"Eeeeee-ay-ay-ay-"

Lunchtime at the IS Academy, and Lincoln and Charles were spending it outside, nursing wounds and processing more of the insanity that bombrushed them.

"Well, I know I'm gonna sleep well tonight-Ayyyyyyyyy-"

"Easy, Lincoln," Charles rubbed some cream on Lincoln's cheek, "And that should do it. As long as you didn't bring any hard food with you."

"Belm...uh, actually..." Lincoln took out his lunch box, "I heard you guys made your own lunch yesterday and...this..." he opened it and revealed a perfect bento, meat, rice, and all the works.

"Oh, that is problematic," Charles observed, "and the sesame chicken seems to have the perfect crisp, and the sauce is the right spice...your teeth could be negatively impacted."

"How about my cheeks, though?"

"Well, this is a surprise," Cecilia walked over to them, "What are you two doing up here?"

"We came for a change of scenery after the slap," Charles answered.

"Oh, yes, that's right," Cecilia got nervy, "That stupid German hotheaded who tried to slap Ichika merely for being Miss Orimura's brother...what an absolute crone, that one."

"And I'm bunking with her," Lincoln groaned.

"Really?!" Cecilia reacted, "I had no idea! Well, why don't you just switch roommates with someone?"

"Because his reputation is currently not very favorable because of his fight with Rin," Charles said, "Compare him with a woman who had already made clear her grudge, and..."

"Yeah..." Lincoln agreed, "Not at all good."

"What brings you here, Miss Cecilia?" Charles asked.

"Well, after the disastrous luncheon yesterday, I thought I might try to gain Ichika's favor again," Cecilia said, "but I can't find him anywhere."

"Gain his favor?..." Lincoln didn't like the sound of that, "How's that gonna go down?..."

"Simple," Cecilia showed him her lunch box, "I had prepared some sandwiches this morning. Quite simple in design, but I assure you they are worth the first bite."

"Wow, they do look appetizing," Lincoln said, "and they'll be easy on the cheeks." He grabbed one and felt the softness of the bread.

"I may as well join the parade," Charles grabbed a sandwich as well, and he bit his at the same time Lincoln took a bite...

...and shared the same disturbing daydream [OCTOPUS RAPE] at the same moment.

"Welp..." Lincoln couldn't bear to swallow, "...cabbage and fish sauce is sounding mighty tasty right now..."

Charles felt like he just swallowed a live squid, "I regret every decision that has led me to this point..."

"Good, yes?" Cecilia was delightfully oblivious to their faces, "I have more, so do enjoy!"

"Um...Cecilia?..." Lincoln fought the words through his mouthful, "Have you ever tasted your food before?..."

"Well, What's the point of tasting it if you already know it's delicious?" Cecilia answered.

"Oh, it is...interesting..." Charles said, "but it could still use a bit of improvement...A mark of a good chef is the willingness to taste your food and find new ways to develop it..."

"Fine, if you insist," Cecilia bragged and took a sandwich to eat, "but clearly your taste buds must not be fu-"

She did not pay attention to the part of the sandwich that entered her mouth and contacted her tongue.

-CRASH!-

As soon as the bite was made, her pupils shrunk and her smile dipped into a frown.

Lincoln spat his mouthful out, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Charles said after dousing his mouth with a milkshake.

"Sounded like a mirror broke-"

"Mmmmmmmmmm-" Cecilia tried to hold in her mouthful, but its repulsive taste eventually overpowered her will, and she was forced to run to the railing and release her true feelings,

"BLEGH!"

Feelings so strong, they somehow reverberated all over the Academy, and projected itself past Japan.

"BLEGH!"

So strong, they were rippled throughout Eurasia.

"BLEGH!"

They even penetrated a manor in England, awakening a maid early from her slumber.

"Huh?..." She yawned.

"Miss Chelsea?" An overnight caretaker caught the maid up, "What's wrong?"

"I thought I sensed a disturbance," Chelsea replied, "as if a friend didn't heed my advice..."

Back in Japan, Cecilia was reeling from the impact her own food left on her, "Oh my...that was ghastly..."

"It's the thought that counts..." Lincoln rubbed her shoulders.

"I never thought Ichika would be repulsed by something of my own creation...maybe he won't trust me to cook anything for him again..." (Please, not even a f—ing donkey would go near that moldy pile of asscrack! That's how s—t you are!)

"Maybe someone else's cooking might put you in a better mood?" Charles grabbed Lincoln's bento and gave it to Cecilia.

"Maybe..." Cecilia mulled, "Though I don't see how an 11-year old could-"

"I can't eat it because of Laura," Lincoln silenced her with a piece of chicken, "I mean she could pack a wallop without twitching a muscle..."

Cecilia slowly chewed up her bite, savoring every bit of flavor within the piece she received. When she swallowed, she was close to singing praises to him for the blessings bestowed-

"No!" Lincoln got in her face, "None of that! None! Of! That!"

"Sorry...it's just...so good...Where'd you find time to make this?"

"I was awoken super early by a couple...disturbing emails... and I couldn't sleep since."

"Eh, moving on!" Charles said, "If it would help any, would you like to join me and Ichika for training this afternoon?"

"Maybe Another time," Lincoln said, "I wanna try to take care of the Bodewig problem first."

"Are you sure that is wise?" Cecilia asked, "She May try to come after you even harder since you defended Ichika."

"I know, but she's not used to school life yet. She's still at war. With what, I don't know, but I gotta find out before she goes psychotic on me."

"Oh, are you employing the "know thy enemy" stratagem?" Charles's curiosity peaked.

"Umm...something like that."

Switch 'enemy' with 'ally'.

That's basically Lincoln's plan in a nutshell. The actual ins and outs...and reasons...were all too complicated and, honestly, not very well thought out. He just wanted Laura to be a somewhat tolerable roommate since the chances of switching were virtually zero. So, he thought to maximize what little peace he has and try to get some positive relationship going.

Starting with the moment school called off for the day. He was at his locker when he saw Laura enter the school lobby, "Ok...commence Operation Good Side."

Laura kept her eyes closed off to the surrounding crowd as she traded her belongings for her training uniform. She was about to close the door, but stopped midway, "Whatever you are planning, I am not concerned."

"PLGHBH..." Lincoln came out from above the lockers, "How'd you know?..."

"I could smell your scent."

"What the..." Lincoln smelled his breath, "BLEGH...What did she put in those sandwiches..."

"Speak your mind," Laura closed her locker door, "and be quick about it," then departed for the Arena 2 holding area.

"Oh, sure," Lincoln followed her, "Well, we got off on the wrong foot yesterday, and maybe we could start over? Like acquaintances?"

"What makes you think I would care about that?"

"We're roommates, classmates, and comrades, to an extent."

"We are not comrades. I just happened to be with a naive fool, nothing more."

"Hey, I didn't ask for the magic touch, ok? I just...had it. That's it-oh my wau," Lincoln was halted by Laura's sudden glance.

"At least you don't treat the IS with such disregard..." she muttered.

"Uh...thank you?..."

"Only one person concerns me," Laura resumed her walk, "the one person you had the gall to shield from his just deserts."

Lincoln wasted precious seconds pondering the exact meaning of those words, "Uh...I fail to understand how merely being the only brother of your mentor warrants retribution..." he fell behind Laura by a huge distance, "Hey! Wait up!"

Over on the arena floor, Ichika and Charles had a very productive training session, much to the dismay of Rin, Houki, and Cecilia. The boys have just finished a shooting game when Laura stepped onto the launching area.

"Finally..." Laura muttered as she walked out.

Lincoln tried to sway her away, "Seriously, big no-no! You don't wanna do-YAAA-oof!" he ended up getting flipped over on his backside, "Ohhhh...Oh, they have a lounge here!"

Laura brushed her hair and deployed, "Komm zu mir! SCHWARZER REGEN!"

"Wow...that was so cool!" Ichika marveled while holding Charles's sniper rifle, "And this gun of yours is super fast!"

Suddenly, one of the students in the stands pointed to a launch pad, "Whoa, check it out!"

Everyone turned their eyes to the pad. And there on the edge stood Laura in her Schwarzer Regen, looking down on the field as if the others were not worth the effort she was about to exert.

"Hey, isn't that the Germans' third generation?" A student asked.

"I heard that it's still in its trial period in this country," Another noted.

Houki, Rin, and Cecilia recognized Laura only as the person who tried to harm Ichika.

Not that it mattered in the slightest to Laura, as here was her chance to capitalize on his open state, "Ichika Orimura!"

Ichika handed the rifle back to Charles, "That's right."

"So, you also have a personal machine," Laura challenged him, "Good, that will make things much easier. Now fight me!"

"Why?" Ichika shrugged, "There's no reason."

"You might not have one, but I do!"

"It doesn't have to be now now, does it? The class league match is coming up soon. Maybe then, alright?"

"Oh, no." Laura readied her railgun and took aim at Ichika.

Lincoln panicked, "I know where this is going. High Card!"

"Way ahead of you," High Card appeared behind him, "Keep watch of her."

Right when High Card sent a student distress signal, Laura fired one shot on Ichika. Charles quickly mobilized, bringing out his shield and blocking the missile.

"Charles!" Ichika checked If Charles was hurt.

"I can't believe she just challenged you like that!" Charles shrugged him off and materialized his full arsenal, "Of course, Germans do get hot and bothered easily."

This was the second time today that Laura was thwarted in her efforts to exact vengeance upon Ichika. She shifted her railgun's aim to Charles, "How dare you block my way with some pathetic second generation French machine."

"A machine that works much better than your German Gen 3 type," Charles countered, "which currently has no prospect for mass production!"

Laura was about to fire again when-

"Laura, stop!" -Lincoln interrupted her, with High Card, a team of instructors, and his own IS ready to quell the fight.

But an announcement over the intercom put an end to all conflict, "ATTENTION, STUDENTS ON THE FIELD! CEASE AND DESIST IMMEDIATELY!"

"Hmph," Laura obliged, not wanting to waste any effort on a confrontation with the instructors. She turned back to Ichika, "I will allow you to escape for the day." She withdrew her IS and walked away from the open space. She walked past Lincoln and his party without batting an eye to them.

When she was gone, one of the teachers came to High Card, "Will you be able to handle her from here?"

"Yes, thanks for the assist," High Card shook her hand and then tapped his shoulder, "Let's go, Ace."

"Huh?" Lincoln was brought out of his mind into reality, "Oh, right. Coming!"

"Something on your mind?"

"Yeah...can't call it Code Red anymore..."

Back on the field, Ichika was trying to process what just happened and what caused it to happen. He was about to go to Charles when Houki and Cecilia approached him.

"Ok, what was all that about, Ichika?" Houki said, "Spill it!"

"Spill the beans after being shot at, eh, Miss Apprehensive?" Cecilia groaned.

"What?! She knows him! She's angry at him, so-"

"For being her brother," Charles said, "Her intentions were not at all veiled."

"Well...he was...Ugh..." Houki felt Rin's hand on her back and took it as a signal to give up.

"Speaking of," Cecilia asked, "Did something happen between you and Laura in the past?"

"Well..." Ichika felt compelled to talk, mainly because of wild misunderstandings that could result from his silence, "Yeah...why don't we take ten. You guys are not gonna believe this..."

After the boys finished their training, they made their way back to the dorms. But Lincoln had in mind to find Laura and figure out why her deal was about Ichika. He only had to take five steps out until he saw her. "Laura! Hey, Laura!" He waved and ran over to her side.

Laura maintained her steady demeanor, "What do you want now?"

"That sudden attack on Ichika," Lincoln said, "What in the ever living core gut was that?"

"That is not your business."

"Well, considering that Ichika is my friend...Yeah, it pretty much is my business."

"What possible relationship could you have with that shriveled up Drecksau?"

"I could ask similarly about your relationship with your 'mentor' Miss Orimura," Lincoln scratched his chin, "Aren't you getting a bit too emotional about this?..."

Laura twitched upon hearing that notion. "That's a very crude observation," she dropped her bag and turned to approach him, "considering you've never known Mentor's true strength."

"Uh, ok..." Lincoln waved his hands and backed away, "Ok, ok...Use your words, buddy. We're all on the same side here!"

Laura inched closer and closer to his face, "I have more than enough words to describe you, Loud."

"Loud. Bodewig."

"GUH..." Lincoln locked up upon hearing Chifuyu's voice.

"Mentor..." Laura whispered.

Chifuyu confronted the two young students, with High Card at her side, "So, these two are the ones in holding area 2-1."

Lincoln didn't know what to make of his current situation, "Uhhhh...High?..."

But High Card did, "Sorry, bro. I had to get a hold of someone who knew Laura."

So did Laura, "I must say that I am grateful."

"So then," Chifuyu said, "am I correct in assuming that you are the cause of the ruckus in the arena?"

"I was merely testing his strength," Laura responded.

"And what about that test involved firing from the pit?"

Lincoln read the atmosphere of the conversation and tried to leave, "Uh, I got a lot of homework. Maybe I should-"

"No can do," High Card held him in place, "I think you need to hear this."

"Huh? Why?..."

Laura's next words told him why, "Because I'm not sure if he's worth the trouble."

"Ohhhhh..."

"What business is it to you that he's my brother?" Chifuyu raised an eyebrow.

"I do not accept it!" Laura protested, "I absolutely refuse to believe that your absolute power stems from an animal such as that!"

Chifuyu groaned and just let her rant.

"Tell me, Mentor," Laura continued, "Why do you consign yourself to this unruly position?"

Chifuyu sighed, "I didn't think you be this short-sighted. I do have my own role to play."

"What are you talking about?" Laura got desperate, "You can't be so willing as to abandon my camp and reduce yourself to a mere plaything for immature girls!"

Chifuyu kept silent.

"Please answer me, Mentor!" Laura demanded, "Why are you in a place like this?"

"Don't make me repeat myself over and over again," Chifuyu said, "I have my own role to play. That's all you need to know."

"What kind of role could you possibly have to play here in the Far East? I'm begging you, Mentor, please come back and teach us in Germany once again. You can't even exert half your abilities in this wretched place!"

"Uh-huh," Chifuyu merely let the rant go on.

"The students in this academy do not deserve to be taught by someone of your caliber! They lack a sense of danger, and have mistaken the IS for an extravagant fashion accessory! I find it unbelievable that you would give your time of day to these people-"

Chifuyu had enough, "I think I've heard enough, little girl."

Laura gasped as she did not expect her mentor to reprimand her like that.

"You've grown up quite a bit since I last saw you," Chifuyu said, "just enough to delude yourself into assuming that you're the 'chosen one' when you're only 15."

"Wha?!...I was just-"

"Now run along. I'm a busy woman and you need to get back to your dorm."

Laura saw that Chifuyu would not budge from her choice. She winced as if something inside her had broken, then fled the scene not wanting to risk showing any weakness to Lincoln.

"Hey! Laura! Come ba-oh, bother..." Lincoln stopped midway when he saw her glare at him during her retreat, "Did everyone get anesthetized on touchy-feely caffeine to come here?..."

"I ask myself that every day," High Card quipped.

"Not the time," Chifuyu patted High Card's belly before calling to a tree a few yards away from her, "Male student over there! Were you eavesdropping, or indulging in some aberrant sexual behavior?"

Ichika came out of hiding, "How can you say that, Chifuyu?! You're my sister, for cripes' sake!"

"At school, you will call me Miss Orimura," Chifuyu reminded him.

"Yes, ma'am..." he sighed.

"Neither of you have any time to slack off when you should be out there training. At the rate you two are going, you won't survive half the first match."

"We know that," the boys responded, though Lincoln thought that was a bit much.

"In that case, fine," Chifuyu turned to walk back to the admin building.

But Ichika stopped her, "Miss Orimura?"

"Um, about what Laura said today, about not approving that I'm your brother," Ichika mulled, "Did it have anything to do with how you missed the second Mondo Grosso because of-"

"That's all in the past," Chifuyu was suddenly in front of him with her hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to worry about that anymore, ok?"

"I...sure, If you say so."

Chifuyu smiled, "Alright, then." And then she left.

"I don't know what she's doing," Lincoln grumbled, "but I KNOW SHE'S DOING IT!"

"Not right now," High Card bopped Lincoln's head before fizzling out of existence.

"I think we need to get some rest," Ichika walked ahead of Lincoln.

"Hey, What was all that about?" Lincoln caught up to him, "Your getting kidnapped wouldn't have anything to do with that sucker punch, would it?"

"Actually...I think it does," Ichika then told the same story he told his friends in the arena.

(Which was similar to the following story Chifuyu told Lincoln at the hotel when he couldn't sleep and came to her for a bedtime story.

The Second Mondo Grosso...five years ago, Chifuyu was entering the finals poised to claim her second consecutive world championship title. But a few hours before the final, she tried to phone home, only to repeatedly be put on voicemail. Somehow, she figured out that Ichika was kidnapped, and asked help for his location. The German forces who came to Japan pinpointed his exact location, and moments before the final, Chifuyu did the unthinkable...taking the IS and flying all the way to the kidnappers' location, thereby forfeiting the match and the title. When she touched ground, she did not allow her enemies a moment's respite; she took out all who stood in her way and left a trail of blood and ruin behind, showing the slightest bit of mercy only when one of the kidnappers took her to where Ichika was being held.

But in exchange for the information about Ichika's location, Chifuyu trained the German forces for a full year in IS combat. Losing the championship by default was the least of her worries, however, because that was where she ran into Laura.)

"Oh...so that's where this need to be stronger came from," Lincoln said.

"Yep," Ichika nodded, "Just the fact that Chifuyu had to come for me...she had to forfeit the match because of me... I felt like I was just a good-for-nothing pathetic excuse for a brother."

That line...

("I have no brother! I know I've said it before, but this time...I really mean it.")

("Mmm-I don't wanna hear it. You told me you could handle the grocery shopping, but clearly you cannot.")

("Aw, Lincoln...of course we're gonna make fun of you! But only for the rest of your life!")

("You're bad luck, Lincoln! You! Can't! Come!")

("Congratulations, elder brother. Thanks to you, the threat level is now at Stampeding T-Rex.")

("When he's this pathetic, it takes all the joy out of making fun of him.")

...that line touched several nerves. All of a sudden, Lincoln was reminded of every single time he found himself on the bad side of everyone within his sight. Many of those times, he was the punching bag. If he wanted some time away from the noise, he would have to cater to everyone's needs to fulfill their sadistic satisfaction. If he wanted to make a business, it was either give not-helpful advice, or get pied in the face by virtually every single person in Royal Woods Elementary. If he wanted his sisters to even the slightest bit easier on him...well, there's no way. Either suck it up and toughen up or get out, and he got out, "Believe me, I know how that felt."

"Exactly," Ichika said, "Which is why I can't let her watch over me anymore. I can't keep relying on someone else to bail me out of trouble."

"You got all that just from one incident?"

"It wasn't just that incident. For the longest time, I've felt like nothing but a burden to Chifuyu, always needing her help to do everything. And now comes a chance for me to take matters in my own hands, and I still need help understanding that very tool... and now I feel like I'm walking in and out of Limbo."

"Hah, same here. But I bet Charles has it easy, being the only child of a super powerful CEO of an IS corporation."

"That's..." Ichika saw this as a chance to change the subject, "...odd you said that. He doesn't wanna change with me. He said it made him uncomfortable and freaked out when I had my arm around him."

Lincoln chuckled, "Ok, are you sure he's not a she?"

"Heheh, not sure! I'll be sure to 'politely ask him' to try on a miniskirt," Ichika returned the smirk and looked to his right, "Ope, There's my room. So, how are you gonna handle you-know?"

"Knowing her, she might lash out at Cecilia and Rin next. I might have to go Operation Lightning Rod again."

"Sheesh...there's gotta be a better way."

"I'll figure something out," Lincoln walked back to his room, "Catch you later!"

"See you!" Ichika waved as he entered his room, then entered the shower room, "Hey, Charles. I got you a new bottle of body-"

"AH!"

"-soap..."

Ichika locked up. He was at a total loss for words. The person who he thought was a good man...wasn't a man, as evidenced by her breasts suddenly quadrupling in volume. Suddenly, everything Lincoln said made sense. Yet, he did nothing for a good minute.

He caught 'Charles' in a shocked daze, only to drop both their composures when he dropped the soap bottle and point his finger at her, "AHA! I KNEW IT!"

"Huh?! What do you mean?!"

"YOU ARE A GIRL!" Ichika bolted out, "LOUD!"

"W-wait, don't-" Charles was too slow to stop him. She panicked as the very real possibility of her exposure was just around the corner...and also the fact that a male just saw her being wrapped in only a towel with her upper chest completely exposed.

Unbeknownst to her, Ichika didn't actually leave. He just snuck back to his bed and hid under the sheets contemplating his real next move.

Meanwhile, Lincoln was having an encounter of his own. Once he opened the door, he went straight to his laptop and found a few...concerning emails.

I honestly thought that I would be brought to my lowest point when my secret fascination with Princess Pony was made public, but this pit of despair I find myself in has actually been giving me and Mom inspiration. I've got a very haunting novella on the way, and Mom was scribbling in her notebook while working. People are talking about us...me, especially. And I'm welcoming it. I'm embracing it. I'm "I think something's wrong with me"ing it.

—Lucy

Lincoln, why didn't you tell me about Lynn atop the stairs that day? Had we known right away that she threatened you, I would've forced her to stay home...or at the very least, go to the game by herself. Well, once LJ spilled the beans over the story, I thought that taking her out of sports would only enable her to exhibit bad behavior. I convinced the coaches to give her a taste of her own medicine. Your dad and I are working to find out what else your sisters did to you behind our back. But if anyone in IS Academy is bothering you, please let me know.

—MamaRita

The first battle of the war has been fought... and lost on the soccer field. The coaches have been doing your sister wrong. I'm sending Clyde to make it easier for her to bear the pain. There's a football game tomorrow and she's replacing the quarterback. I will keep you posted in case any dire updates happen upon us.

—Lancy Lisa

"As if I didn't have enough to sort out..." Lincoln plopped his head on a pillow. He honestly didn't expect to be unraveling when he left home. At this point, he really would rather abandon his last name rather than try and deal with this situation, "There're those cyclic feelings I've missed for so many minutes..."

"And what concern are they to you?"

"They're my family, so it's every bit of-" shiny pale skin "-COVERING THAT SHOULD BE ON YOU!"

"Cover what?" Laura maintained her unfazed monotone expression...while wearing nothing.

"Can you please find something to wear?..." Lincoln covered his face with the blanket.

"You really are a weak minded fool," Laura walked past him, "To be so fearful of an everyday sight."

"CLOTHES ARE AN EVERYDAY SIGHT!" Lincoln protested, "VAMPIRE GLITTERY HAIR SKIN IS NOT-uh..." he was suddenly held up by the collar, now forced to stare down Laura's naked body. Thankfully, her eyes took him away from her skin, "Red and yell-" choke "-eep!"

"Are you done yammering?" Laura hissed.

"Uh, Yeah! I'll be quiet!" Lincoln said, "You just do you, ok?"

Laura promptly dropped him on the floor and walked away.

Leaving him to ponder his next move while going outside for a small flight around the campus, "To those who still haven't gone to the bathroom yet, I salute you..."

Ten minutes later, Lincoln and Laura were back in the room. Tension filled the air. She was apprehensive towards him for interfering with her attempts to get after Ichika twice, and he was uneasy about her for reasons known and unknown. Lincoln was sitting at the desk doing homework while Laura was going over her military drills in the balcony.

Lincoln wanted to break the silence, but he couldn't find a good conversation starter. Then, he suddenly flashed back to this morning...

("My 'deal' is that I do not approve...in fact, I will never approve...that he's her brother!")

"That's...Just...odd..." Lincoln blurted out before quickly covering his mouth.

"What now?" Laura groaned.

Lincoln rattled his mind for an excuse, "Uh...odd that...your eyes...your eyes are red and yellow."

"Oh..." Laura did not snap at him this time, "I received this eye to enhance my compatibility with the IS."

A starting point. Lincoln bounced off that line, "They do that in the army?..."

"It's not something you can comprehend."

"Ah...wait, you needed to enhance your compatibility? I thought you had good compatibility to begin with."

"How long do you plan to test my patience with your incessant rambling?"

"Just trying to talk, is all..."

"Hmph."

"...seeing as how you seem eerily attached to Miss Orimura, and you really hate Ichika for something he can't-"

"Don't say that name."

"Wuzzat-" -SMACK!- "-UGH!" The moment Lincoln turned his head, he was swatted across the cheek and fell on the floor, "And here it comes..."

"Don't you dare say that name in front of me," Laura growled.

"Ngh...whose name?..."

"You know who," Laura said, "That good for nothing pathetic excuse for a brother!"

"Oh, so he's the reason why Miss Orimura can't go back to Germany," Lincoln sat himself in his bed, "Is that what this is about?"

"You know nothing about Mentor's true strength!"

"Sheesh, What is it with you and strength?..."

"Strength is an absolute determinant in a being's self. It is what separates the weak from the strong. And Mentor is the strongest of them all. I do not understand how she could will herself to that weakling!"

Lincoln couldn't resist a smile, "Wealki-Wow, You are in desperate need of a moral upgrade."

"And you need to open your eyes! If you had done so, you would have appreciated your abilities more and found a much better use for them!"

"As if surviving a family of 13 wasn't use enough? Wait-wait-no, no, no, why does it matter if you can break a brick with your bare hands or not? Isn't it enough to save the show and walk away, instead of showing off your strength like a crazed body buff man?"

Laura was done reasoning with him and turned away from him, "No, it's not. You're not willing to do what it takes to attain power. You, and every other simpleton in this dreadful prison of an academy. I find it incredulous that such a tremendous amount of potential is wasted on a naive little boy."

Halfway through that paragraph, Lincoln's mind played the connections game again, linking Laura's supposed quest for power to her earlier conversation with Chifuyu and Chifuyu's story about how meeting and training the Germans for a full year...and, with a brief flash of all the manga he read, came up with the most insane conclusion he could muster...but it was the only conclusion that made any sense to him, though...

"So, that's all that happened to you," he said, "You were cast aside until Miss Orimura happened along."

"Cast out?" Laura scoffed, "Don't make me laugh."

"Cast-oh,right, wrong wording," Lincoln said, "You needed the enhancement because you had to master the IS, but it didn't work so you were cast aside until Miss Orimura happened along."

Laura's heart and mind sank upon hearing those words. She couldn't fathom how on earth an 11-year-old boy with nowhere near her prowess deciphered her past, using only the words that came out of her mouth, in just one sentence, "How...how did you-"

"I'll admit...it's better than them keeping you around and using you as a footrest while they do pedicures on your back."

"Was zur Hölle..." make that two, as when the enhancement failed, Laura was treated as a defective product until Miss Orimura happened along, "Wait, What did you just-"

-rrrrmmmmm...-

Lincoln cut her off with his stomach, "Whoops! I guess I only need two meals a day! I'll be back in a bit..." and he ran out of the room, leaving Laura to wonder what other surprises he had in his mind to compensate for his lack of physical strength.

"Ugh...that coulda gone better..." Lincoln himself was wandering the halls, trying to figure out how he wound up getting in her head in a bad way, "Remind me to join an etiquette club in a few days...Man, how did I talk so wrong..." Just then, he noticed Cecilia and Houki escorting a less-than-enthusiastic Ichika to the cafeteria.

"Oh, Miss Houki, what do you think you're playing at here?" Cecilia demanded while hugging Ichika's left arm.

"You said that a gentleman is expected to escort a lady, right?" Houki said while hugging Ichika's right arm.

"Well, that's true," Cecilia giggled, and the two escorted Ichika together.

"Hold on, you two," Ichika struggled to walk, "It's getting hard to balance my feet with-" the girls pinched one of his nipples and testicles "-GYAAAHAHAAAAA!" He had enough and deployed his wing units to push Cecilia and Houki off him, "You know what, forget it!"

"And where do you think you're going?!" Cecilia shouted.

Lincoln saw them approaching him and waved, "Hey, did I miss some-" yank "-thing?"

"Just ordering takeout," Ichika grabbed Lincoln's collar and literally dragged him over, "I have a friend with a peculiar problem."

"What's food gotta do with it?...Oh, wait!"

SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 85/137%

"Ok, drag away."

Later in the cafeteria line, Ichika and Lincoln shared the conversations they had with their respective roommates.

"Holy moly..." Lincoln mulled, "Her dad put her up to this?..."

"But it's not like Char-uh...she wanted to," Ichika said, "She was on orders from for father. And as long as she stays here, he can't touch her."

"That's good. Have you thought of anything yet to keep her out of prison?"

"Nope, nothing yet. Besides, I just found out a few minutes ago."

"Well, I just now figured out that Laura respects only power and the show of force. She views tenderness as a sign of weakness."

"Wow...we need to upgrade her moral chip or something."

"You just made her seem like a robot," Lincoln grabbed his tray.

"Really? Oh, well with how she's been acting around everyone else, she might as well be..." Ichika grabbed his and Charles's trays and led Lincoln back to their room, "So, What are you gonna do about Laura?"

"I guess Lightning Rod is my best option. Starting with challenging her to an IS battle. Gotta contain the violent psycho whacko somehow."

"Eugh...not looking forward to it," Ichika opened the door and led Lincoln to the girl who dressed as a boy, "Hey, I'm back."

"Oh, welcome back," Charles sat up in her bed, "Ah, and this must be the child prodigy."

"Child who now?"

"Heheh, it's nothing," she chuckled, "I just didn't expect you to figure out my true identity."

"Well, you did leave some clues."

"So, are you two ready to eat?" Ichika asked, "Hey, I got you some food."

"Oh, thank you," Charles said, "HUH?!"

After everyone settled in, the three finally started on their dinner...or, Ichika and Lincoln did. Charles stared at her food, struggling with the only utensils afforded to her.

"Oh, that's right," Ichika said, "You can't use chopsticks, can you?"

"Well, I have been practicing, but-Oh!"

Charles accidentally dropped them into her bowl.

"Hang on," Ichika got up, "I'll be back with a fork."

"Oh, no! That's ok!" Charles waved, "I don't need-"

"You know, you oughta to learn to take advantage of your roommates' kindness sometime," Ichika sighed.

"Huh?" Lincoln and Charles weren't expecting that line.

"How did that saying go?...He who hesitates is lost."

"I don't think that would be applicable here," Lincoln said.

"What's the harm, Linc? She isn't one to do harm to anyone," Ichika reassured, "So, how about it, Charles? You take advantage of me tonight, and I'll take advantage of you some other time."

"Well...I guess it can't be helped..." Charles said nervously.

"I don't think we can use 'Charles' anymore now that it's come to this point," Lincoln said, "So, Why not use Charlotte?"

"Huh?"

"That's your real name, isn't it? Charles bounces off from Charlotte, right?"

"Well...I..." The blonde looked down at her food and smiled. She had expected the boys to run out and tell everyone they knew, but something about their relaxed demeanor and friendly banter told her that she could trust them. If her previous conversations with Ichika and Lincoln weren't indicative enough, "I...could you feed me, then?"

"BUH-" Lincoln spat his mouthful out.

But Ichika had expected that response, "Ok...my word is my bond."

Lincoln just sat back and watched the scene unfold. Seeing how Ichika fed Charlotte and the pleasant vibe they gave off reminded him of how he would feed Lily on her play days. He almost wished he could have just one more day back home to play and cuddle with Lily-

"Oh no, some rice got in your, Uh..."

"Ehe, better go get it."

("Oh no. Some wimp got in our way.")

("Heheh, better go get him.")

"Ugh...What the..." almost.

Meanwhile, High Card, Night Club, and Strong Suit were tailing Laura all the way out to Arena 3, their path only made clear by the crisp cool moonlight.

And Strong Suit was pissed, "Remind me why we're stalking 'Mad-Eye Moodelina' again."

"Because we need to see what kind of mental state she's in," High Card whispered, "We're on enough damage control duties and I do not want her to make it worse."

"Kinda defeats the purpose of getting away from it all, wouldn't you say?..." Strong Suit rolled her eyes.

"Hey, keep it SHH!" Night Club whispered, "I can hide our IS signatures, but not your loudspeaker big mouths!"

Strong Suit yanked Night Club's jetpack, "I got something loud for you right here!"

"Shut it!" High Card bopped both their heads, "She's over there!"

"Yep..." High Card slapped her forehead, "We're literally doing this..."

The three hid themselves behind the doorway while watching Laura stand on the edge of the launch pad.

Laura's mind was filled with possible strategies on how to get back at Ichika. She had failed her personal mission twice, no doubt because of her roommate's interference. She didn't care to figure out why she was paired with Lincoln of all people, who was almost nothing like Ichika. They were both naive to wander into the world of the Infinite Stratos, seemingly by accident. But Lincoln has shown himself to be far more proactive than Ichika, in both action and intelligence, just enough to stand against her despite knowing her background. And not only did he have the gall to challenge her beliefs in absolute power, but he figured out a piece of her past and dared to spit it back in her face.

He went from a mouthy fool to actual threat. Just like that.

Laura looked up to the moon, "Mentor...your absolute and incomparable strength is the goal I seek, the very reason for my continued existence." She closed her eyes and began to undo her eyepatch, "Ichika Orimura...the person who cast a stain upon Mentor's name..." and threw it down on the arena floor, revealing the golden eye that Lincoln was not meant to see, "Lincoln Loud...the little boy who defends the man undeserving of such power and question Mentor's strength...I swear that I will get rid of the both of you by any means necessary."

The three ran out of the arena as soon as Laura finished her speech.

"That's two cliches in one!" Strong Suit, "How did she do that?!"

"Night, go!" High Card ordered, "Do not let him leave 1025!"

"Sail away, captain!" Night Club triggered her jetpack and flew off towards the dorms while High Card and Strong Suit fizzled out of existence.