The next morning came and went. Lincoln woke up extra early and spent his morning in the martial arts dojo, thinking about how everything went well yesterday, only to have it all ruined that night. He wondered how no one caught that post sooner, and how it's affecting his family back home. He also wondered about the possibility of being absolutely trampled by questions about the pictures to no end. He knew he would never be able to find a good excuse. Especially when Maya and Chifuyu come knocking on the door demanding what went down in the dorms.
"Perfect..." he said, "As if I couldn't get any more bad blood..."
"Figured you'd be here," Ichika walked up from behind and sat down next to him.
"Oh...what are you doing here?"
"I got early morning training. Or so Houki says."
"What about Cecilia?"
"She told me what Houki said to those people. I'm rather shocked myself. I asked Houki about it, and she dragged me out here."
"Oh, of all the-" Lincoln got up and banged a few fists on a tree, "Why?! Do I get?! Emotionally?! Constipated?! Now?! Of all times?!" He kept letting out his frustrations until the tree snapped in half and fell on the sidewalk, scaring a couple students. "Uh...sorry! Sorry, I didn't-" He caught himself saying the word, "Ugh, what am I doing..."
"You still need some time to cool off?" Ichika asked.
"Yeah..." Lincoln nodded, "I think I saw a diner off the monorail..."
"I'll come with," Ichika led him out, "Gonna go visit Ran and catch up with him."
"Oh no, you're not!" Houki showed up with a pair of bamboo blades, "You're going to get back inside and train!"
"Come on! Why don't we wait till tomorrow!" Ichika stuttered, "Tomorrow's my birthday, so we can train all you want then."
"You skip one day, you'll skip a whole bunch of days! Get back inside and-" Houki stopped short of spotting Lincoln right by the door.
Giving off a vibe of murderous intent, "Twelve thousand yen says you did it on purpose."
No one, not even the bullies from her past, had ever looked at Houki like that. Those gray eyes were like knives to her own heart. She was forced to relent her grip on Ichika, watching emotionless as the two boys departed for the monorail.
At the diner, Lincoln ate in silence. It's the first time he's been able to fully contextualize his thoughts since...
("Just another perk of the bad luck life. Now, I can play video games while I eat.")
...that. Unlike the breakfast and game combo, there's no distractions here.
He ran his mind through everything that happened last night. Someone had to have heard all that ruckus and reported it. Not only that, but he must've been feeling very angsty because he disregarded every single video call that came his way.
("Ok. I forgive you.")
He was sure they'll bring that line up as insurance. While he would wade through the mess Houki caused, they would work their way through their mess...maybe make it bigger given the plan to use Justin and Juniper to get to Hank and Hawk? That could only end in destruction. In fact, now that he was thinking about it...didn't they get apologetic when he confronted them in front of the beach goers? Heck, Lori was the only person who truly knew what would have happened before things went south. And for all he knew, Lily might've blown that raspberry at him because she either: was too young to understand, or called BS on his bad luck scam.
What did that say about everyone else? Would they have gone on to parade him around like a furry trophy? Would they learn only when something threatened to derail their good mood?
("I'm not gonna stop apologizing, you hear?...")
Lynn's last line to him... he couldn't help but question its authenticity. Specifically, what would she have said if Chifuyu and Maya hadn't intervened? What if no one knew why he was in that costume?
"Oh man..." he dropped his fork and rubbed his eyes, "I forgave them too early..."
"Forgave who now?"
"Huh?" He turned around, "Lynn?!"
"Not Lynn."
He rubbed his eyes again and saw the twin tails, "O-oh...Rin...what're you doing here?"
"Just wanted to see how you're holding up."
"Right..." Lincoln muttered, "After the...When?"
"I heard you started moping about how you missed your calls," Rin hopped on the barstool next to his, "So, What's got the ace shoved deep in a hole today?"
"Oh...a lot. I could've sworn that I saw my sister in the shower."
"Sooooo, uou confused me for your sister?..."
"Well..." and then he spent the next ten minutes detailing everything that led to his admittance to the IS Academy.
And only after several moments of silence did Rin give her final thoughts, "Yeah, I don't know what to tell you. You did have the right idea in keeping it friends with restrictions-oh, that is so satisfying to say."
"I guess," Lincoln said, "but I'm still reeling from all that. I mean, whoever posted that picture was..."
"Yeah, sucks to be us, huh?..." Rin said.
"Us? What do you mean by, us?"
"Your sister's "over the superstitious" ness. That's why my parents divorced."
Lincoln jolted, "Whoa. What? Where did that come from?..."
"I tend to stray away from stuff like that," Rin twirled her spoon, "But this doesn't look like it'll leave you alone any time soon. Plus, that's the kind of thing that tends to get worse the longer you ignore it."
"Great..." Lincoln plopped his head on the counter. He was very conflicted. He thought he could let go since he usually found it the easier and less painful solution, but ever since he arrived in Japan, it never left him. Maybe it was because things back at his house never take a moment to slow down; there was always something happening at every moment, preventing him from dwelling on moments too often. But once he was by himself, he had the time to think. He thought about all the good moments he shared with his sisters, but they were constantly drowned out by the bad.
"Hmm..." Rin could tell that he was bothered by it, but instead of dragging out the conversation, she suggested, "I think I know what'll ease your conscience."
"What's that?" Lincoln rolled his head over to match her gaze.
"How about we have a battle?"
Lincoln agreed. Sort of, "Why a fight?"
"Ichika told me you're trying to let it all go, but there's something holding you back."
At this point, he was down for anything to get some frustration out of his mind.
The two went to Arena 3 to prepare for battle. In holding area 3-3, Lincoln got a glimpse of Rin's Shenlong, "Close-quarter combat...and two cannons...looks like those things would hurt..." He saw her main weapon of choice, a pair of scimitars that could combine into one dual-bladed with staff, "So, a brawler. Ok... I think I know what to do..."
Rin got everything she needed from yesterday's guarding and the full report from the surprise attack. She led him to this fight, aiming to get him to let out his pent-up aggression. She wanted him to drop his hesitation and empty his system to the point of tiring himself out. To that end, she asked Akina to help with her hair, and Kim to gather every student that saw the post into the stands...basically half the first year class...
Rin was in holding area 3-2 staring at a mirror. "Hmm," she undid her hair and reworked it into a ponytail, "Holy...You were right," she narrowed her eyes as she realized what this practice match would entail, "Mirror Dimension indeed..."
"Ah, well," Akina said, "he hates and loves Lynn, so..."
"Let me guess. Take myself back 2 years?"
"Yep. Jack up the competitiveness and tone down the subtlety."
"Blugh..."
The stands were occupied with curious students who saw the two photos,
"I saw him in the pit! He's fighting the Representative Contender from China!"
"I feel sorry for him. He's gonna get his keister handed to him sideways."
"And those photos! What's the big story behind them?"
"I think he's even more adorable with the costume!"
"You can't be serious! Do you even know how he got inside it?"
"I can only imagine."
"I can't."
"Are you serious?" Cecilia was bewildered at the number of students who were attending on a Sunday, "How far did that post go?!"
"I didn't think it'd be this bad," Kim sat beside her, "Did Ichika say anything to you?"
"No. He left this morning to stay with a friend...most likely another potential friend from his childhood days," Cecilia grunted.
"Oh...well, what did you say to him, Houki? Uh, Houki? Houki!"
Kim couldn't reach her.
Houki's gaze never left the holding area Lincoln was in. Her mind was still occupied by the death glare she received. That chill never left her spine, and she couldn't figure out why.
"Of course, he would be infuriated," Kim snapped Houki back, "You just gave away his location to potential hecklers."
"What?!" Houki yelped, "I...Well...None of this would be happening if you hadn't tried to destroy the play date with Ichika!"
"Well, I never!" Cecilia was offended, "You coaxed me into the idea the minute we were pushed out of his room!"
"You could've talked me out of it! Or walked away from the thing!"
"You threatened me with a wooden sword. Right before bribing me."
"Ugh...you..." Houki turned away, "you wouldn't understand."
"Can you help us understand?" Kim asked.
Houki just pouted.
"Well, since you refuse to help us understand," Cecilia smirked, "I have no choice but to assume that you are just an angsty sourpuss."
"Hey!" Houki jumped, "What gave you that idea?!"
"It's like the old adage goes," Kim said, "If you don't say it, we'll say it for you," causing Houki to deflate into her seat.
Just then, another student saw Lincoln standing on the edge of the launch dock, "Oh, there he is!"
"Oh boy..."
Lincoln deployed his IS and floated out into full view of everyone who saw the squirrel costume. He already had reservations about this fight. He wasn't sure he wanted to answer questions about the lead up when it was all said and done.
Until Rin popped out of the pit and landed on the arena floor, looking mighty similar to...her.
LINCOLN LOUD (11) — SAVVY SUITE [SHIELD 137%]
LINGYIN HUANG (15) — SHENLONG [SHIELD 110%]
"What the devil is she doing?..." Cecilia wondered.
"She said something about confrontational therapy," Kim said.
"Oh no, this will get ugly, won't it..."
Lincoln's mind started playing tricks on him again. He knew that Lynn had never touched an IS before, but his eyes were wavering back and forth between Rin and Lynn, "Uh...What's with the new hair?..." he asked nervously.
"Thought I'd try a new look once in a while," Rin quipped.
"Maybe we should rethink this...I don't think it'd be a very entertaining match..."
Rin knew he would say that...which was why Akina told her to mimic Lynn's behavior in order to agitate him. She unsheathed her scimitars and attached them to form her staff.
Then, out of her mouth, while tapping her hands with her staff..."Sure you won't reconsider?"
Lincoln was immediately triggered. Not because of how well Rin mimicked Lynn, but because of what she said. His mind was brought back to that moment atop the staircase, the moment that his family did not know of. But much like the bathroom fiasco, he felt like he could defend himself.
Or attack. "Yes. I'm sure." The fight was on.
'Love-hate or hate-hate?' Rin thought, 'Either way-' BAM! "-KABABA-" She was Mega Kick'd against the wall.
SHENLONG — SHIELD 102/110%
Rin quickly recovered, "Hăo ba, qíu gěi nǐ! (Well, BALLS to you!)"
Rin rocketed towards Lincoln and repeatedly slammed her staff at him. He blocked all her strikes with just his arms, and soon found a workaround to her range of attack. He allowed a thrust of the staff to hit him, giving him just enough distance to throw his cards at her. She managed to hold her ground and block his long range attacks, but two cards had found their way to her twin cannons. He used the puff of smoke they created to circle around to her back and kick her down again, but she was able to push him away with a slash from her staff. The moment she contacted him, she opened cannon fire on him, forcing him upward and into long-range combat. She kept firing her cannons nonstop at him, keeping herself a couple feet off the ground to keep up with his movements. He kept bobbing and weaving, slowly growing more frustrated as his cards kept getting blasted before they could reach her and his openings to throw them kept diminishing.
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 93/137%
SHENLONG — SHIELD 95/110%
'He's getting antsy, but not antsy enough...' Rin thought, 'What more could I do to-' She had an idea '-false sense of security ex machina!' She shut off her cannons.
Lincoln's cards managed to find their way to Rin's barrier. He kept up the card-flinging while charging her position, "Night Club!"
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 75/137%
NIGHT CLUB — SHIELD 18%
"Time to jam, baby!" Night Club materialized on top of Lincoln and blasted a powerful sonic wave from her guitar.
"Hey!" Rin was immobilized. Her IS had become unresponsive, "Since when can you d-"
She was interrupted by Lincoln ramming his fists into her, plowing her into the ground.
"Swing away!" Night Club dropped down and swung her guitar at Rin, knocking the Shenlong upward and right into Lincoln.
"Knock'em dead!" Lincoln knocked Rin back down to the floor, crashing her a small crater.
"What is she to this guy..." Rin grunted. Just then, her IS returned to full functionality, and Lincoln and Night Club revved up for a crushing hit.
"Pump up the kicks!" Night Club blasted one last sonic wave while Lincoln let loose a full deck on the opposite side.
But Rin went wall-eyed for a millisecond and fired a shot at Night Club and Lincoln, locking them in place long enough for her to sidestep their attacks and make them hit each other. She threw a scimitar at Night Club, then flew at Lincoln and unloaded her cannons onto him until he was pushed back against the wall.
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 51/137%
NIGHT CLUB — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
SHENLONG — SHIELD 72/110%
Night Club slowly sat herself up, with half her face gone, "Huh...Well, that coulda gone better..." and fizzled out of existence.
"This is crazy," Lincoln's mind was going back between a real fight at the IS Academy and a play fight at home, "I never hit this hard before..." He scruffed himself off the wall and shook his head, "Ok...I know that I'm here at the Academy...but..." He keeps seeing visions of Lynn, when she was at her most aggressive.
And Rin saw his mentality slowly transitioning into that triggering moment. 'Ok, so it is working,' She said, 'Now for the haterade...' All she needed was a big breath in. And the rest took care of itself.
"Woo, Yeah! Potshot to the face! Who's your mama?!"
Hearing that made Lincoln snap for the second time in his life. If there was one obviously obnoxious quality about Lynn that no one could stand, it was her gloating. None of Luan's bad puns, however cringeworthy, could hold a candle to this.
("Boo-yah! Lynner Lynner Chicken dinner!")
("In your faces! Who's number one?! I'm number one!")
("YES! I WIN! HAHAHAHAAAAA! Losers clean up.")
("Total victory! You suck! You suck! You suck! All of you suck! Can't nobody touch this!")
'Come on, Loud. What's taking so long? I can't do this anymore...' Rin thought while dying inside each time she gloated, "Can't nobody touch this!"
"Hah...hahahah...hahaaahahahahahah..."
"Oh, finally..." Rin stopped her pelvic thrusts.
"You know something, Lynn?" Lincoln kept his head down, "I always wondered why everything you do always had intense emotion."
"Again, I'm not-" Rin suddenly felt a tap on her back.
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 37/137%
It was Strong Suit...for some reason... "Just go with it."
"Oh! Right," Rin remembered why she was hosting this battle and agreed to let it play out.
"Why do you have the absolute best and worst moments?...I never questioned it because you're my sister..."
"Guh..." Rin retched.
"But after that crap display of power, which I never told anyone about...I have to question it," Lincoln stood himself firm, "What is the matter with you, Lynn? Why do you care about your show of force so much that you would go out of your way to make me submit?"
'Ok, what would I say two years ago?...' Rin tried to be careful, but realized that it was her carelessness that needed to progress this fight to its intended heights. "Maybe it's because I'm just that good of a fighter, albino!"
Lincoln was done. Coupled with what happened yesterday, and the deep reflection he had this morning, it was done. And so was he, "That moment when I said I forgive you...it was at an impulse. I thought it would be so much easier to just let go."
"And, in we go," Rin said.
"Sorry about this," Strong Suit conjured a 1000 lb barbell and clocked Rin in the head, sending her flying into Lincoln's fist.
Lincoln punched Rin upward and pelted her with his 52-Card Pickup, then kicked her back down where Strong Suit knocked her across the floor, only to be pounded into the ground by Lincoln's slam kick.
"*COUGH*COUGH*...my money's on hate-hate..." Rin was winded by that combination attack- BAM! "UGH!" Lincoln landed on top of her, "Uh-oh spaghetti-"
"SHUT UP!" Lincoln began pounding her into putty, "YOU AND YOUR BAD LUCK CRAP! YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE! YOU OR YOUR BROODING HORDE OF SISTERS!" And that was all the crowd saw for a full minute...just Lincoln ranting about everything he wanted to say to his family but couldn't, out of love...while pounding away at the lookalike pain of his existence. Strong Suit couldn't do anything because she would be severely punished for interrupting, so she dissipated her barbell and sat down to watch. Cecilia and Kim were just shocked. No expression, just shock, to think that an 11 year old boy would be capable of this kind of brutal fight back.
And Houki's expression was of pure horror; she blabbed to the outside world of Squirrel Boy's current whereabouts. Imagine what he would've done to her.
But everyone heard his two cents on the bad luck and the costume. He had no reason to hold back his true feelings since the incident was now made public.
"Well, if they don't get it now, they are idiots..." Rin murmured while controlling her onset of dizziness, "Now, before I throw up..." She fired her cannons at him, point blank, pushing him across the entire arena floor.
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 29/137%
SHENLONG — SHIELD 37/110%
Lincoln skid to a stop and steadied himself. Rin shook her head and stopped the world from spinning.
"Ok...that was some mental crap..." Rin said as she checked the faces of the crowd in the stands. All the people she saw acted like they had just witnessed a brutality. "Now, where was I..."
Lincoln kept his murderous gaze. The entire day, he had done nothing but dwell on the past, and now it's time to stand it down once and for all.
"What's the matter, Stinkoln?!" Rin taunted, "Got nothing left?!"
"Whew... I'll show you what I got," Lincoln said, "I'll show you all what I got!"
'Oh, dear... I'm gonna need more help than I thought,' Rin thought before saying, "Aw, are you gonna year up because you're only slightly ahead of me?"
"I am done being your personal punching bag," Lincoln said, "It's time I did now what I did when you lot were going ape all over each other!" He gathered a full deck to his hands once more.
"And what in the world would that be?" Rin detached her scimitars and prepped herself for a 2-on-1.
"I hope I can get all of this on camera," Strong Suit dusted herself off and materialized several 45lb free weights.
STRONG SUIT — SHIELD 9/15%
("...if you just butted out, we'd resolve it on our own.")
"TO BUTT OUT AND LET YOU RESOLVE THIS ON YOUR OWN!" Lincoln and Strong Suit charged Rin's position, projectiles flying out of their hands.
Rin managed to knock every single card and weight away from her. When Lincoln was close to punching her, she hooked her scimitar onto his wing units and leaped over him, giving her a clear shot at him and his sidekick. The two were blasted by her cannons, but she wasted no time in ramming herself in his backside. Lincoln tried to wrest Rin away from him, but she just kept getting under his hit box and pelting him with her scimitar. He eventually caught her hands and locked her down, but she was already set to blast her cannons at him.
But Strong Suit hammered down hard on Rin at the last moment, causing Rin to misfire, "Ace! Now!"
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 15/137% (WARNING)
STRONG SUIT — SHIELD 2/15% (CRITICAL)
Lincoln kicked Rin upward, and Strong Suit punched her down. He stopped Rin's fall with several cards, giving Strong Suit enough time to re-materialize her barbell and lunge at Rin. They were about to land another combination attack-
"Done!" -but Rin stopped them both with just her scimitars, "Therapy session's over!" She backed away and blasted her cannons at Strong Suit, who disappeared after two shots hit.
SHENLONG — SHIELD 25/110%
STRONG SUIT — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
Rin then engaged Lincoln in a hand-to-hand brawl. Lincoln was too busy trying his darndest to score any hit he possibly could get, but he was outmatched. She whittled away at his strikes until he missed his timing on a block, then fired two more shots at him before going in for a tetra-slash combo and ending the fight with one more shot. He fell to the ground on his stomach.
SHENLONG — SHIELD 21/110%
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
The buzzer sounded, and the announcement was made, "THE MATCH IS CONCLUDED. THE WINNER IS LINGYIN HUANG."
Absolutely no one in the stands moved. They all wondered what could have been done to bring such a ferocious fight out of a seemingly docile young boy. But very few have been able to make the connection to what he said and what just happened.
Lincoln was exhausted. He was dragging his hands and feet off the ground. But he still had energy to talk, "Forgiving you was a mistake... I shouldn't have done that...I should have made you work for it long ago..."
Rin clacked her blades together, "Again. Not Lynn."
"What?!" Lincoln looked up and wiped the tears from his eyes.
And then he realized what he had been doing. Or, rather, what she made him do. He had been lashing out at Rin, getting his darkest thoughts out in the open. For all to see. Something he never considered doing, for good reason. Because now, they at least know how much those photos hurt. It hurt him to the point of crying. Crying...a man crying in front of girls...
("Seriously, dude. You need to toughen up if you're gonna survive the outside world.")
"Yo! Lincoln!"
"Huh?" Lincoln went back to the world in front of him and saw an outstretched hand.
"You feeling any better?" Rin had offered to help him up.
He stared at the hand for a moment, then turned to her gaze. Green eyes, just as open and curious as hers.
He couldn't take it anymore and flung himself into the pit.
While Rin was standing there with a look of slight confusion, Cecilia, Kim, and Houki's expressions were varying degrees of shock.
"I think I'll consult with Rin," Kim excused herself, and others, "Ok, the fight is done! There will be no more words! Please leave in an orderly fashion!"
Cecilia nudged Houki, "Come on. I'm sure Ichika will be back in a couple hours." Houki didn't seem to hear her. "Uh, hello! Shinonono!"
"Guh! What?! What did you say?"
"Oh my goodness..." Cecilia dragged Houki out, "Let's get back to the dorms before we're called to answer for your blurt."
After his IS was repaired, Lincoln retreated to the locker room. "Ohhh, my head...what a mental trip..." He tried to massage his head, but he kept going back to those moments in his life when he or any of his sisters acted in their own selfish interests, "What am I gonna do?... I have a better chance of losing Bun-bun's head than finding the ends of existence..."
"And why's the end of everything so important to you?"
"Uh!"
Rin sat down beside him.
"*SIGH* Ok, I'll bite," Lincoln said, "What's the punchline?"
"There's no punchline. Just a good old-fashioned fight, is all."
"But why?" Lincoln pestered, "You say it's just a fight, but why'd you have to go and dress up like...like Lynn?..."
"Well..." Rin scratched her cheek, "Ichika spilled the beans last night, and...it his close to home for me. Like..." paper-thin gap between her finger and thumb "...this close."
"Really? How so..."
Rin sipped her sports drink, "From my house. Actually, my family used to have one right here before I moved back to China. A little more than a year ago...Actually, that's when the divorce happened, but the trigger for it came to full fruition last May..."
("I cannot believe you would consider our only daughter a bad omen!")
("Have you not once considered why our restaurant is losing customers?! It's because of Linygin!")
("She's been luring in customers since you wasted away your time at a nail salon! I told you it was a bad idea!")
("I wouldn't have to have done that if she hadn't caused us to vacate our homeland!")
("Moving here is a blessing! We had support! You of all people know this!")
("I cannot believe you would disregard me, your own wife! I cannot believe you would side with the black cat of my ladder!")
("There was a time when you cared more about your family than our money...Yue.")
"And that was the straw that flattened the camel," Rin said, "They never forgave each other and declared it over the next week. The first week of my last year of junior high...the divorce was finalized. I didn't move back until another month later."
"Did they ever try to talk to each other again?" Lincoln asked.
"Nope," Rin responded, "In fact, we avoid the places where my mother went."
"Did you say anything?"
"No...I just accepted it and went about my life. It didn't feel like anything changed because I spent most of my time with dad and Ichika from the start."
"Holy...what would happen if I never said...the beloved?..."
"Oh...oh my word. That would be even worse. You have to contend with ten sisters and two overworked parents. And no doubt that they'll want much more than a piece of you."
Lincoln thought about it, "I know I don't want that, but...Maybe that's for the best."
Rin looked at him like he had gone crazy, "Uh, Maybe don't go that far yet..."
"You're right. I'll just let it blow over. It's not like anything would happen that'll set off a massive chain of unwanted crap, right?"
Just then, Akina popped her head over a the lockers, "I wouldn't count on it."
"AAAAA!" Lincoln and Rin yelped and toppled over, "Guh...hhh...WAAT IS GOING ON!"
"Merhaps you want to see for thyselves?"
Lincoln and Rin shared squinted eyes, not knowing what Akina was talking about...
...until the trio went outside. The student body was actively avoiding them on their way to the dorms.
"What's everyone giving us that look for?..." Akina asked.
"Have you seen the way he went down on me?" Rin quipped.
"No, and I rather not go there ever!"
"Was I really that vicious?..." Lincoln whispered.
"You were going on about how you were a slave to your sisters," Rin said, "and how you had to take that extra step out of their line to even be remotely noticed."
"Ok, that's not like me at all!" Lincoln denied it.
"I, as well as a hundred or so people, heard it," Akina said, "The words have been laid out in front of us."
"Yeesh...What is this time doing to my head?..." Lincoln sighed.
"Doing what you should've been doing long before you got here," Akina mused, "Letting everyone know exactly how you feel."
"I thought I did that the week before I left home."
"Did he?" Rin asked Akina.
Akina moved them past the crowd who had seen the fight and brushed them to the door of 1025, where several students who had not yet seen the fight blindsided them.
"Hehey, There's my hyperactive little squirrel!"
"God-" Lincoln was trapped in a headlock, "Uh, good to see you too..."
"So, how did you do against a Representative Contender?!"
"Was the fight exciting?! Heart-pounding?! All kinds of bob-and-weaving since you two are CQC?!"
"Hey, Fan!" Another student mugged her, "How was the fight? He didn't do too bad, I hope?"
"Uh, no! Not at all!" Rin shook her hands, "He actually packed quite a punch!"
Two more girls ground up on Akina:
"So, is it true?! He really went all out against Rin?!"
"I bet he was a vicious tanuki with his cards and-"
"Ok, you need to get out more!" Akina pushed them away, "Starting now!"
"Come on! Tell us!"
"Did it have anything related to that post? Oh, stupid question!"
"GUYS!" Lincoln screamed, and everyone froze and looked, "I get it. You wanna know the full story. But now just isn't the time. I'll tell you tomorrow-"
A few students, including Kaoruko, got gleefully excited-
"BUT ONLY!" Lincoln called everyone to attention again, "But only if you promise me...no rumors about me or my family whatsoever."
"We have to wait until tomorrow?!" A student groaned, "That's gonna suck!"
"Can't we get any details now?!"
"I'll keep quiet! I promise!"
"You spin me right round, baby, right round," Lincoln muttered to himself while backing up just enough to open the door and slam himself inside.
Rin knew that they would get antsy again, so she blurted out a scathingly glossed-over detail to ward off the other girls, "Besides, tomorrow's Ichika's birthday! He and Lincoln are friends! I'm sure you can wait till tomorrow to-"
The students who saw the fight snuck back into their rooms, while the students who didn't see the fight lost it:
"Really?!"
"On Orimura's birthday?! EEEEEEEEE!"
"Can we see him in that little squirrel costume again?!"
"Not if you say 'little squirrel'!" Rin snapped.
"So, which boy do you fancy more?"
Rin could not believe what she heard, "Haaaaaaaagh!"
Lincoln heard everything from the shower room, "What alternate dimension have I stumbled upon now?..."
He used the rest of the day to bury himself in his homework, in a vain effort to distance himself from the fight. He managed to bury his head in the material, but he was constantly reminded of how Lisa would walk him through various questions about school, science, and, on occasion, life in general.
He kept at it until nightfall. Then he closed his spiral and collapsed underneath the desk, "It's over! It's finally over!" And then, his laptop signaled an incoming call- BANG! "Ow! D'oh, come on!" He slithered back onto the chair and accepted the call.
"Greetings, male sibling prime."
Why did it have to be the homework?... "Uh...hi, Lis."
"You ok, dude?"
"Clyde?!" Lincoln brightened up, "Oh man...you will not believe the day I just had!"
And then he went on to explain everything that occurred from his last call to now.
Surprisingly, Lisa has expected that, "Well, I have been conducting a study on confrontational therapy, but it seems I can use you as a control."
"I dunno who had it worse, you or me," Clyde said.
"What?" Lincoln resisted the urge to smirk.
"Lori finally approached me and...after our first, and last, real date, she told me that even if we went steady, things just wouldn't work out between us, what with my nigh-obsession," Clyde quivered, "so, we talked it over, and...long story short, I have come to accept Bobby as her boyfriend."
Lisa patted her shoulder.
"Wow..." Lincoln gasped, "That's...awfully mature of you."
"Thanks," Clyde said, "And I'm still friends with Lori. I told her that if Bobby doesn't treat her right, I'll do what she taught me and-" punch the air "-HAVE A NICE TALK WITH HIM."
"Boy, Rin would be perfect for you," Lincoln mindlessly blurted out.
"Lynn? Uuuuh, I'm not sure..."
"Wait, What?"
"You had it way better, male sibling honorary," Lisa said.
"What gives, Clyde?" Lincoln asked, "Why aren't you sure about R-uh...Lynn?..."
Clyde and Lisa exchanged glances before they redirected his screen to a recording taken from Lynn's POV, "Just look."
["You better fess up, otherwise I'm gonna see you bleeding in a sink!"]
["We don't know nothing about that Squirrel Boy! Get off me!"]
["You're lying! Hank and Hawk came by and ransacked my practice today!"]
["Serves you right, mudhead! Why don't you just admit you got a thing thing for him?!"]
["What was that?"]
["Man, your family is all kinds of messed up! You're a hard-ass, you sister is stupid, your four eyes is a freak! And your lesbo queef is a glutton for-"]
["Lynn, no-"]
["AAAAAAAAAAA!"]
It was a surveillance video of Luna and Lynn interrogating...and beating the ever living daylights out of Jason and Juniper.
"Do I need to ask..." Lincoln braced himself for the worst.
"I'll just tell you the short version," Clyde gritted his teeth, "HAZELTUCKEY AND ROYAL WOODS ARE AT WAR! IT IS TOTAL CHAOS, MAN!"
"Uh...how?"
"Let me explain," Lisa said, "Approximately 1200 hours EDT, Luna and Lynn sent out a post of them faking a meeting with you behind the French-Mex disaster restaurant. Two hours later, Jason and Juniper aimed to ambush you, but they fell into Luna's trap, at which point it was revealed that they now have every scathing detail about everyone in our household."
"Scathing? As in..."
Clyde plugged his ears and said, "As in, "Lucy's secret fascination with Princess Pony" scathing."
"What?! HOW?!" Lincoln freaked out, "That was supposed to be a secret! WHO BLABBED?!"
"Dude?" Ichika suddenly came in, "I heard you across the hall. Did something happen?"
"Uh-Uh, not that big of a-" Lincoln was interrupted by another photo.
"It gets worse," Clyde said, "During today's pageant, Lola was challenged with a question about the photo, and she accidentally gloated about stuffing you in the costume...earning her dead last, and an investigation."
"A-huh?!" Lincoln jolted.
"Into a 6-year old?..." Ichika winced.
"SINCE WHEN?!"
"Since...this," She then cut to a video taken a few hours ago,
["That stupid albino ash head had it coming! He was just a scrawny little punk who had nothing better to do than hide behind his loser sisters! Well, hide he did, and look at our young'uns!"]
["You are weak! You should have stayed weak, but then you had to go and get strong with your 'IS' crud!"]
["You ain't never gonna be better than us! And me and my boys from Hazeltuckey are gonna prove it! Squirrel Boy!"]
["See if your good luck can help you now."]
"Oh my..." Lincoln slumped over.
"... What about her grades?" Ichika asked.
"I'm helping her with that," Clyde said, "Only fitting since she now has to work three times as hard to regain everyone's trust...at least she has a chance."
"At least?" Ichika sounded suspicious, "Well, what about the rest of his family?"
"Lucy's been outcasted from her friends and group, Luna's taking a break from the band to focus on...this, Lola has been suspended from the current pageant season, and Lori and Leni had to work together to bring this kerfuffle under control."
"And Hank and Hawk?!" Lincoln gripped Ichika's hand extra tightly.
"Ow, Ow, Hey, Lincoln, Ow."
"They once vowed that they would make every elementary schooler remember their name," Lisa groaned, "but since the interrogation, they vowed absolute domination."
"What is happening?..." Lincoln looked at Ichika, "Did you ever have to deal with something like this?!"
"Not at this ridiculous speed," Ichika responded, "Everything is happening too fast. I'm surprised no one's caved under the pressure yet."
"What do we do now?!"
"Long term, we don't know," Clyde said, "I don't know who doesn't know about this nutty turf war going on. It's like the world is actively trying to spit in our faces, but it keeps missing!"
"Why didn't you tell me about it sooner?!"
"We did. We tried calling, leaving emails and messages, but you were just gone!"
"This is why I set up the condition of constant communication," Lisa groaned.
"Ok, I'll see if we can do any damage control," Ichika butted in, "Everyone here is female, but maybe we can appeal to their fears a little to shut down the Squirrel Boy nonsense."
Lisa nodded, "Fair enough. Clyde and I will continue to assist Lynn, since we don't know what kind of punishment she will incur."
"Wait!" Lincoln stopped them, "What about mom and dad?"
"They're with my dads," Clyde said, "They'll get through this."
"Thank you for rendering their discretion null and void," Lisa growled.
"What?" Clyde shrugged, "We have certain thoughts when we're kept in the dark."
"Oh no. Mom and dad crumbled, didn't they?" Lincoln groaned.
"No, they didn't!" Clyde reassured, "They are still holding on to our full support!"
"We still have the situation under control," Lisa said, "But right now, we need you to be a capable Representative Contender. You absolutely cannot falter under any circumstances."
And then Lisa and Clyde shut off communication, as if they were in a rush to finish something behind his back.
"What is happening?..." Lincoln sunk beneath the chair and wrapped himself in the blanket.
"Is that what the blanket fort was for?" Ichika kicked a pillow off the floor, "Man, there's way too much for us to process..."
"Can this get any worse?..."
It did, for out of nowhere, Maya bounced into the door that a certain someone forgot to close, "Surprise! It's moving day!"
"Huh?!" Lincoln popped up still wearing the blanket.
"AAAAA!" Maya screamed, "A GHOST!"
"Miss Yamada, please!" Ichika rushed to calm her down, "It's just Loud."
"I know it's too loud, but I couldn't help it..." Maya gasped.
"Actually...it's me," Lincoln revealed himself.
"Oh... well..." Maya cleared her throat.
"What about moving day?" Ichika brought her back on topic.
"Oh, yes!" Maya clapped her hands, "Lincoln will be changing rooms effective immediately."
"Huh?!" Ichika stuttered, "As in...now?..."
"Oh, I think that would be for the best," Maya said, "It must be difficult for you to keep the noise down, and we have been getting some complaints about roughhousing and unusual clatter."
"Are you hearing this?..." Lincoln tugged Ichika's shirt.
"Yeah..." Ichika responded, "Can we get some time before we move?"
"Oh, that's a great idea!" Maya... "We can go to his new room together!" ...misheard that.
On his way to his new room, he received numerous glances, some still in awe, but many concerned.
"What are they staring at us for?" Ichika wondered.
"Perhaps it's because of how the battle played out," Maya mused, "You should've seen how Lincoln unleashed all his passion against Fan earlier. Such a vicious display of power..."
Lincoln absorbed their words inside out, "Pretty soon, I'm gonna have to answer to that, too."
"Did something happen between you and Rin?" Ichika asked.
"Well...something like that..."
"Here we are!" Maya stopped them, "Room 1001!" She opened up the door into the room, and it wasn't different from the other rooms, except there's only one bed.
"Uh...Thanks, I think?..."
"Will you be ok on your own for a day?" Ichika asked.
Lincoln took the opportunity to relive some tension, "I should ask you, sod-for-brains!"
"Hey, you don't have to worry about me," Ichika chuckled and gave a thumb up, "I'm sure I can get up on time and brush my teeth, even without you help."
"Oh, we'll see how long that confidence lasts," Lincoln smirked.
"Alright," Ichika yawned, "I guess I'll turn in for the night...we can sort out the mess another time." And then he was away.
"*SIGH...* Doubt it'll stay just a mess..." Lincoln noticed that Maya had unpacked his bag, "Um, Miss Yamada? Why do you have my bag?"
"Oh, because this is actually my room!"
"OWNRNFKVHAVQG?!"
"It's a request from Miss Orimura, since she did oversee the fight between you and Rin. Plus, it wouldn't do any good to leave an 11-year old by himself, now would it?"
"..."