being able to do anything," Leni winked.
Lori bit her lip. All those times that Leni depended on her, and now it's the other way around. She was the one who needed Leni, despite saying that she couldn't help. And now, here she was, staring back at the days that Leni had to take care of her, after dragging their feet through miles and miles of snow and road, even though Leni herself chose to support her through the trip, effectively casting off her cushion.
Lori took a small bite of the food. Then, another. And then another. She savored each and every bit of food that passed her lips, but she couldn't look up, otherwise she'd risk showing her tears.
Thankfully, Leni wasn't very sharp, "How is it? Is it as good as they say it is?"
"Yeah..." Lori muttered, "It is..."
"Well, take your time to finish," Leni stood up, "because I just saw a really tasty dessert!" And chased after the waiter, 「チーズケーキが欲しい！」
「あなたは私から離れますか？！」
Lori used this time to recover from the trip and really think about her reason and purpose for coming to Shibuya, while Leni used this time to fool around some more.
At the next restaurant over, Chifuyu was having a meal all to herself, the first peaceful dining experience in months. She had made plans to join Ichika and his group at the shrine for the New Year celebration, but those plans would be upended by a chance encounter outside her seat. One look through the window let her see Leni enjoying her cake on a bench.
"Oh, fancy that," Chifuyu mouthed while waving to Leni, who waved back. As soon as her food was finished, she took one swig of sake and sprayed it, "PBBTT-WHAT?!"
Leni had full view of the grand spectacle when Chifuyu showed up, irritated beyond belief, "...WHERE...IS...SHE?..."
Lori had left the restaurant at that exact moment, when she saw Chifuyu, and looked away.
"Hey," Chifuyu said.
Lori didn't look up.
"Don't feel like it, Huh?" Chifuyu went on, "Well, I don't blame you...given everything Lincoln blabbed about...Is that what drove you to abandon shelter and come here?"
Lori looked away.
Chifuyu exhaled, "Come on, it's literally written all over your face. You're ashamed of what you've-" finger quotes "-done-" regular speak "-and now you want him to say, "It's ok. I forgave you. We're still family." Right?"
Lori didn't say anything.
"Welp," Chifuyu slowly approached her, "You already know that's impossible, right? The way things are going right now, he's doing just fine with his new family. Why even bother?"
Lori gnarled, "I know that."
"What's that?" Chifuyu smirked, "Couldn't hear you over the runs."
"I KNOW THAT!" Lori screamed, stunning the entire block silent. Everyone was looking at her, but she didn't care. She only knew that she had to say everything that she wanted to say, and fast, "I KNOW THAT I AM THE LAST THING HE WANTS TO LOOK AT! I KNOW THAT HE HATES MY GUTS! BUT STILL, I HAVE TO TELL HIM SOMETHING! HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW I FEEL AFTER HE DID WHAT HE DID-HOW CAN HE?! HE'S FROLICKING AROUND IN LALA LAND WHILE I'VE BEEN TRAPPED IN THE BOONDOCKS WITH NOTHING TO DO BUT TWIDDLE MY THUMBS AND PONDER OVER LITERALLY THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY ENTIRE LIFE! FOR ALL ETERNITY, I MIGHT ADD!"
"And?" Chifuyu ignored everyone around her and focused only on Lori, "You honest-to-God expect sharing your true feelings is going to change anything?"
"WELL, WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT?!" Lori was crying at this point, "I TRIED TO THINK OF ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING TO GET MY MIND OFF, BUT HE'S ALWAYS BITING AT MY BRAIN AND I CAN'T GET HIM OFF! YOU CANNOT EXPECT ME JUST TO IGNORE THAT FEELING!"
Chifuyu felt like she was onto something, but she needed Lori to undo her self-restraints in order to get to the true reason she left Hokkaido. To that end, "Pffttt...worked well before," Chifuyu resolved to make Lori angry, "Like when you ignored your family to come here. Or, psh-I dunno...when you ignored your brother to pursue your own goals? Again?"
That did it. Lori reacted by throwing a punch at Chifuyu. And it connected. Lori threw it with all her might trying to break Chifuyu's jaw...
...but it literally did nothing. Not even a noticeable bruise. It just aroused a smirk.
"Seriously?..." Chifuyu whispered, "That's all you have to show for it?..."
"Would you SHUT UP?!" Lori tried again to hit her, but her punch was caught, her arm was looped behind her, and her neck was caught in a lock.
"Lori!" Leni jumped in and tried to wrangle Chifuyu, but she was flipped over and slammed onto the cold grass, with Lori landing right on top of her, "Uhh...Lori?..."
"Lori ain't gonna listen," Chifuyu said, "Not only did she ignore the order to stay hidden until we sort this out," she says while leaning in to Lori's dead gaze, "but she ignored her own brain and flipped out over a reason. She shouldn't even be here, anyway. She should be hidden away...where no more bad can come to her? Hello?"
That jogged her memory a bit. Lori didn't know what to say to her. She remembered what her reason was, but she didn't know if Chifuyu would say anything back. She knew one thing was certain: if she didn't say anything about it now, Chifuyu would never let her live it down, especially after the first talk she had before the fall semester.
"You know what?" Lori slowly stood herself up, "I came here hoping to at least talk to him...to find out if he really does hate my guts!" When she stood up, she stared at Chifuyu with pure anger, "I thought I could get in at least a couple words with him, but here you are telling me it ain't with jacksquat!"
"All I did was ask you a question," Chifuyu responded, "A question demands an answer, don'tcha know?"
"The hell happened?!" Lori shouted, "You weren't like this when we first met!"
"Uh, because we first met. Now, I know the deal just as well as you do."
"No, you don't! You're dead wrong!"
"Oh? Well, why don't you correct me, then?"
Lori withdrew her arms and took a moment to breathe. Then, she finally said her mind, "Would an apology kill him?"
"Huh?" Chifuyu said.
"I said, would an apology kill him?!"
"Haven't you already tried that?" Chifuyu asked.
"No, I haven't!" Lori said, "And no, I don't care if he rejects us or not! He just needs to know!"
"Know what?" Chifuyu sighed.
"That we still care about him!" Lori was sputtering at this point, "That we still love him!...Even if!..." she fell to her knees and wept, "even if...he doesn't..." she lost all control and let out the tears. She finally saw why she left her shelter.
Lori would be okay if she and Lincoln were friends with restrictions, but by choosing to share his entire backstory with the world, he essentially gave away his connection with his own family. She finally realized what that meant.
Chifuyu could see that Lori had lost all her fight and moved towards her.
But Leni blocked the way, "Don't you dare-" But it took just one look in those brown death eyes "-EEP!..." for her to stand aside.
Chifuyu knelt down and whispered in Lori's ear, "Are you finally starting to see the core problem with your family?"
Lori didn't say anything. She simply nodded.
Chifuyu put her hands on Lori's hair, "Lift your head."
Lori looked up, tearfully longing for a cure for her heart.
Chifuyu didn't give her that exactly. Instead, she gave her a diagnosis, "Your bonds have been built from secrets and lies. You and your siblings gotten too comfortable manipulating things to suit your needs. It's time to change that."
Lori wiped her eyes, "nnn...how?...How do I get him back?..."
"I think you know," was all Chifuyu said to make Leni shudder.
"She knows...Huh?!" Leni screamed, "Back to school she goes?!"
"I'm afraid so," Chifuyu said, "You two left hiding and, I assume, have already caused a riot on your way over here. The IS Academy is the only safe haven left. There, no one can set foot inside, except authorized personnel... and students."
Lori froze. This would essentially be a complete reset on the last four years. Everything she learned, everyone she befriended...wiped out. But it would get her one step closer to Lincoln, who was at this point all that mattered to her. And then, a haunting thought had crossed her mind.
Now that Lincoln has essentially released information on her and how she corrupted Margo, how were her friends back home to think of her? How was Bobby to think of her? They knew how tightly knit their family was. If they knew that she did this to Margo, to Lincoln and Lynn, then they'd have questions for her. Especially Bobby. She had no care whatsoever for Kenneth, but had plenty of it for Bobby. And even then, she was overly obsessed with him, at one point spending nearly $5,500 on tablets, phones, and accessories just to keep Bobby in her heart and herself in Bobby's heart...at the expense of her brother. He'd ask her why, and she'd give some kind of reason to justify her actions, to which he'd respond...
"Why did you go along with his insane stunt? Why didn't you tell him to stop?"
At which point nothing she replied with would make any sense. There was nothing stopping her from setting him straight. Matter of fact, there was nothing stopping her from setting herself straight. Just this one point was enough to give him an opening to further question her on, until she couldn't come up with any more excuses. And then, he would declare their relationship over. She thought the same with her friends: they would distance themselves from her, until she was alone...until she had no one.
"Alright..." Lori muttered.
"Hm?" Chifuyu didn't hear her.
Lori said louder, "I will go back to high school..."
"Wha-you..." Leni stuttered, "You're going along with this?!"
"There's no where left for me to go..." Lori said, "...not without him..."
"I thought we were just gonna talk to him-I-wh-what-Huh?!"
"I don't know anymore... I just need to sort it out with him... and us...how to be a proper family without...dragging others down..."
Leni sighed. She honestly didn't expect Lori to do an about-face, but if this was how it would be, then Leni would have to step up big time, "Alright...so, I guess I'll have to take care of you until, you know...we get this mess dried off?..."
Chifuyu put Lori back on her feet, "I do have a condition, however." She then pulled the sisters in whispering range, and turned her voice cold, "This is the last time, you two. No more secrets. No more schemes. One hint of dishonesty from you, and I will leave you at the mercy of the world. Do I make myself clear?"
They both nodded.
"Well, then..." Chifuyu brushed the sisters off, "Lori Loud, I have received your intent to enroll." She then handed her a business card, "Come to my residence at this date and time, and we will begin the examination process." Then she left.
Lori looked at the card. She was to meet with the Brunhilde on January 1, 21:00, hours after the fireworks usher in the New Year. Even now,even though her body has fully recuperated, her mind would have no such treatment.
Leni put her hand on Lori's shoulder, "Are you absolutely sure about this? Do we know what this is gonna do to everyone back home?"
Lori didn't say anything, because that question came with too many answers for her to track. She was pondering over the consequences of what she had just done, and what she had just pulled Leni into, when, high above the sky...
BOOM!*PIFF!*PEWPEWPEW!*BOOMBOOM!*
...they saw the fireworks go off. The New Year had begun. Everyone around them turned their attention to the glimmer in the stars, but almost none of them were jubilant. They had just witnessed a challenge to better oneself, is particularly unforgiving way. No one knew what to make of the upcoming year.
But a certain group of people dd. Safely nestled in the Shininono shrine, Lincoln, Ichika, and their band of friends witnessed the full fireworks display and its vibrant meaning. They caught snapshots and selfies without a care in the world. Ichika was a bit concerned with how Chifuyu missed their private celebration, but he didn't seem to mind too much, as he had his little gang to keep him company. Plus, shortly before the celebration ended, he saw her silhouette standing outside the shrine, staring at the sky. That was enough for him, and he felt satisfied.
Except that wasn't Chifuyu's silhouette. It was M's. She happened upon the shrine and the fireworks while returning to her hideout, and saw Ichika and Lincoln celebrating their hearts out. She felt conflicted, seeing someone she despised sharing a breeze with someone who genuinely reached out to her...possibly the only person to do so. She quickly fled before she could be spotted, but the thought was stuck in the back of her mind: could she find someone who cares about her, broken as she was?
Someone already knew the answer. That blue-haired person was sitting atop Tokyo tower, spying on M and the ISL, with a fan that signed the kanji for "TEST". "Cuddling a broken heart are we?" She quipped. She saw the fireworks stop, and then saw the many families and couples in attendance embracing each other, hand in hand ready to welcome the new year. "Yeah, we most certainly are..." the girl sighed. She then saw Ichika's group high-fiving each, and a familiar-looking pair of blondes slowly walking back to their capsule, and decided it was time to take her leave, "Welp, it looks like it's game time for me." She deployed her IS and floated above the tower, unnoticed, "Team leader, Tatenashi Sarashiki...moving out."
The next day, in 1025, Lincoln filled the group in on what happened to him the past couple weeks.
"WHAT?!" Cecilia screamed, "Someone stole your IS?!"
"Ichika has a twin sister?!" Houki screamed.
"I have a twin sister that wants to kill Chifuyu and me?!" Ichika screamed.
"That was Tatenashi Sarashiki we just saw yesterday?!" Charlotte screamed.
"Tatenashi?! Kanzashi's twin?!" Rin screamed, "Actually an IS Representative?!"
"Yeah..." Lincoln and Laura answered while rubbing their ears.
"Dude, why didn't you tell us any of this earlier?!" Ichika asked.
"I told him not to," Charlotte stepped in, "I wanted us to use this holiday to rally ourselves for the upcoming semester."
"Fat lotta luck that did us," Rin scratched her head, "We're not ready for all of this."
"Well, school doesn't start for another week," Cecilia said, "So we still have time to prepare."
"I guess we're all clear on what we have to do now," Houki said, "Everyone head down to Arena 6. We got a massive game plan to develop."
"You got that right," Rin nodded, then nudged Laura, "想去做那件事嗎？"
"Oh, right, right," Laura followed her.
"Where're you two going?" Lincoln asked.
Laura quickly fibbed, "We have yet to complete our curriculum for combat training for each of you."
Everyone shivered.
"Ok...you do that..." Houki waved.
Meanwhile, Lori and Leni have arrived at the Orimua residence at the appointed time.
"Looks like this is it," Leni said, "Any last words before we..."
Lori had already rung the doorbell.
And Chifuyu had already answered, "So, you're here."
"Yes..." Lori said.
At which point the gate opened its doors to let them in.
"Everything's already set up," Chifuyu said, "Come on in."
"Lori," Leni called.
"What is it?" Lori simply asked.
"Um..." Leni could see in her sister's eyes, that she was determined to follow through with the plan no matter what, "...Good luck!" She quickly cheered, "And, you know I'll be here whenever you need-UAA!" She was interrupted by a hug from Lori.
"I know..." Lori whispered, "...and thank you."
Leni hugged back. Then, she let Lori go to venture into the Orimura residence. She felt a mixture of relief (that Lori has softened her mood and settled herself into her new role as an incoming high school student), responsibility (that Leni would now have to take the lead in caring for her new family away from the comfort of her house), and reckoning (as if the two had just started something irreversible, something that would have even more drastic effects on the entire world).