PHASE 1.1
Wake-up Call

Orimuras' Residence
New semester day, 06:30 AM_

True to Tatenashi's words, Ichika spent the remaining days of the summer vacation in tranquility. Too quiet, he thought as he gave a last glance around the empty house before he stepped out of the front door. It had been a while since his last get-together with Chifuyu as a family; he'd messaged his sister the moment he left the academy's gate, but in the end Chifuyu still hadn't returned from her business trip. The irony weighed more when Ichika felt a little lonely without the usual ruckus of his schoolmates.

To think that he actually missed their… overly enthusiastic advances. Ichika shook his head at the thought of those girls pushing him around and trying to win his romantic feelings for them. They were good people, even if their competitiveness rarely bode well for his sanity. His only male friend, Dan Gotanda, often lamented about how lucky Ichika was to be surrounded by beautiful high school girls and to have them all to himself. He wasn't completely wrong… if only Dan knew the number of times Ichika almost lost his life in IS battles with these jealous female interests.

And now, it was time for him to return to the sanctuary—or hell, especially if those girls found out that he was out of the academy for a week without telling them. Ichika was just about to enjoy his last moment of no-girls time when a familiar voice called out from behind him.

"I…I-Ichika?"

Turning around, Ichika raised his eyebrows upon recognizing the person—Houki Shinonono. A fellow classmate and his other childhood friend whom he had been acquainted with for as long as he could remember… until that fateful day that changed all their lives forever.

The pained expression on Houki's heart-shaped face reflected the complicated feelings that Ichika also shared as they both turned their heads in the direction of the abandoned house on the opposite side of theirs.

"It's been ten years… huh."

Houki tensed at the rhetorical question. "…Do you still remember?"

"I've been having strange dreams—no, they are not mere dreams. They are forgotten memories."

"I-Ichika…"

"But who were those people?" Ichika continued to think aloud, oblivious to a worried Houki tagging along behind him. "Why can't I remember their faces?"

"Maybe… it's for the best—" Before Houki could finish her sentence, she was rudely interrupted by a shock of blonde hair that cut into her path, followed by the nasal voice of an English young lady.

"Ichika! What a pleasant surprise to meet you here!"

How did she know I'd be here? Ichika managed a weak smile at the forced cheerfulness from Cecilia Alcott, another fellow classmate and a representative candidate of England. "Morning, Cecilia."

"G-Good morning to you too, Ichika!"

The corner of Ichika's strained grin twitched as Cecilia's blue eyes were glazing over, her mind clearly lost in some self-indulged fantasy that he didn't want to find out. However, he froze momentarily at Houki's seething glare, especially with how her knuckle had turned white from gripping the strap of a long, thin package that slung over her right shoulder.

Oh, crap.

Houki was a former champion in kendo. There was no student in the academy who could beat her in a sword fight, as far as Ichika was aware… and he certainly did not want to start a fight early this morning on the first day of a new semester.

"A-Anyway… let's all go to school together, shall we? If we don't hurry, we're going to be late." Probably one of the oldest and most cliché excuse to use in such situation, at least it worked wonders as the trio made their way to the skytrain station without another word… sans the queer sight of a trembling boy being flanked by two pretty but intimidating girls.

En-route to IS Academy
One hour later_

"Move over. You're suffocating me."

"Huh? Why don't you move over instead? Your abnormally large breasts are taking up too much space between us—"

"Can we all just stop moving around so much? Your hand is caught un-under my skirt…"

The IS Academy might have seemed like a paradise for most male students who could only see the institution from afar, but to Ichika, who had been thrown into this school since late spring, it was a constant battlefield he never wanted to be a part of. He'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the feeling of three voluptuous high school girls squashed around him in a crowded train, except for the stares from other commuters around the fidgeting quartet that converged onto him.

Both Houki and Cecilia were desirable girls in their own ways, but Charlotte Dunois was another beauty who should not be underestimated under her meek and calm appearance. Joining the trio about half an hour ago at the station—coincidentally, she had insisted—the smile on the French representative's turned icy at her love rivals clinging onto Ichika before jumping into the fray. Originally enrolled at IS Academy as 'Charles Dunois' and marketed as the second male pilot after Ichika, he—or rather, she—was later exposed to be female in both the heart and mind. While she did not have a main offensive ability like Cecilia's long-range sniping or Houki's aggressive swordsmanship, Charlotte was an all-rounder who could stand her own ground and an excellent support in tag battles.

As Ichika watched the banter between his schoolmates with a weak smile, the skytrain jerked to a sudden stop, causing Ichika to lose his balance and fall face down into something... soft and nice. Months of experience in an all-girls institution had taught him about the situation he just landed himself in right now.

However, the reaction wasn't what he was expecting. "…How long do you intend to stay like this?" The person sighed, but they were kind enough to keep Ichika steady when the train shook again.

Looking up, Ichika came face to face with a willowy lady who was tall like him, with closely cropped white-blond hair that added a level of maturity even in the light of her youthful appearance. Her most striking appearance, however, was the indigo-blue eyes that were very familiar… until realization struck him when he glanced at Houki.

No way. They look nothing alike at all. Must be the lighting.

Feeling a push from the disgruntled lady, Ichika finally straightened up and flashed a sheepish grin at her. "Thanks. That was my bad."

"Yeah, sure," the lady replied coolly, though a tinge of pink colored her pale cheeks. "But your friends seem to have a very different understanding of the situation."

This lady had a strong grip despite her slender-looking arms; her somewhat deeper voice also caught Ichika by surprise. Her second line, however, put the feeling of dissonance he felt from the lady to the back of his mind as a heavier aura from behind made him turn around cautiously.

"I-chi-ka…" As his three schoolmates loomed over his shrinking self, a timely but loud beep from the intercom saved Ichika from the wrath of the girls.

"Attention to all passengers: the train has stopped here due to the track fault ahead—"

The rest of the announcement was drowned out by explosions outside the cabin and high-pitched screams of IS Academy students all around.

"Good morning, my little sweeties!" A shrill cackle buzzed from the intercom. "I hope our welcome squad is more than enough to wake you all up for the new school semester!"

More explosions bombarded around the halted train once more before the perpetrator continued her pompous giggling. "Nothing's better than starting the day with some excitement!" A tall tree not far from the motionless skytrain blew up with a loud bang, like an eerily well-timed emphasis on her words. "But where are my lovely personal IS pilots? Come out and play with your big sister here!"

Every commuter in the cabin turned to Ichika's group expectantly. Even the tall lady stared down at his harem with an arched eyebrow.

"W-Well…" Cecilia was the first to break the tense silence with a nervous laugh, batting an eyelid at Ichika. "T-This is unacceptable, isn't that right? We have to stop her!"

"For once, I agree with her," Charlotte nodded, placing a hand on Cecilia's shoulder. "Since the attacker only wants us, let's not involve our innocent schoolmates any further."

Houki's silent, unblinking glare at him was the last push that made Ichika raise his hands in defeat. "Alright, I got the message. We'll keep them busy until the law enforcement arrives to take care of the rest."

Screams filled the cabin once more, but this time it wasn't caused by the bombers outside.

"Then what are you waiting for?" It was the silver-blonde lady who had smashed open a door with a fire extinguisher. "Get the hell out there and do your thing, now."