A/N: Any resemblance between Infinite Arsenal's special ability and Fate/Stay Night's Unlimited Blade Works is purely the result of coincidence. I only realized how similar the two abilities were after posting the previous chapter.
Chapter 4
Ichika had to admit, this academy was built like a labyrinth. He was sure that even without the Organization's help, he would have easily been able to find the IS room long before he could locate the room he was 'supposed' to get to.
"Now, if I were an IS, where would I be located?" Ichika muttered to himself as he walked down the hallway where the IS examination room was located. His question was answered by a girl with dark magenta hair and eyes walking out of a door on his right. Another girl, this one with pink hair and sleepy yellow eyes followed her out.
"Man that IS exam was hard! I barely lasted a minute against that instructor!" The magenta haired girl exclaimed.
"Mhm! At least you managed to land a hit though..." The other girl yawned.
"You lasted longer than me though, so I would say we're equal!" Magenta hair replied as the two girls walked past Ichika.
"Oh? Are you lost?" The sleepy looking girl turned to Ichika.
"Yes, I'm looking for the IS examination room." Ichika replied.
"Really? But you're a boy! You can't pilot an IS!" The magenta haired girl said, although her tone was still friendly.
"Oh I know that. You may not be able to tell by looking at me, but I've been studying IS suits since I was ten, and already have a Class Four ISDL." Ichika replied.
"Wait... Are you Orimura Ichika-san?" The sleepy girl asked.
"I am. Why do you want to know?" Ichika asked.
"Wait, you're Orimura Chifuyu's younger brother? The youngest person to ever obtain a Class Four ISDL?" Magenta Hair exclaimed.
"Correct." Ichika replied.
"Wow..." The sleepy girl sighed.
"Anyway, you were looking for the IS examination room? It's right back there, in the gymnasium." The magenta haired girl pointed towards the door they had just come out of.
"Thank you..."
"Aikawa Kiyoka. That's my name, and this is Nohotoke Honne." The girl introduced herself and her friend.
"Thank you then, Aikawa-san, Nohotoke-san." Ichika thanked the two girls in turn before turning and heading into the examination room.
"You there, tall with blue hair, suit up and get in the air. There are twenty more girls coming after you, so don't waste my time!" The hassled looking instructor barely glanced at Ichika before looking back down at her computer screen.
"But-" Ichika began, intending to play the part of confused student.
"No buts, just get in the IS!" The woman shouted, and Ichika obeyed, walking up to the Uchigane and stepping inside. Immediately, the training IS booted up and Ichika turned away, only to pause.
"What do I do now?" Ichika asked.
"Go out through the gym exit, an Instructor will be waiting there to evaluate you." At that, Ichika nodded before his IS rose a few feet off the ground and flew towards the exit. He emerged into a makeshift arena that had been set up behind the school.
"Alright, are you ready?" The instructor called out as he hovered in front of her. A quick glance at her IS told Ichika that the woman's Uchigane was armed with a training sword and pistol. An identical loadout to his own.
"I am." Ichika replied.
"Then here I come!" Ichika's pistol was already raised by the time the instructor started her charge. He managed to get off three shots, landing one, by the time the woman reached him.
"Oh? You're quite good for a newbie." The woman commented as Ichika flipped his IS over her head and slashed down from his inverted position at the top of the arc, aiming for his opponent's back. The woman barely managed to twist and parry the blow.
The instructor raised her pistol as she spoke and fired twice, the first shot hitting, while the second flying over Ichika's head as he rolled out of the woman's line of fire, his pistol firing once as he did so.
His sword met his opponent's weapon once again a second later. The two were now face to face.
"So, what's your name little girl? You've lasted the longest out of all the students I've tested so far, and you even managed to land a few hits on me! Are you sure you're new to IS piloting?" The woman asked, her sword locked against his.
"W-well, my name is Orimura Ichika and... I'm not a girl." Ichika replied, causing the woman's eyes to widen. She looked down at his body, then up at him again. Her guard was weakened, but Ichika was sure that he didn't need to attack at the moment.
"Are... Are you related to That Orimura?" The instructor asked softly.
"Who, Chifuyu-nee?" Ichika asked. At that, the instructor's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground in a dead faint.
"And the winner is... Orimura Ichika-kun?" The announcer exclaimed incredulously. "But... but that's impossible! Boys can't..." Whatever the announcer was going to say was soon reduced to incoherent mumbling while Ichika flew back into the IS examination room, landing neatly on the charging pad.
"Why didn't you tell me you were a boy?" The woman from earlier spoke. Behind her, several young girls sat, watching with wide eyes.
"Well... I tried, but you wouldn't listen and-" Ichika began, but the woman walked up to him and poked him in the chest a few times.
"Looks like you really are a boy..." The woman blushed after doing so,
"What do I do now?" Ichika asked.
"W-well, for now just get out of the IS and wait here." The woman said and Ichika stepped out. She then walked towards a nearby phone and dialed a number. That was the cue for the rest of the girls in the room to start talking all at once.
"Are you really a boy?"
"How did you pilot that IS?"
"What is your name?"
"How did you do on the test?" The barrage of questions caused Ichika to clap his hands over his ears, which in turn slowly reduced the number and volume of questions.
"Alright, so my name is Orimura Ichika. I am a boy, at least I was when last I checked, and I don't know how I piloted the IS. I do know, however, that I managed to beat the instructor, although it was more like she fainted once she found out I was a boy..." Ichika trailed off at that.
"Orimura... Are you related to Orimura Chifuyu-sama by any chance?" One of the girls spoke hesitantly.
"Chifuyu-nee? Of course I am related to my older sister!" Ichika exclaimed, and instantly regretted it, as the girls squealed as one and began pestering him again, this time for autographs.
"Alright, settle down everyone! The instructor's awake again, so whoever's next please suit up and get out there!" At that, one of the quieter girls, one with blue hair and red eyes behind her glasses, walked up to the training IS and soared out of the room. Ichika dimly heard the sounds of combat coming from outside as he sat down on one of the benches present.
"Orimura-kun? There are some people here who wish to speak with you." The woman, whom Ichika realized was also the announcer for the training matches, called to him a minute later.
"Where should I go?" Ichika asked.
"Once you exit this room, turn right, and then enter room 512. It should be the third one on your right." The woman spoke, and Ichika thanked her. As he walked out of the room, he saw the blue haired girl walk back into the room, a dejected look on her face.
Ichika entered the assigned room, and saw three men sitting within. He recognized Raymond White among them.
"Hello again, Ichika. It's good to see that you completed your objective." Raymond spoke first.
"Wait, you knew of this, White-san?" One of the other two men in the room asked.
"Of course. We found out about his piloting abilities three weeks ago during what would have been a routine activation test. He leaned against the unit and next thing we knew he was in the pilot's seat." Raymond spoke.
"Then why were we not informed?" One of the men, a black haired man wearing dark glasses, asked.
"You are informed now." Raymond replied, a faint smile on his face.
"Listen, just because your Organization is now independent of the Japanese Government doesn't mean that you can simply leave us out of the loop when it comes to things of such importance!" The other man, this one brown haired and also wearing similar glasses, exclaimed.
"Actually, we can do just that. We are, after all, not based on Japan's soil." Raymond replied.
"But your primary purpose is to protect Japan from all known terrorist activities!"
"A purpose that extends to the rest of the world as well, and had Ichika been revealed earlier, he would have been a target. After all, we all know that there are many people out there who might want to... acquire Ichika here for their own purposes, and some of those purposes would involve him strapped down on a vivisection table. I am sure you understand, right?" Raymond lectured.
"Fine. However, you do know that he will now be required to attend IS academy, right?" The black haired man spoke.
"Of course. I was counting on it, in fact."
"And why is that?"
"Well, for starters we have deemed that the IS academy is one of Phantom Task's biggest targets. After all, should they capture IS academy, they also capture hundreds of MPIS units within, as well as multiple True IS units. The area is also somewhat poorly guarded, with the majority of pilots present being teenage girls."
"But the rest of the instructors there are highly trained professionals!"
"There are two instructors there I can think of that might be able to fight effectively against an incoming attack. The rest are out of practice, and haven't shot anything other than a training gun in years. Phantom Task will make mincemeat out of them."
"The JSDF will still be able to respond within the hour!"
"Keyword- Respond. By the time that hour is over, the academy could have already fallen."
"And what could one boy do to prevent the academy from falling if the entire JSDF can do nothing?"
"Simple- Ichika here is already in possession of his own personal IS unit, and has undergone enough training to easily put him on par with an IS Representative Candidate. Besides, he is going there anyway, so why are you objecting?" Raymond smiled.
"We are not voicing our objections, we are simply stating our concerns with you placing an agent into the IS academy."
"But the IS academy is not part of the Japanese nation, so it is not your concern in the first place."
"Japan is still tasked with the maintenance and upkeep of the academy, as well as the protection of its students, as per the Alaska Treaty."
"Once again, are you objecting to Ichika attending IS academy?"
"Of course not! Ichika is attending regardless of our concerns. However, we are simply passing on a warning." The black haired man spoke.
"And that warning is?" Raymond asked, his voice now carrying an edge.
"That we know where your base is located, and should you attempt anything at the IS academy we will be paying you a visit."
"Rest assured that we are not attempting anything. Wouldn't you agree, Ichika?"
"Of course! My only goal at the academy is to assist in its defense should Phantom Task decide to launch an attack." Ichika spoke.
"Very well. We will, however, be watching Ichika very closely over the next three years. I hope you understand, Dr. White." The black haired man stood, and left the room.
"Now, Agent Orimura, was it? It is good to finally be able to speak with you." The brown haired man said after a few moments.
"And your name is?" Ichika asked.
"Gendou. Gendou Aikawa. I will be your observer during your stay at IS academy. I am also in the employ of the Organization's Intelligence Division, and thus you will be allowed a bit more freedom than some would wish."
"Wait, Aikawa? I met a girl with that name on my way to the Examination room!" Ichika exclaimed.
"Ah, so you've met my daughter already? That's good to hear. I hope she made a favorable impression on you."
"She seemed nice."
"Good. Now, she doesn't know about our little secret, so try not to bring her in unless it is absolutely necessary. You are to also refrain from alerting her of my status as your observer."
"But what about other observers? I am sure there will be more than just you." Ichika said, getting back on track.
"Legally, Japan is forbidden from sending anyone in addition to me, although I do not doubt that they will attempt to keep tabs on you through less scrupulous means. However, as the IS academy is technically independent from Japan as a whole, they will not be allowed to do much without inviting reprisal from other nations."
"Then it is good to meet you, Gendou-san." Ichika spoke.
"Likewise." Gendou replied, extending his hand for Ichika to shake. Ichika shook it, reminding himself to check for bugs later. It was a common practice among Intelligence officers to slip bugs onto random Organization members as a method of 'keeping security on its toes'.
"Then it is settled. You will be reporting to IS academy once term starts in August. I hope that you are ready..." The man trailed off.
"I am already fully trained in the operation of the IS." Ichika replied.
"Ha! Of course you are! No, I mean... Are you ready to be thrown into a pit of hormonal teenage girls?" The man said, his tone light.
"Not you too!" Ichika complained.
"I only speak the truth... double-oh seven." The man laughed.
"Not that nickname again..."
"Alright, settle down you two. Ichika, you may leave now." With those words, Ichika was dismissed. He soon was heading out of the school's labyrinthine passageways.
A few minutes later, he turned another corner, about to reach the exit, only to stop cold in his tracks. There, standing between him and the exit, was his older sister.
"You've been holding out on me, Ichika-kun." The black haired woman stated simply.
"Um..."
"So how long did you know? Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret between the two of us." Chifuyu said as she walked towards him.
"Well..." Ichika was torn. On one hand, maintaining secrecy was paramount, but on the other hand, it was his sister asking! The same sister who had essentially raised him!
"Well?" Chufuyu asked, now standing right in front of him.
"I can't tell you..." Ichika's face fell, guilt clearly written all over his features.
"Don't worry Ichika..." His sister said, wrapping her arms around him. "We all have our secrets, after all."
"Really? Even you?" Ichika asked.
"Of course..." Chifuyu trailed off. If Ichika could see his face at the moment, he would have noticed that it practically mirrored his sister's own visage. A quiet gasp ruined the mood.
"Look! He really is her brother!"
"How adorable!"
A pair of voices caused the pair to break apart.
"Whoever is there, come out now!" Chifuyu declared.
"Oh no! She heard us!" One of the eavesdroppers whispered, and rather loudly too.
"Ichika, you may leave now. It seems that I have to teach a lesson to some of your future classmates." At that, Chifuyu turned and, after quickly running her hand through Ichika's hair, began to walk to where a pair of prospective IS pilots were likely quaking in fear. Ichika sighed in relief and walked out of the building.
The next few weeks passed by quickly, and Ichika soon found himself riding the monorail to the artificial island that housed the IS academy. His first sight of the academy nearly took his breath away. While it lacked the sheer grandeur of the Organization's HQ, the academy appeared, at least from a distance, as an image of the future. Tall, twisting spires and low domes illuminated by the rising sun, interspersed with trees and the faint glimmer of holograms only added to this impression.
Ichika's eyes soon drifted down to the watch that adorned his hand. It was a simple grey and black device, and wasn't much to look at, but Ichika knew its every secret. After all, it was the Infinite Arsenal in stored form.
'What are you thinking about?' The text showed up on his watch face.
"Nothing much, Ori." Ichika replied, his tone low so that he wouldn't be overheard.
'Don't worry Ichika, I'm sure you'll do fine.' The AI responded. While the watch could act as a full blown holoprojector and allow him to talk to Ori face to face, he really wasn't feeling like dodging questions before he even arrived at the academy.
"That's not what I'm worried about." Ichika replied.
'Then is it related to why people keep calling you double-oh seven?'
"No, it isn't." Ichika sighed.
'Then what is it?'
"It's just that this is my first assignment. What if something happens and my cover, and that of the Organization as a whole is blown?"
'Don't think like that and it won't happen, Ichika.'
"Thank's Ori." As Ichika spoke those words, the monorail arrived at its destination. Ichika stepped off the train and looked around. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd of students walking towards the academy. He spotted Honne Nohotoke talking with two other girls in the shade of the building, while a certain glasses wearing blue haired girl was talking to what at first appeared to be an older version of herself, sans glasses. As Ichika walked past the pair, however, he noticed that while their appearances were almost identical, their personalities seemed wildly different, as the older girl was gesturing wildly and speaking excitedly, while her younger sister, or at least Ichika thought she was her sister, simply listened with a slight frown upon her face. Then, Ichika's eyes met dark blue ones that widened in shock.
"Houki? Is that you?" Ichika called out to the ponytailed girl that now stood staring at him. The girl in question simply stared for a few more minutes before turning away and hurrying towards the building's entrance.
Ichika hurried after her, but by the time he had reached the building's entrance the girl was long gone.
"Great... Now where am I supposed to go?" Ichika wondered aloud as he entered the building.
'You are in Class 1-1.' Ori messaged him over his watch, and Ichika muttered his thanks to the AI before he began to wonder where exactly the classroom was located.
Ori's response was to promptly call up a holographic map of the facility, highlighting the classroom as a red dot, while Ichika's position was indicated by a small arrow. This caused a few passing students to stare.
"What's that?" A familiar sounding asked as Ichika shut off the map.
"Aikawa-san?" Ichika asked, turning to the magenta haired girl.
"You remembered my name!" The girl leaped into the air, seemingly ecstatic, before asking again.
"So, Ichika-san, what is that?" The girl asked, looking at his watch.
"You'll see soon enough." Ichika replied, causing the girl to pout.
"But I want to find out now!" She complained.
"I'm afraid that its existence is still technically a corporate secret, so I can't tell you." Ichika replied as he walked to his classroom.
"Aww..." The girl pouted for a while before cheering up again.
"Hey, you're in the same homeroom as me!" Kiyoka exclaimed as Ichika entered room 1-1.
"Looks like it." Ichika replied, spotting a desk with his name displayed above it in holographic letters. He sat down in it, and looked around the room. There were several other students present already, as Ichika spotted a blonde haired girl sitting in the back of the room. She looked somewhat familiar, but Ichika couldn't remember from where. Kiyoka had also taken a seat at her assigned desk, while the final occupant of the room was... Shinonono Houki. The brown haired girl studiously ignored Ichika from her seat by the window, choosing instead to stare out across the academy grounds.
Having nothing better to do, Ichika pulled out his datapad, which he had brought with him, and turned the instrument on. Entering his password, he pulled up an electronic copy of the IS academy textbook and began to quickly skim through it, not really paying attention to the content, most of which he had already memorized.
"A-ahem..." A timid sounding voice caused him to look up and see a green haired woman standing above him, holding a small packet of paper.
"Yes?" Ichika asked, causing the woman to practically jump in shock.
"W-well, I just wanted to give these to you, as you know... well, I don't think you got these along with the rest of the students so..." The nervous woman trailed off, staring into space for a few seconds before quickly depositing the papers on Ichika's desk and walking away. Ichika quickly looked over the papers and soon saw that the teacher had handed the IS Academy Student Handbook to him, which he had already read. Then, Ichika's eyes landed on a thin strip of what looked like a random series of numbers and letters on the bottom of the booklet. To an ordinary observer, it would have simply looked like something fairly normal, some indecipherable number for a machine's convenience, but Ichika looked at it and saw one of several written codes used by the Organization in the field. The message was simple.
'My name is Yamada Maya. I will be your contact in the IS academy. See me after class.' Ichika looked up at the woman, catching her eye and causing her to nod before turning to whatever she had been doing before. Ichika did the same, returning his attention to his tablet. He noticed more students slowly trickle in until finally, the room was full.
"Congratulations to everyone for entering this school." Maya spoke up after a few minutes, addressing the class. "I am the vice-homeroom teacher, Yamada Maya."
The class was silent. After a short but awkward silence, the teacher spoke again, this time a lot more nervously.
"Ah... From this day onwards, everyone here is a student of IS academy. This is a boarding school, meaning that everyone will be together, even once classes are over. Please help each other, and enjoy the next three years you all spend together." The class remained silent.
"Well... Let's move on to the self-introductions! We will go according to numerical order on the attendance list." The green haired teacher then began calling names.
Ichika noticed Houki staring at him out of the corner of his eye, and turned to look at her. However, that action only caused the long haired girl to pointedly look away from him again.
"Orimura-kun? Orimura Ichika-kun?" Ichika heard the teacher call out several times. Apparently, it was time to introduce himself.
"Ah, my apologies, Yamada-sensei, I wasn't paying attention." Ichika spoke, placating the somewhat nervous looking teacher. He then cleared his throat and spoke again, this time to the rest of the class.
"My name is Orimura Ichika." He began, standing up. "It is a pleasure to meet you all, and I look forward to my next three years in this academy." Ichika spoke. A few seconds passed, the entire class staring up at him, as if expecting him to say more.
"That's all." Ichika replied, much to the disappointment of much of the other students. That was when he felt the first impact to the top of his head.
"Ow! What was that for Chifuyu-nee?" For that was indeed the identity of the woman whose fist had impacted his head.
'WHAM!'
"While you are in class you will refer to me as Orimura-sensei."
"Sensei, has the meeting ended?" Maya piped up from the front of the room.
"It has, Yamada-kun. I must apologize for making you greet the new students." Chifuyu replied, walking up to the front of the room.
"Attention! I am your homeroom teacher, Orimura Chifuyu. Over the course of this year I will be the one training you in the usage of the IS." At that, almost every female student in the room squealed excitedly.
"Chifuyu-sama! It's the real Chifuyu-sama!"
"I came to this school from Kitakyuushuu because I admired you Onee-sama!"
"I would die for you Chifuyu-sama!"
Ichika's head now rested flat on his desk, while his hands kept the worst of the fangirls' screams from damaging his hearing. Chifuyu sighed.
"Once again I see that my class is full of idiots. Are they really here to use an IS or just to see me?" The woman commented aloud.
"Onee-sama! Please scold me and abuse me more!" Alright, Ichika thought, now it's just getting ridiculous.
"But be nice at times too!"
Over the cries of the fangirls, Ichika saw his sister turn towards him.
"So, you fail to even greet the class properly..." Chifuyu began.
"Well, I don't like to brag about my achievements, Chifuyu-nee." Another impact against his head.
"It's Orimura-sensei in here, get it right."
"Understood, Orimura-sensei." Ichika replied.
"Wait, Orimura Ichika is Chifuyu-sensei's younger brother? Does that have anything to do with his ability to use the IS?" One of the girls next to him whispered to her friend behind her. At that Ichika laughed inwardly. After all, if he were to toss the Infinite Arsenal to some random man out on the street, that man would have a coin flip chance of at least being able to activate it.
"Everyone be quiet!" At Chifuyu's behest, the entire class was silent. "Over the next six months each and every one of you will have memorized the basics of the IS. After that you will start hands-on lessons. You will learn basic maneuvers within half a month. Understood? If you agree, answer me. If you don't, then still answer me."
"Yes!" The entire class chorused, Ichika included. That was when Maya began to teach.
"As all of you are already aware, the proper name of the IS is Infinite Stratos. It is a multi-purpose suit developed in Japan. When the design was initially conceived, it was intended for space travel, but development in that field has been halted due to the Alaska Treaty. The Alaska Treaty also prohibits the IS from being used by the military... Yes Orimura-kun?" Ichika had raised his hand moments before.
"But aren't most of the world's IS programs considered a branch of various nations' militaries?" Ichika asked. He already knew the answer, but he had been asked to stay after class. He hoped the teacher would pick up on the hint.
"You bring up a good point, Orimura-kun. It is true that the IS is still largely a military endeavor, but the Alaska Treaty prohibits any true IS suit from being used by any nation's military, save for defensive purposes. However, I can see that you still have several questions about this topic. Please stay after class so that we may discuss this in more detail." With that answer, Maya continued with her lesson.
A few hours later the bell rang, and all the room's occupants exited leaving Maya and Ichika alone inside.
"Good to see you taking the initiative, Orimura-kun. Now, as you have discerned from my message, I will be your contact here in IS academy. Any orders from above will be relayed to you through me via a manner similar to how I alerted you of my status. Any questions?" Maya asked.
"Yes. What about my observer, Gendou Aikawa?" Ichika asked.
"The Japanese government views him with a small amount of suspicion, and he is thus prohibited from interacting with you while you are enrolled in IS academy. Of course, I have been teaching here for several years now, and have thus slipped under the radar, so to speak." Maya replied.
"I see. Are you a member of the Organization's IS corps by any chance?" Ichika asked.
"Of course I am, although my job here means that I spend most of my time away from the base. I was considered for the position of your IS trainer, but the people up in Intelligence deemed me too valuable in my current position, and thus Yukari was given the job. From what I've heard, she has done quite a good job training you." Maya replied.
"I know, Yukari-sensei occasionally brought you up during our spars. She said something about you being chosen as Japan's IS representative over her." Ichika said.
"That is correct. Now, do you have any questions regarding our arrangement?"
"No ma'am." Ichika replied. Hearing that Maya laughed and handed him a small flash drive.
"Good. Here, take this. It contains dossiers on various persons of interest at this academy, both student and teacher. There are likely a few names you recognize contained within." Maya spoke as she handed the device to Ichika.
"Thanks. I will make good use of it." Ichika replied.
"I am glad to hear that. You are dismissed." At that, Ichika walked out of the room. As he left, he noticed Houki leaning against the wall opposite the classroom door. As Ichika left, she walked towards him.
"May I have a moment of your time?" The girl asked.
"Of course!" Ichika replied, and allowed the girl to lead him to the Academy roof.
"So what do you want?" Ichika asked one the pair had reached their destination.
"Um... Well..." Houki began, leaning against the railing while Ichika paced behind her.
"It's been six years since we've last seen each other. Surely you have something to say, Houki?" Ichika began, attempting to start a conversation. However, Houki simply looked out across the Academy grounds, a slight blush on her face.
"Oh! I almost forgot! Congratulations on winning the national Kendo championship!" Ichika said.
"How did you know that?" Houki turned to Ichika, a shocked expression on her face.
"I saw it in the newspaper, how else would I know?" Ichika replied.
"Why do you even read the newspaper?" Houki's complaint had some merit, as newspapers were now almost completely replaced by electronic channels of information.
"Well, they're much more easier to understand..." That and Stukanov's trick with the newspaper was a good way of determining if anyone was home or not.
"I see..." Houki spoke.
"You know, even though it's been six years, I recognized you as soon as I saw you." Ichika commented.
"Wha..." The blush on the girl's face intensified.
"Your hairstyle is exactly the same, you know."
"Y-you do have a good memory..." Houki turned away, idly twisting a few strands of hair around with her finger.
"Well, what kind of friend would I be if I forgot?" Ichika smiled.
Houki gave no reply though, and simply stared out into space, causing Ichika to pause. Then, the bell rang, signalling that it was time to return to class.
"Come on, we've got to get to class." Ichika said, turning away.
"I understand..." Houki replied, although her mind was clearly somewhere else.
The next class period was spent reviewing the basics of IS theory, something that Ichika already knew by heart. He would have likely slept through the class, but the imposing presence of Chifuyu in front of him kept him awake, if not attentive.
"Ichika!" The exclamation was punctuated with an attendance book to the head.
"Y-yes Orimura-sensei?" Ichika replied, startled.
"Just because you already know all of this does not mean that you are exempt from paying attention!" Chifuyu chastised.
"Understood, Orimura-sensei." Ichika replied simply.
Soon, the bell rang again, although this time around Ichika was too tired to leave his desk.
"Excuse me, but may I have a moment of your time?" An English accented voice brought him back to full wakefulness.
"Of course." Ichika replied in English.
"Ah, it is good to see that someone else here is capable of speaking English. Now, I am sure you already know my name, and I already know yours, so let us not bother with introductions." The blonde haired girl standing beside him spoke.
"You do look very familiar now that you mention it." Ichika replied.
"Hmph. You should be honored to be addressed by me, Cecilia Alcott. Couldn't you at least pretend to recognize me?" The girl asked, outraged.
"Alcott? That explains it, you must be Edmond's daughter then. My mentor took me to meet with him a few years ago, and he seemed like a good man. How is he anyway?" That was evidently the wrong thing to say, as an enraged expression crossed the girl's face.
"I guess that it is typical of a monkey like you to associate with my no good drunk of a father! Goodbye!" The girl stormed away, touching off a flurry of uneasy whispering among his classmates. While none of them seemed to understand what had been said, the things Ichika heard ranged from him simply insulting her to him shooting down her when she asked him out.
"So that was Cecilia Alcott..." Ichika murmured to himself. Honestly, he could see how the girl could dislike her father. After all, the man had been drinking quite a bit during his meeting with Raymond and Ichika, and if he behaved similarly at home...
Soon the bell rang again, and the final class period of the day began. Once again, Ichika barely paid attention to the discussion of IS tactics. Yukari had drilled it all into him already, after all. Instead, his mind was focused on a certain blonde haired girl that sat fuming in the back of the room. Ichika mentally went over what Edmond had requested during his meeting. Apparently Raymond had managed arrange for Cecilia to be trained to the point that she managed to surpass all other candidates her age and was made England's IS Representative Cadet at the IS academy. Her haughty attitude likely meant that her fortune was still intact, and... Ichika remembered Edmond's last request. Had Raymond given the recording to Cecilia? He resolved to ask the engineer at his earliest convenience. The Alcott name still held a large amount of weight in the world of the IS, and he would rather not piss off Cecilia now and regret it later.
The class period ended, and Ichika soon found himself walking alone towards the Dormitory complex, a mob of curious girls trying, and failing, at staying hidden while tailing him.
Soon he arrived at his assigned dorm room, room 1025, and knocked. There was no response, and Ichika entered the room. He groaned at the sight of the two beds in the room, a clear sign that he would be sharing with a female student. He only hoped that-
"Is someone there?" A familiar voice cut through Ichika's thoughts.
"You must be my roommate then. I'm sorry for appearing like this, but my name is Shinonono Houki." Ichika watched as Houki stepped out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel. The girl's eyes widened as they met Ichika's own.
"I-I-Ichika?" The girl stuttered out, before looking down at herself.
"Don't look!" At that Ichika was snapped out of his stupor and he quickly turned around.
"Why are you here?" His roommate exclaimed.
"What do you mean, 'Why am I here?' This is my assigned room!" Ichika replied, before continuing a few moments later.
"Well, at least it's just you and not a total stranger!" He exclaimed brightly. That was when Houki sprinted past him and grabbed a long, thin, and very familiar object from her bag. Ichika leaped out of the way of the girl's first strike, while a weapon materialized in his hand.
It wasn't much to look at, being a simple black telescoping baton that Ichika had used to test out the Infinite Arsenal's special ability. Through it he had learned that the baton, once copied and fabricated, was now considered a part of his IS and could then be partially deployed. That also applied to every other weapon he had analyzed, although most of them would be of limited use in this situation. Pretty much every ranged weapon in his current arsenal would be materialized without a supply of ammunition in a partial deployment, while all other melee weapons were simply too big, heavy, or impractical for use in the confines of the room. That and he didn't want to hurt Houki.
The baton extended, and with a resounding 'CRACK!' it met Houki's second strike. If his opponent showed any surprise at the weapon appearing out of nowhere in Ichika's hands, she did not show it, instead simply continuing her assault.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The sounds of their duel echoed through the room, and Ichika soon found himself on the defensive. While Ichika was strong from Giorgi's training and possessed some level of skill in close quarters combat, also courtesy of the ex-Spetsnaz, much of his training had been oriented towards making him a better IS pilot, while Houki's own skillset was perfectly suited towards the current situation. Ichika soon found himself being pushed back towards the room's entrance. His back soon hit the door, and Houki raised her weapon for a finishing blow. Ichika dodged to the right, causing his opponent's weapon to punch clean through the door. He wrapped his left arm around the momentarily stuck weapon, preventing Houki from using it, while his baton lightly rapped his opponent on the forehead.
"That was fun Houki, but I think you should get dressed before we continue." Ichika said, causing the previously enraged girl to look down at herself and blush.
"L-look away!" The girl screamed again.
"You're holding me against a wall with a weapon that can kill me, and you want me to look away?" Ichika deadpanned. Blushing, Houki pulled her weapon out of the door and leaned it against the wall.
"Don't you dare peek." The still angry girl cautioned as Ichika turned to face the door. Barely a minute passed before Houki told him that he could turn around, and Ichika saw that the girl was now fully dressed.
"So, you say that you're my room mate now?" Houki asked after a few moments.
"Yes, I am." Ichika replied.
"What are you trying to accomplish?" Houki asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm asking why you are doing this! Males and Females aren't supposed to share a room after they turn 7! It's common sense!"
"Where did you get that idea from? But in all seriousness, I agree that we need to lay down a few ground rules, and sooner rather than later." Ichika said.
"Did you ask to be placed in this room with me?" Houki asked.
"What? I didn't even know you were here until I saw you earlier today! How could I request to room with you when almost all my time was spent in the classroom?" Ichika exclaimed, causing Houki to sigh.
"Then I guess we are stuck here for now. Now, since we are going to be living together, I do see the need to lay down some rules. Firstly, I will be using the shower from Seven to Eight. You can use it from Eight to Nine."
"That's an awfully long time to take a shower." Ichika commented.
"Hmph. I happen to enjoy relaxing in... why am I telling you this?" Houki's face grew dark again.
"Don't worry, those times seem acceptable for now. Do you have anything else to say?"
"Yes."
"And? What is it?"
"If you do anything perverted while I am here, I will kill you." The girl spoke, and Ichika simply nodded, backing away from her. His foot then caught in her bag, and he fell to the floor, feeling something smack him across the face as he did so.
Ichika opened his eyes to see one of them covered by some sort of fabric. He pried the offending object off his eye, and promptly realized what it was.
'Oh crap.' Was the last thought in his head before he rolled out of the way of a freshly enraged Houki's strike. With that thought in his mind, another duel between the two IS students began.
Ichika didn't spend much time at breakfast, finishing his meal quickly in order to get away from the room and the stares of the hundreds of girls within. Seriously, could he do anything in this school without a couple hundred whispered conversations starting around him?
Thankfully his older sister cut breakfast short, threatening to assign ten laps around the school track should anyone arrive to class tardy. The mention of laps brought a smile to Ichika's face. At least at this school he wouldn't have an armed Russian chasing after him should he ever have to run around the track.
Soon the bell rang and the second day of school officially started with an announcement from Chifuyu.
"Today we will be deciding on our Class Representative, who will be representing us in the coming inter-class tournament. In addition to the tournament, the Class Representative will also be required to attend any meetings of the Student Council and Committee. If you want, you can consider it as the position of Class Leader. You may either nominate yourself or someone else. Any takers?" Chifuyu spoke.
"I nominate Orimura-kun!" One of the girls raised her hand.
"I agree!" Another girl exclaimed, causing Ichika to groan softly. He really didn't want the extra work that being Class Rep entailed.
"Are there any other nominations? If not, then he will be elected to the position by default." Chifuyu spoke, causing a certain blonde in the back of the classroom to slam her hands against her desk.
"I will not stand for this!" Cecilia Alcott exclaimed, standing up. "This is completely unacceptable!"
"And why is that?" Chifuyu asked.
"Having a man like him as our class representative is an embarrassment! Do you all honestly expect me, Cecilia Alcott, to bear the shame of this for the entire year? Of course, I would see how an uncultured country such as this would perpetuate such a farce, but I thought that you all were better than this!" Ichika's eye twitched.
"And an arrogant snob from Britain such as yourself would be a better candidate? I admit that Japan may not be the greatest country in the world, but at least it has its good points, unlike your own! For example, look how many times has England won the Annual Worst Cuisine award!"
"My country's food is better than yours in every aspect! Do you think you can insult my country and not expect any reprisal?"
Unbeknownst to the arguing pair, a faint smile was visible on Chifuyu's face as she watched the two students square off.
"And what would be that reprisal?" Ichika asked.
"I challenge you to a duel!" Cecilia declared, and Ichika laughed.
"Of course, I accept. What better way to solve our problem than a simple display of strength!"
"If you lose, I will ensure that you are reduced to little more than my servant!"
"Oh? Then how much of a handicap would you like?" Ichika asked tauntingly.
"So you are already asking for a favor from me? Well you won't get it!"
"Of course not! I would be insulted if you were to offer me one. I was simply asking if you would like a handicap from me. After all, the way I see it, you stand no chance." Ichika smirked. Then, the entire class started laughing.
"Are you serious Orimura-kun? The time of men being stronger than women is long past! If anything, the IS has reversed the balance!" One of the students cried.
"Ha! You know, if men and women were to go to war, it wouldn't even be three days before men were defeated!" Cecilia mocked, and the smile on Ichika's face grew.
"Three days, you say?" Ichika held out his hand, and the same baton he had used against Houki the night before appeared in his hand. In addition, the partial deployment activated his IS unit's empathic interface, allowing Ori to see into his mind and gauge his intentions.
"Not even that!" Cecilia declared haughtily.
"Well then..." Ichika walked over to his desk and drew out his datapad. He activated it and pretended to fiddle with the device for a few seconds while Ori hacked into the screen at the front of the room. Soon, Ichika placed the datapad down and turned the device off, his AI companion having alerted him to the screen having changed behind him.
Extending the baton for dramatic effect, Ichika walked to the front of the room, where an improvised presentation was now being shown.
"You say that, on the off chance that men and women were to, at this very moment, enter a state of war, that men would only last three days?" Ichika once again asked Cecilia.
"Of course! Modern weapons are useless against the power of an IS!"
"That, my dear classmates, is a very common misconception. You see, the world's militaries were none too happy about the IS rendering them obsolete, so they did the only thing they could." The screen changed to display several pictures, one of an M2A1 Eisenhower MBT, another of the new American F-36 Raven fighter, and finally of the Japanese Type-4 AIS rifle, which used technology developed by the Organization and shared with the Japanese government in order to create a battlefield-capable version of the Type-2.
"While these images by themselves may not tell you much about current military technology, they do show how modern military weapons incorporate IS technology in order to allow their users to stand a chance against an IS suit. After all, while the IS suit itself cannot be used by most men due to a flaw in its electronic control system, a plasma cannon doesn't care what gender its user is, or whether it is mounted on a tank, or a fighter jet, or a flying middle finger to the laws of physics."
"So what? This just means that our time defeating you will be slightly more difficult!" Cecilia retorted.
"So you need more convincing then? Very well..." At that the screen changed again, this time showing several tables filled with numbers.
"These are the results of what the Americans have designated Operation Flagstaff, or more specifically, these show the aftermath of the first Operation under that name. It is a series of war games that were originally designed to assess the viability of the IS as a weapon of war. For now, let's focus on the results of the mock battle between what, at the time, was the entirety of the United States' IS corps and a large conventional army." One of the tables was highlighted in yellow.
"This mock battle took place approximately a year and a half after the White Knight incident, and thus the conventional forces had no weapons in their arsenal that utilized IS technology. The results were that the conventional forces suffered an almost 80% casualty rate-"
"See? You stand no chance!"
"I wasn't finished, Miss Alcott. In spite of such large casualties, conventional forces emerged victorious, with the entirety of the opposing MPIS force designated as destroyed by the battle's end, and the two True IS units involved, while they were not technically destroyed, were reduced to a state where their pilots could be eliminated and their IS units captured." Ichika pointed to the data in question.
"Wait, what do you mean by that? I thought the combat was simulated, so wouldn't their pilots be able to fight on?." One of the girls in the class asked.
"Of course it was. I simply meant that the True IS units were taken out in a manner similar to checkmating a king in chess. The piece itself hasn't been killed, but it was forced into a situation where, had it been a real fight, the result would have been the destruction or incapacitation of the IS." Ichika replied.
"That proves nothing! At that time the IS unit was still riddled with flaws due to it being such a new piece of technology!" Cecilia replied.
"Of course. Which is why..." The screen changed behind Ichika again. "Which is why the Americans held a second Operation Flagstaff four years later. By then the first Second Generation True IS had just entered service, while IS technology had started to become a part of conventional military gear. This second Operation Flagstaff pitted a larger force of more advanced IS units against a conventional force that was similar in size to the one used in the first such operation, and do you know what the result was? Due to a combination of better tactics, better equipment, and better understanding of their opponents, the casualty rate among conventional forces was 'only' around 60%, and the end result was the same. A victory by conventional forces. You see, even the mightiest beast can be brought down by a thousand tiny cuts, and conventional armed forces are now almost entirely male due to the IS corps taking most female recruits. So, I do not believe that a war between men and women would only last three days before a quick and clean female victory. No, it would be a long, drawn out, and bloody affair that would leave our species crippled. After all, while most IS pilots are women, said pilots only make up a tiny minority of the female population. Do you understand, Miss Alcott?" The screen behind Ichika quickly returned to its normal, pre-presentation state.
'WHACK!' An attendance book slammed into Ichika's head.
"You are not here to teach the class, so if you have nothing else to say regarding the duel, you are to return to your seat!" Chifuyu said, and Ichika nodded.
"So, I believe we were discussing handicaps? How big of one do you want from me?" Ichika asked.
"I will take none. After all, a Representative Candidate like me can easily crush you at your full power." Cecilia replied.
"Good. Orimura-sensei, when will this duel be held?" Ichika asked.
"It will be held next Monday in Arena Three. I believe that will give you two more than enough time to prepare." Ichika saw the smile on his sister's face, and returned one of his own.
"I will not disappoint you, Chifuyu-nee." That earned him another smack from the attendance book, but Ichika noticed that it was much lighter than before.
"Orimura." Chifuyu announced at the start of class the following day.
"Yes, Orimura-sensei?" Ichika replied.
"This concerns the duel that you have with Miss Alcott in a few days. I was just wondering if you had considered the fact that you do not have an IS in which to duel." His sister spoke.
"What do you mean? I have my IS right here with me." Ichika indicated at his watch.
"I designed and built it myself, and then once I realized I could pilot it, I optimized it for my own personal use once WSI was kind enough to lend it to me." Ichika spoke, causing a fresh round of whispers to spread around the room.
"You mean to say that you already have your own personal machine?" Chifuyu asked. Ichika could tell that his sister was genuinely shocked at that.
"Of course. I would never accept a challenge that I wasn't prepared to meet, after all." Ichika replied.
"Excellent!" The voice of Cecilia Alcott came from the back of the room. "Now that I know you have a personal machine, I can in turn use my own Personal IS without being accused of fighting unfairly!"
"I could have beaten you even without my personal unit." Ichika said. It was a lie, but Cecilia didn't need to know that.
"I will enjoy crushing your overconfidence in the arena." Cecila replied simply before sitting down. The lack of arrogant bluster meant that the girl was truly angry.
However, this lack of speech on her part allowed class to proceed as normal without any more interruptions.
Once the period ended, Ichika found himself eating lunch in the academy cafeteria, while Houki sat across from him.
"Are you really that confident you can beat Cecilia?" Houki asked after a few minutes.
"I'm not confident. Given my training and IS, I know that I can beat her." Ichika replied.
"Training? What training? You've barely known of your piloting skills for a month! She's been learning how to use an IS for years, and has earned her title by becoming the best IS pilot of her age group in England! Plus, her status as a representative candidate means that her personal IS was specifically built for her! Granted, you personalized your IS as well, but a mere month of training cannot equate to Cecilia's capability!" Houki said, drawing stares from several nearby students. Ichika thought he heard a certain blonde laugh in the background.
"Even if it were my first time piloting my IS, which it is not, I am certain that I will be able to beat her. My machine is just that much better than hers. After all, I designed it to be unbeatable." Ichika replied.
"Every IS is designed to be unbeatable, Ichika, and none of them are! Stop deluding yourself like this!" Houki said.
"Of course mine isn't unbeatable. I can already think of one way I can be defeated, and there are likely many other ways of doing so. However, Cecilia's IS, the Blue Tears, is not equipped to do so. Besides, the arena puts her at a disadvantage against me, what with her IS being designed almost exclusively for ranged combat. Her main weapon can easily shoot across the IS Academy Island and hit a target the size of a pinhead on the other side, while her drones can operate from beyond visual range! The arena almost completely negates these two advantages, especially that of the drones. She is forced to remain immobile within range of my primary weapon while concentrating on using the drone system, which is the primary weakness of her IS." Ichika replied. Houki simply growled and returned to her food.
"Hey, you're that boy right? I heard you're the one who challenged the English Representative Candidate." An unfamiliar voice asked, cutting into the conversation.
"Actually, she challenged me, but otherwise you are correct." Ichika replied.
"I see. Well, anyway, you're still new to piloting an IS, right? I was just wondering if you would be willing to let me teach you... about the IS of course!" That last part was spoken hastily.
"Thank you for offering, but-" Ichika began, but Houki cut him off.
"That will not be necessary. I will be training him." Houki replied.
"Oh? And what would a freshman like you have to offer that I, a Senior, cannot?" The girl asked smugly.
"My name is Shinonono Houki, and I am Dr. Tabane's younger sister. There is no need for you to get involved." Houki replied simply, causing the girl to gasp in shock.
"Excuse me, but-" Ichika tried to speak up again, but was cut off.
"Ha! If being Dr. Tabane's sister was related to your skill, you would be Japan's IS Representative Candidate. However, your name isn't on the list, making you just another student!" The girl crowed.
"Oh? And your name is on the list?" Houki asked.
"Of course not! I, however, clearly have much more experience in the IS than you do... Shinonono-san."
"I am sorry, but I will have to respectfully decline both your offers of training me." Ichika cut into the conversation, causing both girls to turn towards him.
"What?" The two girls said simultaneously.
"It is not because I think you're bad pilots or anything, it's just that I train better on my own." Ichika said.
"But how will you get better without a partner?" The senior girl asked.
"Well, you know how there are IS simulators, right?" Ichika began.
"You don't seriously expect to just use one of those! They're nothing compared to the real thing!" The Senior exclaimed.
"Of course I'm not just going to hop in the simulator! However, back at WSI my IS trainer asked someone to make me a training program based on the simulator in order to allow me to keep my skills sharp." That was the cover story that Ichika and Raymond had come up with after the scientist had attached the IS Guide to Ori's control system (After a thorough sweep for bugs and failsafes that came up clean, of course). While the Guide didn't contain blueprints that could be copied into the Infinite Arsenal, it did give highly detailed information on practically every True IS in the world. That, coupled with Ori's holo-projector, allowed the AI to create and control training holograms that would perform on par with the real thing, although the AI couldn't emulate the pilot's skill or any particular quirks they might have. In addition, training against holograms meant that Ichika couldn't use his mech suit's special ability. No, that would only work against a real IS.
"Oh? Then I am sure you wouldn't mind showing me this training program." The Senior replied. Looking at Houki, Ichika saw the girl was similarly determined.
"Alright. Can you arrange for one of the training arenas to be clear for my use?" Ichika asked the Senior.
"O-Okay!" The girl said quickly before running off, most likely to do just that.
"Did you just say that to get rid of her?" Houki's voice sounded almost... hopeful?
"Of course not. Every word I spoke was the truth." Ichika lied.
"I see..." Houki's face fell, and she didn't speak for the rest of the meal.
Ichika kept his word, and as soon as school had ended he had walked towards the training arenas, where he was met by the senior girl from before. Houki came down a few minutes later, and soon the trio entered one of the open training arenas.
"Can you two head up to the stands please? I wouldn't want you caught in the crossfire." Ichika asked, and after a brief moment, the two girls nodded, leaving Ichika to enter the arena alone.
He walked out onto the sandy floor, looking at the stands to see that, in addition to Houki and the senior, there were quite a few other girls present as well. Ichika sighed, and activated his IS. Immediately, he felt himself shift a few feet into the air, while a carapace of metal took shape around his body. He looked down at his IS, watching it quickly take form. He wasn't sure why this happened, but for some reason the complete deployment process of the IS severely slowed the pilot's perception of time. He supposed that it gave the pilot time to cancel their deployment should something come up. As such, while to the outside world the deployment process took a second at most, it took easily ten times that from Ichika's point of view.
As the IS took form around him, Ichika quickly inspected the unit's default armaments. On his left arm sat a giant, twin barreled 40mm railgun, the weapon being the IS unit's main weapon in its default configuration. His right arm mounted a powerful barrier shield projector, while his left shoulder mounted a Free Electron Laser for point defense purposes. Finally, each wrist contained an energy dagger for melee combat. Above and behind each shoulder floated a small, hexagonal drone, each drone equipped with another shield projector similar to the one on his right arm. The Infinite Arsenal took quite a bit of time to analyze its opponent's equipment, and as such its equipment was largely defensive in nature, thus giving it the time to assimilate and then fabricate the opponent's equipment.
As his visor snapped down over his head and his suit pressurized, Ichika turned off his helmet's speakers, his voice only reaching his suit's AI.
"Ori, can you get a hologram of the IS designated Blue Tears up and running?" Ichika asked.
"Of course I can!" The AI said, and the image of the desired IS shimmered into being a short distance away from Ichika. The only difference between it and the actual IS was the hologram's slight transparent quality, as well as the fact that the pilot had taken the form of Ori's avatar.
"Commencing training match." Ichika spoke, this time to the outside world, and promptly raised his IS suit's main gun towards his opponent.
Houki watched from the stands as Ichika deployed his IS, the grey and black suit taking form around him almost instantly. The unit didn't look particularly special, aside from the oversized, double barreled gun on its left arm, as well as the fact that the pilot was completely encased in armor. Houki wondered why that was the case. After all, didn't all IS suits have an Absolute Defense system installed to protect their pilots, thus negating their need for protection?
Looking around, Houki saw several other students critically examining the IS, as well as... Houki's eyes widened as she caught sight of Chifuyu close by her. The older woman had a frown on her face as she examined Ichika's IS.
Her brother's unit wasn't built for tournaments, that much was clear to Chifuyu as soon as she saw the armor around the pilot. It was common knowledge that the Absolute Defense system of the IS would render the pilot completely invulnerable should the regular shields fail, thus making pilot armor useless on the IS suit. However, Chifuyu also knew that the ADS would render the IS inoperable during the period in which it was active. In a tournament, the activation of the ADS would mean the defeat of the pilot, but on the battlefield it was more of a liability than a strength. After all, the ADS could only be active for a short period of time before it needed to be deactivated, and the IS was completely defenseless while it was online. This meant that even an infantryman could walk up to a downed IS, wait for the ADS to drop, and then put a bullet in the defenseless pilot.
The simple presence of pilot armor meant that Ichika had anticipated this, and included a simple countermeasure. Her frown deepened as she watched Ichika duel the hologram he had created. Why would Ichika include something like this in something that would never need it... unless he knew that he would be using it in a scenario where the ADS would be more of a liability than a lifesaver.
'Why does my brother possess an IS that is clearly designed for war?' Chifuyu wondered as Ichika defeated his first opponent, causing two more identical holograms of the Blue Tears to form on either side of him.
Chifuyu continued to watch the fight, noticing that Ichika was much more hard pressed to defeat two copies of Blue Tears at the same time, but he still managed to do so. An amused grin briefly took form on her face as she saw Cecilia in the stands, a shocked look on the blonde girl's face.
Three Blue Tears holograms proved to be too much for Ichika, although her little brother had managed to last for a commendable amount of time before the sheer volume of incoming fire whittled down his shields. Chifuyu was the only one that noticed Ichika continuing to fight for a few moments after his shields had dropped, his flight only coming to a halt once he took a hit to the chest from one of the holographic drones. Had it been a real battle, Chifuyu knew that it would have been a killing blow.
As her brother stored away his IS, the holograms shimmering out of existence around him, Chifuyu could only stare, an unreadable expression on her face. What could have caused her brother to design an IS for the battlefield? Chifuyu had been informed that Ichika had originally designed the IS for another recipient, before the revelation of his piloting ability got it assigned to him instead. As she walked out of the arena, her mind was filled with questions brought up by her brother's IS.
Who was the original recipient, that asked for an IS designed for war instead of tournament duels? And Ichika, being the designer, had to know of his IS suit's intended purpose, so why did he agree to design and build it? That, and Ichika's performance spoke of far more experience in an IS than just the month of training that he claimed to have. Something important was going on, and Ichika was clearly involved. Chifuyu vowed then and there to get to the bottom of this. If her worst suspicions were true... no, she refused to believe that her sweet little brother could possibly be working for Phantom Task.
She needed time to think and come up with a plan. Simply asking her brother would likely result in another, almost but not quite believable cover story, and could put whoever was in charge of him on alert. No, she would need to do this without her brother's help, and without involving anyone she didn't trust intimately. That meant that she could only involve three people, Ichika, Maya, and of course, Dr. Tabane. Ichika was possibly compromised, and Dr. Tabane was out of her reach for now, which meant that the only person she could trust with this task would be Maya. With those thoughts, Chifuyu began to make her way to where the shy, green haired teacher spent most of her time outside of the classroom.
A/N: And that's a wrap for this chapter! Originally, I had intended to include the actual duel with Cecilia in this chapter, but certain other sections ending up longer than anticipated meant that it will happen early in the next chapter instead.
That being said, this chapter did give me some trouble while I was writing it, as I was trying out alternative methods of slipping in information aside from infodumps, namely showcasing an ability and then describing the backstory behind it rather than write several long paragraphs detailing every little bit about the Infinite Arsenal and then going from there. I have to say that I don't really like using the former method, as in my opinion it could easily lead to situations like the following one.
"Wait, if Ichika always carried a supply of M79 Anti-Tank Grapefruits with him, then why did he wait to use them until now instead of two chapters ago when he found himself surrounded by tanks and without his IS?"
See why I don't like it? However, the alternative is long, dry infodumps filled with technobabble and pseudoscience that could detract from the reading experience. While I personally like reading detailed descriptions of technology, I know that most people don't, meaning that if I want to keep this fic presentable, I have to use mostly alternative methods.
Or I could just be concerned about a problem that doesn't actually exist, although it usually does. Thanks for reading this chapter, please review/fav/follow, whatever floats your boat. Flamers will have their housing information leaked to evil white rabbits, whether they are the Caerbannog kind or the Tabane kind remains to be seen.