The week since the rep duel has been hectic for all three of them. Everyone has been pounding on them for the details of the fight, right from the announcement, up to the very last strike. Lincoln had to come up with as many excuses as possible, seeing as how everyone thinks that he threw the match on purpose...because they didn't see Cecilia throw him for a loop that one time...
The Friday morning after the fight, Houki and the boys and ran to the lockers as fast as they could.
"Why...I just had to open my big mouth..." Ichika groaned.
"I'm sure it'll blow over!" Lincoln assured as he changed into his battle uniform, "As soon as Cecilia's inauguration is finished, we can all get back to our regularly scheduled programming!"
"Actually, you have blockhead here to blame," Houki said, "He was feeling embarrassed because he was shown up by a 'middle school brat'."
"That's not the problem here!" Lincoln freaked, "What am I gonna do in seven minutes?! We're going outside in Arena 6, where everyone can see us!"
"Speaking of which...did anyone ever listen to Cecilia when she was questioned today?..." Ichika mentioned.
"Ugh..." Houki was getting a headache just thinking about it, "Ichika, we need to talk..."
"Oh-uh...Yeah, lead the way..." Ichika walked with her to the open area, leaving Lincoln to face the wrath of the overly curious students.
"Always feeling like you missed out on something," Lincoln talked to the imaginary friends, "Now, that's how you know you're far away from home."
The next period was outside. The students were getting their first closeup lesson about the IS. All stood at attention until Chifuyu came to the front.
"For today's lesson," Chifuyu declared, "we're going to practice operating the basic controls of the IS." She stepped back, "Orimura! Alcott! You're up!"
"Not a problem," Cecilia said. She simply closed her eyes, and a second later she was in her Blue Tears.
"Okay," Ichika tried to do exactly what she did, but nothing happened, "Oh, what's the matter with this darn thing?"
"Move it, Orimura!" Chifuyu shouted, "Any experienced IS pilot should take less than a second to deploy!"
"Hhhhhh...just focus..." Ichika closed his eyes and concentrated, "Engage! Byakushiki!" He was enveloped in that same bright light for an instant. When the light subsided, he was in the Byakushiki, "Hey, it worked!"
"Good," Chifuyu commanded, "Now, fly!"
"Right!" Cecilia took off into the sky.
"Ok..." Ichika prepped himself, "Take off!" And he took off-
-BLAOW!-
"WOOOOAAAAAAAAA!"
-too fast. He had to slow down to just under Cecilia's speed in order to maintain control.
Houki and Lincoln were still on the floor watching the two race around in the sky for a little bit, but Lincoln could tell that Ichika was having trouble consciously keeping up with Cecilia, before Chifuyu told him to pick it up.
Chifuyu gave thirty seconds in the air before ordering, "Orimura. Alcott. Execute a power dive and come to a complete halt."
Cecilia dove head first towards the ground, but she lifted herself up and slowed down at the last minute to make a perfect landing.
"Wow, she made it look easy," Ichika noted, "Ok, let's do this!" He dove down as well, just too fast, "WhoawhoaWHOAWHOA-GGGGGGH!" He managed to save himself by kicking in a split-second Ignition Boost. At the cost of kicking some dust in some of the students' faces.
"Blech! *COUGH*COUGH*" Lincoln used his battle uniform to hide his nose, "Talk about eating someone's dust..."
"Whew..." Ichika whispered, "That was a close one..."
"Not even."
"Uh..." he flinched at his sister's stern voice.
"That was reckless of you to lose focus like that," Chifuyu said, "A split-second later and you would've buried yourself in the dirt."
"Heh, sorry," was all Ichika could say.
"Goodness, that was quite a rough landing," Cecilia came to him, "Are you all right, Ichika dear?"
"Yeah, I actually survived that-Wait. Ichika dear?!"
"Loud!" Chifuyu interrupted, "Step forward."
"*GULP* Yes, ma'am!" Loud walked toward the front of the class.
"You're going to do the same thing," Chifuyu ordered, "except this time, on my mark, you're gonna touch your feet to the ground with minimal damage."
'The dreaded superhero landing?!' Lincoln refocused himself on the task at hand, "Understood." He walked over to the spot where Cecilia and Ichika landed, "Well, it's small potatoes, so..." his belt glowed before he could finish, and in less than a second, he was back in his IS, "...let's ride!" And then, he was in the air, as if he was one with the wind.
"All of you, pay attention," Chifuyu said, "notice how he deployed and took off within one second, and he maintains control of his speed."
"Yeah..." Ichika said, "He's really getting into it..."
"Too into it," Maya pointed, "Look."
Lincoln had his arms spread out, "Man, I can't get enough of this...but I imagine I'm gonna have to come down soon."
Funny enough, Chifuyu commed over to him, "Loud, descend now."
"Copy!" Lincoln responded, "Well, speak of the devil. Ok, time to go!" He dove headfirst to maintain speed, then positioned his feet to land. "Ok...huh?! I can't slow down! HEEEEEELP!"
"I knew it..." Maya said.
"Oh no!" Ichika rushed to catch him, "Hang on, Lincoln!"
"OUTTA THE W-"
-BOOM!-
Lincoln accidentally kicked Ichika into the ground. Everyone screamed upon impact. Cecilia retracted her IS and dashed to the Savvy Suite with the rest of the class. They were expecting to see someone in need of an infirmary.
Thankfully, no one was hurt. But it did look like someone struck.
"Oww..." Lincoln muttered, "No more superhero landings..."
"Man, that would've been messy..." Ichika said before he saw the position he was in. Or most of the students, who were blushing, "Huh? Uh..."
"...it...already is..." Lincoln was on top of him. And his legs were buried in the ground, even with their ISs withdrawn.
"Ggg-Where are your legs?!"
"Aaagh—stuck!"
While everyone sighed in relief, Chifuyu got onto him, "You morons. Loud, you had total control at the start. What the hell happened?"
"Ehhh, Sorry about that," Ichika scratched his head.
"I'll do better next time," Lincoln said.
Houki decided to tell Ichika off, "That was too reckless, Ichika! What are you thinking getting yours-AGH! HEY!"
Cecilia pushed her aside and knelt down to their spot, "Goodness! Are you two Alright?! You're not injured anywhere, are you?!"
"Ah-no, no!" Ichika said, "We're okay, honest!"
"Uh-" Lincoln was too shocked by her swing of tone to say anything.
"I'm so glad to hear that," Cecilia said, "Still, I do think it's a good idea to get checked thoroughly at the nurse's office. Why don't I escort you there and-"
"Not necessary," Houki interrupted, much to the boys' shock, "It's impossible for anyone to get injured while piloting an IS."
"But we al-" Lincoln was cut off by Cecilia,
"Oh, please understand, Miss Shinonono. It is only natural for me to care about others."
"Why us-" Lincoln was cut off by Houki,
"Oh yeah, because your bosom is overflowing with human kindness."
"B-B-B-B-" Lincoln was cut off for the last time by Cecilia,
"Yes, it is, and it's so much more pleasant than scowling like a troll."
Houki and Cecilia growled in each other's faces, while Ichika was questioning the origins of their sudden, random, out-of-place feud.
Lincoln just gave up, "Is this what you call a "character 180?" Wait. Am I gonna turn out like that?!"
The end of the day came at last. Lincoln was just coming back from a brief after school art club meeting. He yawned and stretched his back, preparing himself for a nice meal and a good shower when he looked out the window of the top floor.
"So, this is the IS Academy," a brunette was waiting at the entrance to the Academy.
"Lynn?!" Lincoln rubbed his eyes and did a double-take. When he looked at her again, he saw it wasn't her. "Oh, right...Lynn has way shorter hair. Silly me, heh."
Just then, he received a notification on his communicator:
Saw your fight. You REALLY need help. And it's coming soon
-AAdsz
"Well...I didn't realize I was that famous," he tabbed it and ran off for dinner. This time, he sat away from Ichika and his horde of girls as they popped a surprise announcement:
"Orimura! Congratulations on your inauguration as Class Rep!"
Poppers popped confetti everywhere. Everyone was cheering. Lincoln observed the antics.
"Wait, How did I become the class representative?" And Ichika has no idea what was going on.
"Oh, you were promoted because I decided to step down," Cecilia said to him, "Obviously, it's true that you did lose the match, but if you think about it, that outcome was inevitable. After all~~~"
"You're kidding?..." Lincoln munched on a fry, "After all that back and forth..."
"Well, it did a number on her, at least," Kim commented.
"Look at him," Akina joked, "Quite the ladies man, isn't he?"
"I wouldn't wanna be in his shoes right now," Lincoln quipped as a student from the news paper club called for a photo of just Ichika and Cecilia.
"You're not mad she beat you, though?" Kim asked.
"Not anymore," Lincoln answered, "just a...friendly rivalry, shall we say?"
"Oh no," Akina swerved their heads, "it's happening!"
When the student was about to take the picture, it was just Ichika and Cecilia. The instant she snapped the photo, it was Ichika, Cecilia, Houki, and 8 other girls.
Lincoln's table got a big laugh.
"Haha, classic!" Lincoln said.
"Oh, what must it be like to be the center of attention," Kim wondered.
"Does it turn your hair white at an early age?" Lincoln joked.
"P-HAH! As if!" Akina laughed.
None of them heard Ichika say...
(2ND ANNIVERSARY OF TRAIN ACCIDENT)
(SOLE SURVIVOR CECILIA ALCOTT)
("Ah...we owe her an apology...")
"Nope! Nu-uh! I'm calling a do-over!"
"HUH?!" Everyone at the table stunted.
"Oh boy, I better see this..." Lincoln hopped off.
"We'll watch your back," Akina and Kim walked beside him.
"Sorry, Kaoruko-San," Ichika held up his hands, "but can we do the picture over again, as originally planned this time?"
"Oh, sure," Kaoruko said, "Cecilia, are you fine with this?"
"Uh...yes, of course! I'd be delighted!"
Houki got in his face, "Ok, Ichika. You better tell me what's going on, or else."
"Well," Ichika seemingly turned off his brain, "you wouldn't tell me why you're in such a bad mood, so I just..."
"Iiiichiiiiiik-"
"Well, I suppose it's only natural for a gentleman to own up to the promise at hand," Cecilia took his hand, "Come now, Ichika dear. Let's not keep her waiting any longer."
"Uh, where'd the dear come from?"
"From the forest of hearts," Lincoln nudged, "Come on, it's obvious."
Ichika and Cecilia laughed before getting into position.
"Okay, that's it," Kaoruko said, "Now just get a little close and give me a big smile."
Lincoln sensed a disturbance in the atmosphere and deployed just the winged cape. "Time to flop the river," he whispered to Akina, Kim, and Strong Suit.
SAVVY SUITE - SHIELD 113/137%
"Very good," Kaoruko prepped her camera, "Just relax...say cheese!"
This time, the picture turned out rather nice. Just Cecilia and Ichika posing in front of the virtual aquarium column, albeit with a pleasant blue wave background.
Completely framing out Lincoln, Akina, and Kim, who successfully prevented the rest of the crowd butting in the picture.
SAVVY SUITE - SHIELD 18/137% (WARNING)
"Aw, come on!"
"Just a peek, Linc?!"
"Move it, buzzkill!"
"Not this time, ladies," Lincoln said, "Orimura's orders."
"Loud!" Houki shouted, "You better tell me what you're doing, or else-"
"You'll human pretzel him?"
Houki looked down and saw the girl that was called on to fight earlier this week, "Wha...you-"
"Eh, nah," Strong Suit materialized a bamboo staff, "You know, if you weren't scowling like a troll so much, you could actually get a boyfriend."
"Ooh! This looks so much prettier!" Kaoruko cheered after reviewing the photo, "I'll be sure to send you copies this Monday. In the meantime, there's always the bulletin boards!"
"My, my," Cecilia complemented, "you're quite the charmer when it comes to stressful situations, aren't you?"
"Uh, well, I try..." Ichika led Cecilia away from the giant crowd.
"Oh, not just yet, you two! Excuse me, Lincoln!" Kaoruko yanked him back down to the floor, "If you can just withdraw your wing units, I have a few questions to ask you three."
"Uh...sure!" Lincoln sat with the group at the table, with Akina and Kim at his side...
...while Houki's Kendo duked it out with Strong Suit's Bojutsu.
"I demand to see Ichika and Cecilia!"
"You're gonna have to try harder, troll face!"
"STOP CALLING ME TROLL FACE!"
"Nyeeeeh!"
The next day, Lincoln was up at 08:22 taking another video call on his laptop, this time from Luan and Clyde.
"Dang, Lincoln!" Luan was surprised, "All that planning, and you still got decked?"
"I know," Lincoln said, "I'm now 0 for 2 in the IS battle record."
"Wow, and she's Lola levels of narcissism...that's gotta be a pretty bad deuce! Hahahahaha! Get it?!"
"Very punny," Lincoln said, "So, how's everything back home?"
"Middle school is so different now that I'm all by myself!" Clyde said, "It feels so much more...how you described flying in that thing. There's something inviting and scary about it. It's crazy!"
"Oh, not as crazy as the weird advice Lynn gave him," Luan nudged, "It got him three new friends! After they made him sweat a litttle."
"But it was nullified by everyone asking about you!" Clyde said, "They kept begging me to give them a little bit of your blessing! I don't know how they figured out that I got the magic touch, though."
"Oh, you know," Luan quipped, "Through the magic of snooping and eavesdropping. Everyone who's heard of a camera is desperate to get that juicy gossip."
"Did they catch Clyde going robo-Gaga for Lori again?" Lincoln asked.
"Hey!" Clyde griped, "I can handle myself in front of her! I am gonna be her one and-"
"Luan, Clyde," suddenly Lori, "you literally took up half an hour, and now you're gonna-"
"L...L...L...LORI?!" Clyde released a nosebleed...on her shoes...before fainting on them.
"Oh boy..." Lincoln muted the speaker right before Lori shrieked in horror, and restored the volume when it was over, "Yeah, we gotta fix that."
"This is the fifth pair! He's done this ONCE A WEEK!"
Suddenly, Leni, "Have you tried wearing red shoes?"
Luan blabbed without seeing Lori growling, "We did, actually. She looked so graceful skating acr-"
"NO WE DIDN'T!" Lori covered Luan's mouth, "No, we didn't."
"Skate...love..." Clyde called her bluff.
"I don't understand, though," Lori said, "Leni, you were supposed to help him act normal."
"Oh...I forgot to teach him how to handle a hug," Leni didn't her scrunch when she said the h-word, "My bad!"
"Hug?" Lincoln reacted, "*GASP* You didn't!"
"What are you talking about?!" Lori panicked.
"Oh, I think we know!" Luan egged on her.
Ten minutes later, after Leni and Luan shared their story of how they tried to help Clyde settle in as the resident Lincoln...and after getting the giggles out of the way...
"Ugh..." Lori groaned, "You two are gonna pay for this..."
"Don't take this the wrong way," Lincoln controlled his laughter, "but let's the goal here be make him get over his crush, ok?"
"You can say that again-hahahahahaaaa!" Luan replayed the last few moments.
"Come on, Clyde's doing ok as is, right?" Lori said, right before Clyde rolled off the couch and made her yelp.
"You have Bobby," Lincoln couldn't resist, "Why do you need Clyde, too? He's already an honorary Loud...aka, brother." Lori's eye twitched. "So what gives?"
"Think you got a leg up on me, huh?"
"How's that possible?" Leni asked, "He's not home anymore?"
"*SIGH*...Alright, Alright. I'll do it," Lori said, "I'll let him down gently."
"Whoa! Gently?!" Luan pretended to lose her mind, "You're never gentle with him!"
Leni nearly fainted at the sound of that.
"Oh, god!" Lincoln banged his head on the pillow, "Luan, why?!"
"Ok, time for bed, dirtbag," Lori dragged Luan away.
"Hahahaaa! Exactly the reaction I wanted!" Luan fist pumped, "Ok, ttyl, Lincoln!"
Leni closed in on the camera, "Uh...Linky?"
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Um..." and became concerned, "have you heard from Lynn, lately?"
"Yeah, she's been emailing me every other day. Why?"
"Oh. Oh, nothing? Just wanted to see. That's all."
"Huh... is there something I should know?"
"No! No reason at all!" Leni decided to end the call, "Uh...bye, Lincoln!"
"Uh...ok?..." Lincoln shrugged and went straight to his email. He then reviewed all the messages she sent, starting from the day after 8th grade began,
Hey, Bro!
Times are weird here. I mean, my first day of 6th grade was an absolute disaster, so I thought I'd give Clyde some helpful advice. Turns out, he didn't need it! I didn't think being a dorkadoofus would get him some friends already!
-LJ
And a few days after that...
So, Clyde's setting in as our resident "you", so...anything to cure his nosebleed disorder? Seriously, Lisa and I are convinced it's a disorder.
-LJ
And the day of the Class Rep Duel...
Dude, you are famous! They keep asking about you! I tell them that I been knocking at your door and dragging you across the walls. Of course, they don't know what I mean. Margo does, though! She's been doing a lot of peering into us lately. Do I smell...creeper alert?
-LJ
And one more that came in after he woke up...
You should've seen the look on Chandler's face! HE AIN'T THE MOST POPULAR KID ANYMORE! Everyone's been egging him on for freeloading and being and overall butt polisher!
-LJ
He couldn't tell if Lynn was being nice, or if she was hiding something. In fact, Leni was the one who mentioned Lynn. What was all that about?
A knock on the door interrupted the mail search, "Ah-uh... coming!" He ran to the door and listened for any noise. He couldn't hear anything, but he prepared for an encounter from one of his fans, "Uy...take a drink every time the mood whiplashes without warning..." he yanked it open, "Cecilia?"
"Oh?!" she said, "Unexpected...where is he?"
"He's out training again. Houki literally dragged him out of bed."
"Uh-huh..." Cecilia got slightly irritated, "and exactly how did they interact with each other at that moment?"
"...psychological horror."
—FLASHBACK - 07:33—
The boys were still sleeping, but Ichika felt the urge to go, "Ugh...whose idea was it to put the toilets at the end of the hall..."
He trudged out the door and made it halfway to the toilets when-
"You're late."
"Guhuhuh!" Ichika was jolted awake by a menacing groan, "H...Houki..."
"We have training today."
"But...you said that it was at 9..."
Houki moved to his back, "I moved it up."
"Oh, great...let me just empty out my bladder and I'll-"
"Ohhhhh, no...you're late..."
—END FLASHBACK—
"Oh my..." Cecilia gasped, "Is this an evolution of a brutish behavior never before seen by mankind?"
"Well, when you put it like that..."
They gave the thought five seconds before they made a mad dash to the dojo.
And yet they had nothing to worry about. They saw that Ichika was able to hold his own against an extra-angry Houki, preventing her from landing a single hit. They just hid behind the door watching the bamboo carnage.
"I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE IN SUCH A BAD MOOD!"
"YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!"
"ARE YOU GONNA HELP ME UNDERSTAND?!"
"WHY WOULD I TELL YOU WHEN YOU ARE SO DENSE?!"
"I've never seen a couple fight like that..." Lincoln cowered.
"Brutal conduct as expected from that frontwoman," Cecilia muttered, "I'm sure she has a petty reason for an unnecessary conflict."
"WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND THAT...THAT WOMAN?!"
"WOULD IT HELP IF I TOLD YOU SHE'S NOT GONNA MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?!"
"NO, IT WOULD NOT!"
Cecilia collapsed on Lincoln, "Dense is right...no man on earth would blab something so random! Not even for their own lives!"
Lincoln's vision was cloud by her hair, "Uh-huh...now I know I'm in Japan..."
"IF YOU ARE A MAN, YOU WOULD NEVER HOLD BACK AGAINST ME!" Houki slammed her bamboo blade repeatedly on Ichika.
Ichika twitched after hearing that bit. He blocked her next strike and slid her blade out of his hot box, giving him a very big opportunity to land "WHAT KIND" a hit to her torso, "OF LOGIC" a hit to her shoulder. "IS THAT?!" and a hit to helmet.
"Ooooh..." Lincoln and Cecilia winced.
WIN Ichika 3 - 0 Houki LOSE
Houki stood awestruck at how she suddenly lost in just five seconds, while Ichika ran out to take a leak outside.
"What is going through that woman's mind now?" Cecilia whispered.
"Bad things?" Lincoln wasn't sure, until he saw her remove her helmet, "Let's am-scray..."
"Yup."
Cecilia and Lincoln tiptoed away.
An hour later at the cafeteria, and the pair had been spying on Ichika, who kept failing to appeal to Houki's good side.
"Why is she not responding to him?" Lincoln wondered.
"Does she even know how lucky she is to be in his company?" Cecilia complained, "And for that matter, why is he wasting any effort on her?"
"Childhood friendship, rekindled after a six-year hiatus."
"Six years? What the hell has she been doing the whole time?!"
Lincoln peeked around to see if anyone was listening. When he confirmed that they Cecilia was the only person in earshot, "he whispered, "Hiding...her sister's the creator of the Infinite Stratos. Big machines come with big secrets, you know?"
"... oh..." Cecilia kept silent. She knew what that felt like, if only for two years. But during the two, she developed a hardened exterior, while Houki...she doesn't know what she developed besides her chest. She took one more look at Houki, "You know, I would think she'd be more than happy to be back in his embrace. She dragged him out to breakfast, and yet she's rejecting his every advance."
"You're right," Lincoln gathered their food, "Let's set up a play date." And he walked them over to Ichika's table.
"Wanna go out and have some fun?" Ichika asked Houki, "I hear there's a new arcade that opened up yesterday."
"You're an idiot."
"I give up..."
"Morning!" Lincoln waved.
"Hey!" Ichika immediately brightened up, "What are you two doing up so early?"
"Just thought we could all hang out today, the four of us," Lincoln said, "I heard there's a new arcade in town."
"Yeah, we should stop by," Ichika noticed his partner, "If...if you're ok with that, Cecilia."
"Of course I am!" Cecilia cheerfully brightened, "Why would I miss the chance to tour the local paradise?"
"Great, so it's settled!"
"I'll pass," Houki was about to leave-
-when Lincoln whispered to Ichika, "Psst, Code Green."
"!! To her!"
The boys went over the girls' reaction to the photo shoot last night, and came up with color codes corresponding to whatever future predicament they would find themselves in. And this was one of them. Code Green: jealously, envy, or both; in the case of relationships between a female childhood friend witnessing her male childhood friend spend time with another woman, it's usually both.
And Ichika managed to exploit it, "Are you sure, Houki? If you do...it'll be just me, Lincoln, and Ceciliaaaaaa."
-CRASH!-
Cecilia's glass of milk slipped off her tray, "Oh my! How unsightly of me!" at the same time Houki froze and twitched her left eye.
"Here, let me get that," Ichika wiped the spot clean.
"Do they offer discounts on IS Academy uniforms?" Lincoln asked while dumping the glass in a trash can.
Houki should have known that she'd been had, but she was far too consumed by the thought of Cecilia potentially making a move on Ichika to care. She quickly dumped everyone's food in the trash and took Ichika's hand, "I'm going with you."
"Eh-Huh?! Just what?!" Ichika stammered.
"I was still eat-" Lincoln was cut off by Houki,
"We're going to the arcade, right?! Let's go right now!"
"Actually," Cecilia altered their plans slightly, "I heard that there are some fashionable clothing outlets that tend to attract the more savvy couples."
"I'll pick out a nice dress for you too," Houki sarcastically sneered.
"Then, let's be off," Cecilia flaunted her hair and led the group out, with Houki dragging Ichika along for the ride.
Lincoln followed him, "That was the Bacon Swiss Army special she just tossed out..."
"I'm sure there's a burger joint nearby..."
Later, the gang made it to the mall. They entered through the west entrance, which, to Houki's horror, put them in the middle of a massive clothing store. Which housed no horrid dresses whatsoever.
"You cannot be serious..." Houki muttered.
"Well, we're here," Ichika said, "What's our first move?"
"I say we go straight to the woman's clothing section!" Cecilia suggested, "There's bound to be some new arrivals for the upcoming autumn."
Houki begrudgingly went along with it. They went on trying new clothes, and she could've enjoyed it if it were her and Ichika alone, but as is, it didn't make her rage out. That could be considered a good thing. But...
"Ooh, maybe this could happen upon me in the future," Lincoln held up a leather jacket.
"Haha, That thing far exceeds your current age," Cecilia took it, "I think it would look better on someone older," and put it on Ichika.
"Whoa..." who pulled it off surprisingly well, "I almost forgot they made men's clothing."
"Wait, put your back to hers..." Lincoln moves them both into position. And all of a sudden, he was looking at an IRL advertisement for a romcom/buddy film, "Wow. Look!" He snapped a photo and showed it to everyone.
"Oh, my my... I didn't expect your slim, rugged physique to compliment my natural beauty," Cecilia winked.
"Does that line make any sense?..." Ichika turned to Houki, "You wanna try on a-"
"No," Houki walked away.
"Aw, come on, don't be like that!" Ichika chased after her, "We're all supposed to have fun togeth-"
"Put a sock in it!" Houki socked him with socks and sunglasses, and stormed off.
"Mmmfmmmgmmwmmmmmwmmkhmmmfmmmmm... (Is this gonna be a recurring pattern?)" Ichika muffled.
"Is she ever going to let go of that unnecessary grudge?" Cecilia popped the socks and glasses out of his face and grabbed his hand, "Come on, Ichika dear. Let us be off to explore the good side of the mall."
"Ah, sure!" Ichika quickly broke off, "Just let me get some headlights-EEK!" But his entire arm was quickly recaptured, and he was dragged away, "Lincoln...help..."
"Uh, right," Lincoln turned around and grabbed Houki's hand, "Oh no, it's this way."
"Hey!" Houki yelped and snatched her hand away, "Where do you think you're grabbing?!"
"What about?...Is that hand reserved for someone?"
"Ah! I-you-pu-*SIGH...*"
"I get it, ok? You were forced to hide from very greedy people. But now, you're...let's see...30 yards away from him. What's wrong with telling him how you feel?"
"It's not that simple, ok?!"
"You don't have to tell him everything. Just..."
Cecilia shouted, "Ooh, this would be perfect to commemorate our first day together!"
"Just tell him something," Lincoln said while trying to ignore Houki's glare, "and tell him now..."
"Move," Houki grabbed his hand and stormed away into the mall.
"Please let this go in a direction I didn't predict would go..." he whispered.
The next stop just so happened to be a traditional antique shop.
"I don't understand what we are even doing here," Cecilia griped, "out of all the beautiful stands we could've visited, why this shack?"
"I just thought I'd help you and Lincoln get acquainted with Japanese tradition," Houki smirked, "There's a surprisingly high level of culture hidden just underneath the surface."
"Are you suggesting that I am ill-suited for a tradition so easy to understand as this?" Cecilia pestered.
"Well, you did call out our underdeveloped level of culture..." Houki stuffed the words down Cecilia's throat.
"Oh, fine!" Cecilia walked in, "I supposed I shall have to be properly educated in order to better mingle with the common classes."
"Passive-aggressive my foot..." Lincoln whispered to Ichika's amusement.
They walked in and found themselves immersed in the authenticity and majesty of the antique store. They were caught up in examining the many artifacts that lined the shelves that they didn't notice Ichika come to Houki's side. Nor did they notice Cecilia stumbling on a tea ceremony, nearly knocking over a shelf with a bamboo hat, getting her hair tangled in the sash while trying on a yukata, and somehow fumbling around with-and snapping-five pairs of chopsticks in half, all while flinging various small objects every which way.
"There must be some protective charm or hidden technique preventing me from mastering such a simple maneuver," Cecilia grunted.
"There's no special secret at all," Lincoln was able to balance a bottle on his chopsticks to Cecilia's bewilderment, "You just need to keep it not so tight."
"Uh...well, if you're so knowledgeable, then-" Cecilia was stopped by the sight of Ichika and Houki staring at a hand painted poster of the two big ones.
"Pretty grim, this one..." Ichika said.
"Yeah..." Houki grasped his hand, "They say the spirits of the fallen still guide the course of Japan even today."
"So they could be guiding the ISs...You don't think the IS is remotely supernatural, do you?"
"The IS core is a black box. It could be anything."
Hearing that gave Lincoln goosebumps.
"Pardon me," Cecilia had other thoughts, "but I thought we were supposed to be on a fun day of play."
"Oh, that's what we were doing," Houki said.
"What's wrong with a little history lesson?" Ichika asked.
"I would think that history is reserved for weekdays, not weekends," Cecilia walked out, "Might we spend time at a more worthwhile venue?"
"Really?" Houki griped, "And where in the world would that be?"
Later, in front of a music store...
"WHY HERE?!" Houki screamed.
"Well, you were just so enthralled with that poster's rendition that I thought I might help you channel all that unnecessary baggage into something useful," Cecilia winked.
"Luna said something like that once," Lincoln said.
"Don't encourage her!" Houki protested.
"I think it's a nice change of pace from that little bit of bombshell," Ichika went in.
"What are you-" Houki saw Ichika and Cecilia go in and mustered the tolerance to follow them.
Except Lincoln. "Ok...this is going exactly where I thought this would go. And I'm gonna put a detour in it." He followed them in, just in time to see Cecilia go wild on a violin, twirling and stomping her way across the aisles.
"Come on, boys!" She shouted, "Time to throw down and let it flow!"
"Hey, we should!" Ichika grabbed Houki's hand.
"What the-we don't do this!" Houki tried to reel him in.
But Lincoln gave her a nudge, "Aw, what's the harm? We're here, aren't we?"
"Can you two please just think about it?!"
"I have," Ichika took her in for the twirl while Lincoln rushed to find a banjo.
And they made much merriment. Well, except Houki. For all her training in keeping the fast feet in kendo, none of it could help her keep pace with the dance steps that Cecilia introduced. She was having so much trouble deciphering the fast steps, the upbeat violin and banjo combo, and the fact that all three of them were sucked in, that she forgot about the timing of her steps. She missed her footing and planted her foot on a piece of paper, causing her to stumble into a cymbal. She staggered backwards, but recovered herself just in time to see Ichika dance round with Cecilia.
"Are you kidding me?!" Houki was about to plow into them, but Lincoln intercepted.
"Come on, let's ride!" Lincoln eased her along.
"Wait, I-this-we can't-" Houki saw Ichika and Cecilia actually having fun. And she got swept into it with Lincoln. He was too busy smiling and trying to outstep the others that...she unexplainably got caught in the fervor, too. More so than any of the three combined. She got into Lincoln's groove and timed herself with the beat. She even found herself swinging a drumstick with Ichika. She made such a ruckus that she got them all kicked out.
And yet none of them cared.
"What was that?!" Cecilia laughed, "What was that atrocious YEEEE-HAAAAA you were on about?!"
"You're going more western than me!" Lincoln quipped, "Shame on you!"
"I...I dunno what came over me...It just...it just took over my body..." Houki's hands didn't stop shaking.
"It must've been her violining," Ichika said, "How'd you get so good at the violin?"
Out of Cecilia's mouth came, "Well, I had a mother-" that. "-who prided herself on giving me only the best, top notch education, but even the most complex of classical music was far beneath my level of finesse-"
"Wait a sec..." And Houki caught her slip up, "Had a mother?"
Cecilia flinched, "Uh...did I say had?! I meant-"
"Well, where is she now-GWMMBMMM!"
"Ok! While we're here," Lincoln hopped on her back and covered her mouth, "why don't we just grab a bite to eat?!"
"Uh-yeah, good call!" Ichika walked away, "You guys find a table, and I'll grab some food!"
"Why don't I accompany you?" Cecilia grabbed his hand.
"Uh, you don't have to-"
"Hey, can you grab us some ramen?!" Lincoln shouted.
"I'd prefer Italian..." Cecilia muttered.
"I think he'll be just fine with-" Houki tried to intervene,
but Lincoln managed to calm her down, "It's ok, Houki. It's just for one day. Everything will go back to normal tomorrow."
"Yeah, but it's just-" Houki was suddenly on to him and him, "Hold up. You know something about her, don't you?"
"Dangit..." Lincoln's bluff was called, "Ok, let's find a table, cause this is gonna be a long talk..."
After a good five minutes of withstanding the unbearably long lines, Ichika and Cecilia finally made it to Lincoln and Houki's table.
"And the next thing I knew," Ichika said, "I'm trapped in a mechanized lumpy boardhouse with nary a clue on how to avoid unnecessary contact with these weirdly curious feminimities."
"Well, that's the nature of our world now," Cecilia said, "Perhaps you and your fellow teammate can lead the tour into your psyche? I know I'd be the first in line to learn the true story behind your rise to fame."
"Ehehe, when I have the time...or sanity," Ichika sat beside Houki, who moved in closer to him at the same time Cecilia sat beside him.
"It is borderline creepy how in sync you were at that moment," Lincoln commented.
"It's something unique to females," Cecilia explained, "I believe my friend called it the~~~"
Houki drowned the conversation out. She tried to figure out a way to get back on Ichika's side and get Cecilia out. But the more she brainstormed, the murkier her thoughts became. Not because she couldn't find a way, but because every single solution required the dreaded first step: tell him how she felt throughout the six years she hadn't seen him. And there was no way she's gonna tell him outright-
"Hokey Houki!" Cecilia shouted, "We're on to you!"
"Waa-uh...yes?" Houki somehow sat out the entire lunch talk.
"Ugh...ok, what is on your mind?" Cecilia demanded, "It is out of your character to just zone out during our friendly banter."
"Uh...well..." Houki rattled her mind for some kind of escape route, "I was...thinking about what movie to watch! Yeah, what should we do at the movies!"
"And then, we can hit the arcade, right?" Lincoln piped.
"I'm not sure you'll want to," Cecilia said, "I've been itching to see Grudge for a long time."
Lincoln recognized the g-word, "The har...Huh?!"
"Are you sure you can handle such a horrific horror?" Houki taunted, "I've been through every single one of those movies, and I still have a hard time getting over them."
"I couldn't get through the first movie even with my sister," Ichika said, "Maybe we should see something else?"
"Nonsense!" Cecilia said, "We're all old enough to withstand a measly PG-13 horror flick. Right, Lincoln? Uh...Lincoln?"
Lincoln's mind resurrected every single scene of The Harvester. Even now, when the soda leaked from his mouth, he never truly forgot the graphic kills or the heart-shredding suspense. The thing was, that was an R-rated movie from months ago. Maybe he could toughen up just enough to take on a croaking old hag with a serious hair problem...
"Hello, Lincoln?"
"Do we have to?..."
...or not. The moment they stood in front of the theater was a wake up call for everyone except Cecilia. A harsh reminder that this was real.
"We have to..." Lincoln muttered.
"Uh...I don't feel so good..." Ichika gripped Houki's hand tightly.
"Well, we're here now, " Houki said, "Moght as well get this over with."
"Indeed," Cecilia couldn't look away from the hand holding, "Well, shall we?"
"Uh, gimme a couple seconds," Lincoln stayed behind to get his pent-up emotions out of his system, "*LONG INHALE* AAAAATHEHARHARHARTHEHARHARHARTHEHARHARHARAAAAA-ok, I'm over it." Then, he walked inside to join his friends in the conquest.
—97 MINUTES LATER—
Ichika, Houki, and Lincoln walked out of the theater with their sanities largely intact.
"That train scene almost derailed the experience for me," Ichika commented.
"I barely got through it," Houki panted, "They didn't go overboard; they went subtle as all hell!"
"Kinda bored me a little bit," Lincoln feigned bravado.
Houki jumped, "Eh?! How are you not flinching at the sound of the *CROOOOOOOOAK*"
"EEK!"
"Whoa, ok!" Ichika settled her down, "We don't need that in the open..."
"It's all psychological horror," Lincoln said, "That, I can handle."
"Speaking of, where'd Cecilia go?" Ichika looked behind him and saw her slowly walking out the theater, eyes and mouth wide open like she had her life sucked out of her. Ichika and Houki gripped each other tighter at the sight of her.
Lincoln just touched her skirt, "Hello?"
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cecilia's scream caused her and Lincoln to cower and run behind the door for cover.
"Guess we don't have to ask how the movie was," Ichika said.
"What were they thinking going in the attic...or the train...or...or...or..."
"Hey, it's ok," Ichika comforted her, "It's just a movie. I'm sure it'll blow over once we get to the arcade-GYAK-"
"But what if we're attacked while our minds are drowning in those static supernatural mediums?!" Cecilia shoved her face in his, "What then, I ask you?!"
"Then, we come out in the open," Lincoln said, "That thing can't withstand the power of the IS, can it?"
"Maybe the arcade will help you forget about that little whacko..." Ichika suggested.
"Uh, sure..." Houki said while dragging Ichika along, "We should...Right now..."
"O...k..." Lincoln shook his head and helped Cecilia along, "Come on. Let's move before they steal all the tickets."
They finally made it to the arcade, with a few hours to spare. Ichika took everyone inside, and they came across the DDR stations.
"Aw, I love these!" Lincoln said.
"Really? How come?" Houki asked.
"Something about the soundtrack and the rhythm of the feet. At the arcade back home, this is the first thing I'd hop on with my friends."
"Well, now I'm curious!" Ichika said, "Anyone wanna play a match?"
Houki was about to ask for a match against Ichika, but she noticed that Cecilia hasn't said a word. Or put on a haughty face.
"Care for a bout?" Lincoln tossed a coin into the machine.
"Oh, you are on!" Ichika rubbed his hands and prepared to dance battle with Lincoln.
Houki couldn't take her eyes off Cecilia's post-Grudge expression, given the information she was told at lunch, "Ok, lady. You're creeping me out..."
"Oh, I am?..." Cecilia reverted to her normal self, "And what in heaven's name would give you that idea?"
"Um..." Houki cringed, "About the train accident..."
"Ah! What do you know?! How much do you know?! Who told you what?!"
"No one...I was there when it happened..."
During the six years that Houki went into hiding, she would be transported by guarded cars whenever there was a kendo tournament. Two years before she transferred to IS Academy, she was riding a taxi beside the train carrying Cecilia and her mom and dad. She was having a mental rundown herself, having spent a good amount of time learning to control her own emotions, when a bomb exploded and derailed the train, making it run into the field next to her. The taxi was forced to stop. She darted out of the car and ran headfirst into the car Cecilia was in. She used a sword to smash through everything that blocked the passengers' escape route. She eventually cleared the way for a rescue crew to evacuate anyone who survived. Strangely, the only person who survived unscathed was an unconscious Cecilia, while the parents and their attendants were dead.
Houki had to leave before Cecilia woke up. And she forgot all about that incident until Lincoln reminded her.
"Unbelievable..." Cecilia whispered.
"I know," Houki said, "What are the odds?..."
Cecilia quickly regained her demeanor, "Yes, it is quite unbelievable for a good little troll to suddenly lose all her inherent flaws for one instant."
"Uh...thanks?..." Houki wondered why she even bothered.
But that was just another front Cecilia put on, "No, no, I'm just kidding."
"BUH-"
"Actually, I didn't know you had that kind of past. I thought that you would have a lavish lifestyle with your own sister being the creator."
"Creator of something that could potentially destroy the world? No, that wouldn't be very lavish at all."
And the two kept chatting with each other until the boys finished their best-of-three. Completely unaware that the boys were listening in on the conversation while working their legs to jelly.
"Hey, Ichika," Lincoln whispered, "It's working."
"Then, let's keep it going," Ichika hopped off.
From then on, it was a paring mix match. They swapped partners with each new game they played, and there were some intense games. Laser tag, racing, shooting games, even a trivia game where no one scored any points except Lincoln who scored one and then lost it on the bonus round. They all had fun, during the games, and in-between games, when they had short exchanges about past exploits.
But it was the bowling and dinner combo that drew the most attention. They decided that the past had more treasures than they realized, so Cecilia came up with: Truth of Strike. Ten frame game; get a strike, or answer a question about your past. It was funny, fun...and heavy.
By the end of frame eight... "AGG! WHAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAIIIIIIIIII?!" Lincoln had knocked down nine. He was forced to accept his fifth spare in a row.
"Oh, so close, and yet so far," Cecilia winced.
"That has got to be some bad luck..." Ichika facepalmed.
"Luck...ick..." Lincoln groaned as he threw the ball into the lone standing pin.
"Come on, Linc," Ichika said after answering a weirdly bouncy question, "It can't be that bad."
"Who would ask about a preference to a girl's BOOBULAR regions?!" Lincoln snapped.
"Just come up here and take your question like a man," Houki made him come back for his onion rings.
"Ok, what's the question?" Lincoln ate.
"Well, you're never one to act all grumpy," Ichika noted.
"Am I?"
"You're wearing the troll droll," Cecilia said, "Though not nearly as dreadful as the one to my right."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Houki scowled.
"Uh, he's not really fond of the thing," Ichika said, "Let's get to the question, ok?"
"What a shame," Cecilia taunted while Houki prepared her next bowl, "because that indeed is my question. Why did you react to the thing?"
"What thing?" Lincoln worried.
"Oh, boy..." Ichika said, "She's onto you..."
"Indeed," Cecilia leaned in, "and a gentleman must never back away from anything hardship that he encounters."
("...the same strategy can be used on family members...just friends with restrictions.")
("It means, nothing's changed between you and your family. Just casually bring it up in small talk like it's not a big deal.")
("Ugh...passive-aggressive, my foot.")
"*SIGH...* Ok, if you insist..." Lincoln sheepishly swallowed his serenity and explained the deal with the word "luck". And his story caused such a stir in the girls that Cecilia dropped her ice cream on her lap, and Houki accidentally threw the bowling ball into the alley beside her.
Ichika showed little reaction, having heard the story before, "Crazy, right?..."
"I could've sworn your family just tried to kill you..." Houki wasn't paying attention to her next attempt.
"How, in the name of every single god known to man, were you able to forgive them?" Cecilia growled.
"I dunno," Lincoln chuckled, "I guess I'm just that type of guy."
"Are you aware of the dire situation you were just in?!" Cecilia shouted, "The nerve of the parents to lock a minor out of their own house! If I ever see them in person, I'm going to-"
"Cycle! Cycle! It's the cycle!" Lincoln calmed her down, "Trying not to start the cycle..."
"Is it really worth the price of endangerment? Surely, you have factored in the dangers of piloting an IS over wasting a night of pneumonia!"
"And yet, they sound much more appealing than outright cutting off from my family."
"Uh-..." Cecilia was taken back by his absolute devotion.
"Hey, you asked..."
"Ok! Moving right along!" Ichika shouted, "Houki! You missed your first shot! Why don't you have a seat and we'll get your question ready?!"
"Uh-Yeah! Sure!" Houki bumped Cecilia out of the seat.
"Oof! Well, if that's how the game must progress," Cecilia brushed her pants off, "we are not done with this conversation, Loud." and prepared her shot.
"Ok, as if you peepers don't know enough about me already..." Houki groaned, "...but go ahead. Ask away."
"Ooh! I got one!" Lincoln piped, "What's the deal with this morning?"
"What deal..."
"The extra brutal..." Lincoln shuddered, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith type...kendo deal..."
"Hey, yeah!" Ichika agreed, "I kept asking you why you were in such a bad mood, but you never gave me a straight answer!"
"Guh! That's..." Houki looked away, "that's completely irrelevant..."
"Irrelevant, if not for the fact that Lincoln and I witnessed your brutality firsthand that morning," Cecilia said as she threw the ball into the center, and knocked down eight.
"You...SAW?!" Houki dropped her drink.
"Everything," Lincoln said.
Houki went to her sushi, "Geez. I was jealous, ok-YIPE!" She momentarily forgot who was beside her.
"Jealous of whaaaaaat?" Cecilia slyly smirked and pushed the ball with her feet into the empty black.
"Dangit..." Houki dropped her head in defeat, "That newspaper photo...thing..."
"And two plus two equals five!" Lincoln said.
"It's just a newspaper shoot," Ichika said, "not a prom photo."
"What in-" Houki stuttered, "How can you say tha-"
"Oh?" Cecilia giggled, "Is my glimmering figure starting to change your perception of couples and boys? Perhaps I could find it in my heart to give you a tip if you would allow me quality time with your childhood friend."
"Oh, I can give you a couple tips as well," Houki smirked, "like how annoying your hair is when it's in my wasabi..."
"Just saying," Cecilia settled in, "You wouldn't look so putrid if you started smiling," wink, "or speaking your mind."
"Speaking of," Lincoln saw the foot that aimed the ball, "What's up with your sudden fascination with Ichika?"
"Uh-How can you call it a fascination?!" Cecilia went off again, "It's more than fair to say it's a connec...tion..."
Ichika was stunned, "Aaaaah...I'll take my shot now..." He scurried off the chair.
"And you can explain yourself while we're still here," Houki got in her face.
"Dangit..." Cecilia has to own up to her words, "my father was a caring man...that's it. Apart from that, he was such a spoiled brat. Always giving problems to my mother, always goofing off and freeloading whenever he felt like...he's the exact opposite of an ideal man, a strong man...dutiful."
"You could tell they were the ideal men from one lousy fight?" Houki was confused.
"We're approaching shoujo romance levels of cheese, people," Lincoln cringed.
"Alright!" Ichika managed to drown out that weird mix of emotional answer and claim a strike, "I'm safe!"
"Oh, that's my turn," Lincoln muttered.
"Nah, I'm sure your luck will turn around," Ichika bumped fists.
"Blech..." Lincoln bumped back and yanked a ball from the rack.
"He really doesn't like that word, does he?" Cecilia asked.
"And he wants to completely let it go," Ichika said, "He's still trying to find the ends of existence to drop it off."
"I wonder if that's all he's searching for," Cecilia looked on as Lincoln hit the sweet spot and knocked everything down.
"HOT DIGGITY DAWG!" Lincoln screamed, "I AM baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"
"Oh my god..." Houki stood up, "No one touch my food." She prepped her stance as Lincoln went back to his burger.
"The drought is finally over! I can finally relax a little," Lincoln munched down.
And he finished the game with three more strikes, and a question to Cecilia whether or not the monorail scared her into taking the bridge to school.
When they got back to the campus, they delayed their bedtime with a walk in the school park.
"Well, I'd say the play date ended on a positive note," Lincoln stretched.
"I guess..." Houki said while looking to the stars.
"Are you disappointed that you didn't get your precious alone time with you-know-who?" Cecilia asked.
"Like you weren't?..."
"Oh, right," Ichika said, "The class league tournament is coming up."
"Oh yeah, you're the rep now," Lincoln said, "How are you gonna fare against the other classes?"
"No idea..."
"Well, if you're interested," Cecilia offered, "I can train you in the art of long ranged weaponry."
"Huh?!" Houki threw a fit, "Hold up! I'm the one who's training him!"
"And the mood is ruined..." Lincoln whispered.
"Oh, I am aware of your complicated relationship with your sister," Cecilia said, "but are you well versed in long range ISs?"
"I think I know just enough to teach him how to avoid your pesky bullets and flying saucers."
"Oh, that's all Lincoln's doing! All you've done is recklessly swing a stick back and forth."
"Well...at least they're talking..." Ichika whispered.
And that was that for the day. The boys stood there while the girls continued to bicker all the way to the residence hall.
That was the second evening that Lincoln stayed past midnight. While his roommate was fast asleep, he couldn't drift off. He was still thinking about the moments that he helped create. And how eerily alike his new friends were to his own family. He knew it would be a great honor to be chosen as a Representative, but that couldn't be all there was. He did make friends, but he was still in competition with them. Much like he was in competition with his sister's back home, for the more trivial stuff.
"Hahhhh...just can't break free, can I..."
He decided to check his email once more. That's when he saw two new messages sent to him:
Hey, bro, this is a weird one. A pink haired woman with a weird obsession with rabbits dropped by earlier and started moving into our space. We had a wicked jam session, she totaled Lynn's tetherball title, and started showing Lisa your weird IS mumbo jumbo. She said you don't know her, but she knows us extremely well... and she knows you too well. Ummmm, need some clarification here, dude.
-Lunes
PS: Lola says that she's not narcissistic.
Ok, some woman with a sick obsession with rabbits just dropped by and dumped a whole bunch of unnecessary information about us on us. And she really took a liking to you. Are you seeing other girls? Is there anything you wanna spill? Are we gonna expect ten more "sisters" to bombard us?
-Literally_Lori
"That's new..." Lincoln took a moment to respond before heading back to dreamland.