Episode 1 - Stray Students


The tie was straightened.

The jacket patted down.

Ephraim idly traced the faint burn scars that circled around his neck, gingerly touching a thin tear that stopped shy of his right jawline. The skin there was a tad bit darker, indicative of the effect of the ice and fire that damaged his flesh. Dark, healed patches from the burn wounds, and unusually pale skin replaced the ones that were damaged by the sheer cold. It was...mildly unpleasant to look at, and it was why he wore collared clothes almost all the time.

He patted his left shoulder, fingers pressing down at a spot on his upper scapular region where a dead god left its mark on him...

But that was a story for another day.

"Lords below, I must look horrid." He muttered, finally clipping his gold sun-themed cufflinks together.

He was issued a special version of the school's uniform. In fact, all three of them were, at the behest of Tabane.

She wanted 'her' boys to be unique.

Instead of the jacket-pants combo of IS Academy, he was given something more formal and classy that he approved of. An actual proper school uniform that consisted of a three-piece suit: a suit jacket, a vest, a dress shirt, a tie, and slacks that were all colored in accordance with the dress code.

"Those scars of yours will probably add to your charm, now stop hogging the mirror."

With a roll of his royal purple eyes, Ephraim stepped aside to let his roommate do his own final checks.

Unlike the blonde's rather stiff and prim uniform, Ryo's was a bit more casual. As he pulled the zipper up half-way, the green-eyed student adjusted the strings of his dark hood. He wore a zipper-equipped version of the normal school top, and underneath that was a plain, dark, almost mahogany, red hoodie.

Ryo turned his head left and right, checking for any blemishes before he put on a pair of dark-rimmed glasses with fake lenses.

"...Why do you even need to wear those glasses?" Ephraim raised a brow beside him as he finally put on his gold chain choker. It covered the burns almost perfectly, with a few vestiges peeking out but were hidden by the luster and shine of the jewelry. The accessory itself had faint etchings of the sun and sky throughout it's whole length, and the blonde felt somewhat uneasy at all the symbolism.

"Who'd hit a guy who wears glasses?" Ryo answered him, as if it was a well-known fact.

Purple eyes stared at him with as much disappointment as the blonde could muster.


The hood was pulled up.

Gloved fists were brought together in an audible, and illogical, clang.

Davion's grin was bright, as he looked at himself in the mirror.

He was issued with the most freeing and engineering-focused uniform out of the three. A hooded dark grey work vest, grease and stain-proof, was over the white school-designed polo shirt. A similarly stark white pair of cargo pants hugged his legs in a tight fit, and were tucked into a pair of dark brown work boots.

Wrapped around his waist was a black utility belt, and just the belt alone. All its pouches and other gimmicks were still in the works by his 'adoptive mother'.

The grey-eyed teen popped the top button of his polo, and he rolled his arm, testing the flexibility of the somewhat fit shirt. As its sleeves stopped half-way to his bicep, it showed plenty of his steel-hard muscles.

"Alright, let's do this!"


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.

.


"This is..."

A hand loosened from clenching so hard, faint beads of sweat present on the pale skin.

"...way...way harder than I expected..."

The door hissed quietly as it slid open, and a green-haired woman stepped in with a bright smile.

"Congratulations for making it into this school. I'm your first year deputy homeroom teacher, Yamada Maya." She introduced herself cheerfully, looking over at the class who all seemed to be staring at someone in particular. Maya flinched as no one even paid any attention to her, her confidence taking a blow because of it.

"U-Um...starting today, you're all students of the IS Academy." She continued, thankfully keeping her nervousness out of her voice as she talked.

His jaw was tense, eyes fixed on his table as he feared that looking anywhere but there would spell his doom. Already, he could feel nearly a dozen dagger-like stared digging into his back. He had to reign in the rising urge to duck out and bolt, because if he did so where was he going to go anyway?

"As you know, this is a boarding school. You'll be together during and after classes, so let's help each other and make it a fun three years!"

His fist clenched again.

"W-Well, let's go for self-introductions! Er...let's go in numerical order..." The green-haired teacher looked down at her desk, at the built-in screen as she began to read off the list.

Brown eyes looked to his side, and met with blue.

"Houki." He whispered, barely audible as the stress choked his vocal chords.

The brown-haired swordswoman turned away without a second glance.

'You don't have to be so cold towards a childhood friend you've just been reunited with after six years!'

"Orimura-kun!"

'Does she hate me-?'

"Orimura Ichika!"

Jolting, he sat up straight, the snickering of the girls around him clearly audible. The holographic triangular marker on the left side of his desk slowly spun in its obvious glory, as if taunting him for his inattentiveness. "Y-Yes, here!" The boy instinctively spoke up, just barely resisting to raise his hand to accompany his response.

"Sorry for shouting." Maya clasped her hands together with an apologetic expression. "But we started with 'A' and now we're on 'O'. Could you introduce yourself?"

"Uh..."

Her smile faltered somewhat, gaining a sheepish edge to her smile, "Or do you not want to?"

"No no, I'll introduce myself." He responded with a small sigh. Standing up and clearing his throat, he straightened his back as he mustered all of his courage into one proud roar-

"I am Orimura Ichika. Nice to meet all of you."

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.

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-and immediately got tongue-tied, his mouth no longer able to speak past that as he felt the stares intensify. Taking wary glances over his shoulders, he could almost see the twinkling eyes of many of the girls. With a pleading glint in his eyes, he glanced at Houki, who only looked away with a quiet huff.

'No! If I stay silent here, everyone will think I'm emo!'

He took a deep breath...

Everyone watched him in anticipation...

"That's all!"

...only to facepalm in synchronized disappointment.

"W-What?" Ichika looked around in worry and embarrassment. "What it that bad-?

Bonk!

A fist slammed down on his skull and he crumpled to the ground holding his head. The boy hissed in pain, the force of the punch sending him to his knees. He had instinctively raised his hands to defend himself from any further attacks but after a second or two of nothing, he took a risk and glanced up.

"Ow...!" Pained brown looked up into stern mirrors, and his eyes widened in recognition. "Chifuyu-nee!"

Bonk!

"Call me Orimura-sensei at school." She huffed, giving an unreadable look at the whole class before Maya spoke up.

"Oh, is your meeting over, Sensei?"

Nodding, the elder Orimura glanced over to the doors. "Yes, Yamada-san. Sorry I had to make you welcome my class for me. I had to pick up the three along the way."

'What is...Chifuyu-nee doing here anyway? She only ever comes by once or twice a month and I barely have any idea what she does for a living..!' The younger brother stared at his sister in a mix of shock and disbelief. Everything was going by so fast that he couldn't even begin to catch up!

"The three..?" The green-haired teacher tilted her head before her eyes widened. With a snap of her fingers, she let out a quiet noise of realization. Clearing her throat, the meek teacher gestured over to Chifuyu. "Class, please listen carefully."

It didn't really take much to gain the absolute attention from all the girls, considering they all looked up to the former Mondo Grosso champion almost like she was a goddess walking among them. A few of them looked quite close to fainting, with cherry red faces and heaving chests.

"I am your homeroom teacher, Orimura Chifuyu." The suited woman introduced herself with a neutral frown. "My job is to make you all useful within a year."

Ichika grimaced somewhat at the blunt tone of his sister. Behind him, he could hear the commotion of the girls practically fangirling over the elder Orimura. He was close enough to hear her muttering as the girls continued their loud and obnoxious adoration.

"I'm amazed how this many idiots can come together. Did the school put all of them in my class?" Chifuyu pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Onee-sama!" One girl cried out.

"Scold us more!" Another pleaded.

"But be nice to us at times!" And a third clarified.

"Chifuyu-nee's my homeroom teacher?" Ichika started in disbelief, finally sitting back on his chair and ignoring the throbbing pain on the top of his head.

C-c-c-rack!

Chifuyu turned to him, popping her knuckles as he flinched in fear. "It's Orimura-sensei. So, you can't even manage a simple introduction?"

"A-Ah, Chifuyu-nee..." He tried thinking of an excuse but she merely pressed his face down on his table with enough force to buckle it.

"Call me Orimura-sensei!"

"Yes, Orimura-sensei..."

Behind him, he could hear a few girls gossiping. They didn't even bother to lower their voice!

"Orimura-kun is Chifuyu-sama's brother?"

"Then could that be part of the reason he's the only male in the world who can use an IS?"

"Be silent!" Chifuyu barked, a brow twitching in annoyance at all the murmuring and talking. "I'm not done yet! I still have three new problems that were dropped into my plate that need introducing."

Maya's smile turned a bit more apologetic behind her fellow teacher.

"Problems..?" Ichika wondered out loud as the sliding doors once again opened with a muted hiss.

Brown eyes widened as the rest of the class gasped loudly.

Three boys stepped in, all wearing a variant of the IS Academy uniform like he was.

"Introduce yourselves." Chifuyu crossed her arms as she looked at the class with a stern visage. The class itself was restless, almost blowing up in their reactions but buckling down due to their teacher's steely glare. It was understandable as to why they'd react that way, it was practically unheard of for boys to be in the IS Academy, especially four of them now.

The first that entered brought his right hand over his heart, the left folding at his back as he did a formal bow.

"Sahaku Ephraim, age 18. Please, call me by my surname until we've gotten to know each other better. It is a pleasure to meet all of you ladies." He straightened, royal purple eyes momentarily locking on to the surprised blue of a familiar blonde before he swept his gaze across the class.

Ichika shuddered at the rather intense and piercing gleam in those purple eyes, especially when they locked with his for a brief moment. And in that brief moment, those same purple eyes took on a more disdainful light as the blonde tilted his head upwards ever so slightly to look down on him. In the next second, it was gone, as if it was never there in the first place.

"I hope we can all cooperate and support each other in the years to come. No one benefits from being alone, and to do so is simply foolish." He finished, folding both arms behind him this time as a welcoming smile graced his lips. A few of the girls made noises of realization as they recognized him from a popular Maid and Butler café in Shibuya.

Cecilia Alcott could not help but gape a little. The waiter that served her that, admittedly delicious, tea and cake was here in the IS Academy?!

'How?!' She quietly seethed.

The second boy that came in stepped forward, giving a friendly smile to all of them. He tucked a hand into his jacket pocket and gave a two fingered salute with the other.

"Murakumo Ryo, 17 years old. You can call me Ryo and don't mind my stiff friend here, he's just nervous." Green eyes behind his glasses glinted as chuckled good-naturedly. With an easy-going expression his face, the jovial nature of the boy was somewhat infectious as a fair few of the class returned his smile with one of their own. "I do deliveries for a living, and moved between companies a lot. So you could say I've been all over the world. I even recognize a bunch you, nice to meet you again!"

Some of the girls behind the younger Orimura murmured, recognizing the boy for his striking green eyes and his striking dulcet voice. He himself remembered that poor delivery boy his sister had spooked those months ago, if only because the situation was comical enough to stay in his memories.

"Uh..."

And all eyes went to the last boy, who minutely flinched at the pointed stares being directed to him. Or more specifically, at his exposed muscles.

"Guele Davion, I'm 16. You can call me Davion." Grey-eyes crinkled as he gave out an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his dark and tousled hair. "Um...I like making models from model kits and customizing them. Single and not ready to mingle but I'm waiting for the one-"

"Huh?" Ephraim looked over to the teen with raised brows.

"Dude-!" Ryo elbowed his friend, who realized that he was beginning to ramble.

"Oh! Uh, I'm a mechanic!" Davion stated a bit too loudly, grimacing afterwards as he gave off another awkward laugh. "I like making things so if you need anything custom made, I'll take a shot at it!" He brought his fist to his chest, clenched and unwittingly letting his biceps flex.

Ichika felt a small pang of envy at the musculature of the grey-eyed teen.

One girl had a nosebleed.

The rest either squealed, screamed, or yelled as the three finished their introductions.

Chifuyu sighed, shaking her head with an undecipherable mutter. "And that's how you make an introduction. Take note of it, Orimura."

"Y-Yes..."

"U-Um," One brave girl raised her hand, standing up when Maya nodded at her. "Why are there three more boys, Ma'am? Can they also pilot the IS?"

"No." The elder Orimura bluntly stated, to which the class gaped at the near-instant response. "But they are pilots." She turned to the three and nodded at them. "Look closely at their attire. What is the one unifying feature aside from it being the IS Academy uniform?"

Ichika squinted his eyes as he looked between the three of them.

Houki gasped quietly as she spotted the 'feature' but kept silent about it.

"A white...rabbit?" The younger Orimura observed, tilting his head at the rather curious emblem.

It was a tie clip on Sahaku, a patch on the left pectoral pocket of Murakumo's jacket, and the belt buckle of Guele.

"Correct." Chifuyu nodded, closing her eyes as she did. "Finally, you use that brain of yours."

He slumped.

"That white rabbit symbolizes them as being under The Professor." His sister continued, ignoring the audible gasps and noises of shock.

"They are the test pilots of her newest project, having been put through a strict training regiment just so they would be able to handle the gear. The three were entrusted with the prototypes after strenuous screening, then proving themselves capable as, before coming here, the suits were stolen by an insurgent group." She gestured to the aforementioned pilots, who stood straighter at the attention. "The trio went after them and recovered the suits with little to no injury. The Professor decided that the safest place to let them explore and test the suits further would be the IS Academy, and sponsored their enrollment before disappearing as she usually does."

Houki narrowed her eyes on the three boys.

"But this won't mean that they'll do nothing." She gave a brief glare to the new arrivals. "They will train alongside you, they will suffer alongside you, and they will do all of that alongside their own duties."

"Their own duties?" Ichika tilted his head in confusion.

"As they do not pilot the Infinite Stratos, they are somewhat exempt from certain classes. The school board has decided to give them the positions of assistants to both teachers and students in exchange for their absence. Feel free to approach them if they aren't occupied with faculty duties." Chifuyu huffed as the three new arrivals frowned minutely.

Sighing, Ephraim stepped forward and placed a hand over his heart. "I am assigned as Orimura-sensei's teaching assistant and as a sparring class dummy. If I am not preoccupied with being her secretary, I shall be available as a sparring partner or as an instructor. Please do not hesitate when approaching me about improving yourself. 'Hesitation is defeat.' as one of my instructors had taught me." He gave them a vague smirk after his last sentence, one briefly shared by the green-eyed boy beside him.

Ryo chuckled as he retrieved the rather decorated pen in his jacket pocket and spun it around his fingers. "I'm assigned as a delivery boy for both students and teachers. I won't open, look into, or question what package you have, don't worry." He waved his hand reassuringly, that bright grin still present on his face. "I've been in 'the business' for almost my whole life, I have a code concerning deliveries."

"And I'm an assistant mechanic in both the Engineering Bay and the Arena Launch Bays. I'll fix up your IS as best I can!" He grinned before rubbing the back of his neck as the grin quickly shrank into an awkward smile. "Uh, after I read a few manuals first. Working on an IS is different from working on our suits."

"So there you have it." Chifuyu nodded in apparent approval before she turned to the class. "To begin the shool year, I'll have all of you memorize the basics of the IS in six months."

The whole class sat up rigidly straight, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Practical training comes after that, but learn the basic maneuvers in half a month, understand? Answer if you do, answer even if you don't."

"Yes!" The class chorused, while the three at the front glanced at her in slight exasperation.

Maya smiled as she brought out a long lecturing stick. "Let's work hard for the next three years!" She then turned to the three boys still standing at the front, "Oh, uh, and please go sit down at any of the vacant tables."

They gave their thanks as they went to their chosen seats.

Ephraim sat to the right of one Cecilia Alcott, who stared daggers into the side of his head. The taller blonde merely sent her a polite smile before facing forward and paying attention to class.

Ryo chose to sit at a table by the far right of the classroom, pressed up against the polarized window. He was still spinning that pen of his as he looked down at his desk, idly touching and testing the software of the built-in computer with his other hand.

Davion sat at the back of the class, somewhat between his two friends. He shrunk slightly from all the attention to him, leaning forwards on his desk and propping his head up on his hand. Said hand was used to cover the lower half of his face, and in doing so, caused the grey-eyed student to relax ever so slightly.

Ichika slumped as he realized the implications of learning under his hellish sister.

'My former world champion of a sister is my teacher? Oh, there's nothing but agony waiting for me...'


Cecilia eyed her new classmates with no small amount of suspicion and disdain.

'Honestly, a bunch of no-name boys being chosen by the world-renowned Professor to test her new technology? She should have at least chosen far more famous and capable men as test pilots! Or even better, she could have chosen women rather than those weak-willed males!'

Her ocean blue eyes watched as the older blonde use a notepad and pen of all things to write down the course syllabus when there was a perfectly serviceable computer right in front of him!

"And finally, we shall expound upon the-"

Ring!

"Oh!" Maya blinked as both she and Chifuyu glanced at the door. "It seems that it's break time. Please return within 10 minutes or you will be marked tardy!" She gave them a wave before she followed her superior out the door, leaving the students alone so they could enjoy the small break.

The window Ryo was next to cleared up, revealing a swarm of girls looking into the classroom excitedly. He looked to his right and visibly jumped in his seat, his pen flying in the air. Standing up, he caught it and walked over to Davion quickly, muttering indecipherable words as he did so.

"He's here! The only—huh?!"

The grey-eyed teen himself was reading the physical IS Manual at his table, brows furrowed as he blurred through the pages. There was that hungry gleam in his eyes as his mind memorized the mechanical details and intricacies of maintaining an IS. He returned Ryo's greeting half-heartedly, too engrossed in the figures and numbers in the book. Knowledge was power, to the mechanic, and he guarded his own selfishly.

"Wait, why do they get four boys?!"

"I haven't heard of those other three, who are they?"

"Apparently, they are the test pilots for the Professor's new tech!"

"What?!"

"There's the one who moved an IS during his entrance exam!"

"So he did come to this school..."

Ichika slumped on his table, his own anxiety preventing him from trying to get up and start a conversation with the three other boys who were in the same situation as him.

The Alcott Heiress huffed as her classmates whispered and gossiped amongst themselves. They gravitated to the left side of the room while the rest went out, having to squeeze past the crowd gathering at the doors. Obviously, the topic of their talks were the 4 boys in the classroom who were doing an admirable job not buckling underneath all the pressure.

Ephraim closed his notepad and stored it within an inner pocket in his suit jacket. Looking up, he spotted Houki approaching Ichika, though she sent him a wary glance along the way.

'Why would she-? Oh, right. Her sister.'

He didn't really know why the younger Shinonono disliked her older sister. Perhaps she also saw her as a dangerous individual? He wouldn't know, nor would he honestly wish to know. As long as she too harbored negative feelings for the mad rabbit, she was cool in his book.

Though with them being under Tabane's sponsorship, they were being treated with caution by the swordswoman.

Standing up, he turned around so he could group up with his friends, but the ocean blue eyes seemed to simply grab his attention with the way they were glaring at him. A small part of him scoffed at the vehemence, as they paled in comparison to what he and his friends had encountered. It was adorable, if he was to be honest. Akin to a lion trying to intimidate a dragon.

He gave her a genial smile, bowing the same way during his introduction. "Lady Alcott." He acknowledged her in a respectful tone, fully adopting the gentleman mask that he planned to wear throughout the schoolyear.

"Hmph." She turned her nose up at him as he straightened, though it was awkward given that he towered over her and she was sitting down. "The scarred waiter back in London, at Café Parissiane. Of all the people the Professor could choose, why you?"

"If I may be completely honest," He lied with a smile, something that he was quite proficient in. "I wouldn't know. The inner machinations of her mind are ever enigmas to outsiders like me."

'Oh, I can feel the cosmic funny bone being tickled with that.'

"And why boys for that matter?" She continued, a disdainful sneer starting to form on her lips. "She could have chosen far more appropriate candidates."

His lips twitched as his royal purple eyes gained a dangerous glint, though it was either unnoticed or ignored by the Brit. "And I assume that you are talking about"

"Women, of course!"

His brow twitched this time, her words and demeanor chipping away at his patience. A patience that has been growing shorter and shorter the longer he stayed in this illogical world. "Again, I would not know. Perhaps she chose us on a whim. Perhaps she chose us on purpose. No one truly knows what she'll do next." Once more, he lied, though his words did hold a modicum of truth.

Tabane could very well unleash Excalibur next week for all he knew.

"Hey, Ephraim."

The two looked over to see Ryo walked towards them, the pen once more spinning in his hand. "You read the syllabus yet?"

"Ahem." Cecilia frowned at the interruption.

"Oh." Green met with Purple and the former chuckled lightly. "Forgive me, where are my manners. Murakumo Ryo, pleasure to meet you miss..." He then froze, realizing that his mouth automatically went on delivery-boy mode.

Ephraim's eyes widened minutely.

"What?!" The blonde girl nearly shrieked as she started to rise up in righteous fury. "Do you not know who I am?! I am-!"

"She is Lady Cecilia Alcott," Ephraim smoothly intervened, physically stepping somewhat between the two. "Head of the Alcott Family, one of the more prestigious Houses in the UK, as well as a British IS Representative Candidate. She defeated her instructor and had high scores in her aptitude test." He was glad that he had his back to the younger blonde, as his jaw was tense as he all but glared at Ryo's slip-up.

"The top scorer of the entrance exam as well." She growled before she recomposed herself, the haughty air returning as she sniffed and turned her nose up and away from the two of them. "Hmph, at least one of you know of your betters."

A vein visibly throbbed on Ephraim's temple.

Ryo's smile grew strained.

"Ah, yes...well, pleasure to meet you." He muttered before turning back to his friend. "Anyway, you saw the syllabus right?"

"I had it written down." The purple-eyed blonde pulled out his notepad, waving it slightly. "The one Yamada-sensei and Orimura-sensei showed to the class is clearly different from ours. It's a general student version, but since we're...special," The blonde nearly spat out the word with a brief grimace, "we most likely have a different set."

Cecilia glanced back at them from the corner of her eyes, watching and listening as the two talked about their 'duties' as student assistants.

'Pah! As if I'll ever need their help!'

She narrowed her eyes as Ephraim reached into an inner pocket and...

Pull out a lollipop.

She blinked.

He unwrapped it, revealing a pink candy shell before plopping it in his mouth.

"...You really need to rein in that strawberry addiction you have, man." Ryo sighed as he stopped spinning his pen, placing it back inside the right front pocket.

"It's not an addiction when it's healthy." Ephraim shrugged, flipping through his notepad idly.

"Candy and ice cream are hardly healthy."

"Says the man who always needs a cup of my coffee every morning and occasionally at night." The older teen smirked, smugness radiating from him

"I..." Ryo looked at him in what was almost akin to betrayal. "Shut up."

Ring!

"That was fast...So what's Davion been doing back there?" The blonde muttered before gesturing to the back of the class, where the grey-eyed teen was using the computer to write down notes from the book. His other hand was flipping through said book, careful to not be too forceful or else the pages might tear.

"Reading." The glasses-clad Astray pilot shrugged, already used to the antics of the mechanic.

Cecilia stole a glance at the last boy, somewhat respecting the drive he had while writing. While she may have looked at them as undeserving of being in the IS Academy, someone as scholarly as he was still admirable in any academic setting.

"Of course he is, that gearhead." Ephraim sighed as he looked over his shoulder to see Maya come back in with Chifuyu. "Let's get ready for class."


"Okay, does anyone have any questions so far?"

Ichika looked down at the thick textbook with wide, unbelieving eyes.

'What do 'Active whatever' and 'Wide-Range whatever' even mean?! Do I have to memorize all of this?'

"Do you have any questions, Orimura-kun?"

He looked up at Maya's gentle smile, his heart pounding nervously in his chest. "Um..."

"If you do, ask away. After all, I'm your teacher." She smiled, and he spared at glance at his sister, who merely stared at him with piercing eyes.

Gulping, he slowly raised a hand. "Sensei..."

"Yes, Orimura-kun?"

"...I have no idea what anything in this book says."

Ephraim had to stifle a snort, thankfully keeping the smile from curling any further.

"Eh? Perhaps I was going too fast?" Maya mumbled to herself and she looked up and around the class. "How many people are having trouble at this point?"

The rest of the class was silent, having been following the flow of the lesson quite easily. They've been studying the same subject for years, training in the IS and learning more and more in the hopes that they would soar high in their desired field.

Ryo glanced down at his scattered notes, at all the terms he placed a question mark next to. He wasn't as versed in mechanical lingo as Davion or Ephraim, and the first lesson was highly technical to the point that it was less orientation and more IT-speak. So he did what any normal person would do in a situation such as this.

The green-eyed courier smiled innocently at his teacher.

Davion frowned at his seat at the back of the class, the hand holding the stylus stopping its writing in the lull of the lesson. Lessons such as this were his bread and butter! All the lingo and terms were easily understood, and his mind was firing all pistons in connecting them to various other topics that he read in the manual.

'It was just getting to the good part!'

"Orimura," Chifuyu spoke up, stepping closer to Ichika as she fixed him a stern glare. "Did you read the reference manual before school started?"

Ryo's eyes gleamed as his fake smile became a bit more genuine.

He delivered that!

"Um...Oh, that thick book?" There was bubbling panic in Ichika's voice, most likely due to the close proximity of his sister.

"Yes. It was assigned reading, remember?" The elder Orimura narrowed her eyes, her grip on the clipboard at hand automatically.

"Y-Yeah, but I accidentally threw it away—"

Smack!

Davion's eyebrows shot up as Chifuyu bashed her clipboard against her brother's head. The blonde Neo-Type's brows also rose, but not as high as the mechanic's. He knew that this was par for the course in any familial relationship in anime. But still, to see it first-hand rather than through a screen was...well, somewhat cathartic to him really. The sheer idiocy of the protagonist was absolutely infuriating.

"I'll get you another one, so cram it within a week, alright?" The elder Orimura huffed, turning her back so she could return to her spot at the front.

Ichika rubbed the side of his head. "But memorizing a thick book within a week is a little..."

Chifuyu turned her head, looking at him from the corner of her eye. It held a dangerous gleam as she all but glared down at her younger brother. "I'm not asking."

'Sheeeesh...' Ephraim lightly tugged at his collar, feeling a tad bit heated at the sight of her glower.

The IS pilot flinched and then slumped, knowing that he could never with this fight. "Y-Yes...ma'am."

"We'll now resume class." Maya cleared her throat, looking rather sheepish at what just happened. "Please turn to page twelve of your textbook."

Cecilia Alcott stared hard into the back of the younger Orimura's head. Eyes narrowing ever so slightly, she frowned in disapproval before focusing back on the lesson at hand.


Another lesson came and went, and the three boys soon tapped into an old routine they haven't had the need to dip into ever since they got snatched by their boss.

Being students.

They honestly could not accurately recall the last time they've sat in a classroom, much less be back in what was essentially Senior High. Vague memories of times they spent with people who had blurred faces rose to the surface of their mind, but other than that, the feeling of being in a classroom was practically foreign to them.

Looking around, the tall blonde noted the clear indecision and wariness in the body language of the girls that stared at them. It was something that irked him greatly, if he were to be honest. Have the girls in this school never seen a guy in the flesh before? Or was it anime logic striking once again?

Blonde drills passed by in the corner of his eyes and he turned his head to see Cecilia walking towards Ichika. Ephraim prepared for the inevitable conflict, a hand half-clenching.

Ryo did a double-take as he walked by, sharing a wary glance with the blonde before he continued his way to the front door. Turning his head, he raised a hand to get their attention. "What drinks do you guys want me to get?"

"Gimme a bottle of Milk Tea." Davion called out, though it was thankfully at a reasonable level amidst all the noise of recess. The IS Manual was closed beside him, having been told off by Maya to pay attention to the lesson. Which he was...sort of.

"PhD Pepper, if there are any left." The blonde requested, watching the incoming trainwreck before him.


"May I have a moment?"

Bored out of his mind, Ichika sluggishly turned his head and stared up into ocean blue. "Yeah?"

The blonde visibly recoiled, genuinely put off-balance by his almost dead tone. "My! What sort of response is that?!"

Almost immediately, all remaining students in the class turned their sights on them. Behind the two, Ephraim and Davion watched with barely restrained smirks on their faces.

"You should be honored that I am speaking to you, so you could at least respond in an appropriate manner." She huffed, placing a hand on her hip as she raised her nose up at him.

"Sorry." Ichika gave her an apologetic smile. "But I don't know who you are."

Gasping as if she was struck, the noblewoman quickly recomposed herself and brought her hand down on his table.

Slam!

"You don't know me?!" The Alcott Family Head squawked. "You don't know who Cecilia Alcott is?!" She then gestured over to Ephraim who was lazily flipping through his notepad, the stick of a lollipop between his lips moving about as he glanced up at her. "Even he, back when he was a waiter, knew of me!"

The taller blonde grimaced as a few heads turned to him in disbelief.

"I am the IS Representative Candidate of England and the top scorer in the Entrance Exam!" She seethed and before she could continue her tirade, Ichika raised his hand. The action was enough to give her pause, if only due to its rather brazen display.

"Hold on...May I ask a question?"

Cecilia smirked, huffing to herself as she turned away and checked her nails. "It's a noble's duty to answer a member of the lower class' question. Go ahead, ask your question."

"...What's an IS Representative Candidate?"

Crunch!

Everyone turned in shock at the loud sound coming from Ephraim. His eyes were wide as he cleared his throat, pulling the now candy-less lollipop stick from between his lips. Waving them off, he swallowed the remaining pieces of candy. "Sorry, do carry on."

Cecilia stared at him for a few more seconds before she rounded back to Ichika, her expression quickly regaining its previous insulted glower. "U-Unbelievable!" She cried in dismay, fanning herself as she took a few steps away from the male IS pilot.

"Are all Japanese males lacking in knowledge to this extent?!"

Davion frowned from his seat at the back, tented fingers hiding the lower half of his face as he leaned on his desk. What he was hearing right now was just plain racism, no going around it. Hell, he felt insulted on behalf of Ichika and he wasn't even Japanese!

"It's common knowledge. Common. Knowledge." She shook her head, as if pitying the boy, and crossed her arms. The noblewoman couldn't believe her ears! What did he do before being enrolled here, live under a rock? At least the other boys in the class had some modicum of knowledge, and they weren't even IS pilots in the first place.

"Hey, if you're so knowledgeable then what is an IS Representative Candidate?" Ichika challenged and the mechanic had to restrain himself from facepalming.

'There's no way Ichika is this god damn clueless...'

There was no way..!

Cecilia's eyes gleamed, a haughty smirk playing on her lips as she puffed her chest out proudly. "An elite candidate chosen to be the IS pilot representing her nation! Can't you guess from that term?"

"Come to think of it, you're right."

"Yes, I am an elite candidate." The noblewoman humbly praised herself, "Setting aside everything else, it's a miracle to even be a classmate of mine. It's a blessing! Could you understand that reality a little bit more?!" She then frowned down at the boy, who...wasn't all that awed as she hoped he would be.

"...Okay, wow, I'm lucky."

"Are you mocking me?" Cecilia stared at Ichika with furrowed brows, hers hands on her hips.

"You told me I'm blessed." He shrugged nonchalantly.

With a huff, the noblewoman began to pace around him. "Setting that aside, I'm amazed you were allowed into this school when you know nothing." She harrumphed, once more sending a disdainful look down at the seated boy. "I heard that you're the only male able to pilot an IS, but what an utter disappointment."

Ichika looked to the side with a self-deprecating frown. "I can't handle high expectations."

'It's one thing seeing it through a screen, but fucking hell, what is this high school dra...fuck.' Behind them, the blonde boy pinched the bridge of his nose at the irony in his thoughts. They were in a high school, and this was actually real drama unfolding before him.

"But since I'm exceptional, I'll be nice to people such as you." She walked around him, nose high as she continued to crow and preen. "If you have things you don't understand, I would teach you if you tearfully beg."

"Um..." He glanced back at Ephraim and Davion, the former still pinching his nose while the latter's expression was hidden by his tented fingers. "Aren't they...y'know, here to help if any of us had trouble with academics?"

"That is besides the point." She sent a look towards the two test pilots, who didn't even react to her provocation. This only made her all the more indignant, especially when the mechanic narrowed his eyes at her. "After all, I am the elite among elites for being the only one to defeat the drill instructor during the exam."

"Big whoop."

All eyes turned to the entrance at the new arrival of the conversation. Ryo stood there with three cans in his hands and without looking, he tossed two of them over to his friends. The cold metal flew through the air and into the waiting hands of the other two. Ephraim actually straightened from his hunched position, looking aggravated at the situation before him. He took a deep, calming breath before he pulled out a lollipop from an inner pocket of his suit jacket.

"So you beat an instructor? So did we." The glasses did nothing to hide the disapproving glare of the green-eyed courier. "And in case you didn't listen to Orimura-sensei earlier, we fought against insurgents on foot, participated in a real battle with bullets flying everywhere, recovered the gear, and then got out of there before things could get ever worse."

"A paltry rabble is what you faced!" Cecilia scowled, denying and almost decrying their words as truth.

Ephraim raised a brow, the lollipop stick between his lips moving about. "You would call an insurgent group that managed to steal from the Professor a 'paltry rabble'?"

Ding!

The blonde girl looked over and gave a glare at each of them. "We'll speak more later! Hmph!" With those parting words, she left the room for whatever she needed to do as the bell continued to ring. The class talked in hushed tones, sending wary glances at the four boys as their expressions displayed the clear displeasure of facing someone like Cecilia Alcott.

"Tch." Ryo scowled as he opened his can of coffee, taking a long sip to calm his anger. "Didn't expect her to be that self-centered."

"Um...thanks guys..." Ichika turned to them with a grateful, albeit nervous, smile.

"Don't mention it. Ever." The suit wearing test pilot waved it off, purple eyes locked in a glare at the open door in case the British woman decided to come back for more words. His finger pulled the tab to his can and with a loud hiss—

Pffshhh!

The rest of the class turned to Ephraim, whose face and shoulders were dripping with soda. The tall blonde took a deep breath as the lollipop stick between his lips visibly trembled. His suit jacket was ruined, with the dark liquid seeping into the fabric of its upper torso. That same liquid dripped from his hair and cheeks, somewhat mimicking blood with how the hellish glower in those royal purples painted him in a diabolical light.

C-c-crunch!

"...Ryo..!" He snarled, the candy in his mouth shattering from his clenched teeth. It was one thing to spray soda all over his face but it was a whole different ballgame when it was his suit that got dirty because of it.

'This humiliation..!'

"...Yeah?" The courier tried to act nonchalant, but he knew of his friend's propensity for looking good in formal attire. He had witnessed the blonde both verbally and physically tear into a couple of would-be muggers that stained one of his suits back when they travelled the whole of the US.

"Why...did you throw the can my way..?"

"Uh..."

Davion snickered as he drank his milk tea, enjoying a more light-hearted show as a follow-up to the drama and idiocy that just ended. Ichika, however, watched with wide eyes as the tall blonde rose from his seat, and everyone suddenly remembered the fact that he towered over them. A few of the girls took a step back, feeling the palpable rage and affront surrounding the stained test pilot.

"It was...in the heat of the moment?"

Royal purple gleamed as he set the can down with deceptive gentleness. "I'm revoking your coffee rights for a week."

Ryo gasped, his face set in an expression of genuine betrayal.

"Now that's just uncalled for!"


Much later...

"Alright, since it's the first day, you are all dismissed early." Maya smiled as she looked at the clock on her desk's screen. "But do remember to read up on the assigned texts!"

The class chorused an acknowledgement.

"And Sahaku..." Chifuyu sighed, her face one of displeasure. "You better clean up that jacket because I'll need you to come with me to my office. I won't have it stink of soda while I explain what you'll do in further detail."

Ryo had to stifle a snicker when Ephraim sent him an affronted glare. The blonde had removed his suit jacket, having draped it over the back of his chair, leaving him in his dress shirt and tie. Thankfully, the soda didn't seep through or else that would have ruined his day even further. The Neo-Type sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, bowing slightly to her words.

"Yes, ma'am."

Behind him, several girls stared with reddened cheeks. A fair few of them kept on taking glances at his build, having noticed the slim fit cut of the dress shirt. He was well aware of this, anticipated it even, which was why he wore formal-styled clothing that hid plenty but showed just enough to tease. There was nothing like flaunting what you got to boost one's ego, and Ephraim knew that he and his friends definitely had it.

All of three of them had bodies that surpassed the human limit, a result of the Neo-Type Project's genetic tampering and grueling physical training. This was more prevalent with Ephraim, as he was raised to be a 'perfect' combatant and had undergone even more rigorous training. His body was built for war, and it reflected in the tight muscles and his very athletic build. Thankfully it was not bodybuilder-like, as that would have made trying to fit in difficult.

Waking up with that kind of body was jarring, as he wasn't that built prior to this world.

Or at least, he believes he wasn't...

Dimension hopping screwed with memories sometimes, and his memory wasn't that great to begin with.

Aside from the build difference, there was also a clear change in his aesthetics. His hair seemed to have darkened from its sandy blonde to a dirty blonde, which he styled in its usual formal-informal look. Previously icy blue eyes had turned into a rich royal purple, and there was a sharpness in his features that was foreign to what he usually had. The scars were there when he woke up, as they were etched into his『Identity』and couldn't be removed no matter how hard one would try.

That was not to mention the age-regression.

"Try to stay out of trouble." The dark-haired teacher sent a stern look at him and then at her younger brother who flinched. "All of you."

With those parting words, she and Maya left the classroom, leaving the students to pack up and talk amongst themselves.

"You're not getting any beans for a week, Ryo." The blonde huffed, standing up and taking his suit jacket. He made sure to fold it properly, though this just made the soda-stained parts all the more noticeable. "Also can you take this to our dorm? You know how I like my clothes washed."

"I can always get coffee from the vending machines." The courier snarked as he also stood up, walking over and taking the stained article of clothing.

"Sahaku!"

"Yeah, but they aren't fresh brew." The tall blonde grinned smugly as he fast-walked out, giving a single wave over his shoulder as his goodbye. He passed by Ichika, who raised a hand to greet him, and gave him a polite smile before outright ignoring him as he went on his way.

"Coming, Orimura-sensei!"

"...Eh?" The dumbfounded boy could only let out, a tad bit too stunned at the cold shoulder treatment. So much so that he didn't notice Houki walk past him, opting instead to stare at his hands as if they did something wrong. "Did I...did I do something wrong?"

Ryo frowned as he looked down at the suit jacket, tuning out the mumbling of the male IS pilot as he stewed in his own thoughts.

'...Okay, maybe it was kinda my fault.'

"Yo, I'm heading over to the Engineering Bay." Davion tapped his shoulder, surprising his friend as he hadn't noticed him get close. "Wanna come with me to the hangar? I'm almost through with the requisition papers for all the material and machines. Just have a few more things that need signing and all..."

The days prior was spent cleaning up the spare hangar, which was a bit of a hassle given that it hadn't been cleaned for nearly 5 years. Alongside cleaning up, he also put in the requisition forms for the manufacturing machines and materials needed for whatever projects and improvements he would have concerning the Astrays. Tabane had left him alone in this endeavor, stating that he 'needed to learn how crummy the bureaucracy and red-tape was'.

As if he didn't know that already.

"Can't, I have to clean this up." The green-eyed teen grumbled as he folded it over his arm. "The one time I try to look cool in this school and I mess it up..."

"Oh, right." Davion sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Was hoping you'd know a thing or two about req' papers since...y'know, you being a courier and all."

"I'm a courier, not a manager. Never was and never will." Ryo chuckled and then glanced out the window at the setting sun. "Also, curfew is at 9 PM."

The mechanic looked at him as if he was stupid.

...

"...Riiiight, you live in the hangar."

A few of the eavesdropping girls whispered amongst themselves, unaware that the two boys can easily hear every word they say.

"The hangar? So he lives in one of those stuffy things?"

"It's actually not that stuffy in there, it's totally a perfect place to take a catnap in."

"So you admit to sleeping in that dirty place?"

"Don't knock it until you try it."

Glancing at each other, the two Neo-Types began to walk out of the room.

"I'll head over to the 'Bay then, finish setting up the tables and finally decorate my room." Davion stretched his arms up as they went, tensing the rock-hard muscles in full view of the female student body.

Ryo gave him the stink-eye, one that turned into a small glare when the mechanic gave him a knowing smirk.

'This sunnuva-!'

"Well, I'll be going on ahead." Davion turned and began to leave, that same smirk still on his lips. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah yeah, you showoff..."


"Sorry, little sister. I'm going to be a bit busy with a meeting concerning...a few recent developments."

"Ah...I...I understand. Can you...still pass on that message to the government though? A-About my IS?"

Tatenashi withheld a wince as she smiled at her younger sister. "I'll be sure to do that. Now, I must be off."

"Good luck, sister." Kanzashi smiled as the two separated.

Sighing to herself, the younger Sarashiki walked to the Engineering Bay, her mood soured at the lack of a personal IS. The school had given her an Uchigane to use for future matches, but still!

She was a Representative Candidate of Japan! If the British Representative Candidate already had her personal IS, where was hers?!

As she walked down the hallway, she was immediately met with a crowd of girls. They whispered and pointed, speaking in hushed tones as if going any louder was going to bring attention to them. As if bunching up wasn't noticeable enough already.

"Huh?" She blinked as she looked at all the wide-eyed stares of the mechanics that were directed further inside. "Hey, what's going on?"

"What's a guy doing here?"

"I heard that he was a test pilot of some sort."

"Of an IS? Is he this Ichika person?"

"No, I heard from a friend in Class 1 that he's a test pilot directly under the Professor!"

'A boy? Here? A test pilot at that?' Kanzashi looked around for a gap to see what had transfixed the rest of the Bay. She hopped and peered, cursing her short height as her annoyance began to bubble.

"What's he doing?"

"He's uh...carrying a table."

"Hot damn, that thing probably weighs more than me..."

"Excuse me!" She crossed her arms, mustering every ounce of courage she had. The bluenette's newfound confidence was backed by annoyance, her foot tapping the floor as she glared at the bunched up crowd. "I'm trying to get to my IS, so if you all would please stop blocking the way, that would be much appreciated!"

"...Maiko?"

Her heart skipped a beat when her ears registered the masculine tone.

She knew that voice.

The crowd panicked somewhat but they made way for the blue haired girl. This also had the effect of letting her see a very familiar face. Grey eyes lit up in recognition and joy when they locked with her rubies, and she took that brief moment to look him over. He was wearing what seemed to be the school uniform but with a very mechanic-like twist to it. With one arm, he carried with him a large all-metal workshop table with relative ease.

Davion's dark, tousled hair only furthered the nonchalant aura he had around him. He lacked the bandages that he normally wore around his lower arm, and it revealed the dips of scarred skin born from scraps and fights. A gloved hand gripped the edge of the table, hefting it nearly a foot off the ground with little strain.

If she was more honest with herself, seeing that kind of strength was kind of intimidating.

"A-Ah...Guele-san..." She stuttered, her confidence now crumbling over all the attention being paid to them both. "My, uh...my real name's not actually Maiko...that was just an alias..."

"Eh?" The grey-eyed teen blinked in surprise. "It's not?"

"I'm sorry for tricking you!" She bowed deeply, afraid of further seeing his expression. "I didn't mean to!"

"O-Oi, it's alright..." He assured her, though she couldn't bear looking up. "Come on, lift your head up. I'm not mad."

The bluenette took the risk and raised her head to see his easy-going smile. It was the same smile that he always wore when they spent hours talking about models and crafting techniques. It was the same smile that he wore when they were out watching the latest anime movies and gushing over mechas.

It was the same smile that he gave her, that he gave to his friend.

Cheeks flushing, she clenched a fist over her rapidly beating heart as she straight straight. "I am...Kanzashi Sarashiki." She reintroduced herself, pausing briefly before taking a deep breath and continuing. "The IS Representative Candidate of Japan."

The boy blinked, his expression one of awe before an excited grin grew on his face. "Really? Wow, that's so cool! You must have a personal IS right?"

...And just like that, her mood soured in an instant.

Inwardly, Davion apologized to the short girl profusely.

"I...um..." She tensed her jaw, looking away from him to hide the angry glare forming. "Not...really. The government is taking a while, so the school lent me an Uchigane to work with."

"O-Oh...sorry." The mechanic apologized, and there was an awkward period of silence between them that was only exacerbated by the stares of the other girls in the Bay. "Well...uh, think you can guide me through with the IS?"

"...Huh?" She glanced up at him with glistening eyes.

"I mean, I'm going to be an assistant mechanic here for the next three years, so I might as well get used to handling IS frames." Davion's lips curled easily, trying his best to lift her spirits. "And as a sort of 'you scratch my back, I scratch yours' deal, I can maybe tune up your IS according to your specifications. Upgrade it too, even!" He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing in the hallway. "You know I've got a knack for custom works!"

"Even though you're just starting to learn about the mechanics of an IS..?" Kanzashi couldn't help but smile, Davion's own brand of positivity was somewhat infectious.

"The journey always begins with a single step." He grinned down at her, all that boyish charm of his brought to bear alongside a cheesy thumbs-up.

Kanzashi's cheeks flushed once more and she looked away. "O-Okay. Um...would you mind if I talked while you do...whatever it is you're gonna do with that table?"

'Yes!'

Davion gave himself a mental fist pump.

"I don't mind at all!"


Knock knock!

"It's open."

Ephraim pushed the door in, slipping inside and closing it behind him. Straightening his tie, he idly glanced around the room as he approached his superior.

It was fairly standard for a teacher's office. A desk, some cabinets with books, chairs for those who wish to sit, etc. There wasn't a single sign of a personal item placed around, aside from the charging phone off to the right.

Chifuyu was arranging a small stack of papers as she sat behind her desk, setting aside three folders when he walked closer.

"Your schedules are within the folders." She nodded, finalizing the organization of documents as she pushed said folders towards him. "Mind you, Tabane has told me that these special schedules of yours are only temporary."

"Why's that?" Ephraim frowned as he took the folders, opening one and skimming the contents.

Brown eyes glanced up at him with a raised brow. "Because she anticipates that you'll be joining the IS in the skies soon enough."

'...Shit, guess that's why she's a super genius...' The blonde kept his expression firm, though inwardly he was cursing that rabbit-eared woman.

Davion had been talking about a 'black box' that he found in the Blue Frame that contained Astray upgrades. This was almost half a year ago while they were going around the US, using the cover of three boys on a nation-wide road trip to hide their clandestine activities. Further maintenance had discovered that the other Astrays also contained this feature, and it was when he revealed that he had snatched a laptop from the base they razed to the ground just barely three hours after they woke up.

Ephraim had immediately ordered him to get rid of it, paranoid that the device held blueprints of the suits for easy production. The mechanic eased his paranoia by displaying the near factory-default state of the laptop. It was the only thing that he retained in their looting of the facility, the only thing left of the facility itself actually. He found it utterly clean, save some sort of...decrypting program. So he grabbed it and the wires connected to the device, keeping it in his quantum storage until the time was right.

But back to the black box, Davion had informed them just recently that the device itself was heavily encrypted. While he was no slouch in coding, the level of encryption of the Blue Frame's box was absurd. And when he checked up on the Red and Gold Frame, their own black boxes had their own set of encryptions. It was there that he tried using the decrypting program of the laptop and found that it was a perfect match. This was just barely two days ago when the mechanic had told them of their first ever upgrade.

The Flight Pack.

'What a terrifying woman...' He shuddered as he thought of a way to distract himself for the moment. Eyes widening ever so slightly, he snapped his fingers. Chifuyu looked up at him with a raised brow, which then furrowed when a small cloud of gold-white motes surrounded the same hand that snapped. A thermos appeared and the motes winked out of existence.

He set the metal container before her with a small pleased smile. He then flicked its side lightly, causing a quiet ringing sound to echo in the office. "Here. Coffee and an Old Fashioned. Just twist the lid clockwise twice to change the chamber within."

"Are you trying to bribe me?" The teacher frowned, though there wasn't much heat in her tone.

"No, just being a good assistant." Ephraim clarified, looking down at the folder with his name on it. "...So, the blood test's results were legitimate?" He muttered, somewhat still reeling from the fact that he and his friends were super soldiers. It wasn't in their modus when entering a new reality that they have any tangible connections, bar some special exceptions. He would classify him and his friends as 'Drop-ins' rather than 'Inserts', blank slates where they would have free reign on how to build their image up in the world they were thrown into.

"Your mother is the late Rondo Mina Sahaku, yes." Chifuyu nodded as she finally set the neat pile of papers aside. "Or at least, her genes made up one of the sizable portions of your DNA, enough for her to be considered your mother."

"It's still odd..." He sighed, holding the folders under his armpit. "That a...designer human like me would have some sort of legacy left for him once we were out of the labs." The blonde muttered, frowning as he glared at noting to the side. "Sahaku, huh? Shame, I liked the surname Aznable."

'Spin a bit of truth in your lies, Ephraim. Spin your web of deception that you yourself are trapped in, hmm?' A malicious part of him mocked, one that he ignored and will continue to ignore in the future.

Was their boss really that invested in their plight in this world? Enough so that they would bend some unknown rule so that he and his friends would wake up in bodies with connections to the reality? The blonde didn't know, for the mind of the Eldritch was far too vast and dark for him to even begin to comprehend.

The older Orimura looked at him with a steely gaze, yet there was that tiny spark of sympathy deep within, "You're your own man now, Sahaku. Your mother was very noble and martial. I can see some of her in you with the way you hold yourself. You carry her legacy, make her spirit proud."

He flinched, not expecting the sudden emotional hit. He wasn't even connectedHow? Why was his heart hurting like it was his actual mother being talked about?

"I...I'll try. Might even visit her grave when the opportunity comes." He whispered, suddenly feeling a dryness in his throat. The words he was saying, he had no clue if they were lies or had a modicum of truth. "Introduce myself as the child she never knew existed..."

"Stop that." Chifuyu's voice was stern as she sat straight in her executive's chair. "This is a big leap for you. Don't chain yourself down with doubts, or else I'll beat them out of you." She cracked her knuckles as an example, though there was a soft undertone in her words. "I will not have an assistant who won't come to terms with their past."

Purple stared into brown for a good minute.

Then Ephraim sighed, nodding as he glanced away, conflicted in the highest magnitude. "Yes...Yes, you're right." Standing straight, he took a few calming breaths. "I probably was just...overwhelmed. It won't happen again, at least, not so soon."

"Good. Now go, I don't have anything else for you to do tonight. Memorize your schedule because you and your friends will be busy in the upcoming days."

"Aye aye, Orimura-sensei." The blonde gave her a small smile and turned to leave, pausing at the door when remembered something. "Ah, right...Alcott-san might do something rash tomorrow."

Chifuyu narrowed her eyes. He couldn't see it, but he definitely felt it.

"Why?"

"She was scolding Orimura-san about his lack of knowledge on who she was and what an IS Representative Candidate entailed."

"That idiot..!" The elder Orimura hissed, palming her face from the sounds of it. "If anything...no, that will come later."

Ephraim knew what she was going to say. The class representative election was tomorrow, after all.

"I'll confront Orimura about his foolishness at a later date. You're dismissed, Sahaku."

"Understood. Have a good night, Orimura-sensei."


As opposed to his friends, Ryo was not running an errand or doing some sort of duty.

No, he was just walking around.

The whole island.

The quicker he got the lay of the land, the more efficient his delivery assignments would be, after all.

The previous week didn't really allow him time to explore the rest of the island, especially the outskirts where the docks and warehouses were. They were confined to the center of the Academy due to the slow trickling of female students returning from spring break. The days leading up had been spent sneaking around, disguising themselves as Academy staff via full-face masks and visors. Ryo honestly had fun in sneaking around, and so did Ephraim who was stealthy to an unfair degree. How a 6 foot man could hide in bushes that barely came up to his knees was a mystery to him.

What an even bigger mystery was how the girls did not realize that they were men. Their builds should have been the biggest clue when they were walking around with the janitorial gear!

Shaking his head, his eyes darted around every nook and cranny for any advantageous shortcuts and hidden passages. He might also need to ask for blueprints of the ventilation system of the school...

While he was preoccupied with his thoughts, plenty of girls of all year levels stared at him in incredulity. They whispered and pointed, some taking a step forward to confront him before stepping back in indecision.

A fair few of them recognized him from his delivery jobs, though none really approached him. That, he was thankful for, as the last thing he needed was interacting with repressed girls that may or may not be hostile.

He shuddered at the mere thought of it as he sat under a tree, watching the sun set in the horizon.

"...I should actually stockpile cans of coffee."


.

.

.


The next day...

Purple and Green stared into tired Grey in slight shock, more specifically at the dark bags underneath.

Ephraim glanced down at his cup of coffee, brewed from Fazenda Santa Ines, before he slowly pushed it towards the mechanic across the table.

"Dude, what were you doing the whole night to get those eyebags?" Ryo asked, looking around when he heard a few girls mention their names.

They were in the cafeteria, having eaten breakfast just as the sun was coming up. They were used to eating quickly due to having day jobs before being enrolled, so the two roommates just stared at the obviously sleep-deprived Davion.

Said mechanic gratefully took the coffee mug and took a long sip. Once the caramel-like flavor hit his taste buds, he was almost immediately reinvigorated. "I was reading the manuals in the Engineering Bay, right?" He slapped his cheeks, waking himself up fully. "And there I met Kanzashi-"

"Sarashiki-san." Ephraim corrected, narrowing his eyes somewhat. "This isn't like back then in Italy, Davion, they different customs here."

The courier snorted, drinking his own canned coffee.

"Ah, right right, uh...Sarashiki-san, yeah." He took another sip of the brew, looking more and more lively with each taste. "Apparently she only got an Uchigane to work with, so I kinda spent most of the night exchanging ideas with her and then the rest was just me making blueprints for both our suits and upgrade ideas for her IS."

The tall blonde swiped his mug back from the mechanic. "Alright, that's enough coffee. I can practically see your energy reserves overflowing due to the caffeine."

Ryo glanced at the mug-

Purple eyes glared at him. "No."

"Uh, am I seeing things due to the caffeine, or is that girl wearing a cat onesie?"

Ephraim and Ryo looked back at Davion, who was looking at something further down the table opposite of theirs, separated by a half-wall that had plants and other decorations. They followed his gaze and there indeed was a girl wearing a yellow animal onesie.

The courier snorted, leaning back to drink the rest of his coffee. "That looks more like a fox-"

The ears twitched.

"What the-!" Ephraim started before he caught himself, putting on that calm, regal mask once more. "No...no, that mad Professor has rabbit ears. I'm not going to freak out over that."

"Oh, I think that's IchOrimura-san." Davion chuckled as Houki walked by them, her blue eyes narrowing at them as she passed by. The mechanic looked at his friends in question as the action but only received subtle shakes of their heads.

Clap! Clap!

Turning to look at the source of the noise, they spotted a tracksuit wearing Chifuyu. She looked around with a stern frown, especially eyeing the ones that still had food on their plates. "Eat your meals quickly and efficiently!"

The three boys looked over to where they had placed their empty trays and plates.

Ephraim quickly downed the rest of his coffee, standing as he cracked his neck. "You guys go ahead, I'll drop this off at our room."

Ryo gave him a bemused frown. "And that's why you left your suit jacket there, huh?"

The purple-eyed blonde only shrugged as the other two stood up from their seats. With a short wave, he left the two in a steady gait.

"I'm the Dorm Supervisor for the 1st Years. Anyone late for class will run ten laps around the field!" The teacher continued to bark as the rest of the students began wolfing down their breakfast.

"Yeesh." Davion mumbled as he and Ryo fast-walked their way to class.

"Good motivation though." Ryo snorted beside him with a wry grin on his lips.


Ephraim smoothed his lapels down as the rest of the class settled down. Ryo was once again spinning his pen, and Davion preoccupied himself with an open text book and was scribbling a blueprint down on the computer.

The three of them knew of what was coming.

"We'll now choose the class representative participating in the Inter-Class Match taking place in two weeks." Chifuyu announced once everyone's attention was on her. There was a bit of excited muttering and whispers but the class otherwise kept quiet as they listened.

"The representative not only participates in the match, but also attends the student council meetings and committee meetings." She glanced at all of their reactions briefly, noting down the subtle discomfort of her three strays. "It's no different from an ordinary class rep. Nominate yourself, or nominate others."

"I nominate Orimura-kun!"

"Huh?" Ichika turned to the girl in confusion.

"I second the nomination!"

"Wha? Me?" Ichika began to panic.

"I think Murakumo-kun would be a good candidate!"

"Huh?" Ryo stopped spinning his pen for a moment, turning his head to the nominator. "But I don't have an IS..."

"O-Oh, right..."

"Actually, the Board has approved the participation of the test pilots in certain events, one of which was the Inter-Class tournament." Chifuyu smirked, enjoying the wide-eyed expressions of the three Neo-types.

"Huh?!" Ephraim jolted in his seat, composure momentarily broken. "That wasn't in our syllabus!"

"It was just approved earlier." His superior shrugged, keeping that smug smirk on her lips. "The Professor gave her go-ahead."

The blonde paled.

"B-But wait, all three of us are here, isn't that a bit unfair for the other classes?" Davion tried to reason, looking quite frazzled by the news.

"So the nominees are Murakumo and Orimura. Who else?" Their homeroom teacher all but ignored the mechanic with a smug smirk on her lips.

"H-Hey!"

"What about Sahaku-san?"

"I'm busy enough already being Orimura-sensei's assistant..." The purple-eyed blonde groaned as he palmed his face.

"That's three nominees. Who else?"

"Please not me, please not me..!" Davion crossed his fingers, pulling his hood down as if doing so would make him disappear.

Ichika stood up, raising his hand. "H-Hey, wait a minute! What if I don't want to—"

Slam!

"I can't accept this!" Cecilia protested as she stood up, the whole class turning to her in surprise. "I don't accept an election like that!"

"Oh boy, here we go..." Ryo sighed loudly as he looked away, spinning his pen in a more irritated manner.

"It would be a shame for a man to represent our class!" She put her foot down, both literally and figuratively. "Are you telling me that I, Cecilia Alcott must live in shame for a year?"

Ephraim's brow twitched as he slowly raised his head from his palm.

"Besides, having to live in an underdeveloped country is already enough of a burden on me!" Cecilia continued to rant, clenching her fist as she grit her teeth in affront.

"If I may be so bold, Lady Alcott..." The purple-eyed blonde rumbled, turning his head to give her a stern look that sent a chill down her spine. "I understand that having pride in one's country is good and all, but one must also not let that pride get into their head."

The test pilot stood up smoothly, and just the act alone rang warning bells in many of the students around. There was a palpable pressure in his words and in his actions, and the class found itself holding their breath.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Cecilia challenged the taller blonde with a glare. "I am merely stating facts!"

"Opinions." Ryo stressed from his seat, turning his head to give her a mocking smile. "You are stating opinions. Biased ones too."

"Noblesse Oblige." Ephraim stated, crossing his arms as he shook his head at her disapprovingly. "All I see is a girl ranting and raving because she did not get what she wanted. Are you a noble, Lady Alcott, or are you only claiming to be a noble?"

"Noblesse" The shorter blonde looked like she just got slapped. "Of course I am a noble! I merely wish to preserve any shame our class will take should he be nominated! He barely knew anything relating to IS! Would you trust someone like that to be the figurehead to all of us?"

"As he is now? Of course not."

Ichika flinched at the tall blonde's instant dismissal. It wasn't his fault that he just got dumped in this Academy without any warning!

"But all I'm hearing from you is 'me, me, me'. Is your pride that high?" Ephraim sneered, a near statuesque depiction of a noble's disdain, as he scolded her. "Is it that great an ivory tower for you to stand on that you can't even see or hear those who you surround yourself with?"

"Huh?"

"Look around you." The student assistant gestured to the rest of the room. "You really think that the class will choose to have a representative that belittles them, their country, their own skills, and tramples over their choices?"

Cecilia nervously looked around, flinching at the scores of disapproving looks and glares she was receiving.

Chifuyu's brows slowly rose in surprise. She was expecting a more...explosive outburst, especially since the tall blonde had his own ivory tower that he tried his best to hide.

"Pride cometh before the fall." The taller blonde quoted, shaking his head. "Honestly, I'm just disappointed that my initial judgement of you was nearly spot-on, despite the rest of me wanting to look past your flaws."

The British Representative Candidate recoiled, eyes wide and hands folded over her heart. Anger quickly overcame her shock and she pointed at him. "Then I challenge you to a duel! You besmirch my honor, and so I demand a match to wipe it clean!"

"What are the stakes?" Ephraim immediately shot back, with Davion and Ryo looking at him in shock.

"This soon?" Their eyes seemed to convey.

"If I win, you bow out of the nomination and become my personal butler." Cecilia huffed haughtily, the smirk on her lips equal to that of her pride. "One less contender and you get the privilege of serving under someone as magnificent as I."

"There goes that pride again..." Ryo muttered audibly.

"And if I win?" Purple eyes clashed against blue in a challenge.

Cecilia harrumphed, turning her head and turning her nose up. "Then I shall apologize for my...rather uncouth words, and give someone else the spot for class representative. For now."

"Alcott, you do realize that he's my assistant right?" Chifuyu crossed her arms, the amused glint in her eyes clearly visible to the Neo-Types.

"O-Oh, well..." Cecilia's bluster was blown away before quickly returning. "Then he must come to me whenever I call him, if he isn't busy with his duties under you, that is."

"Gods above and Lords below..." Ephraim groaned as he looked up at the ceiling in disappointment.

"Looks like it's settled then." The elder Orimura chuckled. "The match will take place this Friday at the Third Arena."

The class gasped, immediately erupting into excited and disbelieving whispers.

"Sahaku and Alcott, prepare yourselves!"


AN:

And so, canon begins...

Hopefully I managed to capture the spirit of Episode 1. I thought about halving this chapter since it was long but since it's the first episode, it has the privilege of being chunky.

Sorry for having little Ichika interaction here. This fic is about the trio's dealings in the mad world that is Infinite Stratos, after all. That and they purposefully are giving him the cold shoulder due to their own bias. It won't be like that all the time, I assure you.

Also, updates would no longer be weekly, as I'm gonna be busy with University in the coming days. Don't worry, I won't go on a month-long hiatus or anything, it just means that updates would probably be at least once every two weeks or so. No promises, however.

This is Cipher, dreading going back into the academic grind, signing off.