Lincoln blinked, "...Como?"
The classroom door swung open. Three more people entered the room. Lincoln's eyes widened when they saw.
"Dang, Mr. Gigolo!" Akina quipped, "What'd you do to get her contact?"
"Wait-Akina?! Kim?!"
"Oh, she told you too?" Kim waved.
"Miss Yamada," Chifuyu stared, "where are your hands?"
"EEP!" Maya quickly stuffed her hands inside her pants, "Uh...my bad..."
Lincoln had time process what exactly was happening to him, "Uh... is this a mission briefing?!"
"Well since you're up to speed, we can get started," Chifuyu motioned the four women to their seats, "Everyone pay close attention."
Akina and Kim sat opposite sides of Lincoln, while Maya uploaded data from her flash drive onto the blackboard.
"Lincoln, do you remember that talk long long ago about terrorist organizations and space travel?" Maya asked.
"I haven't forgotten," Lincoln really didn't like where this was headed.
"Well, this is the reason why the purpose of the IS is limited," Maya flashed several photos of shady people in official-looking buildings, "Terrorist organizations that remain a secret to the general populace have successfully taken IS units in the past. Their exact knowledge of the IS and its core is currently unknown, but we can safely assume that they have access to early 2nd Generation models, and are capable of capturing current 3rd generation units."
"Several field agents have spotted members of one such organization in your neighborhood two months ago," Chifuyu said, "The organization known as Phantom Task has made contact with someone from Royal Woods Middle school." An image was enlarged to show an older woman sitting in the park with...a young brunette with long, light brown hair, buck teeth, and freckles.
"MARGO?!" Lincoln hated where this went.
"You know her?" Akina asked.
"Yeah! She's Lynn's close friend!" Lincoln responded, "Why the heck would she get involved with a bunch of terror people?!"
"That remains unknown to us," Maya said, "What is known is that your family are potential targets for an attack due to Margo's closeness to one of your sisters."
"There's something else you should know," Chifuyu pulled forward a set of diagrams pertaining to a brand new IS, an angelic type unit, "This is the Silverio Gospel, a Gen3 joint collaboration between the USA and Israel. During a test run in Hawaiian airspace three hours ago, several moles for Phantom Task have been sighted."
"I have a question," Kim raised her hand, "Where were the other staff at the time of the testing?"
"They were occupied by other duties. Staff was spread thin, and they were able to sneak in disguised as security guards," Chifuyu then pulled up a profile of one of the test pilots, "or so we were told."
"So," Kim scanned the picture, "that captain is in on it too..."
"Phantom Task has been around for over 50 years," Maya said, "It's not unreasonable to believe that they've infiltrated many important places."
"Wait," Lincoln asked, "Why can't I ask for additional help?"
"Because this could be an attack on a bigger town," Chifuyu said, "We already deduced the first attack to be in a small town. Sending in more help would dramatically increase property damage, on top of already increasing the probability for property damage."
"And Ichika's sword is a one-hit kill," Kim thought, "We also cannot risk accidentally killing anyone."
"Correct," Maya said, "which is why we're sending in someone familiar with the layout of both cities to weed out the enemy."
"So...me," Lincoln said, "And Kim and Akina?"
"They're the closest compatible partners we could match you with to minimize recoil and detection," Maya explained, "I just had a feeling that the other Representative Contenders would cause more trouble than they would prevent."
"Ain't that the truth," Akina nudged, "Have you seen Rin after the last test?"
"I could hear her gloat from the ceiling, she was so loud..." Kim plucked her ears.
"We're about to begin the mission briefing," Chifuyu declared, "If anyone has any still outstanding questions, now is the time to ask them."
Akina thought on that request, "Miss Orimura, can I see the currently known specifications on the Silverio Gospel?"
"That's a reasonable request," Chifuyu booted up the info screen, "However, please keep in mind that if any of this information is leaked, you will be tried in a court of inquiry, which alone penalizes you with a minimum two years house arrest."
"Understood," Akina said. The specs for the Gospel appeared on her desk, "Holy...its speed and strength is off the charts..."
Kim and Lincoln gathered round the desk.
"I hate to think about it going rouge..." Kim mused.
"Does anyone know where it's going?..." Lincoln wondered.
"It'll most likely end up in Margo's hands," Maya said, "whether she wants it or not."
"But...why?..."
"Did Phantom Task contact anyone else around Margo's age range?" Kim asked.
"No," Maya said, "but we have reason to believe that Margo shared something with individuals her age."
"Oh my..."
"Are we ready to proceed to the briefing?" Chifuyu asked.
Lincoln looked at Maya, then at Akina and Kim, "Yes...might as well wrap it up ASAP." Everyone sat down and paid attention to the blackboard, which then displayed a map of Southwestern Michigan and Northern Ohio.
"Since I've witnessed Lori's...*AHEM* unbreakable love for Roberto firsthand," Chifuyu got a small chuckle out of everyone, "The Louds will try to spend the Thanksgiving break with the Casagrandes. That's when the enemy will strike. You have three objectives: prevent any and all casualties in both towns, neutralize all hostile parties, and return the Gospel to the designated homebase."
"Homebase?" Lincoln repeated, "So, We'll set up shop before the mission begins?"
"Yes," Maya said, "You will establish contact with code name AAdsz the moment you arrive in Royal Woods."
AAdsz...the code name of the mysterious confidante who supported Lincoln throughout the semester. He was finally going to see exactly who that person was.
"Will this involve Any IS action?" Akina asked.
"You're going to try to prevent any IS fights, if possible," Maya said, "In the case that a fight does break out, AAdsz already has the IS units to provide you."
"Wow," Akina commented, "This AAdsz guys really knows their stuff."
"Shinohara," Chifuyu said to Akina, "You will receive Rafael Revive Basic standard unit."
"Yes, ma'am," Akina acknowledged the order, without letting her excitement to use a real IS get the better of her.
"And Ha-Jin," Chifuyu turned to Kim, "You will be given Heaven's Dusk."
"Haneul-ui Hwanghon?!" Kim jolted.
"What?" Lincoln questioned, "What's a...hannueueulll-"
"It's the IS given to the Representative of South Korea," Maya said.
"Whoa..." Lincoln thought this was out of line, "Why so quick to jump the gun? Isn't there a whole bunch of stuff you have to do to get that title?"
"Normally, yes, but..." Kim looked down, "This is my graduation exam."
"Huh?" Akina raised an eyebrow, "This mission? This life-or-death situation is just a test for you?..."
"It has to be this way," Chifuyu said, "South Korea's current Representative, Won Hwa Young, has announced her retirement and her intention to teach at the IS Academy. And she's chosen Kim as her successor."
"So, if we come out of this alive," Akina said, "Kim will graduate this winter? And she will be declared Korea's IS Rep?"
"I realize that this would give off the wrong impression of the mission," Kim assured them, "but believe me when I say that my status is just a byproduct of keeping you safe."
"You sure you're not tripping us up?" Akina squinted.
"If she was, she wouldn't be in this room with us," Lincoln said, "I trust her."
"Thanks, Lincoln," Kim hugged him.
"Well, ok," Akina agreed, "We've been through since the start of the term, so...heck with it!" and shared in the group hug-
"EEGYAGH!" Lincoln was smothered in between the two girls, "Can't...breathe...where am I..."
"Sorry," Akina giggled, "Had to get a gag in."
Chifuyu and Maya sighed in relief. They gave each other a confident look, as if they knew that Lincoln and Akina were in good hands, and they would take care of themselves.
"Then, the mission briefing is Loud, Ha-Jin, and Shinohara," Chifuyu declared, "You three will rendezvous with AAdsz. Afterwards, you will intercept the Silverio Gospel and Phantom Task, and drive them both out of Royal Woods and Great Lakes City."
"Since Kim Ha-Jin is the most senior pilot," Maya said, "she will be the designated group leader."
"Understood," Kim said.
"This mission will take place during the class trips," Chifuyu continued, "First, the student body will depart for their destinations. Two hours later, you three will depart for Michigan. You have until the Sunday after Thanksgiving to complete the mission and return to the school. Is that clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," they all said.
"One more thing," Maya said, "No witnesses. We need to maintain the element of surprise, so absolutely no one outside this room can know that you three have a mission."
Lincoln was a bit disappointed, "No one?"
"No one," Chifuyu reiterated, "Not even your sisters."
Later that evening, Lincoln, Kim, Hana, and Akina were together outside at the lookout, discussing the most recent development to hit the group.
"No way..." Hana gasped, "They're sending you to defend your home?"
"Yep," Akina butt in, "This is where the real hero stuff happens."
"Are you sure we can tell Hana?" Kim asked, "We can't trust anyone to keep a secret as big as this."
"I trust her," Lincoln said, "She isn't a spiller of all things verbal."
"So, that thing with the form..." Hana said, "It was all a ruse."
"This, after Lincoln said he wouldn't come home for the holidays," Kim said.
"You don't have to remind me," Lincoln shrugged the notion off, "I've been sending emails, but I haven't chatted with anyone since October."
"Oct-why?"
"Because...they blocked me."
"Whoa! This is your family!" Akina jumped, "I know they royally messed up, but they're still your family! Why the hell would they block you?!"
"It's because they know I've had vivid flashbacks to when I took a big hit for Lynn," Lincoln explained, "And dangit, they thought it would go away in a poof."
"Ok, you might be overreacting this time," Kim patted his back.
"Oh, no," Lincoln retorted, "If anything, I'm underacting. I should be more freaked out that they kept a secret like this hidden away from me. I should've just turned down the mission right then and there."
"Well, why didn't you?" Hana asked.
"Well..." Lincoln sighed, "Because...Ronnie Anne. She's in Great Lakes City, a place with hundreds of thousands of people. If those Phantom Task people are ruthless, they won't stop with her. They're gonna throttle her into killing tons of people, and maybe convert her to their side."
"I understand," Kim nodded, "but keep in mind...Ronnie Anne will have her own problems with your family. I doubt they've forgotten what happened to you the night you discovered the IS."
"Neither have I," Lincoln said.
Just then, several other students walked up behind them.
"Aww, look at the widdle kiddie," a student taunted, "Are you mad you won't get to join us on the trip?"
Lincoln bit his lip. He wanted to diss her, but he already told his mission to Hana, and he couldn't risk anyone else finding out. "...So, what's it to you?" He just played along.
"That's too bad," Kiyoka said, "Looks like Ichika won't be around to protect you any longer."
"Hana, why don't you go join us for once?" Sayuka begged, "You're much better off without this clique."
"What will it take for you to leave him alone?" Kim demanded, "You already got what you wanted, so bug off."
"I'll bug off when he agrees to play his part," Kiyoka growled, "Till then, sleep with one eye open." She then led the group away from Lincoln.
"Ugh...What is with her?..." Akina grumbled.
"Can't we just ignore her?" Hana asked worried about what Kiyoka would say next.
"No," Kim shook her head, "If we ignore it, she will find fuel underneath."
"But if we confront her, she'll just use it as an excuse to prop herself up even more," Lincoln groaned, "We'll just have to take her off our radar."
"Not my favorite choice," Akina scratched her neck, "but I wouldn't mess with a Representative Contender who is associated with you, so..." And they agreed to never get involved with any gossip girl again.
The days that succeeded the briefing were painfully cringeworthy for Lincoln. Kiyoka started talking about how close he was getting to Laura, and that spread like wildfire before it was immediately put out by Laura herself. Then, he had virtually no contact with anyone outside his own circle of friends, which he didn't mind. While the girls rejoiced in being free from Lincoln's influence for an entire week, Lincoln's team was busy with a little extra training in stealth and surveillance, making the others think that they were preparing for the end-of-year class match, though the rest of his friends thought nothing of it.
The weekend before the big trip, Ichika woke up early, "Psst...psst, Hey..."
"Mmm...What is it, Ichika?..." Lincoln mumbled.
"I wanna try something."
"Huh?"
"Just follow my lead," Ichika woke him up right when there was a loud knocking at the door.
From Houki, who was waiting outside the room, "It's me, Ichika! It's time to start your morning training!"
Laura crept up behind her, "So loud...what are you pushing around that for?..."
"It's nothing, Laura," Houki said, "Just Ichika has morning training, and the door's usually locked."
"I see," Laura walked to the door and gave it two soft knocks, "If you use a downward slash on the area in between the handle and the edge, the locks will be jammed to the open position. Then you can drag him out with ease."
"Huh..." Houki looked at her bamboo blade, the looked at the door, "I'll try it now." She took her stance and swung down, "Open up, Ichika!"
-THWACK!-
The handle was rattled, but it became jammed, and the door simply swung open.
"Let's go," Houki led Laura inside, "Get up, Ichika. It May be Sunday, but that's no excuse to slack off, so wake up-"
The room was completely empty. No inhabitants to speak to.
"Uh...wh-wh..." Houki stuttered, "Where...how..."
Laura scanned the room and saw some curtains fluttering by the balcony. "Well, Well," she couldn't resist a tiny smile, "I'd say he's earned a day off today." She pointed Houki to the curtains, which were blown away to reveal the open field outside the balcony.
Houki's rage grew tenfold. She started to pant heavily like a deranged werewolf.
"Well," Laura figured out what was on Houki's mind, "I shall alert the others," and excused herself. Once she jammed the door back to locked-
"TRY AND ESCAPE ME, WILL YOU?!" Houki's rage maxed, "YOU WILL DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She turned 1025 into an uninhabitable wasteland.
And on the residence building rooftop, Lincoln, Ichika, and Charlotte couldn't be any more thrilled.
"The banshee has been unleashed, hahahaaa!" Lincoln cheered.
"Ok-*SNICKER*-let's bail!" Ichika said, and everyone deployed their ISs and fled.
Charlotte was too busy laughing to watch where she were going.
A few minutes later, they were on the monorail bound for a super regional mall.
"Ahhh..." Ichika stretched his legs out, "Just what I needed to start the day..."
"I'm not so sure," Lincoln sat opposite Ichika and Charlotte, "I give it fifteen more minutes before Houki slices everything with her bamboo stick just to maim us."
"Uh...so, Ichika?" Charlotte stared at her knees, "Why did you invite me to come along with you today?"
"Well, the class winter resort trip is coming up," Ichika said, "And since you and I don't have a proper clothing set yet, I thought we could turn a simple shopping trip into a fun little romp, just the two of us."
"Uh-really?!" Charlotte brightened up at the sound of a possible day with Ichika alone, but then she realized, "Wait, what about Lincoln?"
"I'll be watching from afar," he said, "but I'm supposed to meet with Hana and Akina for something, so you won't even notice me." In actuality, Lincoln had been looking for any possible escape from reality, and anything would do at this point.
"I see..." Charlotte muttered in awe, "Wow, I never thought this day would come..."
"What day?" Ichika caught that.
"Oh! Uh, please pardon my language!" Charlotte waved her hands, "I'm just...I've never been on a hangout before..."
"Well, just stick with me and don't get lost," Ichika smiled, "and I'm sure the rest will take care of itself."
"If you say so..." Charlotte blushed, then quickly regained her composure, "D'accord. I'll be in your care."
When they dismounted from the station, they made their way into the shopping mall. Lincoln would've been more awestruck by the sheer size and grandeur of it being five times bigger than Royal Woods Mall, and seven times more fancier and High-end, but he was too fixated on finding Akina and Hana to really care. Sure enough, he found them at a cafe, right when Ichika decided on a new nickname for Charlotte.
"Hey, little Loud!" Akina waved, "Glad you could join us!"
"You're still not disappointed you can't come with us?" Hana asked.
"That's all water under the bridge," Lincoln wagged his hand, "I'm more disappointed in Charlotte's new nickname."
"And, now we're veering into the NUNYABEESWAX territory," Akina commented.
"Come, come," Hana dragged the two inside, "We have to chat."
Ichika had just told Charlotte to go on ahead to the premium store when he spotted a familiar looking guy and girl, brother and sister, each with red hair and a purple headband. "Dan. Ran!" He walked over to them.
Ran was just giving her brother a lecture about women's clothing, "Full use swimsuit, beach use swimsuit, "It's on!" yukata, "It's on!" lingerie, "It's on!" swimsuit, relaxation pjs, sensual pjs...You need each kind to use as the situation calls for!"
Ichika intervened at the right time, "Ohhhh, and what kind of situations are those?"
Ran freaked out at the sudden appearance of her very good male friend.
But her brother Dan welcomed it, "Hey, buddy. You doing a little shopping?"
"Oh?" Ichika's Hans still had his gift to Houki, "Oh, I was," he pocketed the red box, "Wow, that's quite a load you got there. Are all those bags swimsuits and yukatas?"
"Oh, there's so much more here," Dan rambled, "Ran said she was gonna show them off to you-"
Ran couldn't take it anymore. It was bad enough that she was caught shopping for appealing clothing by the one person she wanted to show in private, but then it got worse when he was discussing it with her own brother. She was so overwhelmed with embarrassment that she ended up kicking Dan away just to stop the rant. Ran was relieved to have stopped the blabbing.
But Ichika was just plain shocked, "...what...was that..." and not in a good way. He witnessed this kind of behavior before, with Lincoln and the student body.
"What was that?" Ran sort of panicked, "Ehh, What was-"
"You just kicked your own brother..."
"Oh, never mind that," Ran tried to sway the conversation away from her recent baggage, "So, did you come to buy a-"
"Nuh-uh, don't talk to me." Ichika saw what she was doing and gave her the cold shoulder. He walked past her and helped Dan to his feet, "Hey, You alright?"
"Ugh...peachy keen..." Dan groaned, "Whew... and there goes the baggage fee..."
Ichika looked around him. Bags full of swimsuits, yukatas, underwear, lingerie, and god knows what else...all of them, Ran was going to show off to him. His eyes were starting to open up to the cruel, cruel world of affection, "I forgot. Who's the superficial one around here?"
"Um! Hey!" Ran again tried to distract Ichika, "So, I'm about to-"
Ichika got angry, "I said, don't talk to me!"
"Whoa, Whoa, easy there, buckshot," Dan patted Ichika's shoulder, "She's my sister. It's all cool."
"No, it's not! She just winded you in the belly button!"
"Oh, she does that all the time. I just learned to live with it. Besides," Dan pulled a racy pair of panties from his hair, "I managed to tame her for this long." Then, he proceeded to clean up the mess.
Ichika realized what they were doing before he crossed their paths. It was supposed to be a measly shopping trip, but it turned into a quest for eye candy, where Ran was the overbearing manager, and Dan was the overworked employee. It happened to Lincoln. It was also happening to Dan. It was dangerously close to happening to himself, but he was lucky enough to escape it.
"Ichika?" Charlotte arrived just in time to snap him out of his trance, "We should be going."
"Yeah, lead the way," Ichika allowed her to take his hand, "I guess I'll be seeing you, Dan."
"Be seeing you too, man," Dan waved.
Ran was devastated with this turn of events, but she couldn't let Ichika out of her sight without saying something, "Uh-Wait! Are you sure you-"
Ichika gave Ran the death glare, "What did I say?"
Ran was forced to let him walk away with another girl, "Uhhhh...I can't believe it..."
"Ok, sis," Dan walked to her, "Your precious articles have been regathered."
"UGH!" Ran suddenly snatched all the bags from him and turned away, "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!"
"Huh?" Dan blinked, "What'd I do?"
"Why're you asking me?!"
"Hey, you said it first."
"DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING HERE?!"
Elsewhere, Akina and Hana dragged Lincoln to a swimsuit parlor.
"Really?..." Lincoln moaned, "You dragged me out here for this?..."
"What's wrong with that?" Akina came out of a fitting booth with Hana wearing a two-piece, "Gotta spend out last days together, don't we?"
"Well," Hana said, "What do you think?"
Lincoln couldn't escape this time; he was literally in a corner, "Um...it's...it's cute..." It didn't help that she was wearing orange, his favorite color.
"Did you hear that?" Akina pined, "He called you cute!"
"Akina, let's not make a scene here," Hana made a futile attempt to push her off.
Lincoln backed away, "Ok, I'll be over here trying to control my pube-" until he was moments away from bumping into "-huh-LAURA WHAT?!"
"Good to see your awareness has improved," Laura pushed him back inside.
"Ok, I know what you're thinking," Lincoln stammered, "And I have to say that I was dragged into this crazy train-OOF!"
He bumped into Akina and Hana, who then flinched when they saw Laura again, "AAA! WHY YOU?!"
"No need to be alarmed," Laura shushed them, "I'm merely here on her orders." She pointed behind her.
Lincoln, Akina, and Hana peeked over the German and saw the most random occurrences ever: High Card-Cecilia and Night Club-Rin in a mall-wide piggyback race, and Strong Suit and Houki locked in another bamboo death match.
"Do I have to ask..." Akina winced.
"Suzuki," Laura said, "Why don't you pick something that brings out your eye color to compliment your swimsuit?"
"How did you figure that out?" Hana asked while Laura pushed her into the accessories shop.
Lincoln was winded, "Ok...what just happened?"
Akina shrugged her shoulders.
Laura came back and confronted them, "Tell me the truth...you've been given a mission, have you not?"
"PBBTTTHAH?!" Akina yelped.
"Wha-Wha-whaaaat are you on about?" Lincoln stammered.
"We were given a severe makeup test, that's what happened," Akina said.
"I had to code together a program for neural synchronization."
"And I had to memorize every single known component of a core!"
Laura opened her eyepatch and seemingly sent both her eyes into Lincoln and Akina's soul, "Really?..."
"Yeah! Honest! We're just as miffed as always!" Akina said while Lincoln nodded in agreement.
Laura stared into their eyes for another five seconds, then decided in her mind that further questioning was worthless. She closed her eyepatch and went away to track Ichika and Charlotte. Once she was out of their range of sight, Lincoln and Akina sighed deeply.
"I've never been so scared in my life..." Lincoln patted his chest.
"I looked into her deadlights," Akina said, "and nothing else mattered."
"She's definitely onto us," Lincoln panicked, "What're we gonna do?!"
"Just keep clam, and don't act dysexlic," Akina responded, "We're only in trouble if we get caught."
Right when she said that, High Card and Night Club came up behind them laughing Cecilia and Rin's lungs off.
"Bro, you missed it!" Night Club raved, "The first ever Piggyback Qualifying Race!"
"I could've had you if I literally wasn't dragging deadweight," High Card smirked and looked behind her as Cecilia and Rin slumped off their shoulders and slid to Lincoln's feet in a heavy spinning daze. When the two dizzy Rep Contenders blinked, they came to and recognized that white tuft of hair.
"INC LINC!" Rin jumped and pointed a scimitar at him.
"I should've known you'd be protecting that Frenchwoman!" Cecilia brushed herself off and pointed a finger at him.
"Uh..." and Hana came back, "Alcott? Fan? What's going on?"
"We're in trouble..." Akina and Lincoln whispered.
Laura walked into a store where Ichika and Charlotte were trying on various autumn outfits. She grabbed a random dress and went to a fitting room. Then, she took out a communicator and connected to her home base, "Clarissa, the information you provided about eye colors was very useful in my outfit selection. I am adequately prepared to board the winter destination with the rest of the class."
"Happy to be of service, commander Bodewig," Clarissa commed back, "We of the Schwarzer Hase Corps are always ready to assist in any situation."
"Also, I have made contact with the boy Lincoln Loud, and had my suspicions confirmed. He's been given a mission. He refuses to divulge its details."
"Ah, that will not be a problem. We are currently tracking the Silverio Gospel as we speak. It has recently been stolen from the Hawaii base, and is currently crossing into the USA mainland, so we suspect that Loud may be sent to intercept that IS. Detail of the Gospel are unknown, but it may prove too powerful for him to handle, as it has been classified as a 3.5 Generation type."
"I see," Laura nodded, "Can you touch base with our US contact to alert him?"
"At once, Commander," Clarissa hung up and turned to her subordinates, "Commander Bodewig has requested we go to the Michigan sewers to meet our contact."
The members of the Corps gasped,
"It's finally happening."
"Who among us will go?"
"I heard that the Gospel is more powerful than the Shirokishi-"
"Enough!" Clarissa ordered, "I will go and investigate this matter myself. I'm counting on all of you to provide the utmost support for the missions."
"Jawhol!" The members said.
Clarissa departed to her quarters to prepare for the flight to America.
"I don't understand," one of the members said, "Why can't Commander go there herself?"
"Because if she fails, then the enemy will not hesitate to finish her," another member responded, "Then who would be left to defend the rest of the world?"
Finally, the morning of departure. The class woke up earlier than usual to complete roll call.
"And that's everyone who's going on the class trip," Maya said, "Everyone from Class 1 has been accounted for."
"Good," Chifuyu walked to the front of the room, "Listen up! We're taking this class trip to fulfill a certain educational requirement. That doesn't mean that you can goof off and lollygag to your heart's content. The rules of boarding school will apply to the school outings, so everyone be on your best behavior."
"Yes, ma'am!" The class responded.
Lincoln looked down at his spiral as the rest of the class exited the room in single file. Everyone ignored his presence except Kiyoka.
"Sorry you couldn't come to ruin our fun," she said, "That's gotta be some bad luck."
"Just lay off him," Ichika said.
"I didn't say anything," Kiyoka dragged him out of the room.
When the class left the hallway, the line dissolved into a mess of eager trip goers who lost their patience to board the buses. Lincoln and Akina looked out the window to make sure that literally every student was out of the building.
"Is that everyone?" Lincoln asked.
"I got 160 for first year," Akina said, "170 for second year..."
Just then, Strong Suit and High Card sneak out from under his desk.
"I think it's safe to come out now," High Card peeked over the top surface.
"You think all the teachers are gone too?" Strong Suit asked.
"Nope," Lincoln startled them into clinging to the ceiling, "We just need to other students gone."
"Nineteen dumbs dub..." High Card said shakily, "Nice..." while Strong Suit was shaking on her back.
The door suddenly opened for Kim to enter, "So we're all-"
"YAAAAAAA!" High Card and Strong Sut flung themselves under the teacher's desk.
"The heck?" Akina giggled, "What's with you two?"
"We're on a secret mission!" High Card shouted, "We cannot be seen by literally everyone!"
"Not possible!" Strong Suit snapped, "Not only did Laura figure it out, but y'all blabbed to Hana!"
"She's a friend," Kim said, "We can't tell our friends about-"
Strong Suit suddenly patched herself onto Kim, "Laura's a friend, Kim's a friend, ONE OF THEM WILL BLAB AND THEN WORD'LL GET TO THE ENEMY AND THEN THEY WILL COME TO US AND STEAL OUR ONLY ADVANTAGE-" shake shake "-I AM DESPERATE FOR A CLEAN WIN HERE, PEOPLE!"
Lincoln picked her up by her jersey, "And you're not help things," while she kept swiping at him and yelling incoherent gibberish.
"Did you find a way out of here?" Akina asked.
"The entire school is clear of students," Kim said, "Once the buses leave, we can head back to the dorms."
"Great," High Card seethed, "More waiting..."
They were trapped in the classroom for another thirty minutes before the buses started to leave. When they made sure that the last bus was out of view-
-BAM!-
Strong Suit broke down the door with just her kick and ran out, "FREEDOM! FREEHEEHEEHEEHEEDOOOOOOOM!"
Lincoln, Akina, and High Card just poked their heads out.
"Do you see any stragglers?" Lincoln asked.
"My phone says no," High Card whispered, "but I don't buy it."
"You think they're hiding in the toilets?" Akina wondered.
Kim pushed them all out, "Get moving already," and lugged them to the dorms.
When they reached 1025, they all collapsed onto the beds.
"Ahhhhhhh..." Strong Suit rubbed her face against a soft fluffy pillow, "I love luxury death hotel rooms..."
"Ugh..." Lincoln groaned, "That was way more stressful than it needed to be..."
"Could you be even the slightest bit quieter, Suit?..." High Card wrapped herself in a blanket cocoon.
"And just how much noise were you making?!" Akina griped.
"Guys, focus," Kim regathered the group's attention, "We need to prepare to move to America."
"Wished you hadn't said that," Lincoln muttered while getting his bag.
"Oh yeah, forgot," Akina bopped her head, "We better go back to our rooms then..."
Akina and Kim had no trouble packing their bags because it was just a visit to another country for them. But for Lincoln, it was a heap tons more. To him, this was a revisit to the horrible circumstances that led him to the Academy in the first place, and an expedition of what it left behind. He was still going to complete his mission regardless, but he wasn't sure whether or not his family would be there to understand why he chose not to abandon the mission. He wondered whether they'll see it as an act of self sacrifice, or just Lincoln being Lincoln, or somewhere in between. If he completes this mission, will it be the start of another cycle?
"I don't know..." he said out loud.
"Aw, don't tell me you're getting cold feet now," Night Club suddenly materialized beside the bed.
"I just don't want to regret this," Lincoln said, "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they end up incorporating this into the family routine."
"I think you wouldn't be able to live if anyone got hurt," Night Club sat down, "I thought you didn't like to see anyone getting...you know..."
"I don't like to place myself in the middle of a war. I can't imagine it. Royal Woods and Hazeltuckey kept it contained in school events, but Margo's from Hazeltuckey. What if word gets out that she made with Phantom Task, and things go from bad to worse?"
"Hey, you've got the IS. Maybe you can try to talk it out?"
"Only if I could reason with those PT people. But knowing how they're able to steal an all-powerful godbot..." Lincoln put the final article in his bag and zipped it, "Chances are they won't accept anything other than a JOIN US, HEATHEN!"
"Haha, I'd hate to be put up against the wall for that," Night Club stood up and stretched, "Ahhhh...well if I can offer something of help," she tuned her guitar, "I'd say...do what you did for Laura. Invite Margo to a burger joint or arcade, or wherever. Just get her by herself, and then have a little chat with her."
"That's..." Lincoln pondered, "Yeah...by herself?"
"Yeah. Sometimes, isolation is what you need to let the music flow freely throughout your body. Can you imagine trying to write a song with some assholes talking over your head? Or worse, touching your every last nerve, saying everything you've already heard four seconds ago?"
"Good point..." Lincoln swung his bag around his shoulder, "Ok. I'll convince Kim and Akina to let me go at Margo alone."
"*SNICKER*...bruh..." Night Club held her laughter in, "...do you know how that sounds right now?..."
"Dude-" Lincoln pushed Night Club out the door, "Lay off the hidden jokes already!" The two joined Akina, Strong Suit, Kim, and High Card in the main lobby.
"So," Night Club waved, "Did those hotheads give you guys a hard time?"
"No," Kim answered, "High Card was actually very helpful in choosing the essentials." High Card gave her a snarky wink, indicating that there were several...hundred items that didn't make it into her bag.
"Strong Suit wasn't," Akina pointed to her backpack, "She confused our mission for a goddamn tour."
"What?" Strong Suit snapped, "We can't snap a few photos before fighting the Phantom?"
"No," Lincoln said, "We cannot be recognized by anyone. At all."
"Dangit..." Strong Suit slumped. And with that, the three sidekicks got signal to fizzle out of existence.
"So, now what?" Akina dropped her backpack with a THUD!
"We wait," Kim said.
"HAAAA?!" Akina freaked, "WHY WAIT?!"
"Because approximately 35 minutes from now, the teachers will do roll call on the students on the trip," Kim explained, "We cannot leave unless everyone has been accounted for. Therefore, if anyone is missing, they might be hiding here on campus."
"Bluagh..." Akina threw her hands up disgust, "Fine, fine!" and then plopped her back against the bench, "I guess we'll kill some time with a game or something!"
"I know a game," Lincoln, in a last ditch effort to alleviate some of the emotional pressure, suggested a...suggestive time killer, "What's the most gruesome way we can kill time?"
Kim suddenly took out a watch and- "COME HERE, YOU SELF-CENTERED ILLUSION-FLOWING BITCH!" -knifed the poor accessory to shreds and crushed the remains with her fist, panting in an exhausted rage.
Causing Lincoln and Akina to lose all color in their skin and eyes.
"Duh wuhhhhh?" Lincoln poi'd.
"Why?..." Akina shook her head.
Kim reverted to her usual demeanor, "I'm sorry, What was the question?" and made Lincoln and Akina keel over.
Meanwhile, the students of IS Academy finally made it to the Fuji winter resort, after the longest 100 minutes of driving Ichika had to sit through.
Ichika pushed past the overly excited girls and cracked his neck in an open space, "Ugh...that was gnarly..."
"I couldn't agree with you more..." Charlotte leaned against his back, "I had no idea I could puke like a man..."
Suddenly, Rin jumped on Ichika's back, "Found you, my trusty steed!"
"ACK-what are you?!" Ichika staggered, "Get off me!"
"Whoa there! The pond's thataway!"
"Rin, what is the matter with you?!" Cecilia nagged her.
"What's wrong with a little expedition into the unknown?" Rin joked.
"Surely, you're not going to keep him from the promise he made?" Cecilia raised her brow.
"Huh?..." but Rin lowered her head to meet Ichika's eyes, "Fess up, Romeo. What did you throw your promise into?"
"I was gonna show Cecilia and Houki around the mountain valley," Ichika said, "I don't see what the big deal-"
"Are you stupid or something?!" Rin nagged on him now, "You could remember that promise, but you could give nut up about a promise to a childhood friend?!"
"Rin, please!" Charlotte hoisted her off him, "Not in the presence of Miss Orimura..."
"Tch..." Rin relented, "I shoulda stayed behind. At least Lincoln isn't such a pushover."
Ichika and Houki heard those words and conjured a vastly different interpretation, "That's kinda...creepy..."
"Alrighty, then," Cecilia nudged Houki, prompting them to take Ichika's hands, "shall we be off?"
"Yes, let's visit the shrine first," Houki said, "I need to wash the driving trip away."
"Good idea," Ichika agreed, "I bet we all still feel sick..."
The rest of the students followed closely behind, observing Ichika's every movement and interaction with his group companions.
Laura joined Hana and Charlotte for their group, "I never understood why they keep following him as if he embodies the perfect male."
"Oh, it's all having to do with the naïveté," Charlotte thought, "They still want to know how he is able to harness great strength while maintaining a kind and pure heart...or so Hana suggests*POKE*POKE*"
"Well, it's what the others say about him," Hana just stared.
"Well, he maintains his true self and his desire to protect those around him," Laura said, "but other than that...I am not sure what standards they have for him."
"I think we'll do better walking and talking," Charlotte led her group onward, "Shall we visit the ski slopes?"
"Oh! I feel right at home on the skis," Hana piped.
Laura was feeling unsure about herself given the uncomfortable initial experience on the bicycle, "Thank goodnesses Loud isn't here to see this..."
Maya was speaking with the instructor-chaperones who had just finished roll call, "So, that's everyone who's supposed to be here?"
"Yes, Miss Yamada. Everyone from all three years has been accounted for."
"Good! I'll take this to Miss Orimura!" Maya accepted the teachers' clipboards, "Y'all go and try(?) to have fun." The teachers waved and ran to catch their students, at which point Maya ran back to the bus Chifuyu was assigned.
"Miss Yamada?" Chifuyu noticed, "What are you doing here?"
Maya peeked around her three times to make sure no one else was within hearing range. Then, she whispered in Chifuyu's ear, "I didn't mean anything, but I was going on her hand and then looked up at the end."
Chifuyu's eyes widened. That was it. The code phrase that she and Maya agreed upon. It meant that the teachers and chaperonea did a clean sweep of the campus and the buses, and confirmed that only the three students remained at the Academy.
"I forgot my phone in the bus," Chifuyu told her, "You watch the kids until I catch up."
"As you wish," Maya nodded and ran to her class, "THE HECK?!" which was a mile away from her, "Dangit..."
Chifuyu took a step forward and made sure that only she was left in the entrance. Then, she called Kim's cellphone.
"Oh!" Kim jolted upward after pushing Lincoln and Akina outside, "That could be her!"
"Ok, quiet on the set," Lincoln said while Akina clung to her backpack.
"Kim Ha-Jin?" Chifuyu spoke, "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am?" Kim answered.
"Where are you?"
"The Residence hall."
"Good," Chifuyu walked back to the bus and closed the door, making sure she was the only person in it. Then, she pretended to rummage through the seat trying to look for an imaginary thing. "The students have arrived at the base of Mount Fuji," Chifuyu whispered, "Operation Save the Lakes and Woods is a go. You have one week."
"Understood," Kim hung up.
"Well?" Lincoln asked, "Who was it?"
"It...it was Miss Orimura," Kim flatly stated, "We are a go for Operation Save the Lakes and Woods. Our mission begins now."
"Whoa..." Akina gasped, "So, this is it? We're going to a new country? Experience new happenings?"
"Yes," Kim picked up her bag, "but we must leave now. The next train's in half an hour."
"Oh..." Lincoln readied his duffel bag and followed Kim and Akina towards the entrance.
"So, let me get this straight," Akina said, "Our job is basically to make sure nothing happens to the field trip?"
"Quite," Kim nodded, "But we have a week to protect them, and the Thanksgiving holiday doesn't start until Wednesday. Who said we can't have a field trip all our own?" She turned behind her, "Right, Lincoln?"
"Huh?" Lincoln shook his head, "Oh, oh right...right...choose our own adventure..."
"You ok, man?" Akina noticed the shift in mood, "You look like you wanna bail out of this."
"No, it's...it's nothing really," he smiled, "Just a little mental preparation." So he said, but his mentality was not in the best shape. Given his plan, his targets, and the many implications that this mission could have on his home, friends, and family...
...he absolutely loathed where this was going.