A/N: The next chapter of the teambuilding exercises arc. I'm envisioning one more, two at the most before the arc is over.
Chapter 36
"Did you say wires? How many are there?" Ichika asked.
"Yes, wires! Six of them!" Theresa replied.
"The button is flashing!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Keep holding it down..." Ayane ordered.
"There's a flashing red light, what do I do?" Cai asked, her voice barely audible.
"What color are the wires?" Rei asked.
"Red, blue, green, green, yellow, red!" Theresa replied.
"Red and white striped, red and blue dots, white, white, red!" Sakura replied.
"Release the button." Ayane said a moment later.
"Whew, that worked!" Sakura replied.
"Alright, I've reached the manual. I'm going to need you to cut-" Ichika started.
"The red wire! Cut the-" Rei exclaimed, and a moment later the sound of an explosion echoed over the comms.
"We've lost Sakura!" Shizune shouted.
"The red wire worked! What now?" Theresa asked.
"Sorry!" Rei exclaimed.
"Alright, what is the next challenge?" Ichika replied, trying to ignore the commotion.
"Sarah, move the marker up twice, then report." Lily said.
"I have a big red button!" Theresa replied.
"How many lights are lit on the right side?" Ichika asked.
"The marker is still red." Sarah reported.
"Three!" Theresa reported, and Ichika began hurriedly reading through the defusing manual for the correct course of action.
"Really? Press it now." Lily ordered, and a moment later there was another explosion.
"We've lost Theresa!" Shizune's shout caused Ichika to snap up.
"THE RED LIGHT IS FLASHING QUICKLY WHAT DO I DO?" Cai exclaimed.
"What red light?" Catelyn asked.
"The red light that appeared AFTER I PRESSED THE BUT-" Another explosion.
"We've lost Cai!"
"Sarah, just one more challenge. What is it?"
"Six wires, red, blue, green, green, yellow, red!"
"Cut the red wire." Lily ordered. A moment later, a pre-recorded cheer rang out, and the room let out a collective sigh.
"Well, one of four isn't THAT bad, right?" Shizune quipped as the four defusers exited their isolation chambers.
"What was that? I could barely think in there with you all screaming in my ear!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Sorry! I was trying to tell Theresa what to do but-" Rei protested.
"Why were you calling out wires anyway? You were in the middle of a button puzzle!" Ayane cut her off.
"Well, those wires were right next to the button, so I thought I'd give you a head start!" Sakura replied.
"And look how well that worked out for you!" Theresa replied.
Chifuyu was waiting for them as they headed out of the work station, and the next group in line took their place.
"So, what did you all do wrong?" She asked, an amused smile on her face.
"N-Nobody knew who was talking to whom, a-and the challenges were similar enough that instructions m-meant for one person were misinterpreted by s-someone else!" Ayane exclaimed, an unusual stammer in her voice. To her credit, Chifuyu showed no exasperation and merely nodded.
"Well said. This was, first and foremost, an exercise in disciplined communication. You were tasked with solving several similar but not identical group tasks in parallel, specifically defusing the bombs by solving the puzzles they provided you with. You were also forced into using a single channel of communications, as you will be in all future group exercises at IS Academy. In such a scenario, especially one where you cannot see the person you are speaking to, you cannot just say something and expect it to only reach the intended recipient. That is why it is important to determine a procedure for communication that can efficiently convey the right information to the intended recipient without contamination." Chifuyu replied, before turning to Lily.
"Mallory!"
"Yes?" Lily asked, looking up.
"I noticed that when you spoke to your squadmate, Sarah, you would often prefix your orders with her name. Not always, but when you did, it ensured that the message got across. It's a good start, if you want to develop your own procedure rather than adopt an existing one, although do bear in mind that you may not always know the name of the one you are addressing, or that it may be cumbersome to use said name." Chifuyu said.
"Ah, thank you!" Lily replied.
"Any questions?" Chifuyu asked. Ayane hesitantly raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"We... In the last tournament we didn't really have anything like that, but we didn't have any problems like that. Why?" She asked.
"A good question. My answer is that each squadron is a single unit, under the command of one leader. In the previous tournament, two squadrons were pitted against each other in a scenario that encouraged a head to head clash. Thus, while there were five IS suits on the field, there was only one unit and that unit was fulfilling one task. In most cases, that was enough to minimize the need for communications discipline, or at least mitigate the effects of the lack of it. Now, imagine if there were two squadrons on each team, and two flags in different locations that both needed to be captured to win. Suddenly the task becomes more complex, as suddenly someone in overall command of the group would only be able to see half the battle, but still need to coordinate both sides." Chifuyu paused for a moment, then continued.
"While I have not been here long, I have already observed that many groups are split along squadron lines. While the two squadrons in the group will interact, the leader of one squadron will usually give orders to her own squadron, or consult with the leader of the other. They will not give orders to a member of the other squadron directly." Ichika found himself nodding at that.
"Therefore, you can expect a similar coordination scheme in future tasks where multiple squadrons are asked to work together, and thus communications discipline becomes far more important. Does that answer your question?" Chifuyu asked, and Ayane nodded.
"Y-Yes, Orimura-sensei."
"Good. Now, I just heard the third explosion from that group behind you, and I sense the fourth one won't be far behind. If there are no more questions, you are free to either get in line for a second attempt, or find another task." Chifuyu said.
"Alright." Ichika replied, before turning to the group.
"So, what do you think? Do we try again now, or do we try to get a head start on lunch?" He asked.
"Lunch. Definitely lunch." Lily said immediately, and the rest of the group looked like they were in agreement. With that done, Ichika waved goodbye to his sister as he followed the group out towards the kitchen.
"So Ayane, did you enjoy yourself?" Theresa teased as Ichika and Lily emerged from the kitchen, carrying a platter of grilled chicken and a pot full of rice.
"What do you mean?" Ayane asked.
"Well, you got to meet the girl of your dreams, Orimura Chifuyu herself, and she even complimented you! You were blushing like a schoolgirl out there!" Theresa continued.
"She is a schoolgirl..." Shizune pointed out.
"W-Well-" Ayane flushed.
"You're doing it again!" Theresa crowed.
"What's this about my sister?" Ichika intervened.
"The fangirl over there had a fangirl moment." Theresa replied, and Ichika glanced over at Ayane, who looked like she wanted to shrink into her shirt and disappear entirely. The mechanical arms of her training harness, which she now wore more for convenience than out of need, twitched and dropped a spoonful of rice to the ground.
Ichika sighed, and shook his head, something he regretted almost instantly as Ayane shrank away further. He promptly walked around the table and gestured for Rei to move over, giving him the spot beside Ayane.
"Is everything alright?" He asked quietly.
"Y-Yes!" The black haired girl squeaked.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ichika asked, and Ayane glanced around at the rest of the table, the occupants of which were all looking at her.
"In private?" Ichika hastily appended, and she nodded in response.
"Alright. Finish your lunch first." He said.
They ate quickly in awkward silence, Ichika taking the time to gather his thoughts and try and figure out what to actually say to his squadmate. It had been obvious from the start that Ayane was a fangirl of his sister, the girl having taken extreme care to style her appearance after Chifuyu. Thankfully, she hadn't allowed her infatuation to interfere with squadron operations, but it was nonetheless noticeable, especially in the presence of his sister.
The two of them finished fairly soon and, after ordering the rest of the group not to follow them, he led Ayane to a nearby hiking trail.
They walked in silence for a while, the rest of the campground fading away until only silent forest surrounded them. Fortunately, the planner of the campground had been considerate enough to include a gazebo at what Ichika judged to be the trail's halfway point. Perfect for a family picnic, a romantic outing or a private conversation. Soon the two of them were seated inside.
There was a long and awkward silence before Ichika decided to take the lead.
"So, where do you want to start?" He asked.
"I... I don't know where." Ayane replied. Ichika thought for a moment, wracking his brain for a good response.
"Then let's start at the beginning. I've seen how you... Regard my sister. When did this start?" He asked.
Ayane took a few moments before responding.
"I... I attended the same middle school as your sister, you know." She finally said. Ichika's eyes widened. That was something new.
"Many of my teachers also taught her, and they would often place her up on a pedestal... They would always talk about how she was their finest student, brag about how she would excel at every challenge they gave her..." Ayane trailed off.
"So you came to idolize her." Ichika said.
"What is there not to idolize? Everything the teachers said was true, they even had the papers framed to prove it! When the Mondo Grosso came, both times around we were all gathered into the auditorium and watched live as she demonstrated herself to be the best IS pilot in the world! Who wouldn't want to be like that?" Ayane exclaimed.
"So that is why you emulate her? Because she is, in your mind, perfect?" Ichika asked.
"Y-Yeah... When I saw that I had the same hair and eye color as her, I... I started styling my hair to look like her. Our school uniforms were the same as well, and... Well, I was rather popular as a result. I wasn't the only one who idolized her, the entire school did..." Ayane sighed.
Ichika took a moment to think before responding.
"Do you want me to let you in on a bit of a secret?" He asked.
"What is it?" Ayane asked.
"My sister hates it when people idolize her for her performance in the Mondo Grosso." He replied, and saw Ayane's robotic arms twitch in response.
"W-What do you mean?" She asked.
"Before I continue, I'm going to have to ask that you keep what I am about to say secret." Ayane nodded in response, and Ichika continued.
"My sister was very close friends with Shinonono Tabane growing up. They spent a lot of time together, and that time included the testing of what would become the IS suit. Do you know why the White Knight was so effective when it appeared? It was because my sister helped to exhaustively test each and every component of the suit, as well as the suit itself, long before it would be forced into the public eye." He said.
"What? But... Wait, does that mean... Was your sister the pilot of the White Knight?" Ayane gasped.
"Yes. It's not widely known, and both of us would prefer for it to be kept that way." Ichika replied.
"My lips are sealed." Ayane swore without hesitation.
"Good. Now though, do you start to understand? In the first Mondo Grosso my sister, with her months if not years of experience, in an IS that shifted partway through the tournament in the first such event to ever take place, went up against crash-trained pilots with a few months of shoddy training at best, in IS suits cobbled together from barely understood technology. Why would anyone take pride in such a one-sided affair?" He asked.
"Then came the second Mondo Grosso, and while the contestants there could put up more of a fight, the outcome was still plain from the start. There's a reason why she decided not to compete in further tournaments after that." Ichika continued.
"So she proved herself the best beyond all doubt, and then became a teacher to pass it on to future generations." Ayane replied.
"I suppose that's one way of looking at it." Ichika sighed.
"I understand though..." Ayane replied. She looked uncomfortable for a long while, then spoke up.
"But what is wrong with that? Your sister not only was excellent as a student and as a pilot, but she chose to pass on her knowledge to others rather than continue to gather fame and fortune in the Mondo Grosso! Even more she..." Ayane trailed off, blushing slightly.
"She what?"
"S-She raised y-you, d-didn't she? She m-must have been a great m-mother as well." Ayane murmured.
"She did the best she could." Ichika replied.
"I... I want to be like that, one day." Ayane said. Ichika opened his mouth to respond, but the black haired girl continued.
"I don't want to be just some fangirl fixated on her. I don't want to be a fangirl at all! I want to be like her! I... I just don't know how." She finished, still blushing.
Ichika took a few moments to process this. Assuming that she was telling the whole truth, Ayane had been indoctrinated into the cult of his sister and then set her focus on reaching the same heights as Chifyu had. Unfortunately, given what he knew now, it was likely an impossible dream. His sister simply had advantages that Ayane did not, and there was nothing she could do about it. Finally, he came to a decision.
"So your goal is to excel like she did?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes." Ayane replied without hesitation.
"Not just because she is Chifuyu Orimura, but because she embodies the traits that you want to see in yourself one day?" He continued.
"Yes!" Ayane replied.
Ichika paused for a moment to consider his words before continuing.
"Then what do you think is your biggest obstacle in that regard?" He asked. At that, Ayane faltered.
"I... I guess... I'm afraid. I always wanted to come to her and ask how she does what she does, but... Whenever I'm near her I get scared. Today was the first time I properly spoke to her, and when she replied... I almost collapsed! She probably thinks I'm just another fangirl wasting her time..." She finally replied.
"Then perhaps you just need to get over that fear of her? Hmm... Perhaps I might have a solution for you." He said.
"What is it?"
"I can talk to my sister. Perhaps arrange a private meeting between the two of you. Granted, if she says no then that's it, but it sounds to me like maybe, if you can just spend some more time around her, you can get over your nervousness around her. How does that sound?" He asked.
"R-Really? Y-You mean it?" Ayane exclaimed.
"I do... On one condition." He replied.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Change your hair. It really does give off a very fangirlish impression." He replied.
"O-Oh... Sorry, I just got so used to doing it like this..." Ayane said, already reaching behind her. A few moments later, she untied her low ponytail, allowing her hair to fall back freely.
"No worries." Ichika laughed as Ayane stood up. A moment later she winced, some of her hair having been caught in her extra arms.
"Ah... Perhaps that wasn't the best idea..." She laughed.
"Do you want to re-tie it?" Ichika asked, moving behind her and helping to extricate the hair from the mechanical joints.
"I'll do it myself, later." Ayane replied, slipping the harness off before turning to face him.
"Thank you, Ichika. Even if nothing comes of it, thank you for taking the effort." She said, and hesitated for a few moments before pulling him into a quick hug.
"You're welcome. Is there anything else?" Ichika asked.
"No." Ayane replied.
"Then shall we head back?"
"Alright."
With that, the two of them retraced their path to the dining area. The rest of the group had finished eating, and were now chatting idly while they waited.
"Whoa, Ayane? Is that you? I almost didn't recognize you with your hair down!" Theresa exclaimed as they appeared.
"It looks good on you." Rei added.
"Thank you... It doesn't really work well with my practice rig though." Ayane replied, holding the rig up in her hands.
"Ah... It gets caught, doesn't it?" Theresa asked, and Ayane nodded.
"You know, I've always been curious about that... How does it feel, to use it?" Lily asked, gesturing at the inert rig.
"It's difficult to explain... I just can't really describe the feeling of having two extra arms." Ayane replied.
"Can... Can I try it?" Lily asked.
"W-Well..." Ayane glanced uncertainly at the rig.
"It does look pretty fun, and you never let us use it!" Sakura added.
"I does look interesting..." Theresa said.
"Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt. It's just that it requires skin contact, and you don't have customized uniforms like mine..." Ayane said, turning around to reveal the large cut-out in the back of her uniform.
"Perhaps later then?" Lily asked, eagerness plain in her voice.
"We'll see. For now, we might want to go and try the challenge again." Ichika intervened.
"Fair enough. So, are we defusing bombs again?" Lily queried.
"Yeah. Let's see if we can do it right this time, then see about trying something else." Ichika replied.
"Sounds good." Lily replied as she stood, an action soon mirrored by the rest of the group.
"That said, before we go, we should figure out how we're going to communicate with each other." Ichika said.
"We could just do what Orimura-sensei suggested, and just say the name of the one we wanted to talk to." Shizune replied.
"Yeah, but that's boring!" Lily replied.
"Do you have a better idea?" Ichika asked.
"Callsigns!" Lily exclaimed.
"Now that you mention it, that does sound like a fun idea." Theresa agreed.
"Ooh! Can I be Firebird?" Sakura asked, and Lily shook her head.
"Nope! There is one sacred rule to follow when choosing callsigns, and that is you cannot just choose your own. Everyone else has to pick it for you!" She replied.
"Aww..."
"So, who goes first?" Lily asked.
"I'll do it!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Alright! So, any suggestions?" Lily asked.
"Well, Sakura is our squadron's fire support specialist. Maybe something from that angle?"
"She can get pretty hyperactive, and her voice can get a bit... How about chipmunk?" Sarah suggested.
"Wait, wha-" Sakura exclaimed.
"Hmm..." Theresa looked over speculatively at her squadmate.
"Come to think of it, she is a bit on the short side and she does look adorable when she's mad. Look! She even looks a bit like a chipmunk!" She pointed.
"Alright, are we all in agreement on Chipmunk?" Lily asked.
"Aye!" The majority agreed.
"Hey!" Sakura shouted.
"Chipmunk it is! Who's next?" Lily said. When nobody volunteered immediately, Ichika spoke up.
"I'll go." He said, before taking a step back.
"Alright, so what to call our dear leader?" Theresa asked.
"Bond? He is the leader of 007 Squadron." Sarah suggested.
"Nah, we shot that one down a long time ago." Theresa replied.
"Plus, he doesn't really give off that Sean Connery vibe, does he?" Catelyn suggested.
"What about Hardhat? He's already pretty good at working with IS suits, and he built everything we're using on this trip." Lily suggested.
"Huh, that fits pretty well I'd say." Theresa replied.
"All in favor?"
"Aye!" This time it was unanimous.
"Alright, I guess I'm Hardhat, even if it's been a long time since I've worn one." Ichika replied with a good-natured laugh.
"So who's next?" Shizune asked.
"I'll go." Cai raised her hand.
"Oh, I know just what to do with you! Beast!" Lily exclaimed. Sarah and Catelyn promptly burst into giggles.
"Oh come on, you know full well what I meant to say!" Cai protested.
"I feel like there's a story behind this..." Sakura said.
"Back when we first got together, Cai pronounced 'best' like 'beast'." Sarah replied.
"She's the beast when it comes to math!" Catelyn added.
"It sounds nice. I don't see why not." Theresa said after a few moments.
"All in favor?" And so, Cai became the Beast.
"Lily's turn! Come on, Ichika already went!" Cai said as her callsign was set in stone.
"Alright, I'll go next!" Lily replied.
"Hmm... I don't think I know her enough to propose much... Blondie?" Sakura asked.
"Nah, we've got loads better. How about... Flashman?" Sarah proposed.
"Hey!" Lily protested.
"It fits... But at the same time it doesn't." Catelyn replied.
"I read the books, you know!" Lily exclaimed.
"How about burger?" Cai proposed.
"Hot Dog?" Shizune added.
"Sandwich?" Sakura asked.
"Why are we all saying random foods?" Theresa exclaimed.
"It's no-" Lily began.
"Well, our leader happens to have quite the appetite. When she puts her mind to it, she can quite literally eat enough for all of us. What was it the first time, five burgers-" Cai explained.
"Cai!" At Lily's distressed shout, Ichika decided to intervene.
"Do you really tease her like this all the time?" He asked, injecting a measure of disapproval into his voice.
"I mean..." Cai sighed.
"I guess not. Still..." She looked to be considering saying something else, before deciding against it and instead turned to her leader, who was clearly doing her best to avoid Ichika's gaze.
"Sorry, Lily. I guess I got a little carried away." She said.
"It's alright." Lily sighed in response.
"Right..." Shizune said.
"So what do we call her?" Sakura asked.
"How about... Gourmet? She cooks pretty good, after all." Theresa suggested.
"I guess... Might explain why she likes eating so much." Ichika caught Cai's muttered comment.
"All in favor?" Ichika asked. The name passed.
By the time they reached the line for the bomb defusing challenge, the rest of the callsigns had been given out. Of his squadmates, Theresa had gotten Sunshine, Rei ended up with Misclick, much to her own embarrassment, and Ayane got saddled with Fangirl over her vehement protests. As for Lily's remaining girls, Shizune ended up with Chicken at the suggestion of a grinning Lily, Catelyn ended up with Chuckles, and Sarah graciously accepted the callsign of Bolt, having been the one struck by lightning in the last tournament.
They proceeded to pass the test with flying colors, and quite a few amused looks from observers.
"Heave-ho!" With one final pull, the Archer Squadron flag was raised, finally able to flutter in the wind above the campsite.
"So, when do we get one of those?" Cai asked as the flag was secured in place.
"We've yet to set a price, and you'll have to come up with your own insignia, but when we decide on what to charge we'll give you a discount." Theresa replied.
"Thanks, I guess..."
The sun was setting now, and the group had retired for the day. Ichika was seated at a nearby picnic table, drawing up plans for the team's boat for the race at the end of the week, while the rest of the girls either ran small errands, decorated the campsite, or in the case of Lily, declared that she wanted to cook dinner for the group and headed off to the kitchen.
Finally settling on a pontoon-style design, Ichika folded up his drawing and stored it away in the tent. However, while inside his shared room, he heard a snatch of conversation.
"She really is head over heels for him, isn't she?" That was Sarah's voice, hushed but close enough that he could hear.
"Well, she's never going to get anywhere acting like that. Where's the confidence from before?" That was Catelyn.
"I guess Lily just falls apart when he's watching. It would be adorable if it wasn't so annoying." So he wasn't the only one noticing Lily's odd behavior. That was both good and bad.
"Thankfully it doesn't seem to be getting in the way of things yet, but what if it gets worse?"
"Hmm... What can we do about it then? I'm sure you'd agree with me when I say that I don't want her to suddenly fall apart in a tournament match."
"Well, the best way to fix things would probably be to have the two of them talk it out." Catelyn suggested.
"And how do you propose to do that?" Sarah asked.
"Hmm... We need to get the two of them alone together for a long period of time if we want any chance of that happening." Catelyn said.
"That is a problem. All the tasks need to be done as a group, so we can't really isolate them there."
"They'd be too focused on the task to talk anyway."
"So what do we do?"
"Well, come to think of it, the forecast says it'll be raining pretty hard tomorrow."
"Really? I thought it wouldn't rain until the day after."
"That's the weather for you. That said, how are you at making breakfast?"
"I can probably whip something together, why do you ask?"
"Well, perhaps we could get everyone together, say that we're going to make breakfast that morning, and leave them alone in the middle of a storm to talk things out?" Catelyn suggested.
"That... That sounds like a good idea." Sarah replied, and Ichika breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"We'll have to bring everyone else onboard with it though."
"I don't think it would be too hard. Even if we'll probably have to keep the real reason a secret from Ichika's squadron, they'll probably agree to help out." Sarah said.
"Alright. Let's do it." Catelyn said, and Ichika heard footsteps.
This was certainly an interesting opportunity, and he decided that he would play along. Given how if everything went to plan Lily could end up in the same unit as him, he preferred to not have to deal with the problem then. Now, to decide what to say...
Lily would return with dinner almost an hour later, and judging by the looks the other girls were giving each other it seemed as though the conspiracy had spread successfully. For his part, Ichika was able to play dumb well enough, and after a delicious meal the rest of the day was spent at an abortive attempt at Monopoly that quickly degenerated into something approaching Risk, with Ichika's dog stalwartly defending Boardwalk and Go from Lily's motorized corps and Theresa's navy, before a backroom deal led to Lily switching sides while Ayane's artillery and Cai's shoes, no longer neutral, laid waste to a surprised Theresa.
Ichika still wasn't quite sure what rules, if any, governed this new game by the time he went to sleep. All that he knew was that at the end of the day, he held everything from Go to Free Parking, Lily controlled the rest of the board, and the rest of the girls were reduced to satellite players. He was confident in his ability to defend Go and secure its constant income, but while he controlled the Jail, Lily was the one who controlled its entrance, and she had been massing a disturbingly large force aimed at taking Free Parking and sweeping his easy logistical train out from under him when, amidst their laughter, they finally decided to call it quits.
That just left tomorrow. Hopefully, he could settle the issue then and there, and it wouldn't backfire and make things worse.
True to prediction, Ichika awoke to the sound of a torrential downpour outside, punctuated by Giorgi's megaphone-amplified voice announcing that due to a spot of inclement weather, roll call was postponed until the evening.
His sitting up woke Lily as well.
"Great. Just when I learned we can sleep in, I wake up." She grumbled.
"Yeah. I've found that tends to happen from time to time." Ichika replied, lying back down.
The two of them were clearly not the only ones to awaken, as the sounds of movement and muffled conversation began to drift in from the other rooms.
"Ah well, everyone else is awake now so no point in trying to go back to sleep. They're going to want breakfast, and I'm pretty hungry myself." Lily sighed, sitting up.
"About that... Lily, Ichika, you two have been cooking for us all this time so far, which isn't really fair to you. We've decided that we're going to be the ones handling breakfast and lunch today. Isn't that right, girls?" Catelyn interjected, and the rest of the girls in the tent echoed that sentiment.
"Wait, really? Thank you!" Lily exclaimed, a surprised smile on her face.
"It's no trouble. Just sit tight, and we'll have it ready." Sarah added.
"Thanks, really." Ichika said.
"You're welcome." Theresa said.
With that, Lily flopped back down on the bed.
"Man, I love them sometimes." She sighed as the other girls finished getting dressed and started heading out.
"See you soon!" Sakura called out, before the tent door was zipped shut. Soon, the footsteps faded into the distance and the two of them were alone.
For a few minutes they lay in silence, and Ichika quickly realized that there wouldn't be much of an opportunity to discuss anything major for a while at this rate. After another minute of thought, an idea came to him. If the right atmosphere to bring things up wasn't going to materialize by itself, he would have to force it. Thus, he sat up once more.
"I'm going to get dressed. Do you mind turning around?" He asked.
"O-Oh! Alright!" He heard her shift behind him, and he quickly started getting dressed.
Around the time that he had gotten his pants on, he heard more motion behind him and looked back, half-hoping for some impropriety. He was not disappointed, as while Lily hadn't been peeking back at him, she had sat up and was currently in the process of fastening her bra. At around the same moment she looked back, and once again their faces flushed in unison.
"I'm sorry, I thought-" Ichika began, turning back around.
"I- No! I don't- wait, nonono..." Lily's flustered exclamation turned into an embarrassed whine. Ichika quickly grabbed a shirt and, fumbling half-blind, found the zipper for the room door and ducked out into the central room. He quickly finished getting dressed, hoping that his gamble had paid off.
"I-Ichika, I'm decent..." Lily said after a few minutes. At that, he opened the door again, and true to her word Lily was fully dressed, if still red-faced.
The two of them lapsed into an awkward silence for a while, as Ichika straightened out his sleeping bag, folded his sleepwear, and then sat down opposite of Lily, neither of them meeting the other's gaze.
She didn't seem angry, at least. That was good, so Ichika was now left with deciding how to broach the topic. After a few moments of thought, he decided that the direct approach would probably be both the most effective and easiest method.
"Lily... Do you have a crush on me?" He asked.
The question caught Lily almost completely by surprise, causing her to blink in shock. Where had that come from? More importantly, what was Ichika playing at? Was this some sort of test? A probe for information? That glance back while he was changing was almost certainly deliberate, but was it curiosity, lust or paranoia that drove it?
"A-Ah..." She stammered, trying to give herself more time to think. Was this the start of an attempt to get closer to her? To seduce her for information? Had she inadvertently manage to seduce him? How should she respond? Did she want to try and get him closer, or push him away?
Well, she realized, her own shock and the time already elapsed since his asking had already given the game away. So, time to see how he would react to the honest answer.
"Y-Yes..." She stammered out, briefly looking down at the mattress. A few moments later she peeked back up, just in time to see Ichika suppressing a disappointed expression with a nondescript smile. Now that was interesting. Was he hoping for another answer? Or did she just confirm something for him that he didn't like? Well, time to continue. If this was a test, then she might as well try to break it.
"But... I mean... I don't." She continued, trying to sound as confused as possible. For just a moment, had to stop responding.
"I mean... I like you, but... Well..." Ichika cocked his head at that.
"Are you alright?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Lily allowed herself to stiffen at the contact, before gradually letting her breathing slow as she pretended to calm down.
"When you're ready." He said, in a gentle voice that would have probably turned any other girl at IS Academy into a swooning mess, but not Lily. She considered her words for a moment, before taking a deep breath.
"I... Yeah, I like you. You're... You're probably the first guy I've ever met who's... well..." She allowed herself to trail off before continuing.
"But... I just... I don't want things to be like... Like... It's just a crush, you know? I don't like it! I mean, you're a great person, handsome, nice, and a pretty good pilot, but... I just want to be friends." She gestured aimlessly, before watching as a relieved smile grew on Ichika's face.
"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that, Lily." He replied, and she allowed herself a little gasp of surprise.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"If... If you don't mind me being blunt, it's been really hard making friends with no... How should I say it... Romantic strings attached here at IS Academy. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff that happened in my first few months here. I'm talking rumors about how I would date the winner of the first tournament because she reminded me of my sister blowing up and getting way out of hand... Really, it's just me and my squadron." Lily couldn't stifle a giggle at that, and Ichika laughed as well.
"What about the other girls? You know, the First Year Elite Squad?" Lily asked after a few moments.
"Is that really what they call us?" Ichika asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, but that's basically what it is, right? IS Academy's seven best first-years, plus the student council president? Are they not your friends?" Lily asked, and Ichika laughed.
"It's complicated." He left it at that. Lily raised an eyebrow, but when Ichika did not continue she decided to drop the subject. For a few moments the tent was silent, before Lily spoke again.
"You know, I think we might be pretty similar in that respect. I... I didn't really have much in the way of friends growing up either."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... I was always pretty smart, and I wasn't exactly the most outgoing person back then... As it turned out, I was also quite an early bloomer." She gestured down at her chest.
"This was just around the time that the boys in the school were starting to notice us girls, and suddenly I was the most popular girl in the school, at least among them. As you might imagine, that made a lot of the other girls pretty jealous. Honestly, I'm pretty happy I ended up scoring so high as to be offered a chance at representative candidacy, otherwise high school would have probably been really miserable." She continued.
"I take it things changed there?" Ichika asked.
"Some things did. I had to become quite a bit more outgoing so that the evaluators would notice me, and I made a few friends, but most of them either washed out early on or things just fell apart as the competition became more and more difficult. Mary was the only one who really stuck with me until the end, but she decided that if she didn't make the cut for representative candidacy, she'd continue her normal education instead... We haven't really corresponded much since I came here either." Lily sighed.
"I see." Ichika said.
"Sorry, I got a bit carried away. Didn't mean to dump all that on you." Lily said, and Ichika shrugged.
"No problem." The tent was silent save for the rainfall for a while, but Lily imagined that it was far less awkward now.
"So, friends?" Ichika asked, extending his right hand. Lily smiled in return.
"Yeah." She shook it.
"If it helps, just imagine me as one of your squadmates and treat me the same way." Ichika suggested.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Lily giggled at the thought.
"What do you mean?" Ichika asked.
"Well, I guess it can't hurt to say it now. You know how my squadron always teases me about various things I supposedly do in private? It's all true." She laughed again as Ichika flushed red at that.
"Y-You mean-" She nodded, savoring his dumbfounded expression. How was that for information?
"You know what? Perhaps I will treat you like my squadron. You look adorable when flustered!" She said, leaning forward before breaking down laughing at how fast he scooted back.
"Just kidding!" She exclaimed, giving Ichika some time to sit back up.
"What happened to just being friends?" Ichika demanded, half-jokingly. Lily laughed a bit at that, before sighing and flopping back down on the bed.
"Seriously though, I'm glad we had this talk. It's... I feel like I've gotten a load off my chest, metaphorically speaking." She said. She never liked the blushing schoolgirl act anyway, and this was as good an excuse as any to no longer have to use it around him.
"Then I'm glad as well... Just please, take it easy with... You know..." Ichika replied, still flustered.
"Of course." Lily replied, sitting up. In the silence that followed, she went through the conversation again, trying to glean any details she could about Ichika's intentions. The problem was, she could make no rhyme or reason of them. He never pressed her when she gave him information. He didn't try to pick at the thankfully true details of her school life for potential inconsistencies, nor at her fictionalized account of her training. He wasn't trying to take any relationship they may have had to the next level, in spite of the advantages that it could have offered him. If anything, most of the conversation seemed deliberately aimed at ensuring their relationship stayed friendly. That was the maddening thing about Ichika, Lily mused. He sounded so damn genuine, to the point where for a second she was almost convinced that he was indeed just trying to make friends, but that was definitely not the case! He was the enemy, part of the same organization that, barely a year prior, had put a bullet through her mother's head! An enemy that even now was slowly tightening its grip on IS Academy, giving her less and less room to maneuver! The most maddening thing of all, however was the fact that Ichika was a completely normal human being, incapable of perfectly regulating everything from breathing to blood-flow to simulate emotional reactions near-perfectly.
Still, it made no sense. If Ichika was under orders to press her for information to confirm or deny suspicion, this would have been the perfect time to do so. Conversely, if he was under orders to monitor her in preparation for a strike, he would not have gone through the effort of initiating a conversation that could have potentially triggered a confrontation with a spooked Phantom Task threat. Instead, it seemed as though he was trying to get close to her, to just get to know her, to familiarize himself with her, and herself with him... A thought suddenly occurred to her, and it took all her willpower then and there to not burst out laughing at the absurdity of it.
Was Ichika under orders to prepare her for recruitment? As she gave it further consideration it began to make sense. She had an IS possessing the capability to safely teleport people and objects from one end of the world to the other, even if Code Black was not necessarily aware of its maximum range. It would certainly be a boon for them if they were to acquire it. That thought also brought any idea of becoming the fox in a henhouse to an end. While she wasn't quite sure of the exact technical details, her father had stressed the fact that the technology could not, under any circumstances, fall into the hands of the enemy for fear of a countermeasure being developed. This was evidently important enough for Phantom Task agents to feed the Americans the necessary information to develop AI of their own to maintain the Blazing Phoenix's cover story.
The problems just kept piling themselves on, she thought as she realized that even if she wasn't under suspicion, she would still be under heightened scrutiny. On top of it all, she was getting hungry.
"I hope the food arrives soon..." She sighed as her stomach growled.
"We do have some snacks in the cooler if you're really hungry." Ichika pointed out.
"Mmm..." Lily groaned, making an exaggerated show of trying and failing to flop her way to the tent door. Ichika gave her a bemused look before walking out to where the cooler lay. He stood there for a moment before starting to drag the cooler over, leaving it at the entrance of the room, just out of Lily's reach. She gave him her best hurt look before scooting over to get at it.
The perishables had already been moved out into the kitchen, where they had been appropriately labeled and hidden. That left several packs of cookies, some bread, and most importantly, some of her nutrient bars. She quickly grabbed one and began to nibble her way through it, taking care to not get crumbs on the bed.
"So, am I in?" She asked after a few moments.
"What do you mean?" Ichika asked.
"Am I part of the First-Year Elite Squad?" She replied, half-jokingly. Ichika laughed.
"I'm afraid I'm not the gatekeeper, but I'll vouch for you." He replied.
"That's encouraging..." Lily smiled.
"So... What makes you call us that?" Ichika asked after a few moments.
"Isn't it obvious? All eight of you are leagues above the majority of the competition. Just look at the last tournament. Granted, Laura and Lingyin got bad matchups and got eliminated early, but the rest of you? Unless you were up against each other, you won, and more often than not you won without taking any losses." She said, pausing for a few moments before continuing.
"But it's more than that. Back when I was getting ready for my match against you, I went through the various available footage of your fights in the arena." Ichika raised an eyebrow at that.
"How did you get your hands on those?" He asked.
"It's a bit hard to get at them, but IS Academy does keep an archive that students can access and view but not record. Granted, it's only of arena combat so I wasn't able to watch that big match you had outside with all your squadrons..." She trailed off.
"Anyway, I was able to see both you and most of the other girls in combat. It... I don't know, it might have just been my imagination, but it seemed like they all improved by leaps and bounds. I remembered looking and comparing your two fights against Lingyin... It was obvious just how much better she'd gotten in the intervening months."
"Well, we are at a school intended for training IS pilots." Ichika pointed out.
"Yeah, but... It just seemed like she'd really improved. She, both of you even, were just flat-out better than most of the other second and even third years that fought in the exhibition matches for the second semester. I... I assumed that was because of you and, well... Call me selfish, but I wanted that for myself." She sighed, and Ichika gave her an encouraging smile.
"Well, you didn't seem half bad when we faced each other, and we're working together now. Perhaps in a month or so we can have a rematch." He said, and Lily smiled.
"We've got another tournament coming up soon. I'll be waiting." She replied.
It was around then that the rest of the girls arrived, and soon breakfast comprised of a mix of everything from sausages to pancakes to fruit salad was served. Were it not for the complications, it would have been a wonderful morning.
A good few hours would pass before the rain finally stopped, although the sky was still overcast when the squadron, after a very close vote, headed out of the tent to start on their tasks for the day. They had chosen the obstacle course, gambling on the weather resulting in a shorter line. However, as it turned out they were somehow not the first group to reach it. Ichika was the first to spot the column of mud-splattered girls from Laura and Charlotte's group coming their way, wide grins on their filthy faces.
"Hey Ichika! Giorgi really outdid himself!" Laura greeted him as they passed, and Ichika noticed immediately that her entire group's clothing was soaked through.
"Laura... You didn't make them run it in the rain, did you?" He asked.
"We did! Ten times!" One of her squadmates exclaimed.
"Four of those were mudfights though..." Charlotte said.
"I see." Ichika said, somewhat confused.
"Well, good luck! It's really fun!" Charlotte waved as they passed.
For a few moments the group was silent as Charlotte and Laura's squadrons continued their walk towards the showers, then Lily spoke.
"Well, that's encouraging." She said as they arrived at the obstacle course. Giorgi was waiting for them, dressed in a raincoat and with his megaphone in hand.
"Ah, just as one group leaves another arrives! Ichika, it's good to see you. Are you ready?" He asked, walking over.
"I guess?" Lily replied as Ichika nodded.
"Alright! Then in that case, welcome to the obstacle course!" Giorgi gestured behind him.
"For this exercise, you will be divided into two groups of five. The first group will be running the course, which is comprised of five separate tracks. The second group, meanwhile, will remain here. Their job will be twofold. Each member of this group will be assigned a runner. They will have access to a control board, which will allow them to make the tasks in their runner's track easier. They will also be required to write out a map of the course their assigned runner is going through. Neatness or artistic presentation will not be graded. Only a coherent list of the tasks in the order they are done is required for full marks. Communications will be handled through these!" Giorgi pointed at a set of five mud-splattered walkie-talkies.
"Once one group finishes its run, the roles will be reversed. Everyone will draw a map and run the course, then you will be graded based on both the accuracy of your maps and the average running time. Your friends in the previous group set quite a record. Five minutes and ten seconds average time, perfect maps, and excellent coordination. Do you think you can beat that?" He asked.
"We'll certainly try." Ichika replied.
"Alright! Now, split up. Five runners, five operators, tell me when you're ready!" Giorgi ordered, and the group circled up. They quickly split along squadron lines, and Ichika volunteered his squadron to be the first runners.
Thus, he soon found himself running down the opening stretch of track, the mud already filled with footprints from Laura's squadron. Soon he reached the first obstacle, a simple ditch that he easily jumped over while reporting it to Shizune, who was acting as his track's operator. A moment later, a major complication made itself known.
"Ack! Pfft! Dammit!" He heard Theresa scream over the radio.
"What happened?" He heard Lily reply.
"Callsigns, now! We're on an open channel!" He ordered as he neared the next obstacle, a log wall.
"Chicken, log wall ahead." He reported.
"Hardhat, do you see any number on it?" Shizune queried.
"I... Chicken, yes. I see it. One, two, seven." He replied as he approached it, slowing down and preparing to scale it. Then, a moment later, the wall began to tilt back, eventually coming to rest fully horizontally. So that's what Giorgi meant by making tasks easier, Ichika thought as he leaped onto it and carefully traversed the slippery, uneven surface.
"Got it!" Shizune reported. The radio was filled with chatter now as the rest of the runners encountered their first major obstacles as well. Thankfully, there was very little confusion.
The next obstacle, a deep, long pit currently filled with water and mud that was far too long to jump and with track markers that prevented circumvention, was similarly easy to overcome once Shizune activated a hidden plate that raised itself up, causing water and mud to spill out of the pit and turning it into a simple ankle-deep strip that could be easily crossed. It quickly became obvious that the exercise wasn't particularly focused on testing physical ability, and was once again meant to build communication skills, as well as situational awareness considering the tasks assigned to the operators.
Thus, the rest of the task was relatively easy, although it did not come without its hitches. At one point, faced with what looked like a simple log to vault over, Ichika reported its position as he was climbing over it, thinking it to be an easy challenge. This turned out to not be the case, as the log promptly rolled over, having been mounted on a pair of rotating bearings, depositing him in a puddle of mud on the other side. He rose to his feet, spitting out mud and reassuring Shizune that he was indeed alright before resuming his run.
He would be the first to finish the track, covered in mud from head to toe. Ayane would emerge a few seconds later, panting and soaked in mud from the waist down. Evidently, she'd fallen into a rather deep ditch. Sakura was next, somehow coming out even dirtier than Ichika and he suspected that at least part of it was intentional. Theresa came out next, her front half completely covered in mud while her back was relatively clean. Rei was the last one out, but also the cleanest, being relatively clean from the knees up.
"Well done! Not the fastest run, but you all made good time. Now, switch up! Ichika, you're in booth one! Rei, booth two! Theresa, three! Ayane, four! Sakura, five! The rest of you, it's your turn to run! Lily, track one! Catelyn, two! Shizune, three! Cai, four! Sarah, five!" Giorgi ordered. Completely unsurprised, Ichika walked into booth one, and waited for the next run to begin.
"On your marks... Go!" Giorgi ordered, and they were off.
"Hardhat to Gourmet, do you read me?" Ichika asked.
"Loud and clear, Hardhat. Unusually large puddle ahead." Lily replied amusedly, grunting with exertion as she leaped over it, only to squeak in surprise a moment later. The subsequent splash was plainly audible to Ichika as he jotted down the position of said unusually large puddle that Lily had probably just fallen into while trying not to laugh.
"The position of said puddle has been noted, Gourmet." He replied.
"Laugh it up, will you? Hardhat, bridge, ahead. Code one, two, zero!" Lily's shift from hurt to businesslike snapped him back into action, and he quickly found the switch in question before jotting down the position of the obstacle.
Lily wouldn't fall again over the course of her run, and ended up being the first of her squadron to finish. Her back was completely covered in mud, courtesy of the puddle, but her front was relatively clean. The rest of the squadron emerged from the forest shortly otherwise, all splattered with mud to some degree.
"And... time! Well done. Better than Laura's girls on their first run, but her group still holds the record thanks to their second attempt. Still, it looks like you've all earned full marks." Giorgi announced as the operators exited their booths.
"With that said, would you like to try again for the record?" Giorgi asked. The group members, all covered to some extent in drying mud, exchanged glances with each other before shaking their heads.
"Ah well. Now, I am sure you're all wondering why I had you run an obstacle course that could be easily passed without breaking a sweat so long as you spotted a number in plain sight and bothered to tell it to your assigned operator, right?" He asked. Most of the group raised their hands immediately in response.
"Hmm... Theresa? What do you make of this?" Giorgi asked.
"It was about communication, right? Making sure that someone who cannot see us can still know exactly what we're doing and quickly provide assistance?" Theresa ventured.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you got it so quickly, considering how well you did on your first run. You are, for the most part, correct. This was an exercise aimed at teaching situational awareness through communications. This is a skill that is important for everyone, but is especially critical for commanders." Giorgi replied, looking at Ichika and Lily.
"You will not always be able to see everything your subordinates are doing. Therefore, it is up to the subordinate to clearly communicate everything to you, and for you to quickly parse that information whilst simultaneously deciding upon and taking any necessary actions. On a surface level, this was taught via the loop between the runner and their assigned operator, where the runner reports the code of the obstacle, and the operator then finds and flips the correct switch as soon as possible. You will have noticed that there were a lot of decoy switches in there that you never ended up pulling. Incorrect switch pulls would have counted against your score." Giorgi explained.
"However, the exercise also went a bit deeper than that. Rather than simply make the operator respond to calls for assistance, they had to also draw a rough map of the runner's progress. I will have to look at your maps before giving you your final scores, but the point there is to ensure that you were able to consciously keep track of what your assigned runner was doing, much like you would have to on a battlefield." Ichika nodded, along with the rest of the group.
"Finally, there was one last element that I'd originally planned to include, which had to do with the open communications channel that you were all speaking in. I am glad to hear that you have already figured out an improvised system that allows for effective communication under such conditions. However, that was not all. My next question, to Ichika and Lily specifically, is what was the critical difference between this exercise and the recent tournament match, in terms of communications?" He asked.
"In the tournament, we were responsible for four other pilots plus ourselves. Here, we each only had one person to keep track of." Ichika replied without hesitation.
"Exactly. My original plan called for only two operators, each being assigned four runners. Unfortunately, I only had five tracks to work with, and rotating everyone through such a course would have taken too long. Thus, that element was scrapped. Otherwise, you would have been drawing four maps each, not just one, and controlling four tracks at once. A far more challenging task that would more closely mirror a real tournament scenario, but unfortunately a logistical impossibility at the moment. Perhaps it would be something to keep in mind if you have some spare time. Now, any questions?" Giorgi finished. Lily raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"There seems to be a lot of emphasis on blind communication so far. In most tasks we've done, there's always communication between at least two units that cannot see each other. Why is that?" She asked.
"Aside from the obvious benefits? Well... I guess it won't hurt to tell you. Technically you're not supposed to learn of this for another week, but I don't see much harm in you learning now. The next tournament set for this year will involve two teams of three squadrons each, with objectives that encourage division of forces. Specifics are still being worked on, but communications between different groups that are out of sight and all focused on their own objectives will prove important, assuming all goes to plan." Giorgi explained.
"Now what do we have here?" A familiar voice caused the group to spin around.
"Ah, Chifuyu! Your brother's group just passed this challenge with flying colors on their first try! I was merely congratulating them on a job well done." Giorgi smiled.
"I could hear you bellowing from halfway across the campground, even without that megaphone of yours. I know exactly what you said." Chifuyu replied, an amused smirk on her face. Giorgi shrugged in response.
"Then I guess you caught me. I was clearly showing blatant favoritism towards your brother by informing him and his group of the baseline details of the upcoming tournament." He replied.
"And now I've got to do the announcement officially so that everyone will be on an even playing field." Chifuyu smirked, before gesturing at the megaphone.
"I'll need a megaphone for that." She said.
"You have your own..." Giorgi replied, clutching his megaphone defensively.
"Yours works better. Hand it over." Chifuyu said, before looking back to see the students now staring at her.
"As for the rest of you, you're filthy. Get yourselves to the showers immediately." She ordered.
"Yes sensei!" The ten of them chorused, before turning as one and marching off to the thankfully nearby showers.
The hot water washing off the now-dry mud was a wonderful sensation, and Ichika would have likely stayed in there for a long while were it not for Lily's sudden panicked shout from the girls' side of the building.
"Ichika, we have no spare clothes!" She exclaimed. That revelation brought the relaxation to a sudden end, especially as he realized that he too didn't have a change of clean clothes.
"I don't either..." He shouted back.
There was silence for a while, before Lily replied.
"What about towels? There were towels here yesterday, but they're all gone now!" She shouted back.
Ichika peeked out of the shower curtain, and thankfully the towel stockpile on the boys' side was still intact.
"I have plenty! Should I toss them over?" He asked.
"Yeah! I'm in the third stall! I'll catch them and pass them out." Lily replied, as Ichika stepped out, grabbed one towel for himself, and then two more to toss over.
"Alright. Ready?" When Lily replied yes, he began tossing towels over.
"So what's the plan?" Ichika asked once the last towel was thrown over.
"The plan?" Lily responded. There was a short pause before she continued.
"Our only clothes are filthy! We have naught but towels to wear, and we are faced with a long march to the safe haven of our tent! Therefore, we have no choice but to sacrifice a portion of our dignity if we are to ever see our home sweet home away from home again! In a minute's time, we shall exit this building and rush across the gravel path, returning to the safety of our tent! So tie your towels tightly, ladies and gentleman, for they are all we have in this coming walk of shame!" She exclaimed.
"Just what is going on in there?" Houki's confused voice demanded from outside.
"Forward! To glory!" Lily shouted, and with a warcry half-comprised of laughter, the ten of them burst from the building, jogging in unison past the suddenly confused girls of Houki and Tatenashi's group, holding their towels closed with one hand while the other held their mud-splattered clothes. As their incredulous faces receded away, Ichika knew that he would likely never live this moment down.
A/N: See? I can too write silly fanservice when it's necessary!
Now, this chapter gets into the meat of the exercise and, surprisingly for IS Academy, has the teaching staff once again acting as teachers. There were two tasks in this chapter, the purpose of which has already been explained so I don't feel like there is much commenting to be done there.
Next up, there is the conversation between Ichika and Ayane. This scene resulted primarily from my realization that I really haven't been featuring much of Ichika's squadron lately, and thus I've been looking into creating short, one-on-one scenes between Ichika and each of the girls to give them a bit more distinctiveness. Rei's already gotten one a while back, and now we have Ayane finally getting to talk with Ichika about her fangirlish tendencies. It also lets me finally get in that comment on Chifuyu's Mondo Grosso performance, as it is very obvious that the first Mondo Grosso was less a competition of equals and more Chifuyu, with vastly more training and possibly a superior IS, ganking people in ramshackle prototypes with no more than a few months of training. Anyway, I'll probably do a follow-up scene at some point, or at least have Ichika and Ayane speak again after the fact. Theresa and Sakura are next up for personal scenes, which aren't necessarily going to be confined to this arc but will just come in when I feel it to be right.
Next there was the conversation between Ichika and Lily. I like the way it turned out in the end, with just the right amount of manufactured awkwardness leading to the whole 'confession' thing. Now, Lily has come to the correct conclusion, and now realizes that she has to sabotage Ichika's recruitment efforts without actually getting so involved that they place her under surveillance. The noose inadvertently tightens once again, all because Ichika just wants to be friends!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and are looking forward to the next.