Episode 5 Part 2 - New Gimmicks, New Faces, Neo-Types!


This was a risk, and she knew it.

Letting the Astray pilots battle against each group's representatives in a series of mock battles could very well lead to questions she wasn't willing to answer if they weren't careful. The Professor's excuse of 'highly trained test pilots' could only hold so long before more pointed questions would be raised. That's not to mention government inquiries on the past of the Neo-Types. Tabane might have made practically air-tight false backgrounds about them, but fate had an odd way of breaking through anything secure.

However, she needed to also let the Astrays participate in lessons such as this in order to dispel the whole idea of them being privileged, and to hold up her promise and vow that they would suffer alongside the others. She wasn't doing this for herself, but for them.

The teacher watched as Alcott's group squared off against her assistant, an Uchigane and the Blue Tears against the Gold Frame.

She had no doubts that her assistant had more cards up his sleeve this time. But the noblewoman was a smart girl, she had probably thought of a dozen plans to counter every move her opponent would make. This wasn't like their first duel, where she had nothing to base his abilities on. The British Representative now knew to not let her pride get the better of her. However, she also had to watch out for her partner, who was definitely as green as can be when it came to live combat.

"...Begin!"

The three suits rocketed up and the Blue Tears opened fire. Bright blue lances streaked across the skies as the Optical Bits detached and raced towards their opponent. Cecilia had finally achieved a fine level of skill wherein she could fight and use the remote controlled drones at the same time.

Her partner charged in, katana held low as the Gold Frame materialized its shield to tank the Blue Pierce's shot and then began evasive maneuvers to dodge the all-round attack. The Astray danced in the sky, a constantly moving golden blur as thin blue lines brushed against its form. The new calf thrusters roared, flashing white flames making split-second changes in the suit's direction as it maneuvered around.

"Go for it!" Cecilia yelled, firing her rifle once more as her partner boosted in. The Astray's head turned towards them, more specifically at the incoming beam, as the Optical Bits hovered around it.

It was distracted, the perfect state for the Uchigane to strike.

The blade swung up-!

And the Gundam moved.

It dashed to the side, dodging the swing of the Uchigane before boosting ahead and rolling around the Blue Pierce's beam. It threw its legs forward as both the calf and sole thrusters lit up, arresting its forward movement harshly. Just in time too, as a net of thin blue beams appeared before it. The thrusters pushed him back, straight into the Uchigane. The pilot froze, not accounting for the golden Astray to come charging back-

Bash!

Her Passive Inertia Control struggled against the sheer force of the high-velocity crash and the pilot yelped as she tumbled out of the sky. The Aile Striker's new 4 high-power thrusters roared as they sent the Gold Frame straight up, dodging the incoming beam and missile combo from the Blue Tears. The homing projectiles followed him every which way he went, even as he danced around the IS' beams. It suddenly turned around, Type 71 in its hand as green lances shot forth straight into the cluster of missiles.

Boom!

"Whoa! Did you see how fast he was going?"

"Come on, Cecilia! Take him down!"

"Yeah! Show him that the IS is superior!"

Chifuyu narrowed her eyes.

"A noticeable increase in how smooth the movements are, more powerful thrusters, a new backpack..." She murmured, glancing over to the Blue Frame and Red Frame as they watched the ongoing spectacle. Her eyes noted that everything about the frames seemed new, which she attributed to Guele's repair work and upgrading. The former Champion could only wonder just how much the mechanic will be able to modify the suits. Would the Astrays surpass the IS one day..?

"Take this!" The Blue Tears leveled its rifle as the Bits burst out from the resulting smoke of the detonated missiles. They quickly surrounded the Astray as it looked towards her-

Fyoom!

-then Blue Pierce fired at the same time as the Optical Bits.

The attacks from the drones weren't meant to hit the Astray, but rather to pin it down. They brushed past a few inches away from the armor, forming a cage that the Gold Frame would be hard-pressed to escape from. She made sure to be as precise as she could be, as one errant error could cost the one man that had gained her respect a limb or two.

'Ha! With this, I secured our victory!'

Crash!

The beam splashed against the shield, thinner blue beams bouncing off or washing off of the metal bulwark. To counter the kinetic energy of the shot, the Gold Frame's backpack roared in response, causing both forces to be in a stalemate.

Just as she planned.

She made sure to hold down the trigger longer than what she usually did. The longer he spent flying still trying to hold back her beam-

"Hraaaah!"

-the better chances her partner could close in and attack. Below him was the Uchigane, having waited for her chance to strike after being knocked away.

The sword swung-!

Sea green optics flashed.

Chifuyu saw everything in slow-motion.

The Gold Frame swung its legs up, making it flip over blade and beam as it detached the shield.

Slice!

As the katana sliced through part of the discarded shield, the Astray's engines ignited and sent the suit down straight towards the ground. Not a second later, the shield exploded in its signature pink cloud.

Many of the girls gasped and pointed as the golden blur once more flipped over with its back towards the earth, engines roaring to arrest its fall. The Gold Frame barely had an inch between it and the ground the moment its momentum stopped, and in those few seconds of shock and awe did it right itself up. It took to a knee, a fist pounding the ground in what seemed to be a mix of pain and some other negative emotion that caused the teacher to nearly call the match.

"You slippery..!" Cecilia hissed as she aimed down at him, narrowing her eyes as she foresaw all the possible moves her opponent would make. "Just let us hit you!" Her rifle whined as three short beams screamed straight towards the Astray. They weren't aimed towards him straight on, of course, but around him. She knew better than to let her anger dictate her actions this time!

It snapped its head up, the blue light reflecting off its golden metal and sea-green optics-!

Black and gold crescents surrounded the Gold Frame, deflecting and redirecting the beams.

Boom!

Chifuyu blinked, unsure if what she saw was real. She turned to Maya, who had narrowed her own eyes as she peered at the dust cloud. "Did you just see...?" The elder Orimura asked quietly, to which the Rafale pilot nodded.

"I did."

The cloud slowly cleared, and within came glints of gold.

The Gold Frame was only scratched up, most likely due to the debris sent flying by the explosion. The optics glowed amidst the dissipating smoke as it held a gleaming object with both hands.

A spear.

It was beautifully crafted, with thorny vines of gold wrapping around its black metal shaft. The spear head was a white-grey metal with detailing of the sun at its base and pale gold edges. It gleamed with a deadly light, catching the rays of the morning sun and reflecting it back in a mimicry to the star it had on the blade.

Ephraim lowered it from his high guard, spinning the spear around his hand so fast that it was practically a black and gold circle. It stopped when he grasped the shaft, a loud clang echoing as metal met metal. He held his spear behind him, the tip just brushing against the ground. The Astray looked just about ready to enter a new stage of combat, the backpack lightning up in preparation as-

"...Heh."

Everyone blinked as the Gold Frame shook its head.

"It's my loss in this bout." He looked up at both his opponents, the smile clear in his appreciative tone. "Consider the loss of my shield as me yielding. After all, the Astray is very vulnerable against beam weapons and without the shield, it's pretty much over."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief, even the other Neo-Types. Him? The prideful showboater admitting defeat after such a short match?

What kind of Twilight Zone were they in?

'Is he keeping our suit's Anti-Beam Coating a secret..?' Ryo frowned, not letting any of his inner thoughts reflect in his body language.

"...Well then." Chifuyu huffed, breaking everyone out of their shock. "That's the first match done. A point to Alcott's group." The aforementioned group cheered as the Uchigane and the Blue Tears landed nearby. The noblewoman looked positively giddy, preening under the applause and cheers of those under her.

"Next up will be Huang's group against the Blue Frame." She turned her head to fix them a narrow eyed stare. "And remember, you win when you score a solid melee hit against the Astray or if they apparently decide to yield. Keep in mind that they are allowed to defend themselves, otherwise I would have just used hard light dummies."

No words were exchanged between the next opponents, the Chinese Representative gave a smug grin to the indifferent faceplate of the Blue Frame.

As the Gold Frame walked back to the class, it gave a high-five to the up-armored Astray. With a keening 'clang!' the two passed by each other, hidden smirks behind the 'face' of the suits. White motes of light surrounded Ephraim, and he was once more clad in his pilot suit with the next step. The spear was still held in his hand, and he gave it one last fond smile before he let it dissipate back into his Quantum Inventory.


"BEGIN!"

Unlike the graceful fight between Sahaku and Alcott, the Blue Frame's battle as all-out aggression from the get-go.

Ichika watched as the Astray charged in, the heavy armor not slowing it down in the slightest as it closed in towards the Shenlong in a matter of seconds. It was deceptively agile, and those shoulder thrusters bellied a lot more power for its size. The thrust power nearly bowled the suit over, where it not for the quick thinking of the pilot in changing that near misstep into a lunge.

'Right, foam metal. Lighter than normal metal...'

The Blue Frame pulled out the two knives that were strapped on it's thighs, the high-frequency blades casting an ear-ringing whine as they activated. Rin was fast enough to anticipate the attacks, bringing out her Souten Gagetsu just in time to intercept the Astray.

Clash!

Daos and knives clashed in rapid, blurring swings, and Ichika's eyes widened when it was the Shenlong that was getting pushed back. Despite the IS' thrusters roaring, the Astray just seemed to have more raw power as it pushed amidst all the strikes. The black-silver metal of the Armor Schneiders weaved in and out, cutting and digging into the Souten Gagetsu with each passing clash.

"You're open!"

Rin's teammate leapt over the Shenlong, katana swinging down at the Blue Frame as it was preoccupied by the Chinese IS. The head snapped up, the Igelstellungs barking as the rifle caliber bullets crashed against the Uchigane's shields. Instinctually, the pilot abandoned her attack to protect herself with sword and gauntlet, the kinetic force of the deluge of bullets causing her to back off by a meter. Those sea-green optics then suddenly flared, momentarily blinding his two opponents.

"Agh!"

"The hell?!"

Clang!

The Astray became a blur as it executed a Flash Kick, its foot crashing against the Uchigane's katana with such force that it was ripped out of the IS' hands. The blade flew through the air, flipping around before landing blade first into the dirt several meters away. The Blue Frame landed solidly, and Ichika squinted his eyes at the metallic glinting at the tip of the Blue Frame's feet.

..!

"Oi, that's a..!"

"A combat knife?" Charles gaped, having seen the glinting as well. "At the tip of his feet?"

Davion spun the knives in his hands as he raised the leg that had his gimmick weapon. The blade quickly retracted as his opponents recovered from their temporary blindness.

"You..!" Rin snarled as she charged forward, her blades combining into a Guandao that she brought down. Her partner, in the meanwhile, dashed back to retrieve her weapon. The Blue Frame crossed its blades and their edges crashed against the shaft of her weapon. Sparks flew as the HF knives rattled the solid metal of his opponent's polearm.

"Ugh, that stings!" The Chinese Representative Candidate growled as her claws began to shake. "You're just pulling out all the stops today, huh?!"

"Heh." The mechanic chuckled, the optics flickering with his voice. "This new Astray isn't just for show!"

Clang!

Charles gaped as Davion blocked a strike from behind, the Uchigane's recovered katana clashing against...a bladed heel?!

"Another one?!" Ichika shouted as the rest of the class gasped at the sparks produced by their clashing weapons. "Just how many does he have?"

The three were a whirlwind of blades, with the Blue Frame frequently dodging and parrying. The Shenlong was keeping up with its aggression, and she frequently used the Shock Cannons to break up the monotony that was clashing against his blade shield. The Astray easily hovered over the ground, and the speed added by its new shoulder thrusters gave it incredible speed and agility to dodge the shots.

The Neo-Type used all of his limbs to great effect, bladed heels and Armor Schneiders clashing against Guandao and katana in impressive shockwaves. He was a blur of white and blue, with the optics trailing sea-green amidst the chaos of moving limbs.

However, one side had to give.

Unlike Ephraim, Davion was not as untouchable. In fact, getting hit was part of his fighting style. He would open up his guard for an opponent to exploit, only to turn the tables and counter with a blow twice as powerful. The brawler wasn't able to maintain his invulnerability for long, as presenting a perfect guard would only let his opponent think more creatively. He preferred to give them false hope before knocking them down by pulling the rug from underneath. And so, for this match...

Clang!

He let her have the win.

The Souten Gagetsu dug into his chest's foam metal armor briefly before bouncing back when it struck the TPS metal underneath. Rin was nearly sent tumbling back by the rebound, but she righted herself in the air with a fierce grin.

"Gotcha!"

Davion chuckled, sheathing his blades and running a finger down the groove of the scar. "Huh, props to you."

This state of the Blue Frame was largely incomplete, after all. If it had all of its gimmicks and gadgets, then the outcome of the match would have been wholly different.

"Yeah! I got him! Ichika were you watching?!" The Chinese Representative waved wildly at the Byakushiki pilot, who merely nodded with a smile. To be completely honest, what he just saw was intimidating. The amount of blades and attacks occurring in the span of a few minutes brought a cold chill down his spine, but at the same time, it made him want to mimic it.

It was too cool to not try and mimic it, after all.

"Point for Huang and her group." Chifuyu announced, fixing an expectant look at the remaining two pilots. "And lastly, Orimura's and Dunois' groups against Murakumo."

The Red Frame's eyes flashed at the mention of his name.

Ichika and Charles shared an uneasy glance.


"What do we do against Ryo?" Charles whispered as he, Ichika, and their Uchigane equipped partners made their way to their end of the field.

"Well, uh..." The younger Orimura squinted at their opponent, who stood ever still with their arms crossed across from them. "I haven't really fought against the Red Frame enough times to get a handle on it. He's definitely a fast close combat type, like me, and since he has two katanas now..."

"There's four of us though, I think we'll overwhelm him!"

"Yeah! 4 IS' against a single Astray? We have you two to lead us, right?"

Purple and brown stared at each other in nervousness.

'If what I saw was correct, those swords of his must be terrifyingly sharp...' The Frenchman worriedly thought, thinking back to those clips of the Red Frame taking his opponent down during the test machine's rampage. A single swing of a physical blade was able to slice into metal that was able to tank physical and beam attacks. Not to mention, the wielder of said blade was skilled enough to deflect a beam attack that would have engulfed the suit.

Why wouldn't he be worried?

"Get ready!" Chifuyu called out. "And finish this quick! We don't have all day to play around!"

Taking a deep breath, Ichika closed his eyes. This wasn't training anymore, and he hoped that all that time dodging the Red Frame would come into fruition here. Sure avoiding attacks wouldn't really help in trying to hit him, but with any luck, he might be able to land a hit in.

"Come, Byakushiki!"

"A-Alright, let's do this!"

In a bright flash, the white IS floated a few feet in the air, Yukihira in its right claw held at the ready.

In another flash, came a new IS.

Sporting an orange paintjob with a white chest piece, the Rafale-Revive Custom II entered the field. The four wing binders moved up and down, stretching and retracting as the pilot readied for its first combat sortie. With a flick of the Frenchman's wrist, lights gathered around the arms. Then, in its hands, formed two submachine guns, appropriately sized for the suit. With a loud 'cha-chack!' the safeties were flicked off.

Charles took a deep, calming breath as his partner floated beside him.

"Combat Exercise will commence in 3!" Chifuyu announced, crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes.

This was a battle that she needed careful attention to. Now that the Red Frame had two swords, she needed to be twice as vigilant. Swordsmen who used a dual bladed technique often sacrificed defense and stability for all-out attacks.

Unless you were one Miyamoto Musashi.

'...Damn it, maybe I should go back to training my sword-form.'

"We've got this." Ichika swore with a confident smile, staring into the dimmed optics of their opponent. Present a strong front to keep morale up, that was key to keeping your cool in battle. It's what Ephraim had taught him during their spars. "We just need to preoccupy his arms and then.."

"2!"

"Victory will be ours." The Frenchman finished as he levelled his two guns. The .61 cal Garm submachine guns were able to fire a non-explosive cluster round in addition to regular ammunition. In this battle, he chose to use normal rounds, there was no need to seriously injure their opponent.

"1!"

The Red Frame's head inclined.

"Go!"

Immediately, the 4 IS units charged towards the Astray. Charles began to shoot his weapons just as Ichika and his partner took off high into the sky.

Ratatatatata!

The two submachine guns roared, spewing large caliber ammunition in the direction of the Red Frame. The .61 caliber rounds were subsonic in the least, approaching transonic at most. The blonde knew that the Astrays had a strong defense against physical attacks, so this one was no different, right?

"Haaaah..."

Flash!

Not even in a blink of an eye, the two swords were out of their scabbards. The Astray's hands and arms were a blur of motion as it cut the bullets coming at it in half. The high-pitched whine of metal upon metal rang as halved pieces of metal flew to the sides of the Red Frame, a veritable blade shield negating the ranged advantage. It swung its swords so fast that the blades themselves seemed to be in different places all at once. The only evidence that there were bullets impacting them were the momentary sparks that appeared prior to them being cut in half.

Charles' eyes widened at the impossible made possible, before they narrowed as he changed his guns. Thankful for his ability to rapidly switch weapons, the Frenchman finished remembering the shape of the new armaments. An assault rifle placed itself in his right hand while a shotgun appeared in his other.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

.55 caliber bullets soared towards the twin swordsman, only to be cut down like so many before it. The Frenchman's purple eyes glared into the sea-green, just as the .62 caliber shotgun roared. Dozens upon dozens of pellets flew towards the Astray, kicking up dirt and debris around as it tried to shield itself from all the smaller rounds. Chips of the white foam armor broke off from the impact, littering the ground around the Red Frame as it took a few steps back. It raised an arm, white-gold motes of light forming a bulwark-

"Now!"

His Uchigane partner circled to the right, while Ichika dove down from above. The other Uchigane breaking through the clouds from the left, also in a dive.

A pincer maneuver with a sledgehammer in the center.

"...Hmph...Flying enemies, eh?"

"Gotcha!" Ichika swung the Yukihira down just as the two Uchigane came from the flanks with their katanas both coming up in a slash.

-Gerbera Straight and Tiger Pierce flowed, leaving visible silver streaks in the air as it cut and cut and cut-

Flash!

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The Uchigane's swords were halved, the pilots being knocked away with harsh blows from the kashira of the two katanas.

The Yukihira's blade was deflected, Ichika being tossed away by the sheer force of the deceptively smooth flow of the untraceable swings.

And Charles watched as all their melee pilots were out of the running, either weaponless or struggling to get back up.

The whole field was silent.

Even the two other Astray pilots stared at their friend with wide eyes.

'The fuck was that?!' Ephraim thought, nearly slack-jawed at the display. 'That came outta nowhere!'

This was the first time he'd seen his friend display this level of skill with a blade. He expected Ryo to deflect maybe a few dozen bullets before he began to dodge, but he just stood there and took it!

'Wait, I recognize that...HE DEADPOOL'D THAT SHIT?!'

'Holy fuck.' Was the mechanic's sole thought, grey eyes wide as he stopped unzipping the collar of his flight suit.

Chifuyu, meanwhile, bit the inside of her cheek.

'I better wrap this up quick.'

The Revive pilot took a step back.

The Red Frame took one forward.

"R-Ryo, what the heck was that?" Ichika asked as he got up, wide eyes looking at Astray with both shock and awe. It was like seeing something out of a game, where the protagonist had this cool parry attack!

'No, it's more like a Counter...or a Reversal!'

...Let's just say... 》

Step.

That I'm quite effective against things that come at me from the skies. 》

Step.

Charles stumbled back, eyes wide in disbelief and a little bit of fear as the Astray stepped closer.

"And Orimura-sensei did say to finish things up. So..."

The Frenchman closed his eyes, raising his arms up to protect himself. He let out an undignified squeak when the cold manipulators wrapped around his wrist.

"...O-Oi, I uh...didn't mean to scare you like this." Ryo mumbled audibly for him to hear. "I just wanted to finish this match quickly, I'm not good at doing drawn-out spectacles."

Opening his eyes, Charles looked up into the green eyes of the courier. The Astray's cold faceplate had dematerialized, displaying the human underneath to him behind a clear visor. His expression was twisted in concern, with regret and embarrassment clear within.

Those vibrant green eyes...

Blinking, he cleared his throat as he put on his confident façade once more. "I-I wasn't scared!" He lowered his voice as he got up, trying his best to not blush in shame at the high-pitched squeak he let out moments prior. "I was just...surprised! That's all!"

Ryo raised an eyebrow, a telling smile forming on his lips before he shook his head. "Well, if you say so, Charles."

He turned his head, looking out at the battleground where broken katanas and split bullets littered the ground.

"Um..."

"Alright, that wraps up today's Practical Lesson!" Chifuyu clapped her hands, and fixed a glare at the Astray pilots. "I want you all to remember and review what you did today and what you did wrong. Correcting those mistakes can mean victory in the future."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"And you three, head to my office." Her tone did not leave any room for arguments.

"Y-Yes, ma'am."


Later...

"What the hell was that?" The teacher demanded as she paced before her desk. "Your 'Professor's training regimen' cover can only work for so much!"

The Neo-Types winced, acknowledging that they may have gone a little bit too far during the sparring.

Chifuyu groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I should've just let you three go after you escorted Dunois to the locker room. Now practically everyone is gonna wonder just how you three seem to be so unnaturally skilled. Especially you, Murakumo!"

The green-eyed courier raised his hands. "O-Okay, I'll admit that I may have gone a bit overboard but I took your words of 'finishing this quick' to heart." He idly patted his jacket down. "And I delivered."

"You managed to disable 4 IS' in less than a minute." She deadpanned. "I don't think we can make an excuse as to how you did that. I know you're a natural with a blade, but even that has a limit."

Davion slowly raised a hand. "He could always...just say that he always wanted to mimic a move he saw from an anime? And he's secretly been practicing it because, come on, he learned it from anime..?"

"...Alright. That could work. You already read light novels in the open anyway."

The green-eyed teen looked at her in betrayal.

"And what about cutting those rounds?"

"He got it from X-Men, that's what!" Ephraim suddenly snapped, looking a bit peeved at the courier. "That bladeshield move was from Origins, in that scene with Deadpool where he's deflecting all those bullets!"

"H-Hey, it's well within my rights to be able to reference pop culture!" Ryo argued back, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks as he looked away. "You reference stuff all the time!"

Chifuyu pinched the bridge of her nose. "Calm down, you two idiots!"

And the Neo-Types obliged, shutting their mouths but still sending each other a dirty look.

"Just don't do something that flashy again." She grumbled, sending a glare to her assistant. "That applies to you too, Sahaku. Your papers register you as a barista first and foremost, there is no excuse for you to suddenly display skills that could rival those of Mondo Grosso contestants."

"...Is...is that a compliment or?"

C-c-c-rack!

"Ooookay, I'll shut up now."


.

.

.


Houki's brow twitched.

Rin grinned smugly as Charles and Ichika conversed about what happened earlier. Cecilia sat next to her, having heard of the gathering and was curious of the new transfer student. It would have also been quite unsightly for her to not greet the newest arrival. She was a noblewoman, she had had duties to uphold!

"I've never seen someone so skilled with a sword like that before..." Charles started, still a bit awed at the sheer speed and impossibility of what happened earlier.

"Yeah, I thought that something like that could happen in anime or movies." Ichika sighed leaning back on his hands, browns eyes looking up at the sky contemplatively. "It was sorta scary though. He somehow disabled Yukihira even through my shields."

...

Everyone looked at him in different states of shock.

"Wha-" Houki tried to ask but was interrupted by-

"Hey guys!"

Ichika turned his head and smiled as he waved the new arrivals over. "Hey, you just made it!"

The girls turned to see the three Astray pilots walking over. Ryo was waving at them with a bright grin as he pulled a more bemused looking Ephraim, with Davion following close behind while he was scribbling on a sketchbook.

The courier carried with him a plastic bag, and with the condensation at its bottom, they could tell that it contained drinks. The tall blonde was carrying a stack of disposable bento boxes on his free hand, somehow remaining stable despite his movements.

They looked fresh from the showers, with hair that was slightly damp and clothes that seemed hastily put on. Ryo's jacket even had some dark spots left behind by water, and Ephraim's tie was a bit off. Hell, Davion still had some droplets of water falling from his tousled hair.

The younger Shinonono felt her temper steadily rise.

"What's going on here?" She grumbled giving a slight stink eye to the three test pilots that sat by Ichika. "I thought I said that I wanted us to have lunch on the rooftop."

"I mean...the more the merrier right?" Her childhood friend had the audacity to laugh it off. "Besides, Charles just transferred here so he doesn't really know his way around."

"I'm more-I mean, I'm willing to give him a tour." Ryo spoke up, taking his glasses off as Ephraim handed him a bento. "Like I said before, I know the ins and outs of the IS Academy like it's the back of my hand." He humbly boasted, which wasn't unfounded really. A month was more than enough for him to map out the whole island in his head.

"If he needs help with his IS, I'm always available." Davion looked up from his sketching, giving the transfer student a small grin. "You'll find me in the Engineering Bay after class, though I'll be with Arzenal during Friday afternoons."

"Arzenal?" The Frenchman tilted his head, not really knowing what that entailed.

"It is the unofficial name of the Engineering Club." Ephraim informed them as he passed Davion a bento box. "Davion alone is already crazy enough, but a whole club of people with a similar mindset is just asking for a Singularity to happen."

"Ahem." Cecilia looked at him with a wide smile, feigning innocence as she tilted her head. "Is that your cooking, Sir Sahaku?" She tapped her fingers on the tupperware on her lap.

Ryo paled upon seeing it.

The other purple-eyed teen sent a flat look at her before sighing with a small smile. He removed the bottom bento and handed it over. "I had to persuade Nakiri-buchou to lend me the keys to the club room, it was locked since we didn't have any meetings planned for today. Yours is Beef Wellington and Eccles cakes with a side of Lancaster Hotpot."

The blonde Brit giddily clapped her hands upon opening the bento, her expression one of fond pleasure. "Ah, a taste of home~!"

"...Was that the reason for all the noise in the Culinary Arts Club earlier?" Rin asked, a faint blush spreading on her cheeks as she remembered hearing the...enthusiastic president when she was heading to the roof. She respected the culinary-focused 2nd year greatly, but even she found that odd.

"It was only the President." Ephraim muttered with hollow eyes and an air of defeat around him. "She was the one who made all that noise because she wanted to sample my cooking..."

Ryo gave him a few pats on the back as he took the bentos from his friend's numb hands. "Well, hey, Ephraim made all these for our lunch get-together. Since it is our first time gathering like this and all..."

"Pass." Houki grumbled as she took out her own bento from behind her.

"Thanks for the offer but I'll have to decline..." Rin apologized, tapping the large wrapped box on her lap.

"Oh, wow!" Ichika let out as he took an offered bento. "Thanks! Chifuyu-nee mentioned that you cook good, Sahaku-san!"

And like that, the blonde Astray pilot snapped out of his funk. He smirked, suddenly smug despite looking dead earlier.

"Of course, I have to be or else Ryo would have to go back to his old diet of instant noodles and convenience store sandwiches."

"I'll have you know that those instant noodles saved me time during my jobs." Ryo frowned, lightly punching his friend's arm ineffectively. "Those were easy to cook food when one was on the go, don't diss them!"

"You don't have to hide your ineptitude for cooking, I know of it already."

"It's not my fault the cereal caught on fire!"

"How did it catch on fire in the first place?!"

"What are in these by the way?" Charles asked, looking down curiously at the bento in his hands as he ignored the argument between the Astray pilots. "I'm quite new to Japan, so I'm not sure what a 'bento' contains."

"Oh, practically anything really." Ichika informed him as he opened the plastic lid of the disposable box. The inside was primarily dominated by chicken yakisoba, with side dishes of 2 meatballs and a salad mix. "See?"

"I chose recipes that were easy to cook for the bentos." Ephraim informed them as he turned away from the courier. He opened his personal bento, which had leftover beef wellington in place of the yakisoba noodles. "Nakiri-kaichou has this policy that if someone was going to use the Culinary Arts Club to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner, that person has to cook enough for everyone in the club." He sighed as he took out a can of PhD. Pepper from Ryo's plastic bag. "And since I was pressed on time, I didn't get to cook my more elaborate dishes."

"'Pressed on time', he says." Ryo snarked as he ate his yakisoba. "Makes a damn Beef Wellington for one and yakisoba for the rest..."

"Did you make me my onigiri?" Davion asked as he took a bottle of milk tea, ignoring the muttering of his friend.

The Gold Frame pilot sighed. "Yes. And the inarizushi too."

The mechanic fist pumped as he opened his bento box. Lo and behold, it contained...mostly rice.

"Yesss~!" The grey-eyed teen grinned as he quickly went to grab his chopsticks.

"You seem to know Ryo and Davion's preferred dishes..." Charles wondered, noting the mechanics delighted expression at his meal. Inwardly, he was eyeing how the carbs to protein ratio was way off in his bento. How could someone devour that much rice without getting sick?

"It's because we lived together before the school year started." Davion shrugged as he pressed his hands together, uttering a quiet 'Itadakimasu' before using his chopsticks to lift the tofu meal into his mouth.

"Eh?!" Cecilia and Rin let out in surprise, the blonde almost fumbling with her chopsticks. "For how long?"

"6 months, give or take." Ephraim shrugged as he took a sip of his soda. "The Professor...asked us to live together to acclimate to Japan. Since we're going to be schooling here for the next three years, that is."

'Smooth.' Ryo chuckled internally as he ate his beef cutlets.

"It was more like she asked me to host them." Davion snickered as he took a sip of his drink. "I was already living in Japan for the better part of last year when she called me about these two."

"And yet, I became the cook for breakfast and dinner every day since we moved in." The tall blonde grumbled, though with little heat. He enjoyed cooking, as it was a way to relieve some of his stress and was also a way to subtly flaunt his superiority. He was the best househusband of the three, him!

...Okay, maybe he had a bit of an ego problem when it came to his friends.

"Hey, you're the one who worked in cafes and restaurants. I was just a courier and Davion was a mechanic."

Charles looked at Ichika while the three began to talk and banter. "Is it really okay for me to be here? I know monsieur Sahaku said that we could hang out at lunch but..."

The dark haired IS pilot swallowed the yakisoba in his mouth before grinning at him. "Of course it is! Us roomies got to know each other better after all."

Ryo's brow twitched, unseen by the girls.

"Oh...I-I'm touched." The Frenchman smiled, a faint blush on his cheeks. "You're a really sweet guy, Ichika."

Ryo's brow twitched even more.

"Would you like to tell me why you're blushing?" Rin hissed at her childhood friend as unwrapped her lunchbox.

"I-I ain't blushing!"

The Chinese Representative Candidate merely narrowed her eyes at him as she opened her container.

"Oh, wow!" Ichika's eyes widened. "Sweet and sour pork!"

Rin then smiled at him, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Yup. Made it this morning cause I remembered that you missed its taste."

Sighing, Houki brought out her own box and opened it, revealing a standard Japanese bento set of rice, tamagoyaki, fried chicken, and veggies.

"That looks so good, Houki!" The Byakushiki pilot gaped as he turned his head towards her. "The arrangement just makes it look so nice..."

"W-Well, I took my time preparing mine..." She mumbled, ignoring the jealous glare of Rin.

"Can I have a taste?"

As the swordswoman stammered a response, the blonde beside her set aside her now empty bento and opened the tupperware she was holding earlier.

"Well, if we are all displaying the fruits of our labor, then I shall do the same!" She proudly presented the neat rows of very appealing sandwiches in the box. "Please, have some Sir Sahaku, in exchange for this wonderful meal you've given me."

Ryo weakly pulled at his friend's suit jacket, sending him a panicked look.

Ephraim merely raised a brow at the courier before he leaned forward to take one of the sandwiches. The moment his fingers wrapped around one...

Crunch...

He paused.

"...Lady Alcott, if I may ask..." His instincts screamed at him of a looming danger. "What...ingredients did you put in this sandwich specifically? I do have some allergies to certain foods..."

It was a lie, of course.

Well, technically a lie.

This wasn't his original body, thus it didn't have the original allergies.

The blue eyed blonde tapped her chin. "If I can remember this morning...I believe I added a pinch of salt to that egg. I believe the Japanese call it a tamagoyaki? Yes, I do believe so. Otherwise, it's just a standard egg roll sandwich, why?"

Purple eyes looked down at the rather appealing sandwich.

...There was still a looming sense of danger around it.

"...No reason, I just wanted to know, thank you."

Ryo shook his head as he finished his lunch.

'RIP.'

Davion quietly watched as Ephraim took a bite of the sandwich, grey eyes widening as those royal purple suddenly lost their light.

"So, how is it?" Cecilia asked with an innocent smile on her face. "I know I can't rival your own cooking considering I just started, but is it good enough to be considered a step in the right direction?"

Sugareggshellssaltpeppersugarsugarsalt-

Clearing his throat and swallowing the...foreign element, he set the sandwich down in his bento. "I...well, it...is...?" He hid his grimace well with a well-crafted smile. "H-How about I teach you some of my...recipes whenever I go to the Culinary Arts Club?"

Cecilia clapped giddily, an excited light gleaming in her eyes. "Oh, that is a wonderful idea! I can share with them my own dishes too!"

Ryo had a brief look of horror on his face.

"Oh, I believe I know what is going on here!" Charles let out, causing the courier to turn his head.

Ichika was in the middle of getting more food from Houki's bento while Rin glared at her in jealousy.

"You must be doing the famous 'Say Aah' thing that Japanese couples do, am I right?"

Green eyes widened as he stared up at Charles in shock.

'Oh, she did not just-!'

"You guys must get along really well~"

"A bit too well!" Rin growled, her brow twitching at the sight. "Suspiciously well!"

"Well, would you look at the time!" Davion suddenly spoke up, startling almost everyone with his volume. He was looking at his watch with a nervous smile, a hand scratching the back of his head. "I've got to finish the repairs on the Astrays and do a bunch more stuff before lunch is over."

"This is the norm for him." Ephraim explained, his face a little ashen. The tall blonde ignored the twisting of his stomach as he stood up. "Don't worry, he'll be back in class just before the bell rings." He then to clean up the disposable bentos, putting them in the now empty plastic bag that once held the drinks. "I'll also go ahead, I need to review my notes on the quiz later."

"Perhaps I can help with that, Sir Sahaku." Cecilia offered, standing up at the same time as the Gold Frame pilot. "I am the top scorer of the written exams, after all."

"That would be much appreciated." The purple-eyed teen gave her a thankful smile. Inwardly, he was screaming for her to give him some personal space. A toilet sounded mighty appealing and his throat was starting to choke up..!

Beep! Beep!

Blinking, Ryo took out his phone and frowned somewhat. He glanced over to Charles and the rest of their group. "I've got a delivery request. Sarashiki-Kaichou apparently heard that Ephraim was cooking and wanted one of the spare bentos."

"Here." Ephraim tossed a spare, the box miraculously not tumbling through the air. He learned the proper technique for tossing foodstuffs from that one restaurant in the US. Dishes, hotdogs, whole burgers, he had thrown a lot of meat in the air during his 2-week stint there, it was actually kinda fun!

"Yosh!" Catching it, he sent a wink to the Frenchman. "And hey, if you're still curious about the school, come to me for a tour. Just ask anyone here for my number, dial it, and I'll come running."

"O-Oh, um...thank you!" Charles smiled, and Ryo's cheeks flushed slightly.

They stared at each other for a few more moments before the courier's phone buzzed. Cursing quietly, he gave them one last wave before leaving.

But thanks to his enhanced hearing...

"...Hey, Ichika, we never asked him how he did those slashes."

"Oh?...Oh! Aw man!"

Snickering to himself, he went down the staircase that led down into the building proper.


.

.

.


That afternoon...

"Um, Orimura-sensei, why did you call us in here again? I've still got to show Charles around the school and-"

Chifuyu took a deep breath. "It's something related to the Neo-Type Project."

The three Astray pilots froze.

"Next week, one of the people I've...mentored back how many years ago is transferring here." The teacher stopped her pacing, her back facing the three as she looked out the window. "She's...well, in a way, she has a similar background to you."

Ephraim's mouth stretched back in a leer, immediately connecting the dots before he wiped it away under a stoic mask. "A super soldier you mean?"

Ryo swore quietly, also realizing just who was going to stir up trouble on Monday.

Davion merely raised a brow.

"...Yes." Chifuyu nodded, turning back to them with a firm frown. "I don't want you spreading that piece of information, Sahaku. Any of you, for that matter."

"Of course not. Though, will she be a threat?" The blonde rumbled, remembering the Valkyrie's future insults about their friends. "Does she know of our...situation?"

"No." His superior answered almost instantaneously. "She is unaware of your similar origins and I intend to keep it that way. She will be a little bit overzealous on matters concerning me, so Sahaku..." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't do anything stupid, even if she tries to provoke you, don't fall for the bait."

"I would never." The blonde rolled his eyes. He wouldn't waste his breath trying to argue with an idiot, he'd rather beat her down to show just who was superior.

"Sensei," Davion raised a hand, brows furrowed questioningly. "If what I'm understanding is correct, then she's a super soldier trained under you?"

"Yes."

"...Does that mean she's stronger than us or...?"

"...No." Chifuyu sighed, with furrowed brows. "And unfortunately for you, I'm not at liberty to explain exactly why. All you should know is that...technically, in one way or another...you're all her older siblings."

"Excuse me, what?!" Ephraim physically recoiled, taking a step back as his composure broke. "What do you mean?!"

Ryo looked at her blankly, but his eyes were hollow.

Davion's jaw dropped as he stumbled back, a hand gripping the back of a chair in a desperate effort to stay upright.

"Tabane found more files about the Neo-Type Project." The teacher pulled out a folder from underneath a stack of papers on her deck and waved it slightly. "While the exact details about the shut down of that Project still eludes us, in this folder holds documents and records of one of the leading scientists, a late Dr. Alen Hibiki, escaping with a diluted serum that was used in you three's creation."

"...And let me guess," Ryo spoke up this time, rubbing his forehead at a surfacing headache. "This same doctor somehow ended up in your pupil's super soldier program, using said serum as a sort of...base of which they created variations of that was used to create her?"

"Practically spot-on, good job Murakumo." The teacher raised a brow at him, somewhat curious at his deductive process. "How did you think of that?"

"Blame shitty light novels." The courier growled. "Sometimes their plot is all over the place."

"And that's where I'll shut my mouth before you three smart-asses connect all the dots and bring down the German government on top of us." The teacher snorted as she leaned against her table. "So, go on now. Get. Except you, Sahaku, you bring me my dinner first and then help me with these papers." She gestured to the stack of documents beside the desk, the sight of which causing her assistant to pale.

"Urgh, yes ma'am..."


Charles looked at his...friend? Yes, friend, as they stared out into the ocean at one of the IS Academy piers.

Ryo seemed troubled, the slight frown on his lips a clear sign.

...A vast difference from his usual cheery smile...

"Is everything alright?" The Frenchman asked, concern in his tone.

The courier took a deep breath, turning around to lean back on the railing. "Just...had some mixed news. It was why I was sort of late for our tour."

True to his word, the Red Frame pilot had shown the transfer student around the school. The older boy was very keen on informing the Frenchman on what the place did, where the nearest bathrooms or vending machines were, or simply showing him the best shortcuts via parkouring, which Charles wasn't that good at. Due to his reputation as the second male IS pilot, Ryo had to pull him into empty janitorial closets or similar rooms to dodge the pursuing horde of girls, all the while holding his wrist or his hand.

...It definitely was a victory for the courier each time they were in close proximity.

"What about? If you don't mind me asking, that is..."

"...It's just..." The test pilot started, looking at him with one eye closed before he looked up with a sigh. "I don't really know, just someone the three of us Astray pilots know did a bit of...trolling behind our backs."

"...Trolling?" Charles raised a brow, unfamiliar with the word.

It sounded like it came from the early 2000's...

"...He—They're goofing around behind our backs. Doing things that blindside us, basically." Ryo clarified, inwardly cursing their Boss for the left field throw about their 'Neo-Type' pseudo-cover story. The last thing they wanted to have was to be connected to one of the heroines, and it was the most problematic one too!

"Ah. I see...is it harming you three?" Charles' brows furrowed in worry. If there was anyone hurting the courier, the blonde was going to have a stern talking to whoever they were!

"...No, not really. Or rather," Ryo grumbled, a hand running through his hair. "Not yet. Ephraim's taking it a bit hard though. He's already stressed enough with his upcoming trip to Okinawa, and now he has to deal with some...unpleasant news."

"Why is he going to Okinawa?"

"To visit his family estate." The courier cleared his throat. "Ephraim wasn't brought up in the Sahaku family. He was an urchin wandering Europe until he was old enough to work himself up to a respectable position in the job market. It was only last year, when the Professor found us, that she revealed to him that he was the biological son of the late and 'last' Sahaku, Mina Sahaku." Green eyes looked up, watching as birds flew past as they set into a narrow glower.

"He had a bunch of deeds and old documents dropped on him which effectively makes him the owner of a good deal of the Prefecture, but there's been...a complication."

"Ah, I see...inheritance then?" The Frenchman quickly connected the dots.

Charles could understand, after all he...she...

"Yeah. His mother had a successor before her passing, a foster child. Lath Winslet, who's been pestering my roommate with emails about meetings."

"I do hope that she won't be too hard on him.."

Green eyes flashed with amusement. "Yeah, well...Ephraim has a tendency to overcome anything that comes his way. He's a bullheaded bastard that one."

And so on and so forth, they talked, enjoying each other's company and the calm atmosphere of the seaside breeze.


"Incomplete."

Davion sighed as he leaned back in his seat. The laptop before him seemed to flash, taunting him for another dead end of decryption.

He just can't unlock more of the Mirage Colloid stealth system!

Hitting a roadblock about an innovation that would be key for combat was absolutely infuriating! Unlocking the Stealth System would open the path for many other uses of the colloid, especially the Caledfwlch units!

Kanzashi's wings of light wouldn't be made, and he'd be breaking his promise to her!

"Damn it!"

He punched the table, denting it, and pushed himself and his chair away from the worktable. The wheeled chair squeaked as it slid across the floor, and the swivel seat twisted to a stop as grey eyes stared into the dimmed sea green optics of his Second G.

Pilot and suit looked back at each other...

"...Shit, I forgot to add the fold-up mask!"

And so the endless cycle of upgrading continues...


Purple eyes glared out into the night.

"Alen Hibiki? A combination of Al Da Flaga and Ulen Hibiki? Really, DS?" Ephraim quietly seethed as he bit into his lollipop. "Next thing you-"

Crunch!

"No! No...I'm not inviting Murphy fucking in here..."

The furious blonde turned away from the glass, walking over to the kitchenette to toss the stick into the trash can. His hand twitched, as if electrocuted, and he raised it to pantomime taking off and breaking a mask from his face. If anyone else were here, they'd see the absolutely murderous expression he had.

"There's already enough twisted experiments happening in this world..."


AN:

Alright, first off...a certain artificial Valkyrie's debut won't happen until a week later. Mainly because, god damn, the pacing is way too fucking fast in canon. So I'm trying to make it a bit more reasonable by turning what would have been a day into a week, in order for Charles to be able to properly and realistically bond with the other boys. This may be a mecha anime, but it's also a school/slice-of-life one. That and I don't feel comfortable just straight up writing battle after battle without touching on the consequences or effects it would have on the involved parties.

Second, thank you IllustriousLawnDart for your review! And you too Rodvek97, I see you!

It brings me a sense of warmth to see that people enjoy my writing! I just hope that I don't mess it up, because some of the things I write here are based on the dice rolls in the pseudo-rp. Like the sparring matches in the first parts of this chapter, the damn rolls there in Ryo's turn were bullshit. And uh...as the people on Archive of our Own would say 'No beta, we die like grunts against a Gundam'.

Also, some may have noticed a trend where I write a character rolling around a beam attack to dodge it and get close. Well, blame Cross Rays for that. The Tallgeese's special evade animation is just too cool to not use. Speaking of, I even used some of the Sinanju's evade animations from Overworld here during Ephraim's turn! It's the one where he stops his forward motion, boosts back, and then straight up. And the missile evade one, though anyone can really just shoot the missiles on their own.

Alright, I think that's enough rambling on my end.

This is Cipher, signing off!

Ah, right before I do leave, the next chapter will be an Interlude.

Aight, time to watch Calli's Hamilton stream, peace!