A/N: Here it is, the second part of the School Festival arc. I'm sure you've all been looking forward to it, and I hope you all forgive me for taking so long in getting this out.
Chapter 23
Ichika had never imagined his day turning out like this, as he hunkered down behind a conveniently waist-high wall while bullets whizzed overhead.
"Come on out! You cannot hide forever!" His opponent declared, the subsequent lull in the shooting indicating that she was reloading.
Two seconds later, and Cecilia was shooting again. One shot slammed into his cover, causing cracks to grow in the cheap foam material used to build the castle. Two more identical-sounding pre-recorded gunshots played out a moment later, not quite loud enough to mask the 'pop!' of Cecilia's compressed air rifle. Once again, both shots went long as Cecilia overcompensated for her weak weapon.
Salvation came from an unlikely source, as another familiar voice made itself known.
"ICHIKA!" He barely had any time to dive out of the way of Rin's attack, the Chinese girl swinging at him with a foam Dao that somehow managed to make a 'Schwing!' noise as it sliced through empty air. Tatenashi must have put speakers into the handle, Ichika mused as he dodged out of Rin's follow-up strike. Unfortunately, that dodge had left him unbalanced, a fact that Rin gleefully exploited with another strike aimed at his knees. The foam blade connected, and Ichika found himself on the ground.
"You're mine!" The Chinese girl exclaimed gleefully, raising her glass slipper-clad foot for the finishing blow and inadvertently flashing the entire audience. Then, she brought her foot down and Ichika barely rolled out of the way. Fortunately for him, the floor seemed to be made out of the same cheap foam as the rest of the castle, and Rin's slipper heel ended up stuck inside it.
"Rin-san! How indecent of you!" Cecilia shouted from up above, before changing targets.
"Ow!" Rin exclaimed as the first bullet hit home. Not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ichika scrambled away, running towards a nearby door. Behind him, Rin had somehow managed to catch Cecilia's next bullet with her sword, knocking it away from her.
"Haha! My martial arts can even beat your- Ow!" Rin's boast was cut off as she tried and failed to block Cecilia's next shot.
"Take that!" Cecilia crowed.
"Wait a minute! He's getting away!" Rin shouted a moment later, having glanced in his direction. She had managed to work her slipper free, and promptly took a throwing stance. Grabbing the nearest thing that fit in his hand, specifically a plastic candlestick, Ichika just barely brought it up in time to bat a side a thrown kunai. Two more whizzed past him, chipping away parts of the foam castle wall as Ichika dove for the doorway. He made it inside and slammed it shut, dropping the bar into place a moment later. Looking around, he found himself at the start of a long hallway, several doors on either side of it.
"You let him get away!" Rin's voice echoed from the other side of the doorway.
"I had him! You were the one who didn't stick to the plan!" Cecilia replied, punctuating her words with a set of gunshots. Ichika's eyes widened at that. Tatenashi had given them time to plan things out? Who knew what-
His train of though was cut off as his foot was caught in a tripwire. This activated a trap, releasing hundreds of tiny rubber bouncy balls and causing him to lose his footing. As he tumbled to the ground, one of the doors opened and Kanzashi stepped out.
"I'm so sorry about that, Ichika-kun..." She muttered, face red as she hid behind the comically oversized bazooka she held in her hands.
"What is going on?" Ichika demanded, trying to stand only for his foot to slip on a ball, sending him back to the floor.
"W-Well... I'm not sure how to... Just give me the crown and I promise it will all be over!" Kanzashi exclaimed.
"Alright, fine! Here you- Ow!" The electric shock hit him hard as he tried to take off the crown.
"However, though the Cinderella Warriors are fierce, the Prince's love for his home country is even greater! If he so much as takes off his crown, his remorse strikes like lightning!" Tatenashi narrated as Ichika slammed the crown back onto his head.
"Also, for those of you placing bets, Orimura-kun has lasted for exactly one minute so far!" Tatenashi said.
"Wait, you're gambling on me?" Ichika exclaimed, incredulous.
"W-Well..." Kanzashi blushed again.
"And as for you, my dearest sister, I do remember you putting down five minutes! I do hope you remembered your wager!" Tatenashi continued, and just from her voice Ichika could imagine the wide smile on her face.
"Oh no! Um... Ichika, the exit is that way! P-Please be back here in four minutes!" Kanzashi said, pointing to a door near the end of the hallway.
"He's in here!" Rin's voice came from the other side of the doorway.
"I-I'll hold them off! Run! And be back here in four minutes!" Kanzashi whispered, and Ichika nodded. Crawling out of the ball field, he stood and just barely ducked into the nearest doorway as the thin balsa wood door at the start of the hallway was knocked down.
"What the-?" Rin exclaimed a moment later as she slipped and fell, her impact nearly drowning out the sound of Kanzashi's rocket firing.
"KYAA! What was that for?" Rin demanded.
"Y-You need to cool down!" Kanzashi replied.
"Why you... I'LL KILL YOU!" Hearing those words, Ichika ran down the new hallway he had found himself in. This one had only one exit at its end.
"Ichika! Wait!" He stopped as Ori's voice emanated from his watch.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Long story short, I have a bet to win and my money is on you finding a way to escape the stage. Unfortunately there aren't that many electronics on stage so I can't analyze its structure." Ori explained.
"Alright, so what do I do?" Ichika asked.
"Well, you see that brick over there? The one that's sticking out of the wall?" Ori asked, and Ichika nodded.
"That's the endpoint of a weapon chute. Too small for you to climb through, but I may have arranged for a bit of a care package to come your way. Pull the brick out and see for yourself!" The AI explained. Ichika obeyed and pulled the brick aside to reveal...
A rubber knife and a bright pink toy pistol.
"Sorry! It was the best I could do!" Ori said as he took the weapons.
"Thanks anyway." Ichika sighed, before moving on to the end of the hallway.
"Good luck! I'll keep you updated if I find a way out!" Ori said. When she didn't continue, Ichika nodded and opened the door. His eyes widened as they took in the next room's contents.
"I-I-I-Ichika-k-kun... C-Come t-to bed..." A bright red-faced Charlotte lay in the center of an immense four-poster bed that took up the center of the room. The poor blonde had covered herself with the blanket, and was clearly so embarrassed that she could barely speak.
"Ch-Charlotte? What are you doing?" Ichika stammered out.
"What does it look like she's doing? She's seducing you! Now get in the bed!" Laura's voice shouted at him, although he couldn't pinpoint its location.
"Laura? Where are you? What did you do to Charlotte?" Ichika demanded.
"Nothing! I-I'm not Laura! Now get in the bed!" Laura replied.
"L-Laura, what-" Charlotte exclaimed.
"Quiet, Charlotte. Just a little longer. Ichika, just get in the bed already!" Laura said, switching between comforting Charlotte and shouting at Ichika, who still stood in the doorway.
"I'm not-"
"Ichika! Get. In. The. Bed." Laura shouted, and Ichika realized that her voice was coming from up above. Looking up, he saw that they were in the middle of a circular tower with an obviously fake wood ceiling. One square piece of the ceiling looked off, and judging by how it was shifting there was clearly someone hiding behind it.
"Laura, what are you doing up there?" He shouted.
"I'm not up here! Get in the bed already!" Laura shouted back down, her cover shaking as she spoke.
"She'll stay up there all day if she has to..." Charlotte muttered.
"Ichika, there is an arena exit outside of this tower. You should be able to break out of the window." Ori reported. Indeed, there was a window in the wall, just above the head of the bed. Sighing, Ichika sized up the distance and jumped. Unfortunately he forgot to account for the bed's curtains, and ended up jumping headfirst into them. The curtain arrested his movement, but the bed's frame was not quite sturdy enough to support the result. Charlotte cried out in shock as the bed collapsed, the mattress falling down as the frame came crashing inward, covering them both in curtains.
That was when Laura made her move, leaping down from the ceiling. Supported by only a bungee cord, she grabbed at Ichika's crown. Unfortunately, she just missed the mark and ended up grabbing a fistfull of curtains instead, which Ichika was already tangled in.
Then, the anchor that Laura used for her bungee cord snapped and the silver-haired girl came tumbling down on top of him, groaning in pain.
"That... That was the worst plan ever." Charlotte screamed from somewhere to Ichika's left.
"I-It looked better in my head!" Laura exclaimed.
Keeping his objective in mind, Ichika began to crawl in the direction where he thought the window was located.
"Never mind that! We need to get the crown!" Laura shouted, and he felt her grab at his head. He rolled over, unwinding the curtains twisted around him and revealing his surroundings. Laura was currently underneath him, covered by a curtain, but judging by how she had just locked his leg she-
Ichika just barely managed to stick his arm out to prevent Laura from rolling him over.
"Charlotte! What are you waiting for?" Laura exclaimed. At that, Ichika looked up to see Charlotte's face inches from his own, the blonde girl still covering herself with the blanket.
"I-I-"
There! Laura's grip on his leg slackened for a moment, and he leaped for the window.
"Ichika! Charlotte, stop him!" Laura shouted as Ichika landed on top of her partner, pulled back by the curtain still tangled around his legs. His hand fell on something soft, and he quickly pushed off, leaving the pillow behind him as he jumped once more towards the window.
As soon as he was at the window, he slammed his hand into it. The clear acrylic fell out almost immediately, and Ichika leaped out of the tower, legs still tangled in a curtain. Quickly untangling himself, he stood and ran for where Ori had said the door was located.
However, just as the exit was in his sight, a pair of heels clacked against the stage floor and a figure into view, coming to stand between him and his way out.
Much like the other girls, Houki was wearing a silver Cinderella dress, while her hands were clasped over the hilt of her weapon of choice. The katana in question was sheathed in a black scabbard decorated with swirling golden dragons. The kanji for 'Death' was inlaid into its hilt, although it was partially covered by a shiny golden 'Made in China' sticker.
"Damn you Aki... I know you told her!" Ori muttered as she took in the sight.
"Did you really believe it would be this easy? I know you, Orimura. I can predict your every move! You have no choice but to surrender your crown to me!" Houki declared, moving to draw her weapon and unleash all of its fearsome destructive force in a single blow.
"Houki... You may have been my friend since we were children, but I will not allow you to stand between me and my freedom!" Ichika replied, raising his knife with one hand. He patted his pockets, looking for the pistol he had picked up, but it was nowhere to be found. It must have fallen out in the bedroom.
The two fighters squared off, settling into their respective stances as they scrutinized each other, playing out countless battles in their mind without making a single move.
"Ha!" Houki was the first to move, drawing and striking in a single motion. Ichika caught the blade with his knife and moved in closer, trying to get inside Houki's guard. His childhood friend was faster though, and quickly stepped back to get back some space. Her weapon gave her superior reach, and she sought to keep him at a distance, while his aim was to close in until his knife could be put to good use. However, Houki's decisive slashing strikes quickly put him on the defensive, and he was barely able to dodge out of the way.
Suddenly, Houki cried out and paused in her attack.
"Ow!" She cried out as Laura ran around the corner, pink toy pistol clutched in both hands. She fired as fast as she was able, hitting both Houki and Ichika in the process, and soon depleted the magazine.
A moment later Charlotte ran around the corner with a giant foam battleaxe in her hands. She was now wearing her Cinderella dress, and her anger was plain to see as she swung her weapon with reckless abandon, uncaring about who or what she hit. Laura went down first, the axe catching her in the stomach. Next it was Houki's turn, although it took the berserk French girl a few strikes to overwhelm her.
Ichika tried to take advantage of the opportunity to run for the exit, but he barely made it two steps before Houki's katana flew over his head. Without thinking, he reached out and caught it, twisting around just in time to block Charlotte's first strike. Faster than he could blink, his opponent was already winding up for her second blow. He stepped aside, just barely dodging it, but Charlotte surged forward. A second later she stood between him and the door, and Ichika knew that all hope was lost.
He raised the katana as if preparing to strike, and in the moment where Charlotte braced to defend against it he threw the weapon and bravely ran away. The katana was batted aside easily enough, but that momentary distraction had bought him enough time to get away.
Unfortunately, just as he rounded the corner, a very angry and very soaked Rin ran out to meet him.
"Ichika! You may have gotten away once, but I will not let you run away again!" She screamed, and Ichika dodged her first blow.
"Four minutes! That's the four minute mark!" Tatenashi gleefully exclaimed. Charlotte ran into view as she spoke, axe still raised.
A gunshot rang out a moment later and Charlotte was stopped in her tracks, her angry gaze shifting from Ichika to the perch where Cecilia had shot her from. The English girl squeaked in terror as Charlotte sprinted towards her, intent on reminding her just whose nation had won the Hundred Years' War.
Rin mopped her brow once Charlotte vanished back into the castle, before resuming her attempts to strike at Ichika. Fortunately for him he was ready and armed, and was able to keep her from landing any major blows.
"Five minutes are up! You know what that means, right?" Their battle was interrupted by Tatenashi's sudden proclamation.
"Of course you do! It's time for the audience to participate! Remember, whoever brings Orimura-kun's crown to me wins an extra-special prize!" The student council president declared, and the audience roared in delight.
"Run! I'll hold them off!" Rin shouted, panic clear in her voice as she turned to face the oncoming stampede.
"I will remember your sacrifice!" Ichika shouted back as he turned and ran once more, leaping off the stage and into the fake forest that surrounded the castle. The crowd had seen him jump, however, and with a cry of 'AFTER HIM!' the rest of the students began to give chase.
Fortunately for him, an emergency access hatch in the arena floor opened up, and he eagerly jumped down it, closing the hatch behind him.
"Thanks for the save, Ori." He said, taking stock of his surroundings. He had ended up in Girls' locker room, underneath the arena. The actual lights were off, but a strip of fluorescent material on the ceiling gave him enough light to see.
"That wasn't me." Ori's reply made him pause. If she hadn't opened the hatch for him, who did?
Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the quiet room, causing him to stand and turn to face their source.
"Nobody will find you here." Makigami Reiko spoke, a predatory grin on her face as she stalked towards him. Alarm bells going off in his head, Ichika reached for his pouch, which he had strapped on top of the outfit Tatenashi had supplied to him. A second later, his gun was out and raised, aimed at the woman's chest. She raised an eyebrow at the move.
"Whatever it is, I am not interested." Ichika replied. Reiko just laughed at that.
"You have a nasty bark, little boy. I wonder, does your bite match?" There was no fear or uncertainty in her voice, despite the gun pointed straight at her.
"Don't move. Who are you?" Ichika answered, keeping his gun level as he looked the woman over. The air around him shimmered slightly as he partially deployed his IS shield.
"Who am I?" The woman laughed at that.
"I am Autumn-sama... And I love it when my targets fight back."
Ichika's response to that was to squeeze the trigger. The bullet sparked off an energy shield a moment later, realizing Ichika's worst fears. The woman, Autumn, had an IS. The dark room flashed as two IS suits were fully deployed simultaneously, weapons already aimed at each other. Ichika was the one who shot first, brow furrowed in concentration as he forced his IS to respond despite his poor piloting attire. Had his IS compatibility score been any lower, the costume he was wearing would have turned it into a brick, but as it stood he was still able to control it with Ori's help.
His plasma cannon blazed as he flew backwards, the bright blue bolts washing over Autumn's shield. He recognized the IS he was facing, having seen it once before during a certain fateful trip to Hawaii.
"Ori, get a message out. I'm engaged with Phantom Task below Arena 1." He ordered.
"I think you'll find that your friends are somewhat occupied at the moment." Autumn taunted in response, firing off a burst from her own plasma cannons and shattering the row of lockers Ichika had taken cover behind. She charged at him a moment later, and Ichika dodged to the left, pitching forward as he did so to avoid the thick rope that his opponent had fired at him. It struck the wall instead and held fast, its shooter adhering its other end to the floor. Ichika cursed as he saw this, as it meant that his opponent could gradually restrict his ability to move within the cramped room.
Thus, his best option was to escape. However, the emergency arena access hatch was not an option given the crowd of students currently occupying that area, and there was only one exit that led outside of the arena, namely the locker room entrance.
"What's going on?" Ichika demanded, firing over another row of lockers.
"A diversion. What else could it be?" Autumn taunted back as she returned fire, shattering another piece of valuable cover in the room. Ichika dodged the next shot of webbing as well, moving closer to the exit as he did so. Another exchange of fire, another set of broken lockers, another dodged web shot, and Ichika was right next to it.
A second later, Autumn destroyed his cover and he dodged another web shot. However, instead of going for the nearest set of lockers, Ichika shot backwards into the hallway, opening fire to prevent Autumn from following. However, the darkness of the hallway and his continued focus on Autumn prevented him from seeing the trap until it was too late.
His suit's left foot was caught in it first, and the Infinite Arsenal spun out of control, Ichika barely twisting away to avoid slamming face-first into a wall covered in webbing.
"Too easy!" His opponent boasted as she walked up to him, a strange device now held in her suit's hand. Ichika didn't give her the satisfaction of a response as he desperately struggled to free himself. Autumn watched him struggle for a moment before sighing.
"Unfortunately, my fun can't last forever. Take a good long look around, brat, because this will be the last time you see the world outside of an interrogation chamber." She said, before slamming the device onto his chest. As soon as it made contact the Infinite Arsenal went haywire, and Ichika screamed in pain as the suit's empathic interfaces began to misfire.
"Stowing now!" Ori shouted, and a moment later the Infinite Arsenal vanished, taking the device with it. No longer in contact with the webbing, Ichika fell forward and scrambled to his feet.
He ran to the end of the hallway, noting that Autumn wasn't pursuing. That could only mean one thing... Indeed, the door leading out of the arena was covered in webbing. However, now that he no longer had his IS deployed, there were other exits available to him. He mentally thanked Tatenashi as he ran up to the main exit, avoiding contact with the webbing as he made a show of pushing at the door. Autumn laughed at the sight, and Ichika smiled.
That laugh meant that she couldn't see him flip open a panel on the wall and pull a card out of his pouch. Tatenashi had given out the maintenance corridor access cards to everyone in the group, and it just so happened that every arena locker room had the same layout, meaning that the maintenance doors were in the same place.
He swiped the card and the door opened up. Autumn stopped laughing at that, but in the time it took for her to take aim, Ichika was already out of the room. The door slid shut behind him as he ran, the last shot of webbing sealing it in place.
Knowing it wouldn't hold for long against a determined IS pilot, Ichika kept running, looking for a ladder. As soon as he found one, he scrambled up it and stopped to catch his breath. He had lost Autumn for the moment, but she was still loose in the school and was searching for him. He had to take her out fast, before she got any bright ideas involving hostages.
Unfortunately, the device that Autumn had planted on his IS had knocked it out of action, as his attempts to deploy the Infinite Arsenal had no effect. That meant his best weapon was out of the equation, but fortunately he was at a school full of IS suits, and he knew where the hangar was located. However, the costume he was currently wearing was an awful pilot suit.
"Not so fast, Orimura-kun~!" Tatenashi's pre-recorded voice taunted him as he tried to take it off, getting an electric shock for his trouble. He immediately took back every good thought he had about the student council president, before grabbing his knife and cutting the costume off. Evidently he had cut through an important wire, because this time there was no shock as he threw the prince outfit off, crown and all.
Now that he was down to his underwear, his next goal was to find a pilot suit. While empathic interfaces would work on bare skin, he knew that the resulting feedback would likely be lethal if Autumn stuck another one of those capture devices on his next suit.
Fortunately for him, there was a storage area right below the Arena hangar, and it was well stocked with all sorts of piloting essentials. The label on one unopened storage case caught his eye as he walked through the room. Apparently, IS Academy had ordered several sets of male pilot suits when he had first arrived at IS Academy. He had never used them, instead preferring his old WSI-issued suit, but they had clearly remained in storage.
Drawing his knife, Ichika cut open the package and removed one such suit. It was a two-part design, composed of a tight dark blue shirt that only covered his upper chest and a pair of equally tight pants that terminated just below his knees. The fit left much to be desired, as expected of school-issued clothing, but it was still better than nothing and he quickly put it on.
Now all that remained was to find an IS suit. Unfortunately, while the IS apparel storage location remained the same, the school's IS suits had been moved to a new hangar with the start of the new curriculum, meaning that they were halfway across the campus... With one exception.
During his time as a waiter, he had overheard some gossip about the latest arrival to IS Academy and how she was punished. Apparently, Shirone Isumi's stunt had led to her being grounded for two weeks, and Byakushiki had been confiscated as a result. From what he had heard earlier that day it had been moved to an older storage facility, which meant that there was a chance of it being in the Arena Hangar.
With that in mind, Ichika sprinted for the hangar entrance and sure enough, there it was. Reminding himself to thank Chifuyu for leaving it there, Ichika placed his hand on the white IS.
"Access denied." The suit replied, and Ichika frowned. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Then, just as suddenly, the suit spoke again.
"Access granted." Now that was even more suspicious, and Ichika did not attempt to activate it again.
"It's alright, Ichika. I should be able to handle it." Ori spoke up, drawing his attention.
"Ori? What happened? Are you alright?" He asked.
"That woman tried to disable your IS with an unknown device. Fortunately you stowed it away before it was able to get to me, and I was able to disable it. However, the Infinite Arsenal has sustained severe damage as a result of the method I used. It will take me several days to get it fixed up." Ori replied.
"Alright, at least it can be repaired. Now, what did you mean by handling the Byakushiki?" Ichika asked.
"From what I just saw, someone we both know just remotely ordered the Byakushiki's AI to disable the suit's security software, along with several empathic interface safety systems, with the probable intention of drawing you into an ACE. I can reactivate the safety features and keep the suit AI from nosing around where it's not supposed to, but it will likely fight back." Ori reported.
"Will it put you at risk?" Ichika asked, eyeing the partially dismantled Uchiganes in the room. If it came down to it, he would use one of them.
"Yes, but I am confident in my ability to last for a few minutes." Ori replied. Ichika sighed, eyeing Byakushiki with distrust before climbing into the pilot compartment.
"Go, NOW!" Ori shouted, before going silent. With the knowledge that he was on a clock, Ichika wasted no time in getting airborne, smashing his way through the roof in his haste to get outside.
He emerged into the middle of a battle, blue and purple bolts of plasma crisscrossing the sky as Cecilia and Laura dueled an IS that Ichika recognized as the Silent Zephyrs. Four Golems had accompanied the stolen IS, and were now locked in combat with several upperclassmen apiece.
Ignoring the combat for now, Ichika scanned for his own target. He quickly spotted her on the arena floor, and as evidenced by the webbing-bound students around her, she had taken hostages. Fortunately for him, Autumn was also in the middle of a standoff against several academy instructors, and she was facing away from him. He had one chance, and he quickly took stock of his suit's armaments.
Byakushiki had only one weapon, a plasma sword that bore a striking resemblance to his sister's own weapon, but the rest of the suit was clearly built around that blade.
"Ichika! I can't-" Ori shouted, her voice cutting off mid-sentence, and he knew he had no more time to waste. Byakushiki glowed a bright gold as he activated the suit's one-off ability, and the suit shot down at his target. The ignition boost module pushed him past the sound barrier, and even if she had seen him Autumn wouldn't have been able to react in time.
His sword passed through his opponent's energy shield, and at that moment it was clear that she had decided to remove her ADS system. The plasma blade cut clean through the Phantom Task IS, and Autumn screamed in pain as she fell out of her broken suit. Not bothering to look back, Ichika slowed to a stop before sending Byakushiki back to IS-space. Once the shimmering stopped, he ripped off the white bracer that remained on his arm and tossed it away.
Only then did the look back at his opponent and frowned. His strike had gone a little too low, and rather than bisect the woman along her waist, he had instead ended up severing one of her legs, while the other was barely attached at the thigh. He reached for his gun, before cursing as he realized that he'd left it behind. Still, he had his knife and he drew that instead.
Before he could make another move, the Silent Zephyrs had landed in front of him. The purple IS stood protectively over Autumn's thrashing body, its cannon leveled at Ichika's head. A moment later, the Mysterious Lady came down as well, placing itself between him and the stolen IS.
"Understood." The Phantom Task pilot spoke, likely responding to a transmitted order. A moment later, one of the suit's drones scooped up Autumn's body, lifting it into the air as its parent IS took off. Tatenashi began to climb on after her, only to freeze and fly back down, heading straight for the destroyed Phantom Task IS.
"GET BACK!" She shouted, a dome of water forming around the broken suit as she spoke. Before Ichika could do more than take a panicked step, there was a blinding flash of light and he went flying back, nearly blacking out from the impact of the blast. He felt himself land on a cool, wet cushion and tried to thank Tatenashi for catching him. All he could do however, was cough and feel the metallic taste of blood fill his mouth.
The cushion quickly disappeared, and he felt a pair of metal hands lift him into the air. He thought he heard shouting, but with how his ears were ringing he couldn't be sure. He felt his body being moved and flown somewhere, but he never found out where before he blacked out completely.
"... Negative. I have performed a full systems scan after completing self-repairs, and I was able to determine just what data the hostile AI was able to take. None of it is enough to constitute a critical leak. One major and three minor leaks did take place, although I have reason to believe that none of it is new information for The Doctor." Ori's voice was the first thing Ichika heard as he woke up.
"That is irrelevant. You endorsed a course of action that you knew would potentially result in a critical information leak to a hostile party. You lied to your handler about your capability to-" Maya replied.
"I did not lie!" Ori exclaimed.
"What else would you call deliberately overstating your capabilities like you did?" Maya asked, remaining calm in the face of a furious AI.
"I did not overstate my capabilities! Against any other AI, I would have-"
"You knew ahead of time that the core for Byakushiki was unique, and thus knew that the models you used to predict its capabilities were inaccurate. In spite of that, you went ahead and endorsed a course of action that led to Operative Orimura being forced to stow Byakushiki away in combat to save you and prevent a catastrophic breach of secrecy! You can deny it all you want, but you made the call and your partner paid for it." Maya replied.
A moment passed in silence, before Maya spoke again.
"You may have shut off your hologram, but I know you can still hear me. I expect a full report on the leaked information in my inbox five minutes from now. By this time tomorrow, I expect a report on the status of the academy's cybersecurity. I want to know what the hell happened to our radar array and communications systems, preferably before the next Phantom Task strike. Understood?"
"Understood." Ori replied, her voice flat.
"Good. Ichika, you can stop pretending to sleep now." Maya ordered, and Ichika cracked his eyes open in response.
"Ask any questions you have now. I will have to notify your sister soon, and I want to get this discussion over with by then." She continued as he sat up.
"How long was I out?" Ichika asked.
"About eighteen hours, most of which were spent in surgery. You were very lucky. Twenty years ago, we would not have been able to save you." Maya replied, and Ichika gasped at that.
"How bad was it?" He asked.
"You were very close to the epicenter of a small-scale IS core detonation. Severe inner ear damage, severe pulmonary contusion, six fractured ribs, body-wide radiation damage, body-wide minor neurological damage, and minor brain trauma. Once again, you were very lucky to be so close to such an advanced medical facility." Maya explained.
"Damn... Chifuyu-nee is going to kill me. What about the Silent Zephyrs? Did we manage to bring it down?" He asked.
"No. All escorting golems were taken down, but the Zephyrs was able to escape. You did quite a number on the Arachne's pilot though. It's likely that this is the last we'll be seeing of her." Ichika nodded at that.
"Alright. Now it's my turn to ask the questions. Your AI already submitted her report, but recent events have given me cause to doubt her reliability. Tell me what happened to you, to the best of your ability, from the moment you fell into the girls' locker room." Maya ordered, and Ichika quickly recounted what had happened, starting with his confrontation with Autumn and ending with the explosion that knocked him out.
"If I may ask, what happened while I was fighting Autumn? I know the Silent Zephyrs attacked, but aside from that I am clueless." He asked.
"I'll tell you what happened! Our radar array went down, allowing that damn IS to enter our airspace undetected! What's worse, the JSDF had picked it up on one of their sets earlier on and called us to ask if it was one of ours. That call never reached anyone here, but when asked the JSDF reported that someone had responded and told them that it was a scheduled squadron practice exercise!" Maya exclaimed. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Then, once we realized that we were under attack ordered a full evacuation of the stadium, we discovered that the academy wireless power grid was down as well! Our representative candidates got out just fine, but everyone else? We should count ourselves lucky that Phantom Task was more focused on you than on causing collateral damage, otherwise we would have had a bloodbath on our hands." She shook her head.
"How-"
"That's what I want to know! What's obvious is that someone here at this academy is a Phantom Task agent, but we have no goddamn idea as to who it is. We screened all our new staff extensively, and they all came up clean!"
"Could it be an AI?" Ichika asked.
"I'm beginning to think that it is, but that does not explain how a Phantom Task AI managed to infiltrate an area guarded by multiple Organization counterparts. The only way for it to have done so without being detected is if it was physically smuggled in, then uploaded into the relevant systems directly. That requires a man on the inside." Maya replied, before glancing at her watch.
"Anyway, my time with you is almost up. I have an appointment coming up, and I have to tell your sister that you're awake. I suggest you wait to speak with your AI until after she visits, and remember: Report any suspicious activity directly to me. Understood?" Ichika nodded at that.
"Understood."
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow." With those words, Maya stood and walked out of the room.
Five minutes later, Chifuyu all but broke down the door in her haste to see him.
"Chifuyu-nee, I-" Those were the only words he managed before his sister wrapped him in a gentle hug.
"You damn idiot... You said you would never do this to me again!" Chifuyu said, Ichika wincing as she spoke.
"I'm sorry..." He whispered. Chifuyu merely squeezed him tighter.
"Sorry doesn't cut it! If that explosion hadn't happened so close to a hospital, you would have been dead or crippled!" She exclaimed.
"I... What about everyone else? Was anyone else hurt?" Ichika asked, changing the subject.
"You got off fairly light in comparison to some of the others caught in the blast. Tatenashi may have been able to prevent the worst of the explosion, but she wasn't able to completely stop the blast wave or the radiation burst. Half of the hostages the... The attacker took were blinded, and all of them have sustained major lung damage. Most of them will be in this hospital for weeks if not months. Thankfully, there were no deaths but..." Chifuyu trailed off, her voice turning firm.
"Ichika, what the hell happened down in that locker room?" She asked, releasing him and taking a step back.
"What do you know?" He asked.
"I watched the security camera footage. Now, who was that woman and why was she targeting you specifically?"
"I... She called herself Autumn. I don't know why-"
"Bullshit. Ichika, I watched the footage. I saw how quickly you drew that gun. You recognized her."
"Of course I did. I met with her earlier that day at the festival, but I thought she was just some scammer trying to get at my squadron's money! When I saw her down in that room, I knew something was wrong and tried to get out." Ichika protested.
"And so you pointed a gun at her." Chifuyu replied.
"She had an IS!" Ichika exclaimed.
"Which you didn't find out about until you fired. Now, I want to know why the hell someone on the American Most Wanted Terrorists list tried to capture my brother alive."
"I don't know!" Ichika replied, speaking the truth for once. Why had Autumn tried to capture him alive? How much did Phantom Task know about him? Chifuyu's eyes narrowed at his response.
"You may not know why she came for you, but you know something else. Ichika, I've tolerated your secrets up until now, but when these secrets lead to terrorists launching a coordinated attack on IS Academy I know it is time to put my foot down. I am giving you a chance now to tell me everything." She said, crossing her arms.
"I cannot." Ichika replied.
"Cannot or will not? Very well then, let's start with this." As she spoke, Chifuyu reached into her pocket and pulled out a single brass casing. Ichika recognized it as one from his own gun.
"Recognize this?" She asked, turning the casing over in her hand so that its base faced him. Ichika nodded.
"The headstamp on this casing does not match any known manufacturer, military or otherwise. The dimensions of the casing do not match any known firearms. While I have not been able to locate the weapon itself, the security footage shows that it does not match the profile of any known handgun." Chifuyu paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing.
"Judging from how small the weapon is, it is clearly designed for concealment, and the large caliber means it was designed to inflict maximum damage to the target. Now, you will tell me who it was that gave my brother an assassination weapon, and why you decided to bring it into a school." She finished.
"I cannot." Ichika replied, looking away.
"This isn't funny, Orimura. If it had been anyone else who saw the camera footage, you would be out of the school and facing criminal charges. Now, I will ask again: Who gave you that gun?" Ichika shook his head again.
"Once again, Chifuyu-nee, I can't tell you anything!" He protested.
"Why not?" Chifuyu demanded.
"I... I..." Ichika began.
"I trust you, Chifuyu-nee. You've always... I want... I just want to tell you but I..."
"You what?" Chifuyu asked.
"I can't tell you anything! Every time we've talked like this, I wanted nothing more than to tell you everything, but I can't do that! Please, Chifuyu-nee... Don't keep trying to get information out of me. I... I don't want my sister to become a security risk." He whispered the last part, but Chifuyu caught it nonetheless.
"What did..." She began, her voice horrified.
"Please, don't try and investigate further. There was no gun, you just came in here to scold me about my recklessness, nothing more. Just-" Chifuyu's hand clenched and unclenched as he spoke, and before he could finish his sister smacked him across the face, cutting him off. Then, without another word, she stormed out of the room.
He sat in bed, frozen in shock, until a nurse entered the room a few minutes later.
"Orimura-san just signed your release papers. You're free to go." She informed him, snapping him out of his stupor.
"Ah, thank you. Is there anything else I need to know before I go?" He asked.
"Yes. If your skin becomes discolored, or if you at any point start to feel nauseous or vomit, please come back here immediately. In addition, we will need you to return here next Monday for a check-up to ensure that there is no untreated radiation damage." The nurse replied, handing him a packet.
"If you experience any of the symptoms listed here, report to the infirmary at once." Ichika thanked the nurse as he took it.
"Now, unless you have anything else to report, you are clear to leave."
"No, I don't. Thank you for taking care of me." Ichika replied, and the nurse nodded.
"You're welcome." The nurse paused for a bit, before continuing.
"Oh, right! Some of your friends stopped by to visit you yesterday, and ended up spending the night in the waiting room. They just left to get breakfast a couple minutes ago, so they should be in the cafeteria by now. They seemed pretty worried, so I'd highly suggest checking up on them."
"They really spent the night here?" Ichika asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. They were really nice too, and helped out a bit with various tasks while we dealt with all the injured... When you see them, give them my thanks." Ichika nodded at that.
"I'll be sure to do that. Thanks again." With those words, he walked out of the infirmary doors.
Several minutes later, and Ichika had found himself a private area near one of the practice arenas. He knew that it was rude to keep his friends waiting after the concern they had shown him, but the conversation he had overheard between Ori and Maya remained in his head and he knew he needed to address it immediately.
"Ichika? What is it?" The AI asked as her hologram shimmered into view.
"I heard what Maya said. Are you alright?" He asked, and the hologram shimmered.
"No, I am not." Ori answered, refusing to elaborate.
"Why not?" Ichika asked.
"You heard my conversation with Maya. You know why." Ori replied, her voice dull.
"No actually, I don't. All I know is that Maya accused you of lying. As your partner, I find that hard to believe. So what happened? I know that something went wrong with the Byakushiki's AI, but I don't know what." Ichika answered. His partner's hologram flashed red at the mention of the other AI. It was a moment before she replied.
"Back in the hangar, I told you that I would be able to hold the other AI at bay for a few minutes without risk to myself, long enough for you to finish the battle." Ichika nodded at that.
"You did, but I remember you trying to tell me something less than half a minute later." He replied.
"Yes. When I predicted the other AI's capabilities, I used data taken from my previous encounters with Tabane-pattern AI units. I... I did so knowing that my predictions may be inaccurate thanks to the Byakushiki utilizing a unique single-digit core as opposed to a post-treaty one."
"So what happened?" Ichika asked. Once again, Ori flashed red.
"The Byakushiki's AI... It was significantly more advanced than anything I had encountered. It could think twice as fast as me, and the only reason I lasted as long as I did was because it was not interested in conflict! Of course, when it tried to access the empathic interfaces to look at your mind, I moved to stop it. I... I had to sacrifice several portions of my memory in order to give you the time you needed." Ichika blinked at that.
"But... That means-"
"No critical information was stolen, and I was able to restore the lost portions from backup. However, information was still lost, and some of it may be used to make Tabane's AIs more effective against our own in future attacks."
"I... Ori-"
"And then to make matters worse, it wasn't enough to save you! You could have died because I overestimated my abilities!"
"You made a mistake. It's only human."
"But I'm not human! I was supposed to be different! If something like that can occur, what other mistakes have I made? What other mistakes will I make? AI technology is still a new field! What if we have a limited lifespan, and I'm reaching the end of mine? What if I'm somehow degrading? I don't-"
"Ori, listen to me. You making an error is not the end of the world."
"How can you say that? You nearly died!"
"And I'm still alive now. My objective was to use the Byakushiki to engage Autumn and you were able to hold out long enough for me to take her out. Our objective was accomplished, and-"
"And you nearly died as a result!"
"Ori! If you hadn't assured me that you could hold the Byakushiki AI at bay, I would have used one of the cannibalized Uchiganes instead, or I would have had to run halfway across the campus to get to another IS. In either case, I would not have been able to stop Autumn before she killed someone. What happened wasn't ideal, but ideal went out the window as soon as the Infinite Arsenal was disabled. We did the best we could, and we made it through alive." Ori was quiet for a few moments after Ichika finished speaking.
"Ichika... Do you trust me?" She finally asked.
"Of course I do! One mistake isn't going to change that!" He answered immediately.
"I... I see. Thank you, Ichika. I-I need to think for a while. Alone." She stammered out, and Ichika frowned. AIs did not stutter like Ori had just done, or at least not unless their entire being was somehow occupied to the point where they could not think their words over. Before he could respond, Ori's hologram vanished.
Sighing, Ichika stood and looked around. The sun was still rising, and a quick look at a nearby clock told him that breakfast was still being served in the cafeteria. Hoping that the girls hadn't left the building to eat elsewhere, he headed off to meet them.
Fortunately for him, the girls had decided to stay in the cafeteria, and he was able to quickly spot Tatenashi's distinctive blue hair upon entering the large room. The smell of fresh food reminded him that he hadn't eaten in nearly a full day, and so he quickly made his way over to the serving counter and ordered breakfast.
He noted that the room was slowly growing quieter as he walked, and by the time he reached the counter the cafeteria was silent. A quick look around revealed that the entire focus of the room was on him.
Breakfast that day was fish and rice, with a side of miso soup and soy beans. The stares of the cafeteria's occupants followed him as he made his way over to his table, and several girls scrambled out of his way as he passed. Finally, he reached the table and sat down beside Rin.
"Good morning! Did you miss me?" He asked and the floodgates opened, hundreds of voices starting to chatter all over the room in response.
"Ichika? You're awake already? Are you alright? Does anything hurt? I'm sorry!" That last bit was from Tatenashi, and he barely heard it thanks to Rin dropping everything and wrapping her arms around him.
"Thank goodness you're alright!" The Chinese girl exclaimed, her face inches from his own. Her eyes were glistening slightly, as if she was about to stop crying.
A second pair of arms encircled them both a moment later, and Rin's face was thrust into his shoulder.
"Ichika, you reckless, moronic, stupid, idiotic... What could have possibly possessed you to stow Byakushiki away? Never mind that, what were you thinking, attacking a terrorist IS like that! Don't ever do something like that again, never! Never, do you hear me? Never!" Houki's rant was quickly reduced to a whisper as tears flowed freely down her face.
"H-Hey! Houki! Don't cry on me like that!" Rin choked out from between them.
"Y-You're c-crying too!" Houki replied as she let go.
"D-Don't think I'm going to forgive you for this! You almost got yourself killed and nearly broke your promise to me! Who else would I marry if... If..." Rin muttered a moment later, looking away to hide her blush. Before she could finish, Kanzashi covered her mouth.
"Ichika, it's good to see you back. You... You were so lucky." Laura spoke next, Charlotte nodding from beside her.
"We caught a glimpse of you back at the infirmary... You looked awful." The French girl added.
"I'm just glad it wasn't any worse... From what I heard, a lot of the people closer to the blast weren't as fortunate as me." Ichika replied. He heard Tatenashi choke at those words.
"I know... I... Yoshitsune-san and Hazuki-san were both caught in the blast." Kanzashi murmured in response, and Ichika gasped.
"How bad was it?" He asked, placing a hand on the quiet girl's shoulder.
"Hazuki-san... T-They told me she would be in the hospital for another week while they fix her spine..." Kanzashi trailed off, and Tatenashi choked back a sob once again. A quick glance at the older girl revealed that she was crying. Ichika quickly got out of his seat and rushed over to her.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!" She choked out.
"There's nothing to be sorry about! If it weren't for you, people would have died!" Rin shouted from across the table.
"Nothing? Nothing?! I was the whole reason anyone got hurt! I was the one who called so many people into the same area! I'm the reason that bitch was able to take so many hostages-" Tatenashi was cut off as Ichika wrapped his arms around her.
"And if it weren't for you, everyone without an IS in the arena would be dead. You were able to stop what was basically a tiny nuclear bomb from leveling the place! You saved my life, and the lives of over a hundred other students. That's not something to be sorry about." Ichika replied, holding her close. Leaning in until only she could hear, he continued in a whisper.
"You didn't know that something like this would happen, and when everything went wrong you did everything you could to minimize the damage. Please, stop blaming yourself for doing the best you could. I've already had to deal with that from Ori." With those words, Tatenashi finally returned the embrace. Kanzashi joined in a moment later, followed by Charlotte and Rin. Houki and Laura were the last to join in, given how they had to move around the table.
After a few moments like that, Ichika noticed that someone was missing.
"Wait a minute, where is Cecilia?" He felt Laura twitch at that. It was Rin who answered.
"She left a few minutes ago. The Silent Zephyrs beat her pretty badly, and since then she's been spending almost all her time on the phone. She was the only one of us who-" Before Rin could finish, another voice cut her off.
"What, no hugs for us?" Although he couldn't see her, Ichika knew that Theresa had arrived, and judging by her choice of words the rest of his squadron was with her. The group-hug that had developed quickly sprang apart, and Ichika took the opportunity to look his squadron over. Sakura immediately stood out, thanks to the bruises on her arms and face. Theresa noticed his expression and shook her head.
"Don't worry, she's alright. Some asshole third-year pushed her down during the rush to evacuate the arena, and she got caught in the stampede." Sakura grinned at that.
"I found out who it was. We just taught her a lesson she won't forget." She said, wincing slightly.
"I wonder if she's managed to cut herself loose yet..." Ayane mused. Rei shook her head at that.
"Without her IS, she'll need outside help to cut through the chain."
"What did you girls do?" Ichika asked, concerned.
"Ambushed her as she was walking out of her dorm, tied her up with some stuff we found in engineering, and stuffed her in a closet, among other things." Theresa explained.
"Attention all students and staff: Due to recent events, all students and staff members are to be screened for radiation damage. If you have already been screened as part of treatment for sustained injuries, you are exempt from screening unless you believe you are feeling symptoms of radiation poisoning. At this time, all students in Homeroom Class 1-1, please report to the infirmary." The announcement prevented Ichika from replying.
"That's us. Let's go. We'll see you all later." Laura said, standing up. Charlotte and Houki followed her out of the cafeteria.
"Was there really that many people exposed?" Ichika asked.
"They're not just talking about the arena explosion. Four Golem cores also went off, and they didn't have someone to reduce their power. Thankfully they were high up in the air so the blasts didn't hurt anyone, but they still released a lot of radiation." Kanzashi replied.
"How much?" Ichika asked.
"From what I was told, each core went off with the force of around five tons of TNT. Not quite micro-nuke level, but still pretty powerful and with a similarly-sized radiation burst." Tatenashi answered.
"Wait, five tons? Then how did anyone in the arena survive?" Ichika exclaimed at that.
"I know... Onee-chan was able to damage the Arachne's core before it self-destructed. It... It did not go off with anywhere near its full force." Kanzashi replied, squeezing her sister's shoulder as she did so.
"Yeah. If it weren't for her quick thinking, our entire squadron would probably be dead." Theresa added.
They continued to talk for a while, before Class 1-2 was called and Rin left, along with Ayane and Rei. Theresa and Sakura left with Class 1-3, and Kanzashi was gone with 1-4. This left Ichika alone with Tatenashi.
"So, what happens now?" Ichika asked after a few minutes of silence. The student council president didn't respond immediately, choosing instead to poke at her remaining rice. Finally, she spoke.
"Honestly? I don't know. They might try to cover up a few details of the attack. They certainly won't reveal to the world that their brand new security system that they invested in specifically to stop this failed spectacularly. They will have to reveal some things though, like the arena bombing, but there certainly isn't a precedent for them to act upon-" Before she could finish, her phone buzzed. Picking it up, she read over the message she had just received, her eyes widening.
"What the- What the hell is that man thinking?" She suddenly exclaimed.
"What's going on?" Ichika asked. Tatenashi replied by pulling him closer, lowering her voice.
"The principal of IS Academy has apparently determined that the best way to respond to a terrorist attack is to continue with business as usual! That means the tournament scheduled for next month will proceed as planned!" She hissed, pointing to the message.
"Tournament? What-"
"It was supposed to be the first official squadron tournament, and it's going to be held outside of IS Academy!"
"Where?" Ichika asked.
"I believe they picked out an area north of Hokkaido. If that's true, we'll probably end up spending a few weeks in Nemuro. Now, I'm afraid I have to go. Someone has to knock some sense into the principal's head." Tatenashi stood up as she spoke, before quickly walking out the door. Once again, Ichika was alone.
Sighing, he stood up and returned his breakfast tray, before heading out the door. He may have put it off by speaking with Ori and his friends first, but the fact remained that Chifuyu was furious with him, and he needed to calm her down before she did something that could put her in danger. With that in mind, he began to make his way to her office.
A/N: Here it is, and boy am I glad that a program like Nukemap exists! It makes it really easy to estimate the effects of nuclear-style explosions, even if they're somewhat unreliable because of how small I ended up setting the yield.
I'm not really sure of how this chapter turned out, as I feel like I may have made some characters slip into OOC territory by accident. It makes sense for them to act different given the circumstances, but I'm not sure if I was able to write that difference correctly. Honestly, writing this chapter, especially the later portions of it, felt more like writing a bridge between two more important events than writing specifically about an event and its aftermath. I'm not sure if the result is good enough.
As such, I would appreciate any reviews discussing this, and as always please feel free to point out any issues or inconsistencies within the story so that I may correct them.