-BANG!-

Ichika and Lincoln attempted to shield themselves the bullet, but they weren't fast enough. They were saved only by grace of a 53-lb kettlebell flying down and knocking the bullet out of the way.

Madoka tried to fire again, but she was interrupted by Laura's AIC.

"I told you to watch yourself," Laura growled, "Of course, you know what you are doing." She was about to fire her railgun, but Madoka's drones peppered the park with energy shots, allowing her to make a clean escape.

Laura withdrew and surveyed the area for any signs of where Madoka went.

Ichika brought his arm down and tended to Lincoln, "You good, man?"

Lincoln was visibly shaken, "I didn't need any of that urine anyway..."

Laura came back to their side after a minute of searching, "The enemy's fully retreated...they went off the grid." Just then, High Card and Strong Suit arrived on the scene.

"Did anyone detect her?" Strong Suit asked.

"I did," High Card said.

"Where's anyone else?" Ichika wondered, "Where's Tatenashi?"

"I grabbed the nearest person I could," High Card told them, "Laura was the closest."

"Tell everyone else what happened," Ichika ordered, "Date and time, and persons involved. We have to get the word out to the rest of the staff."

Laura hoisted Lincoln onto her shoulders and lumped him to the bathhouse. Then, she started to bathe him, "Gott sei Dank geht es dir gut."

"Yeah...sure..." Lincoln stuttered, "I think that we should that we want a-" -SPLOOSH!-

"Silence," Laura...removed her clothes and...put him in the bathtub with her, "We need to maintain focus on the task at hand."

Lincoln didn't say anything.

"This is very unlike you to be this mute," Laura said while scrubbing his hair, "What could've possibly happened to put you in this catatonic state?"

Lincoln sat there staring at the mirror. But his vision was clouded from the steam. Instead of seeing Laura's naked body, he saw two female students with the same bodies, same faces, same cunning smug expression. The only thing different was their hair. It brought back the memories of the battle.

"UAAAA-" he broke the mirror with his fists.

Laura was quick to subdue him, "STILLE!" Lincoln flailed against her with al his might, but she got the better of him with her bear grapple, "Ruhe! Behalten Sie die Kontrolle!"

Lincoln slowly steadied his breathing, just enough to utter, "Akina...wasn't Akina..."

"What do you mean?"

"She was posing as Akina the whole time...she was with Phantom Task the whole time..."

"What?..." Laura gasped.

"She was feeding them information the whole time...they staged all this!..." Lincoln went manic again, "All of this! Even the part where Margo goes Xeno-Psycho-Bad! It was all a part of their cockamamie plan-"

"LINCOLN!" Laura grabbed his shoulders, "Beruhige deinen Geist ..."

Lincoln breathed, "Entschuldigung ... Mein Verstand ist weg ..."

"At least now we have a bit more information to go on..." Laura assured him, "We can make this crisis right, but I cannot quell your mind. You have to."

Lincoln took a moment to sink into his emotions. Then, he nodded, "Ok...I can't guarantee anything, but...ok..."

"Good," Laura said before taking her seat beside Lincoln.

He was clueless, "Uh...what are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to clean my hair," Laura was very blunt, "I believe it is called 'returning the favor' where you come from."

Lincoln knew there were so many things wrong with their current situation and the context in which that statement was applied... but he flat out didn't care. He went to prep Laura's hair with a gel and a massage. And it felt relaxing. For once he could take in the moment and not worry about anything outside the sacred realm created by his own presence. It was just him and...

"Hey, Bronya!" Rin barged in, "Got this Silk Perm body wash I wanna-" and stopped short of the sight of Lincoln and Laura naked in the steam, "I didn't realize you were...busy..."

"We're just cleansing ourselves from the recent scuffle," Laura... "Perhaps you would like to cleanse yourself as well?" ...was never taught sex-ed. Ever.

"The hell?!" Rin was embarrassed, angry, flustered, and confused simultaneously, "Ah-No! No bath for me!" She ran out and hid behind a vending machine, trying to get the sight of Lincoln and Laura bathing together out of her head, but she couldn't. She suddenly heard them exit the bathhouse.

"I need to be alone," Lincoln sighed.

"Oh," Laura said, "Well, if you say so..."

Lincoln walked towards 1025, while Laura walked the other way.

"EEP!" Rin fled the corner and wandered into the next bedroom where...

[WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE ALL DOING?! WALLOWING IN THE DARKNESS LIKE YOU GAVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS... YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!]

...Kanzashi was watching anime by herself and Charlotte was drawing in her spiral. Rin blinked and walked in, "Hey, Charlotte. What'cha doing?"

"Doodling," Charlotte said, "I find it very calming whenever I am in distress." Doodling a very detailed scenery of her and her mother on a hill overlooking the radiant sunset through the mountain range.

"Riiiiiight-hey, lemme ask you something..."

A couple days later, while the girls were having the day to themselves, Ichika and Lincoln have gone back to his residence to get their minds off the recent events.

"I'm feeling another day out with the girls," Ichika said, "How about you?"

Lincoln was staring out the window.

"Ink Link!" Ichika said.

"Huh?" Lincoln blinked, "Oh, right...day out..."

"Dude, what's gotten into you?" Ichika wondered, "Thought you'd be up and around after a few days."

"I'll come around..." Lincoln left the bedroom and went downstairs, "Any OJ?" The moment he touched the last step, he froze in terror.

Chifuyu was right there in front of the fridge drinking some milk. He didn't know whether or not he should say something to her.

But Ichika said something, "Juice is in the outside cooler," while coming down, "All we got inside is water and-"

Chifuyu looked up and saw the boys at the bottom of the stairway, aghast and stunned.

"-steak..." Ichika breathed.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Chifuyu asked.

"Not for the next three days..." Ichika said.

Ichika and Chifuyu managed to settle themselves in a lunch setting, while Lincoln spent some time outside.

"So, you two have gotten along fairly well?" Chifuyu wondered.

"Yeah," Ichika nodded, "better than I could've asked for."

"Think so?" Chifuyu said, "Then why's he talking to his not sister, instead of his is sister?" She pointed her thumb to Lincoln who just sat there in the middle of the patio.

"Not sure," Ichika said, "I keep hearing, 'I could've saved her... I could've saved her...' I don't wanna think about what went on that day..."

"It better not be for that ISL crackpot whatever."

"I know we need an insane amount of energy, time, and personnel-"

"And money."

"-...and money...but Laura has confirmed the Black Hare squadron has volunteered for surveillance. And Cecilia has a connection to the Royal Navy."

"That would mean that we owe the world even more than we do now," Chifuyu said, "I get that you want to put a veil of protection around everyone here, but nothing comes without cost. You want the ISL, you'll have to pay upfront before you can go forward."

"I am prepared," Ichika gave his solemn vow, "Trust me."

Chifuyu cringed, wondering if he knew just what he had committed to, "If you say so..."

Ichika sipped his drink, but then he decided to ask something that was on his mind since the end of the festival, "Hey, Chifuyu? Mind if I ask you something?"

"You can ask anything," Chifuyu winked, "but just remember to call me Miss Orimura at school."

"I know, but this is about our family," Ichika piqued Chifuyu's interest. He got her waiting for him to collect himself before asking, "Do you think...there might be more than you and me?"

Dead silence. No one knew if the other person had caught onto their little secret or if they were bluffing. Chifuyu just kept her eyes on Ichika.

Until he said, "Like...another...sister?"

Chifuyu swallowed her bite and took all the dishes to the sink, "You're my only family. It's just us."

"Right..." Ichika started to clean the table, "But...that same woman who piloted the Silent Zephyrs came back by herself. She said her name was Madoka Orimura, and she's supposed to be my twin sister...I don't get it either..."

"Slight delusional motivation," Chifuyu deflected, "The enhancement drugs that Phantom Task utilizes have bad side effects."

"Uh...Huh..." and then, Ichika said the beloved, "Thing is, I got a good look at her. She had my face and your hair."

Chifuyu didn't say anything, nor did she move a muscle.

"And then there's something Lincoln and talked about..."

("Yeah, though there's something I've been wondering... why didn't I find out about a twin sister until now?")

("I have no idea. Probably some begotten off-the-cap mistake we forgot about?")

("That's...eerily specific...Does everyone we come across have a messed up backstory of their own doing?...")

("No, Ichika Orimura...I am you.")

("She's your twin sister. Goes by M.")

Chifuyu became expressionless on the outside, but on the inside she knew she done messed up, "They said that..."

"And that's what I've been thinking," Ichika said while cleaning out the fridge and not looking at Chifuyu at all, "I don't know what's been going on, but I think the past...or someone's past... is coming back to haunt us. And it looks like it's the major theme of the class so far-"

"Ahem."

"What's up?" Ichika turned around.

Chifuyu stood directly over him, "Whatever she told you, you need to get it out of your system."

"Chifuyu?" Ichika blinked.

"I don't know what they did to her, but they know," Chifuyu said, "They're using you to get to the Academy. To get to me."

"Because you're the strongest?"

"Not just that," Chifuyu brushed his shoulder, "but we don't know how many people are going to exploit us."

"But isn't that the perfect trap?" Ichika asked, "We could wait for one of them to lunge at us, and then we could capture them."

Chifuyu clenched her jaw, "How many people are you willing to risk to set that trap perfectly?"

Ichika hadn't thought that out completely. He was already willing to risk his own life, but what about everyone else? Would they go even remotely close to the extent that he would go to complete an objective?

"You have to be careful of everyone and everything," Chifuyu said, "Let your guard down the tiniest bit, even for a millisecond... and that'll be it for you."

"Ok, ok," Ichika chuckled, "I get it."

"Good," Chifuyu nodded and grabbed a towel, "I'll be in the shower for a few."

"Already throwing in the towel?" Ichika quipped, "Any other intimidation tactics you wanna use on me?"

Chifuyu threw her towel at him, "Ha! I have all semester to do that!"

Ichika chuckled. But he waited until she was in the shower to open the door and walk to Lincoln, "You good, man?"

Lincoln nodded, despite not looking ok.

"Me neither," Ichika sat down beside him and passed him a cold washcloth, "I just talked to Chifuyu, and that was the first time she didn't provide a direct answer to me."

Lincoln didn't budge.

"She knew..." Ichika concluded, "She knew of Madoka's existence and relation to us. But she told you, not me."

Lincoln shrugged, "Dunno why..."

"I get both of your feelings," Ichika said, "Being kept in the dark about your past, and being watched over constantly..."

"We need a day for each other," Lincoln blurted out.

"Nope," Ichika stood up, "You need a day for your family."

"Not happening," Lincoln attempted to leave, but he was stopped by a yank in his hair, "Owowowowowowowowowow."

"If you want to move on from this inane slump you're in," Ichika said, "you're gonna have to confront the banes of your past."

Lincoln winced; talking to his sisters was the last thing he wanted to do. But sadly, he had nothing else planned until school starts, and the others will pester him for a hangout, so he felt like he had no choice, "Dammit..."

"Well, how else are you going to clean up your heart?" Ichika said, "You got stuff in your blood that shouldn't be in there at all."

"I know..." Lincoln sighed, "Just...can I stay for the night?..."

"Sure," Ichika walked back inside, "Just don't blame me when the others come by."

Meanwhile, back in the campus...

"God my oh..." Rin groaned.

"Oui," Charlotte reiterated her point, "Your heart is torn between the two, and you know how love is with us young folk."

"You're 15, dolt..."

"About to be 16."

Rin jumped, "Get out!"

"Next week, actually."

"Well, we gotta do something, then! Get the word out! A celebra-"

Charlotte gently placed her hand in Rin's head, "After you speak with the girls, and then the boys, and then we celebrate."

"You're mean..." Rin groaned. She went to 1025 to get the boys out, but one push of the door saw that it was empty, "The hell?...Where'd they go?..."

"They went off-camp-"

"YEE-HKRHLG-HAAA!?" Rin unconsciously deployed her IS and rapidly latched herself onto the ceiling.

"你會停止這樣做嗎？..." Laura growled.

"別問，你這懶惰的女妖！" Rin snapped before jumping down.

"As I was saying," Laura brushed her off, "Loud and Orimura have gone back to their residence."

"What for?"

"Something about an all-day hangout. I never understood-"

"That-that's actually what we all need!" Rin flailed, "Did you talk to the other girls?!"

"Not yet," Laura raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, good!" Rin slowly tiptoed out of the room, "I'm gonna let them know and then we can go storm Kyoto together! As a bunch of friends! Yeah, I'll be back in a bit," and slammed the door shut.

Laura sighed, "What has happened to this place?..."

Tina heard the entire conversation and walked toward the infirmary. She walked herself right on in and-

"YOWZA!"

-caught sight of Lori halfway through changing Leni's clothes.

"My second preferred career was nursing..." Lori mumbled.

"Uh-Huh..." Tina shook her head to forget about Leni and Lori's amazing figures.

"What brings you here?" Lori asked.

Tina grabbed Leni's pants and helped Lori with the changing, "I heard word that Lincoln's gone back to the Orimura residence for the night, and the other girls are planning a get-together for their little clique."

"Dangit..." Lori groaned, "I was gonna go back there tonight..."

"You can still go," Tina nodded, "Just head on in and say a few words to him."

"It ain't that simple..."

"Hey, if there's one thing that we Texans can say, it's that everyone overcomplicates, but barely any oversimplifies," Tina winked.

"That...didn't make any sense..." Lori winced.

"Just come to the residence," Tina nodded, "I will be."

"Yeah, why not?..." Lori literally gave up, "I am gonna have to refill on tampons anyway..."

"Uh-you needed to do that yesterday..."

Later that night, Chifuyu was preparing dinner when Lincoln came downstairs. "Had a good nap?" she asked.

"Sort of..." Lincoln answered.

"What's Ichika doing?"

"Taking an early siesta...he said he wanted to try drowning in his own head for once in his life."

"Huh...not very characteristic of him..." Chifuyu shook her head, "I guess it'll be dinner for us, then."

Lincoln set the table and waited until Chifuyu sat down with him to make his next point, "He also said that you didn't tell him about his twin sister."

"I knew that was coming..." Chifuyu groaned.

"You knew what?"

"I'd have to have the conversation with him sooner or later," Chifuyu said while eating.

"Why didn't you?" Lincoln asked, "We had a run in with her last night. I probably bumped into her more times than he did."

"Madoka attacked again?" Chifuyu sounded a tad distraught.

"We would've been dead if...Wait," Lincoln caught that slip of her mouth, "How'd you know her name?"

"Oh, uh..." Chifuyu was busted, "Did that really...it must be the sake-"

"Oh my god," Lincoln slammed his forehead against his hands, "It happened to my family, and now it's gonna happen to yours-" SLAM the table "-Please say you were planning on telling him before he got in! Or at least before Christmas!"

"Hahhh..." Chifuyu finally came clean, "I couldn't bring myself to tell him..."

Lincoln slumped, "...why?..."

Chifuyu shook her head, "Ok...this is gonna sound petty, but..."

"We got time," Lincoln sharply said.

"Fine..." Chifuyu suddenly went up to Ichika's room and saw that he was asleep. Then she shut the door and went back to Lincoln. "Ok...there's a reason why I didn't want to say anything," she said, "Madoka's an unwanted woman."

Lincoln was tempted to go on a wild tangent about how Chifuyu was supposedly hiding the truth again, but he did become friends with one, so he kept quiet and just nodded.

"I remember that day my parents were in the hospital room giving birth to twins. They honestly thought that they were giving birth to an extremely healthy boy; turns out that they were deformed from the beginning. They were supposed to be declared stillborn, but something inside them just wouldn't let them die."

"They just survived..." Lincoln gasped, "...without any medical assistance?..."

"So I've been told," Chifuyu went on, "When we got back home, my parents were already arguing over who should be able to stay and who to put up for adoption. Something to do with money, I'm sure. But whatever the reason, they decided too late, however, and so they made every single day a competition to see who could please them more: Ichika, or Madoka."

"They did what?..." Lincoln whispered.

"Yeah. And told me that I had to judge," Chifuyu got visibly agitated and grabbed a can of beer.

"Why didn't you stop them?"

"I tried everything I could think of to stop them," Chifuyu said, "They just brushed me aside. I forgot what they said; I only remembered the faces they made, and my god they get me going."

"How did they take it?"

"Ichika didn't know it at that time, so he never caught on," Chifuyu explained, "He was more receptive to people's feelings and reacted accordingly. He doesn't have the intelligence...or the common sense, but he does have a crap ton of hidden wisdom."

"What about Madoka?"

"..." Chifuyu shook her head and downed the rest of the can.

"Chifuyu?"

"She was the wild child. She was way more physical gifted. Her entire life, she was compared to Ichika and me, more so by mom and dad, but also by people on the outside. Stuff like, "Why can't you be more calm like Ichika?" Or "Why can't you be smart like Chifuyu?" Every single day."

"That happened..." Lincoln, once again, had his past memories shoved in his face, "When's it gonna end?..."

"I tried to make it end. I did my best to console them," Chifuyu said, "Ichika was just a people pleaser, so it was easy to please him. Madoka had life problems to the wazoo. Every time she comes to me, it's always a tragic situation to be heard, be it a stolen pencil, or...this." She showed him a picture that was secretly taken by one of her old friends.

It was a picture of Madoka in a cheerleader Halloween costume...mixed in with real cheerleaders pointing and laughing at her.

Lincoln could tell that Madoka wasn't having a good time, "Who put her up to this?..."

"Mom and Dad," Chifuyu responded, "They didn't know any better," while grabbing a stronger alcohol.

"Oh, they do," Lincoln shot back, "They always do."

"A few years passed," Chifuyu continued, "and one night, mom and dad decided that they had enough. They told me and Ichika to stay home and took Madoka out..."

Lincoln looked like he was waiting for an addition to that sentence, "...and?"

"...that's it," Chifuyu shrugged, "I never saw them again."

Lincoln's jaw dropped, "That's it? That's all there is to it?!"

"Hey, I told you everything I could," Chifuyu growled, "Don't get snappy with me."

"You told me, but you didn't tell him!" Lincoln shouted, "Why doesn't he know about this?!"

Chifuyu finished the last of her meal and downed the bottle, "GUH...HHH..." Then she looked him dead in the eye, "...because he would've gone after her. He'd go after her and die with her."

Lincoln sat back wide eyed, "How do you know-"

"A lot of things stay with you when you're 12, Lincoln," Chifuyu said, "But none of them stay with you when you're 4." She got up and slammed her dishes in the sink. Then, she slumped over the refrigerator, "I had to throw away everything away just to survive...I mean, I thought I had my life planned out from the getgo, but nooohoho! They just had to upend everything with that stupid competition! They stuck me with everything! And what where they doing?!"

"Chifuyu?" Lincoln tried to approach her, "Take it easy-"

"They were FUCKIN' AROUND WITH FUCK ALL! THAT'S WHAT!" Chifuyu threw a pan at the cabinet, causing several utensils to rocket towards Lincoln, who managed to block them with his wing shield. She just kept ranting, "Every time I speak to them, they just shove me off towards kingdom come and douse themselves with booze! I don't care if it came from the Brazilian gods; it's still alcohol! And they're going on me about their problems WHEN THEY CAUSED THEM! ARE THEY THAT FUCKING BLIND?! MIDLIFE CRISIS MY WARM SOFT-"

"Eject now!" Lincoln flailed, "You're over-"

"-JAPANESE ASS!" Chifuyu slammed her heel against Lincoln's shield and broke it, sending him back to the living room.

"Aaaaa-UGH!" Lincoln hit the couch and toppled over on the coffe table, "Uh, what was tha-"

"BUNCH OF COCK FUCKING FUCHSIA DICK FINGERING ASSWADS! THEY VOMIT SHIT AND SHIT VOMIT! I OUGHTA CLEAN IT ALL UP WITH THEIR OWN SKIN!"

Lincoln could tell that a tornado had erupted in the kitchen. He hid under the couch cushions until-

-BAM!-

Something gigantic happened, "Fridge be gone?!" Lincoln leapt back into the kitchen to find the refrigerator utterly broken. He found Chifuyu's head against the crumbled door, hopelessly lost in her tears.

"I had dreams, too, you know..." Chifuyu sobbed, "We all did...you think it's ok to toss them into the shitter for your own shallow indulgences?..." before passing out.

"O...k..." Lincoln couldn't believe what just happened in front of him. Chifuyu was hiding a big secret from her own brother, similarly to how his sisters kept a secret from him. And now, it threatened to derail the delicate familial balance it so meticulously crafted, just like it did to him.

("Through me and Ichika...they'll carve out their own path. And I'll be able to free them of their baggage. It definitely won't be in the near future, but...it will happen.")

And once again, he had his own words shoved down his nostrils. He had to be the bridge in which he can repair this family, and his family, before their mess begins to take on a fake appearance. He deployed his IS and carried her to the upper master bedroom, where Ichika and High Card were waiting.

"Did you get all that?" Lincoln asked.

"Literally every word," High Card tapped her phone and saved the voice recording.

"I had no idea..." Ichika muttered, "I mean, I knew Chifuyu was stressed, but..."

"I got her," High Card carried Chifuyu into the bathroom.

Ichika sat down on the bed mentally exhausted, "What the heck did I just hear?..."

"The reason she never told you the truth," Lincoln whispered, "It'll turn out like that."

"What?" Ichika scoffed, "Like a kitchen from hell?"

"Hey, at least it wasn't fashion company levels of horrid," Lincoln quipped.

"Hahahaha..." Ichika laughed, "Yeah...yeah..." then, he got to thinking, "You think Lori could've done that?"

"Done what?"

"You know..." Ichika muttered, "The freak out and the smashing...and the angry rant...could Lori have done that anytime she wanted to?..."

Lincoln thought about it. And grew very concerned. There were times that Lori came loose on him, sometimes to the degree of violence shown by Chifuyu. If she decided to absorb everything that compounded her year...

"Oh crap..." Lincoln mouthed.

"I don't need to tell you what has to happen," Ichika told him, "but just tell her something..." he patted his shoulder and went to bed, "...and tell her now."

Lincoln rubbed his eyes and went to the basement to sleep, while High Card cleaned up Chifuyu and made sure to tuck her in bed.

Meanwhile, Madoka was in the hideout, lounging around her bed waiting for the next mission to blow over her. She was still nursing an injury from a scouting mission in China two days after the school festival. A scouting mission that almost that almost got her killed. She developed new nanomachines designed to heal anyone mid combat, but she thought that they weren't working fast enough. So, there she was, clicking her locket opened and closed until there was a knock at her door.

"M?" It was Squall, "I'm coming in." She helped herself in and saw the mess of vials, pills, and needles surrounding Madoka's bed. She just kept her devious smiling gaze on Madoka, who didn't change her lifeless expression. "I just want to have a friendly little chat is all," she said.

Madoka turned away.

"So," Squall went on, "I heard that you had a run-in with both Ichika and Lincoln the other night. Care to explain...Madoka Orimura?"

Madoka didn't make a sound or a motion.

Squall kept her smile and sighed, "Well, whether or not it was a chance counter, we're very concerned for you. We can't risk you taking unauthorized action again."

Madoka nodded.

"You're using that IS to obtain valuables from around the world," Squall stood up, "If you deviate from that..."

Without the slightest of hesitation or reflex, Squall let out a giant mechanical yellow bladed tail point blank at Madoka, who reacted quick enough to avoid getting sliced by the blade. But Madoka couldn't avoid getting wrapped by the tail or being carried high above Squall. But while she was visibly struggling to free enough space for her body to move, Squall was still calm as ever,

"Nice reflexes...swift as always, M." Even with six drone bits aimed at her ready to fire, Squall kept her calm demeanor. Madoka's facial expression changed, as if she was ready to kill.

Squall retracted the tail, allowing Madoka to fall on, and destroy, what was left of the bed. "I don't care whether or not you really are Madoka Orimura," she said, "but please try to maintain your identity as M while you're a part of Phantom Task."

"I intend to do so," Madoka got off the bed, "until I settle the score."

"Score?" Squall found that notion amusing, "With who? Your twin? Or your twin's twin?"

"They're not real threats," Madoka scoffed, "I can kill them anytime I want."

"So..." Squall nodded, "...it is Chifuyu Orimura."

After she heard that, the lips on Madoka's face curled up into a smile. She looked happy, but her intent was all too noticeable: she planned to kill her in battle.

Until Squall said, "Really, now? She doesn't have her own IS, so she's not a real threat either."

The instant that sentence finished, Madoka threw a karate chop, a knee, and a kick, all of which were blocked. Then, she tried to sneak in a hidden knife at Squall, but her hand was caught and the knife was deflected. She was grappled and brought right at Squall's unchanged face.

"Don't you ever humiliate her..." Madoka got angry, "Someone like you will never be a match for nee-san..."

"Oh?" Squall smirked, "Is that admiration I sense?"

Madoka very quickly realized what came out of her mouth and withdrew from Squall's striking range. She seemed a tad bit embarrassed by that little exchange and sheathed her knife.

"Hmhmhm, ok, I understand," Squall giggled, "Just be careful to not damage the wallpaper."

"Hmph..."

"I'm heading off to bed," Squall waved. But when she touched the door, she stopped, "And, M?"

"What?"

"There's quite a bit of time before the next mission, so please try to control yourself."

"...got it..."

"I like honest people," Squall commented, "Good night, M," and left her alone in that giant empty room.

Madoka stared at the gaping glass window that opened up to the vast expanse of the metropolitan nightlife. She knew that somewhere, in the sea of lights, Chifuyu was making the Brunhilde name even bigger. Slowly but surely, Madoka was being overshadowed, but she reminded her that she was still a presence to be felt. That pain in her backside that will never go away. She suddenly found herself staring at her reflection in the window, taking extra note of her face. It looked so disturbingly like her sister's.

Madoka took out the knife once again and tapped it to her cheek. Just the thought of tearing away at the thing that reminded her of whom she would always be inferior to...brought her unspeakable delight. Maybe this could be the first thing she could use to inflict pain on Chifuyu. To unsettle her while she stabbed through that seemingly impenetrable emotional fortress when she least expected it.

Then, and only then, will they know the terror of M. Chifuyu will be dead, and Ichika and Lincoln will be-

("Easy, friend. We're just looking to relax.")

"Ugh! No!"

("It means that I've accepted what may come in life.")

"SHUT UP! SHUT UUUUUP!"

("...did you get all the info you need?")

"AAAAAAAGH!" Madoka rammed a drone bit into the floor. She took several moments to breathe and relax herself. She couldn't figure out how Lincoln suddenly got into her head, "What the fuck?! Why him?!"

But while Madoka was reeling, there was someone who heard that outburst who was more than determined to find out why.

"Hm...I think that calls for some deviation," Rain was in the bedroom beside M's. She picked up her cellphone, dialed a number, and waited until-

"Rain?!"

"Yo, Forte!"

"Why haven't you returned?!"

"Why do you think? I'm having too much fun here! You oughta come down here with me!"

"Wha...I mean, I would, but..."

"Oh, my my my..." Rain cooed, "Albino buck has captivated you, too, eh?"

"Wh-No! I just-well..."

"I'm just fooling with you!" Rain laughed, "Hey, I'm gonna head out for some fun tomorrow. You want in?"

"Tomorrow?! But that's when Lincoln will be out and about!"

"Nice! We can have our own little threesome!"

"Would you please calm down?!"

"Calm down? Are you kidding me? I'm not gonna calm down after an opportunity presents itself!" Rain quipped, "Whatever. I'll drop by tomorrow. Don't wait for me; I'll catch up!"

"Wait-I haven't-"

BEEEEEEEEP*

"Well, how's that for a mindfuck?" Rain said as she whistled her way to the shower.

While that was happening, Hana was in an apartment by herself, frightened beyond all belief from what she heard on the phone. She just called to make sure Rain wasn't doing anything beyond her ability, and she found out that she's coming to her. Actually, it shouldn't be a surprise.

When Forte heard that there were two male pilots entering IS Academy, she pitched the idea to withdraw from their current year and restart the program under all new identities. After all, she knew from the get go that Rain was part of Phantom Task and she wanted to join her. So they both changed identities; Rain donned a blue wig to disguise herself as Akina, while Forte changed her eyes and hair to match the pink craze and went undercover as Hana.

They were to spend a half year getting intel on Lincoln and Ichika. They problem was that they finished half the mission; while Ichika proved to be a wide open book, Lincoln was a blanket warm with genuine sincerity. Rain and Forte got so much more than just info, and Forte secretly wanted a bigger piece of what Lincoln had to offer.

But she was also very attracted to Rain. Her selfishness and reckless abandon for manners has captivated her ever since she laid eyes on her; even when playing as Akina she never hesitated to show her true colors.

This was something Forte had to deal with in the past. It's something she slowly got over as Hana. And now, she has a choice to make...

-TWO HOURS EARLIER-

Ace_Savvy: Hey, Hana. Me and the gang are gonna go on a little hangout tomorrow. You wanna join in?

Hana_AAAA: Sure

Ace_Savvy: Alright. Met us at the shopping district, 1000 hours sharp.