A/N: Here it is, another chapter of Agent Orimura.
Chapter 22
The remaining members of Archer Squadron landed in perfect formation, making very little noise as their suits' feet touched the landing platform. All around them stood their fellow students, some of whom were clapping. Even Chifuyu had a rare smile on her face as she watched her brother's triumphant return.
"Well done, all of you." She said simply, before looking out at the ocean. Ichika followed her gaze as he dismounted, and quickly spotted Laura's squadron quickly approaching. The three girls touched down with little fanfare, before quickly kneeling their suits down and dismounting, while Laura stowed the Schwarzer Regen away.
"Good match, Ichika, as expected. I would also like to thank you on behalf of Germany for exposing a critical flaw in the Huckebein's stealth system." Laura spoke up once her IS had faded away.
"Huckebein? Is that what they are called?" Ichika asked, as Sakura walked over to one of the black IS suits, which even now shimmered slightly in the sunlight. She laid her hand on it, only to immediately pull it back, gasping in shock.
"This... This is cham-weave!" She exclaimed. Tatenashi walked up beside her, giving the Huckebein a poke.
"Hmm, and it's the good kind, not the crappy Chinese knock-off that costs millions on the black market." The student council president mused.
"Hey! What's wrong with Chinese engineering?" Rin demanded.
"You make too much stuff without any regard to quality. Compare that to fine German engineering and the difference is obvious." Laura replied.
"At least when we say mass produce, we mean it. What is that Huckebein thing anyway, some kind of one-off prototype?" Rin asked.
"Hardly. It's the world's first third-generation MPIS suit, and it is slated to start mass production next month. My squadron received conversion kits so that we can serve as demonstrators." Laura answered.
"What about that hologram issue?" Theresa asked.
"It will probably be fixed in the second version. It's likely not a big enough problem to delay production over." Laura replied.
Ichika continued listening to their conversation with one ear, as looked around for Cecilia in the crowd. He found her on one end, surrounded by somewhat subdued squadmates.
"Good fight, Cecilia." He greeted, walking over to them. Cecilia looked up at that.
"I wish I could say the same, Ichika-san, but as you saw, we didn't do so well." She replied.
"Yeah, we were the first squadron to get taken out. Not a good start." One of her squadmates added.
"I... I can't really argue that." Ichika sighed after trying and failing to find a more diplomatic way to respond. For a few seconds, nobody answered, before Cecilia drew herself up and spoke.
"W-Well, I am not so arrogant as to not ask for advice. So, Ichika-san, what did I do wrong?" She asked. However, it was Chifuyu who answered, the black-haired instructor having overheard the question.
"The greatest reason for your loss, Alcott, was your inexperience as a leader. Your representative candidate training doubtlessly focused more on honing your skill as a pilot than your skill as a leader. You still on some level seemed to see the fight as a collection of duels rather than a single battle, and thus as soon as you encountered the enemy you flew off to duel Takahashi, leaving your squadron without its leader." Chifuyu explained.
"I see... What do I do to avoid this in the future, Orimura-sensei?" Cecilia asked.
"Practice. You lost due to inexperience and bad habits, so gain more experience and break those habits." Chifuyu replied.
"But what specifically can I do? My squadron entrusted me with the role of a leader, so what actions can I take to keep that trust?" Cecilia asked.
"Well, I know for a fact that you have plenty of friends who are more than willing to help you gain the experience you need... Unfortunately, I am not the best person to ask if you want more than that. I may be a champion IS pilot, but I earned my fame exclusively in one on one duels. I am the best pilot in the world in that regard, but when it comes to leading others, there are many others who are better than me. I do, however, know that several former officers teaching here are planning to hold a three week team building and leadership training course some time after the school festival. While I am not personally participating, I can vouch for the qualifications of at least one instructor who is." Ichika raised an eyebrow at that.
"I have a feeling I know who that instructor is." He commented.
"Your feeling is correct. Instructor Stukanov is one of the organizers of this event." Chifuyu replied.
"Thank you for your advice, Orimura-sensei. Where do I sign up?" Cecilia asked, determination clear in her voice.
"Talk to one of the instructors involved, Alcott. However, be warned that this exercise will take you out of normal classes for three weeks, meaning that you will have to make up any assignments you may end up missing as a result. Make arrangements with your other teachers ahead of time, all of you." Chifuyu answered, addressing Cecilia's squadron.
"I will be signing up for this as well." Ichika announced.
"So will I, and I'm sure that the rest of us will as well." Houki added, walking up to them.
"Ah, Houki-chan! How is your squadron finding the upgrades I've installed?" Ichika asked, turning to face his childhood friend.
"Well, they love what you did with their suits, although Kokone-san claims that her thrust control still seems a little sticky. Aside from that, no major issues have been reported." Houki replied, smiling.
"What about the weapons? I trust that they didn't give you any trouble?"
"Well, they love what you did with their Naginatas. I mean, I know you quickly replaced them after the first one caught fire during the activation tests, but this is the first time they were able to use them with the vibrational enhancement active."
"Glad to hear it. What about the rifle?" At that, Houki frowned.
"About that... I don't think it's a particularly good weapon. You tried to make it capable of so much that it lost its ability to perform in any of its intended roles." She replied.
"What are the issues, specifically?" Ichika asked.
"For starters, shotgun mode is almost completely useless, and the alterations we have to make to the ammunition to make it work interfere too much with the automatic and sniper modes. Sniper mode, on the other hand, is clearly outranged by fully automatic weapons used by some of my opponents, and does not do enough damage to compensate for this. Automatic mode is even worse, as the inaccuracy of the gun makes it difficult to hit anything out past two kilometers. I'm not particularly surprised that my squadron didn't make much use of it." Houki answered.
"I see. I will definitely have to take a look at it." Ichika began, but Houki held up a hand before he could continue.
"Actually, if you don't mind, I would like to try and fix it first. I know I'm not all that good at that sort of thing, but... well... I don't want to take up any more of your time with my squadron's issues." She said.
"Alright. Just please, remember the rules of weapon testing. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt." Ichika replied.
"Number one, stand clear and behind a shield. Number two, unmanned tests first. Number three..." Houki recited, and Ichika laughed.
"No need to recite them all. Just keep them in mind, and you will be fine. Just please, if you need help, don't hesitate to ask me." He interrupted.
"Don't worry, Ichika. I will." Houki answered, before turning back to her squadron.
"Hey Ichika! Congratulations on your win!" Charlotte exclaimed a moment later as she approached him, a bright smile on her face.
"Thanks Charlotte, you didn't do all that bad yourself." Ichika replied, smiling back.
"You know, for a moment I thought Lorie had got you with her exploding smokescreen trick." Charlotte said, leaning against a nearby railing.
"She almost did. If a few of you had turned around and confirmed the kill then I would have been out of the match." Ichika answered.
"I'll try to remember that for next time. Also, while we're on the subject of explosions, where did you get that giant cannon of yours? Did you make it, or..." Charlotte trailed off.
"I made it, of course, with Hayate-san's help. Granted, your flares worked pretty well in fooling it. I'm willing to bet a fair bit that by the time the next tournament rolls around, half of IS Academy will have impulse flares on their suits." Ichika replied.
"I'm honestly surprised I'm the only one in this whole match that had them. You would think that, when most squadrons are carrying so many missiles, everyone would have some sort of countermeasure." Charlotte mused.
"My squadron had them too, although we burned through them all fighting Kanzashi." Laura said as she walked up to them, taking up a spot beside Charlotte on the railing.
"Not like it did us much good. They just all switched to manual." One of Laura's squadmates, who had followed her leader rather than join the rest of her squadmates in restarting their card game from earlier, commented in heavily accented Japanese.
"That's not entirely true. Forcing them to manually guide their missiles made them too busy to shoot back at us with other weaponry, and it's very difficult to take evasive action while steering a missile. It made taking them out very easy." Laura replied.
"I suppose that's true. Anyway, Orimura-san, it was fun fighting you. Next time, we won't let something like a cloud get in our way!" Her squadmate replied, before casting a look in the direction of the card game. Laura smiled slightly at the sight, and gestured for her to go on ahead.
"Your squadron must definitely have improved since you first met them. I can't see you allowing them to have any fun otherwise!" Charlotte commented as the girl ran off..
"Oh yes, they've gotten better. I'd be pretty worried if they didn't, considering what I put them through. Karen in particular improved a lot, although I haven't quite gotten rid of her impulsiveness." Laura answered, gesturing to where the girl in question was being dealt a hand.
"It must have been fun." Ichika commented.
"Oh it was..." Laura trailed off, before looking at the ongoing card game.
"Oh? Do you want to join in?" Charlotte asked, following her gaze.
"W-Well, sure! Why not?" Laura replied.
"What about you, Ichika? There might be room for all three of us there." Charlotte asked.
"Thank you, but I'm afraid I still have to debrief with my own squadron. Maybe later." Ichika replied.
"Alright! Sounds good!" Charlotte said, before walking off in the direction of the game, pulling Laura behind her. Ichika watched them leave for a moment, before he too began to move through the crowd, looking for the rest of his squadron.
"Hey, Orimura-san!" An unfamiliar voice drew his attention, and he looked around to see a short, black haired girl walking up to him, waving a USB drive in her hand.
"On behalf of the film and animation clubs, I would like to thank you for letting us watch you set an IS Academy record." The girl continued, bowing slightly.
"You're welcome-" Ichika began, but the girl had already left, heading off to meet with Sakura. After a moment, Ichika shrugged and looked away, just as Theresa ran up to him.
"Hey, Ichika... I was wondering..." She began, clearly unsure of how to continue.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Well... I was just thinking... I think I might know of a way for us to make some money." The sniper said.
"What do you mean? We don't really need much in the way of money, since our corporate sponsors send us the equipment we need." Ichika replied.
"Ah, no, not like that. I meant money for ourselves! I mean, it's always nice to have some cash available, and tuition doesn't exactly pay for itself." Theresa answered.
"Alright, what is it?" Ichika asked.
"Well, I noticed what the film and animation clubs were doing, and I got an idea from there... What if we livestreamed our matches? I mean, it wouldn't be the first time someone's made money doing it. People love IS matches, and-" Ichika held his hand up to stop her.
"I'm afraid that would not be possible. Do you remember the non-disclosure agreement you signed when we received the upgrade packages from WSI?" Ichika asked.
"Wait, non-disclosure agreement? What do you mean?" Theresa interjected.
"It was one of the documents you had to sign when we received the new tech... You did read them, right?" Ichika asked, and the sheepish expression on Theresa's face answered his question for him.
"Well... Not really, but it's not like anyone does! I-I mean, there were, like, thirty pages of fine print! They couldn't possibly expect me to read all that!" She exclaimed.
"Why not? I read it just fine." Ayane spoke up as she approached them.
"You-What do you mean?" Theresa whirled around to face her squadmate.
"I mean that you'd have to be an idiot to not read something you're about to sign. If you had, you'd know that, until WSI gives us the all-clear, we are not allowed to publicly reveal any information regarding WSI technology. They specifically mentioned livestreaming as being prohibited due to it being classed as a high-risk exposure action. Apparently, rival companies watch IS livestreams to try and gain an edge over their competition, and WSI doesn't want to give them that edge." Ayane explained.
"What? But that's censorship! I can sue for that!" Theresa exclaimed.
"You could have sued, if you hadn't signed a non-disclosure agreement." Ayane replied.
"But what about the film and animation clubs? They're collaborating to make a documentary about this battle!"
"They're doing what?" Ichika exclaimed.
"They're making a documentary about this battle! Sakura already gave them her gun camera footage, and... And so did I..." Theresa trailed off, her eyes widening.
"You idiot! Now we're all going to pay for this!" Ayane shouted.
"I'll see what I can do." Ichika quickly said, before looking around for the girl who had greeted him barely a minute earlier. He spotted her arguing with Cecilia and Rin, and he had a feeling that he already knew what that argument was about. He quickly made his way over to them, and soon his hearing confirmed his suspicions.
"You are asking for Alcott Foundation data which has not been cleared for release to the public at this time. I am not authorized to give it to you." Cecilia said as he approached.
"What do you mean, you're not authorized? You own the Alcott Foundation!" The film club representative demanded.
"Yes, and I have not granted myself authorization to give you anything." Cecilia replied.
"What about you, Ling-san? I'm sure that the Chinese government can part with some of this information!" The girl turned to Rin, who stood still for a moment before breaking down laughing. Cecilia joined her on the ground a moment later, laughing at the top of her lungs. Even Ichika couldn't stifle the laugh that came when he heard those words.
"Right... Forget I asked." The film club representative huffed and turned away, only to come face to face with Ichika, who quickly composed himself.
"I believe you have something you shouldn't, namely classified WSI IS test data. Would you please hand it over?" Ichika asked, holding out his hand.
"What do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about!" The girl exclaimed, outraged.
"The gun camera footage you got from my squad-mates. It is not cleared for public release just yet, so I will once again ask that you hand it over." Ichika replied.
"What footage? I don't have any footage!" The girl shouted, hiding the USB drive behind her back.
"Look, I know you tricked Sakura and Theresa into giving you the data. Hiding the drive will not change anything." Ichika replied, frustration creeping into his voice.
"Now see here, I paid for that footage! You can't just-" Ichika sighed, and with a flash of light, a plasma katar appeared in his hand. Without its mounting, the IS weapon was practically unrecognizable.
"You see this? This is an IS-grade Type-33 CGEP Quantum EMP Singularity Pulsar device. Against a store-grade, unhardened flash drive like that, it will cause one hundred percent total data dumpage and systemic destruction, with recovery chances being measured in the one-ten-thousandth percentile. No amount of technical expertise will get any of the data on that drive back after I initiate the EM Nanowave Pulse Reaction. Now, you can hand over the drive so that I can remove all classified data from it, or I can set this device off and permanently wipe everything on it. Your choice." Ichika bluffed, speaking in the most annoyed tone he could muster. The girl in front of him blinked, before growling and handing the drive over.
"Thank you." Ichika finished, smiling as he took the drive and walked over to a nearby computer terminal. Less than a minute later, he had already deleted the offending files and handed the now-clean drive back to its owner, who stormed off in the direction of IS Academy.
"I-I can't believe she fell for that." Rei's amazed voice drew his attention.
"Never underestimate the power of big words over the uninformed." Ichika replied, smiling.
"O-Oh, and before you ask, I read the a-agreement." Rei pre-empted his question.
"Good, that means only two of our squadron have to be punished... Any ideas? I'm personally thinking of making them write out the agreement they signed in its entirety." Ichika answered.
"All thirty-two pages? That seems a bit harsh." Rei commented.
"An aching hand is nothing compared to what would have happened if that footage reached the wrong eyes. Rival corporations aren't the only groups that watch those sorts of things, searching for weaknesses." Ichika replied.
"What do you mean?" Rei asked.
"We live in a world where it's harder to get clean water than it is to get access to the internet. We all know just how bad the situation is in some parts of the world, and all it takes is one careless upload or stream for an unsavory individual in those parts of the world to see the footage. That individual runs off and relays the information to his superiors, who relay it to a group of engineers in their employ. The next thing you know, an entire line of MPIS suits has been countered before it is ever deployed in combat. At that point, wasted resources is the best possible outcome." Ichika answered.
"But the Alaska Treaty-"
"The Alaska Treaty is a document, and a piece of paper is nothing when the signatories aren't bothering to enforce it. Look at Russia, for example. All sides involved that have them are throwing IS suits at each other and the rest of the world hasn't even bothered to claim that it's working on an intervention." Ichika sighed.
"But... Then what does all of this mean?" Rei asked, gesturing back towards IS Academy.
"The truth of the matter is that IS Academy is an elaborate, multi-million dollar showpiece meant to distract the world." Ichika replied.
"Distract it from what?" Rei asked.
"We're getting off topic. The point is that the WSI NDA was put in for a reason, and that reason was much greater than a simple desire to keep rival companies in the dark. I want to impress that on to all of you." Ichika said, changing the subject.
"Now Ichika, don't go scaring your squadmates like that! It's not very nice." Tatenashi interrupted, walking up to him.
"How long have you been listening?" Ichika asked her.
"Since you scared away Isabella-san with your magical EMP. Speaking of which, really Ichika? You know you didn't have to do anything like that, not when you're so close to the student council president. I already had plans to suppress the video." Tatenashi replied.
"Please, Tatenashi, let's not go talking about how corrupt the student administration is here, or at least, not in public." Ichika said, an amused smile on his face.
"Oh? So you don't want your classmates to know that you practically have me in your pocket?" Tatenashi asked, smirking.
"Um... H-How well do y-you two know each o-other?" Rei asked.
"Really well! We share a room for a reason, after all!" Tatenashi replied.
"Said reason being that the Academy administration is dragging its feet when it comes to repairing my original room." Ichika sighed as Rei blushed.
"W-Wait, what do you mean, repairing?" Rei asked.
"His wall got blown out by circumstances beyond his control. In fact..." Tatenashi paused and stood up on tip-toe, looking back at the IS Academy living complex.
"You see that hole over there? That's where Ichika used to live." She continued a moment later, and Rei followed her pointing finger.
"Was that a bird that just flew out of there?" She asked a moment later.
"Looks like it." Tatenashi replied.
"Have they even done anything?" Ichika asked.
"Doesn't look like it." Tatenashi answered, as Ichika watched the aforementioned bird fly back inside.
"But that's enough about your room! Ichika, do you realize what you did to my IS? It's going to take ages to replenish my nanobot supply!" Tatenashi scolded.
"Your fault for trying to catch missiles with them. Water transmits blast waves better than air, after all." Ichika replied.
"Still, it will be a few days before I'm back to normal operating capacity. What if a surprise tournament happens? I'll drop to the bottom of the leaderboards, and be the laughingstock of the school!" Tatenashi moaned.
"Oh quit whining. We both know that even without your water manipulation you're one of the best IS pilots in this academy." Ichika replied.
"Mou, you're so mean, Ichika-kun!" Tatenashi whined.
"There you are! Don't disappear like that!" Kanzashi ran over to them before Ichika could reply. He opened his mouth to greet her, but a shout from the edge of the platform caused him to pause. He looked towards the source just in time to see a white IS scream by overhead, followed moments later by a deafening 'CRACK!' as it showed off its supersonic capability. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kanzashi stiffen, and a quick glance in her direction allowed him to see her tightly clenched fists and furious expression.
The supersonic IS quickly looped around and came in for a landing, decelerating rapidly and touching down on the crowded platform with minimal fuss, twirling as it did so as the pilot showed off her control of the suit. Now that he had a closer look, Ichika quickly recognized the IS in question.
"That's the Byakushiki, isn't it?" He asked, turning to Kanzashi.
"Yes. It is." She muttered, before she started to make her way towards it, weaving her way through the stunned crowd. However, Chifuyu beat her to the mark, and moments after the Byakushiki's pilot had stowed her suit away, the stern teacher's hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"Just what do you think you are doing?" Chifuyu demanded as the startled pilot spun around.
"O-Orimura-sama! I-I'm so sorry! I... I didn't know-" The pilot began, only for Chifuyu to cut her off.
"Save me your apologies. What were you thinking?" She shouted, as the crowd formed a ring around them.
"I-"
"Thanks to your antics, tens of millions of yen of sensitive equipment in the engineering complex could have been irreparably damaged, not to mention how many possible broken windows and damaged hologram projectors you may have just been responsible for!" As if to underscore her point one of the holographic beacons near the edge of the platform, which had been flickering since the supersonic pass, died in a spectacular flash of light.
"I didn't think-"
"No, evidently you did not. Otherwise, you would have taken the monorail and been admitted like everyone else. However, you did not think, and thus you have both violated restricted airspace and caused an as of yet unknown amount of property damage. I suppose congratulations are in order, however, as despite the fact that there were two supersonic-capable IS suits already present at this academy before you, you have managed to set the precedent for sonic boom-related damage. Evidently, an airspeed restriction will have to be put into place over IS Academy." Chifuyu continued to scold the unfortunate girl, who was clearly close to tears.
"However, this is neither the time nor the place to continue this discussion. Report to my office in one hour. I will have determined your punishment by then." She finished, letting go of the girl's shoulder and strode away, leaving the shell-shocked Byakushiki's pilot behind.
Once Chifuyu left the platform, the whispers began, as everyone on the platform began to form and discuss their opinions on the new student in their midst. However, the crowd quieted down as Kanzashi made her presence known, walking out of the crowd until she stood in front of the other girl.
"Were you really the one they chose to pilot the Byakushiki?" She asked, her voice providing no clue as to her emotions.
"Y-Yes... I'm Shirone Isumi, representative of Kuromochi Machinery Development." The Byakushiki's pilot introduced herself.
"So you were the one they chose over me." Kanzashi continued.
"Wha- B-But then that means-"
"You disappoint me. I expected more out of someone in your position." Kanzashi added, causing the other girl to look down at the ground.
"I... I'm..."
"You will likely be moved into a squadron some time in the next few days. If KMD has done anything at all to prepare for the squadron system, you will receive upgrade packages shortly afterwards. Once they arrive and are installed, I am giving you a week to practice. I challenge you to a duel after that week is over. Do you accept?" Kanzashi asked. At that, Isumi looked up, meeting her gaze.
"I do. I accept." She answered.
"Good. I will see what you're made of then. Now, I believe that if you hurry, you can make it to the monorail station and check on your belongings before you have to head to Orimura-sensei's office. I would recommend using your IS to fly there, but given your recent behavior, I'm not sure if that will be a smart decision." Kanzashi suggested.
"I... Thank you, Sarashiki-san." Isumi replied before she headed off. As she departed, Tatenashi approached her sister.
"Wow, Kanzashi-chan, I haven't seen you so angry in months!" She exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her sibling.
"I'm not angry!" Kanzashi denied.
"Oh? Then what are you?" Tatenashi asked.
"I... I'm just upset. Was she really the one KMD picked over me? I expected them to at least find someone good, not some show-off who thinks buzzing a high-tech facility at supersonic speeds is a good idea." Kanzashi sighed.
"Hmm... Is my little sister jealous? I thought you had gotten over the Byakushiki!" Tatenashi gasped.
"Of course I'm not jealous! I would never trade my precious Niishiki-chan for an overengineered, overpriced boondoggle like the Byakushiki!" Kanzashi exclaimed, causing her sister to giggle.
Already, the crowd was starting to drift apart as the girls went their separate ways. The card game, having been completely disrupted by the sonic boom, had ended, and its players were leaving, some of them holding various small items that they had clearly won. Soon, only Ichika and the Sarashiki siblings remained on the platform. Not wanting to intrude on their conversation, Ichika soon left as well.
Lily Meusel crept through IS Academy, wrapped tightly in a body-glove of Chinese cham-weave. A security camera rotated slowly above her, and while it might be able to detect the slight distortions caused by moving cham-weave in daytime, in the darkness of the hallway she was invisible. Night had fallen, and as far as she knew everyone was asleep, meaning that she was free to commence her part of the operation. Assuming Autumn didn't botch the contact job, they would have their target in custody within twenty four hours, and the next day she would be pulled out of IS Academy by her stereotypical concerned parents.
However, the success of the plan hinged on her ability to do several things. First and foremost, she would have to cut communications between Code Black and her target in a manner that did not arouse suspicion. Secondly, she would have to shut down the IS Academy detection grid in order to prevent advance detection of the extraction force. Fortunately for her, IS Academy was very centralized in terms of security. All the most important functions of the academy, communications and detection equipment among them, were controlled from a central security room. It would take a dedicated team of specialists to control both functions under normal conditions, but luckily for her, she had an AI that could do the job just fine. Not for very long, what with there being at least two other AIs on the IS Academy premises, but long enough.
The security room had two guards outside of it, the men leaning against the wall and chatting quietly. Neither spotted her in the darkness of the building, as their flashlights were pointed away from her, while their dim glow revealed to her that neither was equipped with night vision gear. Smiling, she pulled out an oversized pistol and loaded it, checking the magazine for purple markings before inserting it into its slot. While the gun she carried could fire lethal bullets, corpses would draw suspicion and likely cancel the event. Instead, the purple magazine carried a set of non-lethal capsules intended to burst on contact with their target, releasing a combination of memory drug and sedative designed to be absorbed through the skin. A single hit, and the guard would wake up a few hours later, thinking he fell asleep on his shift. Lily had loaded this particular magazine herself, varying the dosage so that her targets would not all wake up around the same time. Some would be sleeping for hours, while others would barely stay asleep for thirty minutes.
Flipping up her sight, Lily took aim and pulled the trigger, the shot accompanied by a faint hiss. Even before the first guard had finished slumping to the ground she fired again, scoring a second hit. Both guards were down and no more were in sight, so Lily moved up to the door. A light tap of the handle told her that it wasn't even locked. Slowly, she lowered the handle before slowly opening the door a crack, its well-oiled hinges making no sound.
There were five technicians and two guards in the room, and taking them all out with a pistol without causing any alarms would be supremely difficult for even the most well-trained assassin. Fortunately for her, she was far more than that. With superhuman speed, she yanked open the door and opened fire. The guards dropped before the door had even finished swinging open. Two of the technicians had barely twitched before they too were taken out. The last three went down shortly afterwards, slumping down in their chairs. Lily smiled at her handiwork as she entered. Her enhancements had ensured that these mere humans had never stood a chance.
"You know your orders, Hal. Carry them out." She ordered her AI.
"Understood, mistress." Came the monotone reply, moments before she plugged him in. Immediately, the AI began altering security camera footage, changing the sedation of the guards and technicians into a natural-looking case of overworked night-shift officers falling asleep on duty. As it did so, Lily went around the room, quickly checking each body and picking up the burst drug capsules with gloved hands. Once she had all seven capsules secured, she exited the room, closed the door, and did the same to the two guards outside. With all evidence removed, she headed back to her dorm, sending off a quick text to Autumn as she did so.
'Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.'
"Right this way, milady." Ichika smiled, bowing slightly as he gestured for the next customer to follow him. He had known this would happen in advance, but the knowledge didn't make wearing a swallow-tail coat and acting as a butler for the Class 1-1 Maid Cafe any less embarrassing. At least the tailor Cecilia had hired to make the thing was good enough to make it comfortable.
However, he mused as he led another blushing girl to her table, it was better to face these sorts of things with dignity. A few minutes later, he was pouring her a cup of tea, while Charlotte brought out the slice of cake she had ordered. With that out of the way, Ichika headed back to the door, to serve yet another customer. He had no doubt that the cafe idea would break even, especially with such a long line outside. He wondered just how many of them were brought in by his name alone.
The next girl in line was a familiar face in unfamiliar clothes, and it took him a moment to process the fact that Rin, his brash and tomboyish childhood friend, was actually wearing a cheongsam.
"Hey, Mr. Butler, do you mind taking me to my table please?" Rin asked.
"Of course, milady." Ichika replied, staying in character as he bowed and took her hand.
"Also, what's with the dress? Is it for the festival?" He asked quietly once they were away from the rest of the line.
"Oh! Class 1-2 is doing a Chinese cafe. I'm just on break right now... Do you like it?" Rin replied, smiling.
"Of course! I think it goes wonderfully with how you've styled your hair." Ichika said, returning the Chinese girl's smile and causing her cheeks to redden slightly.
"Ah... W-Well, it was nothing much. I always dress up like this for special occasions." Rin explained as Ichika pulled out her chair.
"It looks good on you. As for me, I don't think I've ever worn a suit like this. Cecilia said it looked good, but I'm not so sure. Personally, I think the tails are a little ridiculous." Ichika said as he set out a menu in front of his friend.
"For once, Cecilia was right. It does make you look rather handsome." Rin responded.
"Thank you! Anyway, what would you like to order, Milady?" Ichika asked. Rin hummed for a bit as she read through the menu, before she paused at one particular entry.
"Huh? What's this 'treat for your butler' set all about?" Ichika sighed inwardly at that. He may have shrunk the font and tucked that entry into a tiny corner of the page, but evidently Rin had an eye for detail.
"It-It's just a typo. A copy error." Ichika said rapidly, too rapidly he realized.
"Oh really? Now I'm curious! I think I know what I'm going to order!" Rin exclaimed, and pointed towards the corner where that infernal entry lay.
"Very well, milady." Ichika sighed, and headed off. He returned a minute later with a tray of pocky and a glass of iced tea. Placing it down on the table, he sat down beside Rin and closed his eyes.
"O-Okay..." Rin said after a long, awkward moment had passed. Ichika didn't reply.
"So... Not that I mind but.. Why are you sitting with me?" Rin asked. Ichika didn't reply.
"What is this set all about, anyway?" Rin asked after another stretch of silence.
"The girls in charge of designing the menu thought that it would be romantic to have the customers feed me." Ichika sighed.
"Huh?" Rin deadpanned, confused.
"Basically, you are supposed to feed me pocky." Ichika replied.
"What kind of an entry is that?" Rin demanded.
"My thoughts exactly. You don't have to do it if you don't want to." Ichika said.
"Well, I never said I didn't want to! Say 'ah'!" Rin answered, picking up a pocky stick as she did so.
"Ah..." Ichika said in the most bored manner he could. A few seconds later, he was munching on the sweet. It wasn't anything special, the girls had quite literally just bought a few packs of the stuff, opened them, and re-sold them at ten times the price, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.
"Alright, now it's your turn!" Rin replied, and Ichika picked up his own stick, but before he could move it half way across the table, Houki intervened.
"I'm sorry, but I am afraid that is not part of the entry." The Japanese girl deadpanned, confiscating the pocky stick as she did so.
"W-Wha- Alright, fine." Rin answered, grabbing a second stick for herself and nibbling on it as Houki left the table.
"Sorry about that." Ichika said, smiling sheepishly as Rin finished her sweet.
"Hmph, she was pretty rude about it. A-Anyway, I'm not done with you yet. Say 'Ah!'" The Chinese girl replied, and Ichika sighed, opening his mouth once more.
They kept eating for a while, before Rin finally stood up, dusting a few crumbs off of her dress.
"It was nice dining with you, but I'm afraid my break is almost over. I really should be going." Rin said.
"No worries. I had fun as well. Good luck!" Ichika waved goodbye as his friend left the cafe.
"Excuse me, do you have a minute?" An unfamiliar voice drew his attention. It belonged to a tall, orange-haired woman who was offering him a business card, a friendly smile on her face.
"Of course ah... Makigami Reiko-san." Ichika replied, taking and reading the offered card. In response, the woman sat down across from him.
"So, what is it?" He asked once she had finished sitting down.
"Oh, well, I was just wondering if you would be willing to accept an equipment sponsorship from my company. We are rather new to the IS design field, after all, and we are hoping that maybe having a famous name like yours associated with our technology would really help jump-start our business." That immediately set off alarm bells in Ichika's head. Most companies, when sponsoring a squadron, requested that said squadron sign exclusivity contracts to prevent other companies from potentially inspecting and stealing prototype technology. These exclusivity contracts were far from secret, and indeed were very much made public, and the fact that WSI was an Organization proxy did nothing to change that.
This meant that either Reiko was an idiot, a corporate saboteur, or something else entirely. None of those options was particularly appealing.
"Hmm, I'm not quite sure what you mean. Do you mind describing some of the technology you are offering for me?" Ichika asked, trying to play the part of a potential mark.
"Oh, yes, of course! Our metallurgists believe they have determined a new formula for IS Composite Armor that would allow for the suit to be significantly lighter, without sacrificing damage resistance. We call it Formula 111, and while I cannot share its exact composition, I will have you know it is definitely a game-changer. In keeping with the focus of mobility, we have several auxiliary thruster designs to allow your suit to make more precise evasive maneuvers, fly at higher speeds, or turn significantly faster." Reiko replied, taking his hand and gripping it tightly, painfully so. Ichika's suspicion grew as a spike of pain shot through his hand. That was not how someone who wanted a potential customer shook hands.
"Oh, and before I forget, we believe that IS legs are often under-valued as offensive weapons, and as such are planning to unveil a unique line of leg-mounted IS-grade bladed weapons. I do not believe that this will in any way violate your contract with White-Sakamoto Innovations, so what do you say? Do we have a deal?" Reiko asked.
Any lingering belief of Reiko being a simple corporate saboteur vanished with that sentence. Whoever this Reiko woman was, she had obviously never read the contract between him and WSI. That left the possibility of her being an idiot, or something worse. Given how the woman seemed all too eager to crush his hand, the former option did not seem to be the case. This woman had likely come to IS Academy disguised as a corporate representative specifically to seek him out, and that was not good at all.
"Hmm, that definitely sounds interesting. Anything else?" Ichika asked.
"Well, nothing I cannot talk about in such a public environment. I wonder... Do you mind coming with me? I am more than happy to share this information, but I'm afraid we will have to do so in private." There, she wanted to get him alone. Her justification of sharing classified data did not hold up, given how he had not said yes to her supposed contract.
However, before he could reply, Shizune Takatsuki intervened.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Orimura-kun has other customers to attend to." Ichika breathed a sigh of relief as the black haired girl ushered Reiko out of the cafe.
"Thank you, Takatsuki-san." Ichika said as she returned.
"No problem. It's not the first time I've seen someone like this try to scam students. Let me guess, was she about to offer you some high-tech, cutting-edge equipment in exchange for a temporary down payment to cover shipping?" Shizune asked.
"I'm not sure. Just... If she comes back, keep her out. I can't quite place it, but there was something off about her." Ichika replied, thinking back to how she shook his hand. While a scammer might have made the same mistakes Reiko did when it came to the contract, anyone interested in making money would have had a different handshake.
"Ah... Alright. Say, Orimura-kun, you've been working here all day. Why don't you take a break? You haven't really had a chance to enjoy the festival!" Shizune replied. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to ask something else as well, but evidently decided against it.
"Oh, Takatsuki-san, may I have a break as well?" Cecilia interjected, clearly having overheard the conversation.
"Well... Alcott-san-" Before Shizune could finish her protest, Cecilia leaned in.
"From what I overheard, I think Orimura-kun might be being targeted by a rival company. I believe that my presence might be needed to ensure his security." She whispered, and Shizune paused, before continuing.
"As I was saying, Alcott-san, you have worked very hard so far. Your request for a break is granted. Please be back no later than two-thirty." She finished. Cecilia beamed at that, and proceeded to lead Ichika out of the store. Neither of them spoke until they turned a corner, at which point Cecilia let out a sigh of relief.
"Ah, it's so good to be able to just relax and enjoy ourselves, isn't that right, Ichika-san?" She asked. Ichika frowned at that.
"Cecilia, do you know of any organization that might want to send an infiltrator after me?" He asked in return, and Cecilia pursed her lips.
"You mean that was really more than some random scammer? I thought..." Ichika quirked an eyebrow at that.
"What? So... Did you mean what you told Takatsuki-san, or..." He left the question open.
"Oh, well... About that..." Cecilia smiled and wrung her hands sheepishly.
"You said that just to get a break with me, didn't you?" Ichika finished, and Cecilia nodded. He sighed at that, before continuing.
"Regardless, my point still stands. What organization do you think that Reiko woman belonged to?" He asked.
"Phantom Task? They seem to be the most obvious candidate." Cecilia replied immediately.
"That was my first thought as well, but that woman blew her cover as soon as she opened her mouth. A Phantom Task infiltrator would have at least bothered to read the public version of the exclusivity contract I've signed with WSI before posing as an IS equipment saleswoman. No, Reiko was too incompetent to be Phantom Task." Ichika replied.
"So we have to think incompetent then? Maybe a particularly stupid extremist group?" Cecilia wondered.
"That is a possibility. If that's the case, then all I have to do is steer clear of her and I'll be fine." Ichika replied.
"Speak of the devil... Don't look. She's on our right, distance is about fifteen meters. She hasn't seen us yet." Cecilia whispered, before steering him in the opposite direction, standing right behind him to try and block the woman's vision. Finally, they turned a corner and Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief.
"She didn't notice us. Anyway, let's go find something to do. We might draw attention if we started acting abnormal!" She exclaimed, and Ichika nodded.
"Hey there! The gentleman in the fancy coat! Care to try something?" An English-accented voice drew their attention a few seconds later. Looking towards its source, they saw a red-haired girl waving at them. Cecilia gasped at the sight, then pulled Ichika forward, running into Class 2-3's tea shop.
"Oh? Eager aren't we..." The girl minding the store began, before her eyes widened.
"Oh my! Miss Alcott, I wasn't aware you were here as well! Please, stay as long as you like!" She exclaimed in English, while bustling over to a teapot and quickly pouring out two cups. Once they were full, she passed them over to her new customers.
"Please, enjoy! It's on the house!" She said, smiling.
"Thank you, but what did we do to deserve such generosity?" Ichika asked in his own accented English. The girl merely smiled wider.
"What did you do? Why, you only gave me an IS suit! I've been meaning to thank you ever since I saw the Alcott Foundation logo stamped on my Blank Slate's pauldron, and now I have the chance! I'm Alice, by the way. Alice Whitney." She explained.
"You're welcome! I trust it hasn't been giving you any problems?" Cecilia asked.
"Oh no, none at all. Our sponsor's equipment just arrived, and we worked around the clock yesterday to install it. Our squadron should be tournament ready by the end of the week." Alice replied.
"I'm glad to hear it!" Cecilia exclaimed, before taking a sip of her tea.
"Hmm, this is quite good." She commented a few seconds later.
"Thank you. That particular one is actually a special blend that we made here at IS Academy for this festival, although our supply is rather small thanks to us drinking half of what we made. We were trying to make Earl Grey, but had to use a local substitute for the bergamot." Alice explained as Ichika took a sip of his own tea.
"Well, it was definitely a good substitute." Cecilia replied as she moved to where several boxes of the tea in question were stored.
Ichika listened with half an ear as the two girls continued to talk, grabbing a few choice containers of tea as he did so.
Suddenly, a clatter of falling containers drew his full attention, and he saw Cecilia half-buried under a mass of boxes that she had evidently been trying to carry.
"Are you alright?" The Alice's concerned voice asked a moment later.
"Y-Yes, I'm fine... Ichika-san, do you mind giving me a hand?" Cecilia asked, and Ichika obliged.
"Were you really trying to carry all of these?" He asked as he picked up a few boxes while Cecilia stood back up.
"Yes... I think it may have been a little too much." Cecilia replied.
"Oh, well then, do you mind if I help you with them?" Ichika asked. Cecilia blushed, and nodded.
"Why, thank you!" She exclaimed.
Twenty minutes later, Ichika emerged from the store, a bag stuffed with tea under each arm. Above him floated several drones, weighed down with cargoes ranging from tea to two full sets of china that Cecilia had taken a fancy to. Beside him, Cecilia carried his own purchase, a happy smile on her face.
"That was fun, wasn't it Ichika-san?" She asked as they dropped off their purchases in a back room of the maid cafe for later retrieval.
"Definitely." Ichika replied, smiling as he stowed away his drones. Truthfully, he hadn't really cared much for it, but it was a welcome relief from the embarrassing butler routine.
"Ichika! There you are!" The two of them turned to see Tatenashi walking up to them.
"I've been looking all over for you! Were you trying to get out of our agreement?" The student council president asked.
"Ichika-san? What agreement is this?" Cecilia asked.
"Oh, right, I'd almost forgotten! I was supposed to help you out with that show you were planning, wasn't I?" Ichika said, remembering his promise.
"Yep! It starts in about half an hour, so you should have enough time to change. Your outfit is in the old Arena 1 boys' locker room. You will wait in there until the lights in there go out, at which point you will come out on stage." Tatenashi explained.
"Alright, what do I do after that?" Ichika asked.
"Trust me, you'll know!" Tatenashi replied, winking. Not reassured by this in the slightest, Ichika decided that the only way out was through, and thus headed for the old locker room, while Tatenashi led Cecilia away somewhere else.
As promised, the lights dimmed half an hour later, and Ichika emerged onto the stage dressed in the rather ridiculous prince outfit that Tatenashi had provided for him. Having no idea what he was doing, his first reaction was to cover his eyes as a spotlight suddenly illuminated him.
"There is a tale about a young girl named Cinderella, who found true love in spite of her hardship and cruel step-family..." Tatenashi narrated, and Ichika blinked. Was this some sort of reverse-Cinderella story?
"However, that story is a lie, a deception, a most ingenious ruse made to protect the identity of the Cinderella Warriors, an order of princesses who have brought down thousands of soldiers in hundreds of balls across the world! They are the world's finest warriors! None can match their ferocity in battle, their deadly aim, or their lust for destruction! Yes, there is no better name than Cinderella for these beautiful maidens who leave naught but cinders in their wake!" The confusion in Ichika's mind turned to dread as Tatenashi continued her narration, while a short animation mixed with various combat noises played in the background.
"Now, you shall all bear witness to the power of the Cinderellas, as they fight over the critical information contained within Prince Charming's crown! Let the night of the bloodthirsty Cinderellas... BEGIN!" Tatenashi cried out as the lights turned on, revealing the elaborate castle that had been set up on the arena floor. Ichika dove for cover just as the first bullets began to fly.
"You will pay for this, Tatenashi! You hear me? You will pay for this!" He shouted as he looked for a weapon of his own, wanting to be prepared for what undoubtedly lay ahead.
A/N: It's finally done! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
Originally, I intended to have this chapter stretch all the way through the Cinderella play, but I ultimately decided against it, and will instead use that scene to start off the next chapter. Now, on to the usual comments I have about my writing.
Firstly, the debriefing scene at the start of this chapter was originally intended for the previous one, although it was cut due to length constraints. Without these constraints, I was able to include parts like the whole conversation with Cecilia and Chifuyu (which I enjoyed writing immensely as it shows Chifuyu actually doing her job, something that I have not done much of lately) and the NDA micro-plot. Byakushiki was also introduced right on schedule along with its pilot. While Isumi will not be joining Ichika's harem, I will likely give her an arc of her own at some point.
Also on a quick note, Cham-weave is not an original creation of mine. It is merely my name for that strange invisibility cloth that Tatenashi used in the anime to conceal her cannon-ex-machina in the final episode.
The next big scene was the conversation between Ichika and Autumn/Reiko, and I hope I did a good job with it. Originally I intended to have Ichika recognize Autumn from Pearl Harbor, but the more I thought about it, such an action felt like a cop-out, so I decided to go with this as a result. What I did was both show how Autumn was a poor choice of infiltrator, and how Ichika was able to determine her intentions. My question is: Did my portrayal of Ichika's thought processes during the conversation do a good job of justifying his eventual suspicion of Autumn, or did they seem like a contrivance?
Finally, before I end this chapter, I have a rather lengthy topic I need to discuss due to its immediate relevance to this fic, and that is the Infinite Stratos Light Novels. I have not read these novels, and AFAIK I will never gain access to them. I have, however, gotten access to a summary of said novels, which has allowed me to see just how faithfully (or rather, how unfaithfully) Infinite Stratos Season 2 was adapted from them.
As it turns out, the pointless 'Charlotte's Missing Panties' episode was actually anime-original filler because the writers of IS2 decided to cut out the Cannonball Fast, an IS racing tournament, as well as a Phantom Task attack on Pearl Harbor. Similarly, the 'Cecilia's Bad Cooking' episode was anime-original filler, replacing a set of dates with Houki, one of which contained a meeting between Ichika and Squall. Finally, the whole field-trip arc of the anime was original, as at that point the novels ended.
This has left me with the question of what do I include from the novels, and what I ignore. For example, the Cannonball Fast will not make it in as depicted in the novel, as any IS race would be unfairly biased in favor of the only three supersonic IS suits on campus. Akatsubaki would steamroll it hands-down, and the only challenge would be provided by the Byakushiki and Infinite Arsenal.
As such, I have decided to replace it with a squadron combat tournament, with a twist on it to make it a bit more interesting. Some combination of objective-based attack and defense is my current idea.
That's not to say that everything from the novels will be added, as if what I've heard is correct they are even more rife with pointless fanservice and harem antics than the second season of the anime. For starters, Ran is actually a part of the harem, rather than a minor side-character as she was in the anime.
My plans for what from the novels to include and what to ignore have largely been made, but any input on that front will nonetheless be appreciated.
As always, I hope you all continue to enjoy this story.