Interlude 7 (c) - Wednesday Wonder
Ring ring! Ring ring!
"Mmn…"
There was a dull ache in his body, spreading from his back as the jingle of his phone's alarm echoed in his ears. His mind slowly woke up from the depths of slumber, bleary purple eyes peering out from heavy eyelids.
Ring ring! Ring ring!
"..'phraim, turn that off…" His roommate mumbled from somewhere behind him, just as the blonde gained enough coherence to realize where he was.
Ring ring! Ring ri—!
With a quiet huff, he inched his hand away from the phone beside him. He sat up straight, wincing at the aching of his back as he felt, and heard, a fair few vertebrae pop. Blinking to clear his sight, he glanced down at the desk he slept on. The PC monitor was pushed away from him and he was thankful that the keyboard that was built into the desk hadn't activated when he slept. A slight flutter of pages caught his attention as he shifted and he raised an arm…
There, with crumpled pages, was his journal.
His brows furrowed as he reread what he wrote down the night prior, his heart accelerating in a nervous beat.
"—And thus did the Thunderbird let go of her hate, of her vengeance, for her lost friend had once more soothed her soul with his singing. What vestige of the anger and desolation within the Raiju was also purged, as the feathers absorbed it all. His shimenawa rope, blessed by both the Head Priestess and the Goddess (Raiden, remember the name!) of the archipelago, cleansed his body of the corruption.
The mists of the island lifted, the spirits of the past finally crossing over to the Otherworld. There remained the Traveler, her pixie, and the Raiju. Her golden eyes met with his sky blue and they left the isle, putting all the trials and tribulations, all the dark secrets they have uncovered, all the pain and misery they witnessed through the ghosts, all of it was put to rest within their subconscious.
But the Raiju knew that there was still a bigger challenge ahead of him. His bloodline's master had been troubled lately…
Perhaps a visit to the Grand Shrine (what was it called again?) would be a good start."
With a low sigh, he covered his face with his hands and leaned back in his chair.
The memories have been becoming more and more scarce. He no longer remembered names, of both the land and of the people. It was only due to his early diligence that he wrote down the important details of those that mattered, in the first pages of the nondescript booklet. But…
'...What kind of script is this..?'
He flipped several pages back, to the near beginning of the journal. There, in an indecipherable script, were words. Alongside those words were images, sketches of people and places. Alongside the sketches were little items that he drew, like traveling bags or weapons, most likely things that were associated with said subject.
Sometimes the sketches would be half-finished, sometimes the people would remain faceless. Places would be empty, and landscapes missing plenty of details. The most striking of sketches was of a prison cell, of wooden flooring with stone walls. It took up two whole pages, and thankfully had words in English describing it.
Prison.
Chained to a chair.
Constant darkness.
Raped.
Fatui.
He pushed away the journal with a shaking hand, tensing his jaw as a surge of anger and spite rose up from the depths of his psyche. Hunching in the chair, he covered his face as he let out a shuddering breath, one laced with deep-seeded hate born from violation and affront.
Those words, those names, held power. He just knew of it, he knew that the people or places said names were attached to held some form of importance to him. But the problem was that between the reemerging memories of this vessel of his, the memories of Sigma-66, and those of the Outworlder, everything was…blurring.
On some days, he dreamt of nothing but Project: Neo-Type. Remembered all the injections, the numerous sprays of blood each time a bullet found its way in his opponent's heads or necks, all the gray-matter splattered as each head was cracked open—
!
"Hnng…" Ephraim snarled quietly, a hand darting up to press itself against the side of his head, as if the action would lessen the headache that erupted. It was best to not think of Project: Neo-Type this early in the morning. Not after digging up that stupid damn memory of the Fatui—
Pushing the pain down, he closed the journal and set it aside, standing up from his chair in the meanwhile and stretching. The dulled throbbing of the headache was still felt, he just didn't ǵ̸̟ȉ̴̧v̶͙̊e̶̛̻ ̸̙̈́a̷͓̅ ̴͔͝ś̵̳h̴͙͌i̶̖̕t̷͚̏—
'It's dawn.' Hollow purple eyes observed as he peered out from the balcony's curtains, if only to distract himself from his other thoughts. Looking over his shoulder, he could see Ryo still asleep.
...He might as well get ready for their workout.
Walking over to their closet, he opened it and took a moment to look at it in its entirety.
It was evenly halved between the two of them, a satisfying dichotomy of formal and casual. Ryo's side was full of hoodies, shirts, jeans, and sneakers. All types of clothing that fit with his cool and calm nature, and a fair few of them were of the relatively cheap and non-branded types. Meanwhile, his side was as formal as a man could be. Suit jackets, dress shirts, ties, slacks, dress shoes of varying types and brands, the occasional casual wear he would use for his disguises, and the spare disguise kit that held all sorts of items he needed to go incognito.
Grabbing the compression shirt he used for workouts, he also took one of Ryo's sweatshirts. Placing both on his shoulders, he walked over to their kitchenette and knelt down, opening the minifridge under the counter and taking out two pairs of bananas.
Closing the fridge, he stood back up and opened the cupboards. Taking out a bag of St. Helena coffee beans, he also grabbed their personal mugs and set them down on the counter with a quiet 'clink'.
"...Coffee…"
Lips curling into a smirk, he looked over his shoulder to see his roommate begin to stir. Ryo's ethereal green glowed dimly in the darkness of their room and he sluggishly pushed the comforter off of him. Chuckling quietly, the blonde began to brew and set up their pre-workout meal.
"Morning, sleeping beauty." Ephraim grinned at the sound of the curtains being drawn back, and at the grumbles and growls of his half-lucid roommate as the dawn's rays hit his eyes. "Today's brew consists of St. Helena beans, full of flavor and aromatics to kickstart your day."
"...Not Jamaican..?"
"No." Without looking away from the coffee machine, he tossed the sweatshirt to the green-eyed teen. "We'll be pairing it with bananas so that we won't collapse mid-workout."
"Bananas? I usually eat them after or mid-workout." Ryo stepped up beside him, putting the sweatshirt over his thin white sleeping shirt. "Coffee and 'nanas…"
Beep!
"They're good sources of energy." The blonde shrugged as he poured the coffee into their mugs. "Anyway, how goes your studying?"
"Can we not talk about that this early?" The courier complained, taking his mug and taking a deep whiff of the hot drink. "I literally just woke up. I don't need that at this time of morning."
"It's the only thing that's keeping me distracted with what's coming soon, that's why." Ephraim confessed with a sardonic chuckle, taking his own mug and taking a whiff of the drink. He didn't miss the surprised look on his roommate's face, which quickly melted into relief. "Don't worry, I didn't forget that it'll happen. I'll come up with a plan in the coming days."
The blonde then sighed, taking a sip of his sufficiently cooled drink. "Davion not unlocking the Mirage Colloid tech really hampers our chances, though." He muttered afterwards, a dark look flashing in his eyes. "I swear if it's my luck kicking in…"
"That does not help my worries." Ryo dryly grumbled as he took a banana. "How about we forget this doom and gloom for now? It's too early, and now you made me want to extend my cardio run to cool down."
"Eh. Anyway, I heard that you had to explain to Tatenashi and Charlotte as to why Bodewig called you 'Ryo-nii'?"
His roommate grimaced.
Wiping the sweat off of his forehead with a towel, Ephraim breathed out a long sigh as he sat on the bench. Having just done a set of chest presses, the blonde was about to start his cooldown when a familiar face entered his vision.
"Would it be rude of me to ask you to help with my warmup?" Cecilia smiled down at him softly, her cheeks having a faint dusting of pink. She was clad in a blue sports bra and black yoga pants, with the hugging nature of her outfit drawing his eyes down to briefly appreciate her curves. "I've done my stretching, but the treadmills looked awfully lonely…"
"Of course not, Cecilia." He looked up into her eyes and gave her a smile, which merely grew when her cheeks flushed further when she noticed his ogling. "I was just about to do my cooldowns and a round at the treadmills sounds decent enough for it."
Standing from the bench, he raised a hand to check the rubber band that held his low ponytail. While he was willing to let his hair be free, he was not keen to have his sight be obscured by sweaty locks of his bangs when he was exercising, especially when he was doing jump ropes earlier. Draping his towel over his shoulder, he picked up his water jug and gestured to the treadmills.
"Alright, let's go."
The shorter blonde huffed in triumph as she walked with him to the machines. Idly waving at Ichika and Charlotte who were doing planks as they passed by, the noblewoman turned to her crush and smiled gently. "Yesterday's study session was quite productive, wasn't it?"
Ephraim chuckled, shaking his head as he recalled the previous day's events. "We spent more time trying to escape from girls who were desperate for academic help than studying. I haven't even cleared Chapter 9 before we were forced to relocate."
Cecilia grinned, a smug curl to end all smug curls. "Well, our combined brilliance does shine like a beacon, doesn't it?"
"Well, we are both rather good looking…" He teased, amusement dancing in his eyes at her blush. "I couldn't blame them for being rather obsessed with us."
The noblewoman tittered, bumping his side with a good-natured smile on her lips. "Careful now, Ephraim. Anymore and people at the London Eye would be able to see that tower you stand on."
"Ha!" The Astray pilot barked out a laugh. "As you wish, milady."
With a good-natured roll of her eyes, the Brit chose her treadmill and set her own towel and water bottle on the built-in holders. As Ephraim did the same with his chosen treadmill, she stole another glance at his form, returning his ogling from earlier.
She had long since accepted the fact that she was infatuated with the older blonde, infatuated with just about everything about him. From his confident aura to his chivalrous nature that hid with it a sharp tongue. Everything about the purple-eyed boy reminded her of those fairytale knights her mother used to tell her about.
The fact that he had suffered merely grounded that flighty storybook idea into reality.
Her heart ached every time she remembered their talk in the Infirmary. She still remembered how those once vibrant eyes turned dead when he slumped in his chair, how he covered his face and the action bringing attention to the burn scars that circled his wrists. He wasn't clean like those 'knights in shining armor', no, he was tainted.
But that was what made him real compared to them.
And it was this feeling that he was real that made her want him. She wanted him to be hers and hers alone.
But…
"I'm interested in Orimura-sensei."
With a quiet sigh, she looked away from him and started the machine. As the running belt began to move, she began to walk, still lost in her thoughts.
She considered Chifuyu Orimura a rival, that much was clear. The noblewoman didn't miss the pining glint in those royal purples of his whenever the former Brunhilde and the Astray pilot were together. There was a hint of deference in his actions whenever their teacher asked him to do something and it made her envious.
Would she, one day, be treated with the same level of care from him?
"Cecilia?"
She blinked, her train of thought derailed by the concern in his tone. "Y-Yes?" Turning her head at him, her cheeks once more flushed in embarrassment. "What's wrong?"
Ephraim frowned lightly as he walked, looking over her form for any sign of injuries that could have caused her sudden quiet. "I asked you a question."
"O-Oh." Cecilia blinked once again and cleared her throat. "What was it again? I was preoccupied by some intrusive thoughts about the upcoming exams."
Her heart nearly skipped a bit when his lips curled in a reassuring smile. "Hey, you'll ace it. I believe that you could. Anyway, I was wondering if you were available later-"
"Sahaku-san."
The two blonde turned their heads to their right, both purple and blue looking into sole red.
The Gold Frame's pilot sighed, frowning at the albino who now was using the other treadmill. "Bodewig. I guess it's my turn today, huh?" He couldn't help the annoyance from leaking into his tone.
Laura merely nodded. She was clad in a rather plain grey shirt, jogging pants, and sneakers. The shirt itself had the words 'Bundeswehr' on the back, reminding the tall blonde once more that the girl was indeed from the military.
"Tch." He glanced at Cecilia, whose pallor had turned a bit paler and whose eyes hadn't looked away from the piercing red of the German. "Cecilia," The taller blonde stopped both of their treadmills, an arm darting out and gripping her shoulder somewhat gently. "Calm down. I'm here."
The noblewoman closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Nodding, both at herself and at his words, she stepped off the machine. "I…I'll do some planks now. Thank you for the chit-chat, Ephraim." She sent him a strained smile before gathering her things and walking away.
"Wait!" The Astray pilot called out and she paused. "Come over to the Culinary Arts Club during lunch, Emiya-san and I are going to cook some famous European dishes. I figured that you would have wanted a taste of home."
The girl was silent for a few seconds before she nodded, though she did not turn around to meet his eyes as she continued on her way.
"I…" The albino looked at the retreating blonde with a confused expression. "...Did I do something?"
It took Ephraim a good deal of his calm to not snap at her. "No. Her warmup and my cooldown was just about done anyway." Draping his towel over his shoulders and grabbing his jug, he glanced over to the girl who was his genetic cousin. "Just keep your distance from her, alright?"
"Okay..?"
With a small huff, the blonde walked away, removing the rubber band and letting his hair be free once more. With any luck, perhaps the cafeteria would have those fruit shakes later at breakfast. That would cool his mood…
"Class dismissed."
Closing his notepad, he leaned over to grab his book satchel-
"Sahaku, come with me to my office." Chifuyu beckoned him with a tilt of her head, in her hand was a buzzing phone that she occasionally took glances of. "We need to discuss some training plans for next week."
Ephraim blinked, glancing at Cecilia for a moment, whose face was set into her usual prideful mask. He was planning to head over the Culinary Arts Club with her so he could cheer her up but…
"Now, Sahaku."
"Coming, Orimura-sensei."
Taking another glance at Cecilia, who merely smiled at him, the teacher's assistant got out of his seat. "Ryo, can you take my satchel to our room? Thanks." Without looking back at the bemused courier, he smiled slightly at the noblewoman. "Culinary Arts Club, okay?"
The shorter blonde blinked up at him, as if snapping out of some form of trance, and nodded. "I do hope you'll cook me some Roast Beef and Spotted Dick, hmm?"
A fair few of the girls around them stopped their conversations, their heads whirling to the Brit at her utterance of 'dick'. Their cheeks were red, mouth ever so slightly gaping in surprise at the sudden saying of the word.
"I shall prepare the finest of ingredients." He gave her a bow, mostly for theatrics before he straightened. Both blondes stared at each other for a few more seconds before sharing a short laugh. He then walked away, giving her a wave which she returned.
Cecilia rested her cheek on her palm, sighing softly as she watched the older boy follow their teacher not unlike a puppy. 'Someday…' She swore, frowning ever so slightly as she closed her eyes. 'Haaah…it's quite unbecoming for a lady such as I to be so glum-!'
"Alcott-san, what was that about 'Dick'?!"
"Spotted D-Dick?"
"How scandalous!"
The noblewoman didn't even get a few moments for herself before she got swarmed by the curious eavesdroppers. Their words blended together and she felt her ire increase..!
"It's a dish, you perverts!"
Unnoticed by most, a certain albino slipped away…
'Training for next week?' Ephraim's royal purples were locked on to the back of his superior's head as they walked to her office. 'But isn't next week…'
'No! No, I won't stress myself out with contingency plan after contingency plan!' He ran a hand through his hair, biting his lip as he felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier. 'There's still two weeks, perhaps it's on the last week and not-'
"Houki's birthday is on the 7th." Chifuyu suddenly spoke up ahead of him, causing the blonde to blink. "I think she'll appreciate it if you and the boys got her a gift."
'Houki's birthday. July 7th. Next week. Shinonono. Tabane Shinonono. Akatsubaki-'
"Is that so?" He chuckled, a rueful smile on his lips. "I feel like she doesn't like us though. We haven't really interacted aside from the times we were grouped together for projects…"
'Tabane Shinonono. Silver Gospel. Hijack. Season 1 finale-'
His superior stopped before her office and looked over her shoulder at him, noting the strained smile on his lips. "Giving her gifts will help a long way. I noticed her dislike towards you three as well, which I can only attribute to being Tabane's 'test pilots'."
'Test pilots. Pilot. Natasha Fairs. Anime or Light Novel version? Will she be there? Will she not? Are we ready-?'
"Guess I'll have to shop for a suitable gift then." The blonde huffed as she nodded and opened her office door-
"Nii-san!"
?!
He noticed the brown blur dashing towards him the moment the door was opened and he spread his arms to catch the projectile.
Womph!
Purple eyes widened as he spun to bleed the momentum of the girl in his grasp. "Kazahana?!" He nearly gaped in disbelief. "What're you doing here?"
"Ahem."
He looked up from the giddy brunette and into the bemused sea-green eyes of his sister. She still wore that blue and white ensemble of hers, though she carried a briefcase this time.
"Lath?!" He nearly yelped, his composure breaking as he expressed genuine surprise.
'The hell are they doing here?!'
"It's good to see you again…brother." Lath smirked as Kazahana pulled him into the office. "We have much to talk about, it seems."
"Come on, come on!" Their little sister squee'd as she nearly skipped. "I want to tour the island after this! I want to see your Astrays!"
Chifuyu rolled her eyes as she made to follow after them-
Crack…
-only to pause when a peculiar noise entered her ears. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the telltale white hair of her former pupil peeking from around a corner.
An uncharacteristic look of envy was clear on the German's face, her brows furrowed and lips drawn back in a snarl. Her hands were gripping the corner so tight that it cracked from the sheer pressure of her anger and jealousy.
'...Ha.'
She doubted that the younger girl even knew why she was envious. Nor that her expression had twisted into such a thing.
Their eyes briefly met and Laura flinched before ducking away to hide from her sight.
"Sensei?" Lath's voice called her from within her office. "May we begin our business now?"
"Business?" Her assistant's confusion amused her to no end. It was almost rare for the smug blonde to be caught off-guard, since he always acted as if he knew what was going to happen next.
Oh, she was totally going to remember this for days on end!
"Sorry, I thought I heard someone call for me." The teacher excused herself as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Click!
"Oh, Lady Alcott! What are you doing here?"
Cecilia smiled at the 2nd year as she bowed slightly. "I was invited by Eph— Sir Sahaku to watch his and Miss Emiya's cooking."
"Ah, I see." Erina nodded as she cupped her chin, though inwardly she was glad that the other blonde wasn't here to cook. "Well, they do typically make more than what they could eat…Come in, come in." She ushered her fellow noblewoman inside the club room just as the other Star of the Culinary Arts Club came running from around the corner.
"Buchouuu!" Haku cried out with an apologetic expression as she stopped before the taller girl. "I'm sorry if I'm late, I had to take a call from my dad!" She bowed profusely as the Nakiri Heiress chuckled.
"No worries, Emiya-san." The blonde smiled, her eyes igniting with an ambitious light. "If it was from your father, I won't complain. After all, you learned all your cooking skills from him, yes?" Her lips then curled into a scheming grin, her hands rubbing together mischievously. "Yes, I must be lenient because one day you'll surpass him and that cousin of yours with the bandana. Then you, Ephraim, and I can take the culinary stage by storm, oust my father, grab his position and then I shall finally be-!"
"Uwaaah, Buchou stop! Stop!" Haku covered her Club President's mouth shut with her hands. "You're making an embarrassment of yourself!" Looking around, she spotted various students staring at and whispering about them. "L-Let's just go inside! I want to break this tie between my rival and I!" She then began pushing the blonde into the room.
Cecilia, who has been idly conversing with the other club members and looking around the room, twitched as she turned her head ever so slightly towards the redhead. She has been quite wary of the intentions of the golden eyed girl from Class 1-4 and her words did not help in the slightest!
Upon closing the door, Haku breathed a sigh of relief and took her hands off of Erina's lips, revealing the bemused frown and flushed cheeks of the 2nd year. Her eyes looked around the room before raising a brow.
"Eh? Where's Sahaku-san?" The redhead asked out loud. "He's always the first one here during our contests…"
Clearing her throat, Cecilia stepped up and placed a hand over her chest. "He's with Orimura-sensei right now, planning for next week's training regimes."
"Wah!" Haku nearly jumped when she noticed the noblewoman, her face paling as all sorts of worst-case scenarios ran through her head. "A-Ah, Alcott-sama! I didn't know you were here!" Her expression switched from surprised to confused once more. "Wait, why are you here?"
Frowning slightly, the Brit placed her hands on her hips. "I was invited to watch. That and Sir Sahaku promised to make me lunch."
An opportunistic gleam flashed in those golden eyes of the redhead. "Oh? So he's making English Cuisine then…" She then rubbed her hands together. "Mweheheheh, then I shall make French Cuisine in retaliation!" Finishing her declaration with a finger to the skies, she struck a pose as a few of her clubmates politely clapped.
Cecilia merely stared, though she was inwardly nervous. She did give a really big hint that may have caused her crush's defeat in this round.
'...Please forgive me, Ephraim. I may have cost you a victory today.'
The shudder that went down his spine caused him to flinch, the action stopping the current conversation as both Lath and Chifuyu turned to him.
"Is everything alright?" There was an undercurrent of wariness in his superior's tone, well-hidden behind the faux-annoyance and boredom that she used when talking to him.
"Yes yes, I'm quite fine." Ephraim waved off the concern with a small laugh. "I just forgot that I asked Ryo to bring my book satchel back to our room. I thought I left it in the classroom, you see."
Lath rolled her eyes before she tapped the documents spread out on Chifuyu's desk. "Back on topic, these are the rates for renting out…how many are you going to book again?"
"The whole First Year Batch, from Class 1-1 to Class 1-4, for…let's say 4 days and 3 nights." Chifuyu crossed her arms, glancing briefly at the shocked expression on her assistant's face. She unbalanced him somehow, that she realized. Did the blonde have something planned in the next week..?
The Scandinavian furrowed her brows, cupping her cheek as she did some quick calculations. "That'll be…at least 10 million yen, complete with the 17% discount that the IS Academy has to all Japanese establishments." The orangette looked up from the documents at the older woman, who was just about the same height as her.
"10 million yen is basically a drop in the bucket with how much the government throws at us." The teacher rolled her eyes, glancing once more at Ephraim. He had closed his eyes, his face a serene mask of tranquility and his body language that of peace.
'AAAAAAAAA-'
'He's totally freaking out right now.' She concluded with a mental laugh. 'But by what? And why?'
'I thought it would only be Class 1-1! Why the hell are the other classes coming— Oh right, Rin was there in the anime— BUT WHY ARE THE EXTRAS COMING?!' Were the turbulent thoughts of the Gold Frame's pilot. 'Never mind the fact that wherever that fucking place was in the anime, it's totally different now! It's a whole damn resort, a larger area that needs defending, way more people to defend in the first place, there's no swamp for Tabane to test the Akatsubaki in—'
He took a deep breath, opening his eyes as he forced himself to calm down. 'Easy. Easy…Don't lose your cool in front of the two worst people to lose your cool with.' The blonde could feel his heartbeat slowing down from its rapid pace, and he crossed his arms to maintain the dignified composure-
"Hey, Ephraim-nii," Kazahana tugged at his suit jacket's sleeve, a proud smile on her face. "I was the one who suggested Kanucha Resort. It's within the Sahaku Clan's purview so if you have any trouble, just talk to the managers and they'll tend to your every whim." She gave an theatrically evil chuckle as she rubbed her hands together. "This'll be a big publicity stunt that will definitely bring more tourism to Nago City! Wherever the IS Academy touches, it becomes a sort of pilgrimage site. It's brilliant! Mwahahaha!"
'Oh, it'll be a damn publicity stunt alright, one that'll involve a risk of DEATH! AAAAAAAAAA—'
"Kazahana," Lath sighed, palming her face briefly. "There's no need for you to go all drama queen just because you had a sugar rush-induced brainstorming session. Why don't you go with our…" Sea-green eyes looked over at him for a moment, conflict still present within. "...brother around the island? I'm sure he'd be more than willing to tour you around."
"That's a good idea, Winslet-san." Chifuyu smirked, thoroughly enjoying the sparks of panic behind the mask of civility of her assistant. She'll corner him again next time about what he's planning in the future, but for now; business first, pleasure later. "We'll iron out the finer details, so I doubt you'd want to be around. It's boring grown-up talk, after all. Shoo, go on." The teacher made a shoo-ing motion alongside her words.
'AAAAAAAAAA—'
Kazahana gasped as she grabbed him by the sleeve. "Come on! Let's goooo!"
"A-Ah?" He blinked, his train-wreck of a thought process being snapped back into coherence by her tugging. "Oh, the tour...er, why don't we go to the Culinary Arts Club first?" Ephraim offered, just barely remembering that Cecilia was probably still waiting for him there. He glanced at the wall clock—
12:15 PM
—and his eyes shot open as he realized that he was 15 minutes late!
Picking Kazahana up, much to her squealing delight, he bowed his head towards his sister and superior. "If you'll excuse us, I have— we have somewhere else to be!" He looked down at the child in his arms, which he had lifted into a bridal carry, and frowned slightly. "Hang on tight, okay? I'm gonna run."
The brunette merely responded by giddily wrapping her arms around his neck, a wide grin on her lips. "Let's go!"
"Heading out!"
And off he went, dashing in a great burst of speed that would have caused Olympic sprinters to raise a brow in surprise. The two women left behind merely shook their heads and resumed their talk, the door automatically closing in the wake of the blonde blur.
Click!
"Miss Nakiri, how goes your…" Cecilia paused briefly to consider her next words. "Family matters..?"
Erina's smile lessened as she sighed. "Slow. Dear Father of mine has a vice grip in almost every matter. I would have been nothing but a puppet dancing on his strings were it not for the IS Academy's offer…"
Haku looked at her club president with slight pity. Almost everyone in the club knew of their leader's plight, of how her father was a snake in every sense of the word that was trying to strangle whatever goodness was left in her family's name just for the sake of power. It was why the redhead tried so much in cooking, and it was why she kept on asking her dad and twin brother for recipes to help her.
She was somewhat surprised to learn that Lady Cecilia was also familiar with the older blonde. They apparently had been classmates once, back in primary school in an establishment for the rich and nobility. That was during the first emergence of the IS, where the government wanted all future influential leaders to be able to maneuver around what would become the norm in politics: The IS.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" The British noblewoman offered, her brows furrowed in concern. "I do remember that I still owe you a favor for that book…"
The Nakiri Heiress smiled, waving off her offer. "No no, it's quite alright Lady Alcott. Someday soon, I'll kick Father off from his throne and one day lead my family back on the right path."
Knock knock!
One of the club members, the one closest to the doors, turned and opened it. "Hello..?"
"I…wish to observe."
Cecilia stiffened at the voice.
Erina turned around and saw strands of white hair peeking around her clubmate's form. "Who is it? Ah, let her come in…"
And so, Laura Bodewig did.
"Oh, Bodewig-san." The 2nd year's brows rose at the most unexpected visitor. "What brings you to the Culinary Arts Club?"
The albino saw Cecilia and fidgeted slightly, wringing her hands together as she tapped a foot against the floor. "Er…I…overheard Sahaku-san mention something about cooking here and I got curious…"
"Well," Haku grinned as puffed her chest out, her hands on her hips as pride overflowed from her form. "One more spectator is no problem to me! Just means that I can make more dishes!"
Laura bowed at the waist. "I would also like to inform you that one Charlotte Dunois will join this club next term!"
Plenty of eyes widened, including that of Cecilia's, as they turned to her in surprise.
"Charlotte Dunois? The one who dressed up as a guy?"
"Yeah, she had us fooled for weeks…why does she want to join us?"
"Enough." Erina sternly cut off any useless chatter and crossed her arms. "When will she come here?"
The albino straightened, an unsure expression on her face. She hadn't stuck around yesterday to know just when the Frenchwoman would go. She just wanted to let them know because…
'Because I…wanted to.'
Yes, she wanted to let them know so that Charlotte would have an easier time negotiating…
Thump thump thump thump!
"The heck is that now..?" Haku grumbled, having just finished tying the knot of her apron around the small of her back. It sounded like footsteps…more precisely, like someone running and…
"Ah, I see it nii-san!"
A lot of brows were raised once more at the sound of a young girl's cry. It was prepubescent, definitely younger than what should have been normal on the IS Academy's roster.
"Nice, Kazahana!"
"Ephraim..?" Cecilia turned around just in time to see the aforementioned blonde enter the room. He carried with him a young brunette girl, who was looking around with wide eyes full of wonder. Erina and Haku stepped forth to greet him, occasionally looking at the girl in question.
"Well, you sure took your time." The 2nd year grinned as Ephraim set the girl down on her two feet. "And who's this adorable bundle of energy?"
"My little sister, Kazahana Aja." The taller blonde gave a small grin back, playfully ruffling said sister's hair. "My other sister, Lath Winslet, made a surprise visit and asked me to show her around."
"Nii-san, nooo!" Kazahana protested, slapping his hand away with a glare. "I'm not just some kid, you know!"
"Yes yes, of course…"
Unnoticed by most, Laura's fists clenched tightly and her expression soured.
'Why am I…' Her sole eye widened ever so slightly as she realized just what she was feeling. Just what she had been feeling ever since she left the Faculty Building.
Envy.
'No! I-I can't be jealous of some kid!' Her sole carmine eye burned with shame, indignancy, and jealousy as Kazahana was showered with affection from the girls around her. 'I am a soldier of the Bundeswehr, a child shouldn't..!'
But seeing that fond smile on the person who she wanted to call brother, who she wanted to have a bond with, be directed to someone that wasn't her…
It was like with her beloved Mentor all over again…
"Hello, Kazahana." Cecilia greeted the girl with a gentle smile. "I am Cecilia Alcott, a noblewoman from the UK and one of its Representative Candidates. I'm also one of your big brother's friends and his shooting partner in range practice."
"She's quite a crack shot with her rifle and is a challenging fighter. She'll only soar higher, I'll make sure of it." Ephraim complimented the shorter blonde, who blushed healthily but beamed with pride. His royal purple eyes looked over and locked with Laura's sole and teary carmine. They widened in slight surprise before his eyelids lowered in a neutral look.
"Bodewig-san." The Neo-Type acknowledged the Valkyrie with a nod, who jolted at being spoken to. "A surprise to see you here. May I know the reason?"
Haku walked over and placed her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders, a grin on her face all the while. "She wanted to watch us face off, of course! Ah yeah, she also delivered the news that Charlotte Dunois will be joining us next term."
"Oh really?" The sole male in the room hummed, idly watching Kazahana as she walked around the room. Erina was giving her a brief tour around all the cooking stations, letting her see what was inside the numerous fridges that lined the back of the room and even giving her some samples of sweets he and Haku had previously made back on Monday.
"Y-Yes, Sahaku-san." Laura bowed, unable to keep their gazes locked on any further. "I thought that letting Nakiri-senpai know would make Dunois' entry into the club smoother."
He narrowed his eyes briefly, trying to remember if there were any mentions of Charlotte being in the Culinary Arts Club. It would have been weird if she joined, because then that would mean there would be three blondes with purple eyes that were coincidentally good at cooking…
'...What the fuck. Seriously, is that just a common trait? At least in this world? A stereotype, maybe?'
"Nakiri-senpai." He called out, gaining the attention of the 2nd year, who was sharing a tub of handmade strawberry ice cream with his little sister. "If Dunois-san does join next term, then she has my approval. I've sampled some of her bento meals back when she was still 'Charles', I can attest that she has potential."
"The approval of one of the 'Stars' of the club?" Erina smirked. "Well, that's quite a big factor…I'll have to ask her to cook me a sample dish when she approaches me next term then. If her cooking is as close as yours or Emiya's, then I shall elevate her as another 'Star'!"
"Sahaku-san!" Haku crowed out from her cooking station with puffed cheeks and a pout, having walked over during his thinking. "Our challenge? We're wasting good noon light here!"
Ephraim blinked before something snapped in place in his mind. "Ah." A challenging grin curled his lips as his royal purple eyes smoldered with intent. "Right."
The atmosphere of the room changed at that very instant, both star cooks practically glaring at each other. Cecilia's brows rose in surprise at the sudden shift and she took a few steps back to give them space, causing her to stand beside Laura who was just as surprised.
Licking his lips, he unbuttoned his suit jacket and handed it over to a nearby clubmate. Unbuttoning his sleeves next, he then folded them up to his elbow, exposing the burn scars that wrapped around his wrists.
"Kazahana, Laura, what do you wish for me to cook? We're doing National European Dishes for lunch." He suddenly spoke, retrieving a hair tie from a pocket and styling his hair into a man bun.
Both younger girls jolted at his requests before the youngest grinned.
"Margherita Pizza!" The brunette raised her hand excitedly, wanting to try her older brother's cooking. She wasn't there when he cooked breakfast for him and Lath, but according to the Scandinavian, it was good. Now was her chance!
"...Schnitzel, please." Laura meekly asked, still unable to meet his eyes. She felt a bit of shame in asking that much from him…
Pulling his tie off and unbuttoning his collar, the tall blonde had a look of professionalism all over. "One Roasted Beef with Spotted Di-" He quickly glanced at an excited Kazahana. "Railway pudding, one Margherita Pizza, and one order of Schnitzel, coming up!" He finished his proclamation by tying his apron on.
"Yosha!" Haku's grin was predatory, her golden eyes gleaming with challenge. She had also done her hair up into a high ponytail, bringing an aura of homeliness to her. "Then I shall make some Steak frites, Pot-au-feu, and a Crème Caramel for the little lady!" She pointed her spatula at him, her grin lessening into a determined smile. "Prepare yourself, Sahaku-san! Today is the day that Emiya Haku will claim victory!"
"Ha! You wish!" Ephraim's professional look shattered into one of equal determination and youthful challenge.
"EMIYA!"
"SAHAKU!"
"Why are they yelling..?" Laura muttered as the two began to blur around their cooking stations. Hands were washed and dried, and any other obstructive clothing was moved away.
They brought out prepared meats, spices, cutlery, and other tools necessary for their fight. It was somewhat terrifying to see the two dash around without breaking a sweat, their limbs slicing, tenderizing, and generally moving about as pots and pans clanged and banged.
"I have no idea." Cecilia answered her, her own expression one of slight disbelief and wonder at what was happening before their eyes. "They must be quite passionate about their craft then…I pity Miss Dunois next term…"
"This. Is. So. Cool!" Kazahana gushed between the two of them, eyes sparking as she beheld the wonder that was two perfectionists cooking. "It's like that one anime! Food uh- wait no, Gourmet Skirmish? No, not that…um…Snack Fight? No…" She muttered away, frowning as she tried to search her memories for the correct title.
Hey, she may have been far more mature than other kids, but she was allowed to be immature sometimes! She didn't want to be all frowny and serious in her youth!
Erina merely watched with a wide grin, already envisioning how the dishes would look. She was already salivating, but she kept a tight lid so that she wouldn't look too unlady-like. Ever competing, the two always tried to one-up the other and it led to divine dishes being made.
The food was going to be glorious!
Though annoyed by the fact that the Board delegated her to be the ultimate authority when it came to approving the 1st Year's Beach Trip, Chifuyu made sure to read every line thrice to see if there were any duplicity in the contract.
While deep down, she knew that the Sahaku Clan wouldn't do something so underhanded, the fact that they were in financial decline as well as slowly fading into irrelevance in the greater industrial scope could have pushed them to do some shady things in order to keep afloat.
Her brown eyes scanned the lines again and again, the tenseness in her shoulders easing as she found no hidden catches or pitfalls that would have strangled the IS Academy. It was just an ordinary contract that saw to rent part of the whole resort to them for a recreational activity.
"...Looks like that's all there is." She muttered as she signed the last document, the pen's scratching echoing in the quiet office. "All amenities are taken care of by the staff, if there's any problem I just need to approach the manager…" Chifuyu continued as she slowly handed the stack of papers to the grinning Scandinavian. "I'm more curious as to how you knew that we were planning to have a beach trip, Winslet-san."
The orangette took the papers and placed them in her briefcase. "Well, I was in High School too, you know. We had trips like these to get our minds eased for the exams, so that we won't get overloaded." Her lips curled into a more mischievous smirk, her sea-green eyes twinkling. "That and I have my sources."
The teacher narrowed her eyes, somewhat surprised that she had an informant here in the first place. Actually, it was kind of clever now that she thought about it. All the other big name moles have been quickly found out with a thorough background search and observation, but the Sahaku Conglomeration was now small-time and didn't meddle in the affairs of the IS-scene…
'Well, I can attest that it wasn't her brother.' Chifuyu said nothing after the Successor's words, settling on tenting her fingers and resting her chin on them. 'He would have asked me for permission first.'
"I'm curious, Orimura-sensei," Lath spoke as she looked around the room idly. "About the performance of my brother here. Being one of the few male students in this all-girl's school must be stressful, yes?"
Raising a brow, the teacher shrugged. "He has moments where he shows signs of exhaustion, he just hides it really well behind the overly polite mask that he always wears. That damn smile of his is so infuriating too." She allowed a hint of annoyance to drip from her words. "It makes him look like he knows what you're going to say, or that he's three steps ahead of you. Or that he has this huge inside joke that only he seems to get."
"I get what you mean." The orangette grumbled, setting the briefcase on her lap as she made herself comfortable on the leather chairs before the teacher's desk. "Though he didn't have the smile that you're talking about, he had this frown during the O.R.B.'s meeting, as if things weren't going as he was expecting it to be. I've seen that same look on Mother's face…" Sea-green eyes became distant for a moment before she shook her head to clear the negativity that was bubbling up. "Anyway, I'm not sure if he researched the members of the O.R.B. beforehand and was surprised at their personalities or…"
"Or that he knows something that we don't." Chifuyu frowned, brows furrowing as she began to rethink her assistant's threat level. She had always kept him within an arm's-reach, just the right amount of distance to not seem to lax in whatever he could do, but recent events might mean that she would need to look closer at whatever he was doing…
"I'll aim to unbalance her on that front so that her training will be wasted. That's the downside of being a public figure, information about you is plentiful with enough research. An unknown like me has the advantage in those fields, so I must conceal my own strength until it is time."
"'Appearing strong despite knowing you are at a disadvantage'...an adage from The Art of War."
'You're not the only one to have read it, Ephraim.' The teacher mentally grumbled as she took her phone out from her pocket. Her brows slightly rose at the message that was sent.
Drink Bar: Made a bit too much for lunch. Emiya-san wins this round and my eternal enmity. Head over to the Culinary Arts Club for the leftovers, I'll go on ahead to give Kazahana a tour of the Engineering Bay. I'll introduce her to Davion and the Astrays, she's been pestering me about it.
Filing away her current suspicion for her assistant, she looked up at the Sahaku Successor. "Your brother just finished a cooking contest with one of the students and said that he made too much. I'm heading over to the Culinary Arts Club to grab a bite, would you like to join me?"
Lath blinked, a disbelieving expression flashing across her face as she hesitantly stood up after the teacher. "Um…Y-Yes? I mean, it's only polite and he admittedly is a decent cook…"
"Decent doesn't do him justice." Chifuyu admitted as she walked around her desk. "Keeps on surprising me on what he can cook…"
"...How often does he cook, anyway?" The Scandinavian asked as they exited the office together. "You sound as if you've eaten a fair few of his meals."
"He makes me lunch and dinner every day." The teacher admitted, shrugging nonchalantly. "He occasionally makes bentos for his friends too, so seeing him at the Culinary Arts clubroom isn't that uncommon."
'He makes her lunch and dinner..? Well, he does bond well with Kazahana, and was quite distraught when Mayu Asuka nearly fell into the tracks…' Lath idly thought as the two exited the Faculty Building. 'Cooks good, has an affinity with kids, takes care of others…'
…
"He's kind of a househusband in that sense then…" She finished her line of thought, realizing only a few seconds later that she said it out loud. Wide sea-green looked over at the woman a step or two in front of her, noting the tense shoulders and she paled.
'Damn it! Mother told me to not talk about concepts such as marriage and family to older single women! Lath, what are you doing?! I should know these things because I'm-!' Her initial fear quickly gave away into the beginning of despair. 'Oh God no. No. I shouldn't think about that, not this soon! Damn it, Lath!'
Unaware of the younger woman's inner turmoil, Chifuyu merely stared ahead as they walked. Her brown eyes slightly glazed over as she ruminated on the orangette's words. As if unearthed by said words, a certain memory from a few weeks past flashed through her mind. A talk between the two one quiet night…
"What will you do once you graduate, Sahaku?"
"...Hopefully live peacefully. Though, I don't know how peaceful being the son of Rondo Mina Sahaku would be... I haven't really a plan after the IS Academy, honestly. Maybe… Maybe be a househusband."
"A househusband? Why not be a bartender? You seem pretty good at it."
"Who says I can't have a bar at home to keep my skills in top shape?"
"...Point. But seriously, why?"
…
"Maybe I just want something more humble. I don't want to be this super soldier all the time, you know? Not 'Ephraim the Astray Test Pilot', not Sigma-66, and especially not 'Ephraim Sahaku, of the Sahaku Conglomerate'. I just…"
"...Just?"
"...I just want to be normal."
His words had resonated with a long-buried wish inside of her.
"I just want to be normal."
A wish she had once longed to make a reality, but had cast aside when the Mondo Grosso began. A normal life for her and her brother, was that too much to ask..?
As the two women entered the Academic Building, her mind once more began to wander…
'...The woman he'd marry would be quite lucky…'
.
.
.
As they walked through the Engineering Bay, Cecilia and Laura watched as the blonde ahead of them dealt with the hyperactivity of the brunette.
"Will all of the Astrays be there? How do you guys even get in them? Oh! Can I look at the systems?!"
"Easy does it, Kazahana." Ephraim sighed, a smile clear in his voice. "Davion'll answer your questions, he's our mechanic. We're getting closer, can you promise to not run around too much in the hangar?"
"Hangar?!" The young brunette gasped, turning her head to look up at her brother with twinkling eyes. "So it's a big place then!"
"Good grief…"
'He's good with children…' The noblewoman thought, thinking back to earlier where her crush was wiping his sister's lips when she was eating pizza. He displayed much paternal love and care for the younger girl, striking a chord in many of the girls' budding maternal instincts.
Cecilia was one of those girls, her heart had literally skipped a bit upon seeing it. As her late father had been…well, a gnat, seeing the Ephraim be that gentle was…
'He'd be an excellent father-' Her cheeks suddenly flushed and she cupped her cheeks. 'W-What are you thinking, Cecilia?! Too far! Too far! We haven't even had our first kiss, much less a date! You shouldn't think of such unladylike things! B-Because being a father implies children and having children implies s-s-se—'
On the opposite end, Laura was conflicted about everything that just happened. While she was envious, Kazahana had been…well, she had been quite friendly and open to her. Ephraim even smiled at her when the two of them were talking.
Why had he smiled? All she did was introduce herself to the Okinawan and share her wish to join the Tea Ceremony Club. Was he that easily amused with the antics of his younger sister?
'Maybe I should befriend her…' The albino thought, cupping her chin as she walked. 'He seems to be more friendly when Kazahana is around…'
Beep.
"Yo, Davion," Ephraim spoke into an intercom built into the keypad that was beside the double doors into the hangar. A bento box quantized in his free hand in the meanwhile. "I brought you lunch and company."
"Wait what?" Davion's voice had a bit of surprise even through the intercom. In the background, there seemed to be some sort of rock music playing. "Company?"
"Yeah, Lady Alcott, Bodewig, and my little sister. Kazahana wanted to see the Astrays."
"Little sister..? Oh, I see them through the cams. Come in, there are some free chairs around here. Kanzashi, think you can help?"
"Of course, Davion-kun."
"Thanks!"
Raising a brow, he took a step back from the double doors. "Sarashiki-san's in there..?" He muttered before he shook his head.
Hiss…
The doors opened and the sound of rock music was more clearly heard this time. Cecilia frowned as she recognized it as being American in origin while Laura seemed to appreciate the tune. Kazahana, meanwhile, darted ahead and past her brother.
"Woooow!"
Following after the two, both Representative Candidates stepped inside and found themselves in an utterly different world.
The hangar was big, far bigger than the maintenance rooms the school gave to each noteworthy IS pilot and their crew. For Laura, it was akin to helicopter hangars of the numerous Frigates in the Bundesmarine, and it smelled like it too with all the oil and metal around.
On one end of the hangar were several machines that the albino identified as necessary for manufacturing, having seen them around in the Research and Development Sector of the island. It seemed as if half of the hangar was also some form of factory, as a few machines were still active and making…something.
In the other half, metal tables were scattered about, blueprints both empty and filled were on them, as well as writing implements. There was a door leading to somewhere else, but that too had a keypad lock to it.
And there, in the middle of the room…were the Astrays.
Even when they were in their berths, they exuded a sense of power.
The Blue Frame was standing tall, its massive greatsword secured to its back in its odd wing-like form. The 30mm gatling gun in this form was pointed at the ground, and Laura could imagine it being a good deterrent for anyone chasing it while it was airborne.
The Red Frame seemed to be undergoing some form of upgrade, as its backpack was similar to that of the Blue Frame's. Another greatsword, nearly identical to that of the Blue Frame's, was held in the robotic grips of its berth's sub-arms, and it seemed to be in the middle of having something coded into it as cables were attached to some small port and led to a laptop on a nearby table.
The Gold Frame stood regally, its lustrous and resplendent inner frame shining in the artificial light of the hangar. Its Aile Pack was detached, held in a robotic arm as thick cables were attached to discreet ports. Said cables ran down into a hole in the metal flooring, and Laura could only fathom what it was. Its optics were on, however, flickering as it stared straight ahead.
And lastly, much to both Cecilia and Laura's surprise, was the Strike Uchigane.
It was in its own special berth, one that was made for IS' instead of the modified ones that the Astrays used. It was in its Inactive Form, a skeletal frame that had hints of red, white, and blue armor. It was very similar to that of a normal IS', and if they hadn't seen the suit in action, they would have just thought it as something unimportant.
"I would know the name of He who has me in his sights."
There was some sort of speaker system in the large room, as the rock music was still playing, albeit with lowered volume.
"I am he who remembers! The Ancient of Rites!"
"Hope you two like pizza and roast beef." Ephraim chuckled as he tossed the bento towards the other Astray pilot. Both Cecilia and Laura looked over to see a familiar bluenette waving at them shyly from beside the grey-eyed teen as he caught it without much problem.
"Thanks, we were actually just about to grab lunch." The mechanic grinned as he set the bento on the table beside him. "Come, sit down so we can introduce ourselves."
There were a few chairs near them, just enough for everyone to be able to sit down. Laura smiled at Davion, who returned it with a nod, and walked over to sit on one of them. Cecilia followed after her, bowing slightly at the mechanic and at Kanzashi before she sat down.
"So," The taller brunette clapped his hands as he smiled at Kazahana. "The name's Davion Guele, pilot of the Blue Frame and the mechanic for all the Astrays. I handle the upgrading, repairs, and general maintenance of the suits." He then gestured to the girl at his side. "This is-"
"I can introduce myself, Davion-kun." Kanzashi tittered as she bowed towards the younger girl. "I am Sarashiki Kanzashi, pilot of the Strike Uchigane and the Representative Candidate of Japan."
"Wow, nii-san." Kazahana grinned up at Ephraim. "You're surrounded by powerful people, huh? First is Alcott-san, then Bodewig-san, and now Sarashiki-san."
"Hmph." The tall blonde smirked. "Power attracts power, after all." Turning his head towards the mechanic, the smirk lessened into a neutral line. "Still nothing?"
Davion shook his head, a scowl on his lips as he turned back to the laptop behind him. "Nope. Kanzashi and I have been busy ever since class ended trying to decode this shhhh-tupid firewall."
The aforementioned bluenette gave him a discreet thumbs up at his save.
Cecilia rolled her eyes and Laura made a noise that sounded close to a laugh.
Sighing, the tall blonde ran a hand through his hair. "Drat. I was hoping that you would have unlocked it because…" He glanced at the others around the room briefly. "Exam's in two weeks, after all. Oh yeah, apparently Houki's birthday is next week so I'm planning on going out to buy her something." Royal purple locked on to grey as he talked, his lips curling into a friendly smile all the while.
"Next week, huh?" The mechanic muttered, glancing at the Astrays ever so briefly. "Guess I'll probably go out as well. Does Ryo know?"
"If he doesn't, I'll tell him tonight. Get our schedules to match, you know?"
The British noblewoman looked at her crush questioningly. "You didn't know Shinonono-san's birthday?"
"She doesn't seem to like us, Lady Alcott." Ephraim fixed her a dry look. "And I tried to befriend her, to no avail of course."
"Ah…"
Kazahana stood from her chair and approached the mechanic, who had turned back around to glare at his laptop's screen. "Can I see this firewall? What are you guys trying to break through, anyway?"
The two Astray pilots shared a look before Ephraim nodded ever so discreetly.
Davion looked at the younger girl and sighed. "Our Astrays came with these data packets that the Professor challenged me to unlock." He didn't want to tell her about the Black Boxes, not when Cecilia and Laura were here. Not when he wasn't sure they would blab about it to their sponsors or governments. So instead, he deigned to tell her something close enough to the truth. "So far, I've unlocked a decent amount." He gestured to the Blue and Red Frames, as well as the Strike Uchigane. "And I've used said unlocked data to upgrade the suits, as well as create the first Mobile Suit-Infinite Stratos hybrid."
""Mobile Suit?"" Cecilia, Laura, and Kazahana repeated the term with a raised brow.
"I-It's a term I coined." The mechanic's cheeks flushed. "The Astrays are essentially power armored suits due to their Ultracompact Batteries. But compared to most media depicting mechs that arent IS, they aren't slow, rather, they are quite mobile. So uh…Mobile Suit."
"Don't worry, I was just as confused as you three were when he told me." Kanzashi giggled, nudging the side of the grey-eyed teen.
"Anyway," He fixed a half-lid look at the bluenette, who stopped her nudging. "The data packets are protected with firewalls that the Professor wants me to break through. It's partly training for coding but it also has its rewards. Right now, I'm on the 1st firewall in the Gold Frame's data packets and I'm stuck."
Kazahana huffed and thumbed her nose. "Well, maybe I can try! I'm no slouch in coding!"
"Wait wha-"
"Just trust her." Ephraim spoke up, having been quiet the whole time. "She's a bundle of surprises, that one."
Grey eyes locked on to purple before the mechanic nodded slowly.
"Alright." Davion acquiesced as he took a step back from the laptop. "You can try."
Licking her lips, Kazahana got on his chair and looked at the screen as numerous windows displayed coding algorithms that she could recognize. She took a few moments to memorize patterns before her fingers began to tap away, her expression cooling into one of focus.
"It's asking for a key…" The young brunette muttered, eyes narrowing as she read the cipher that followed after the prompt. " 'Upholding the hall of eight fathoms.' It says…wait." She closed her eyes for a moment, searching through her memory. "Oba-san told me…"
The two Astray pilots were silent, exchanging glances every now and again as the young girl reminisced. Laura looked around, as this was her second time being inside the hangar. The first time was when she approached the mechanic for help in her identity and it was mostly dark by then. She used this chance to memorize everything, making sure to sketch the place out when she was back in her room.
Cecilia and Kanzashi made small-talk, discussing their previous clash on Saturday. They held no enmity towards the other, fully aware that they were both trying their best. Still, they saw each other as rival Representative Candidates of their respective country.
"Ame-no-Mihashira." Kazahana muttered, loud enough for the three super soldiers in the room to pick up. "Mina oba-san told me that it was the Heavenly Pillar that held the 'hall measuring eight fathoms'..." Her fingers quickly typed the answer.
Beep!
In an instant, Davion was by her side, eyes wide as he scanned the screen. "How did-?! Drat, another security wall?!"
"No." The younger brunette muttered, brows furrowing as she squinted. "It's…Kanji? I think…"
At this point, Ephraim was also by her side, his own expression one of caution as he read said kanji. "...Can't make sense of it." He grumbled, biting his lip as he pulled away slightly. "Ryo's the one who can probably read that confusing kanji and he's off on a delivery.
"Them, Nii-san. I can read them." Kazahana breathed out, pushing both boys away to give her some breathing room. "It's in Ryukyuan, and Mina oba-san taught me how to do it a few years ago. One of them says…hmm, the rough translation would be 'Light Shield' or 'Sun Shield'. Another says 'Life Drinker' or maybe the more correct term would be 'Energy Taker'." Her fingers didn't stop typing as she talked, putting in the translations as answers.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Thud!
"Davion-kun!" Kanzashi cried out in surprise at seeing the mechanic fall on his butt.
"Bruder!" Laura was out of her chair and immediately by his side, helping him get up. "What's wrong?!"
"She…she did it." Davion was ashen faced, his pupils having shrunk in disbelief and wonder. "She broke through the firewall." Turning to the similarly stunned blonde, there was a sense of urgency in his tone. "She broke through!"
Ephraim took a deep breath, trying to forcibly return color on his own ashen face as he slowly gave his little sister a soft ruffle of her hair. "Well done, Kazahana…" His voice was soft and airy, causing Cecilia to rise from her seat and come closer to him in case he too would collapse.
"...Davion." He snapped his head to the older brunette, who was standing up with the help of Kanzashi and Laura. "You know what to do."
Grey eyes sharpened as the mechanic brought his fists together, snapping him out of his funk as a metallic 'clang!' echoed in the hangar. "Right…Right! Ephraim, I'll need a favor from you then."
"Ask away." There was steel in the tall blonde's tone, his expression one of seriousness.
"I won't attend class tomorrow. What your little sister just did," He gave the smug girl a head pat of his own. "Is nothing short of fu-" Royal purple sparked in warning. "-nothing short of fantastic! I'm going to study whatever blueprints were behind the firewall later." The mechanic's expression turned predatory. "Finally, I can build Caletvwlch…"
"So you want me to tell Chifuyu that you'll basically be skipping class." Ephraim took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "...Okay. I've shouldered this much, another burden is of no issue."
Laura and Cecilia exchanged confused glances, the latter momentarily pushing away her slight trauma if only because of their shared worry of the boys.
Kanzashi, meanwhile, frowned at Davion. He was going to stay cooped up in the hangar, again!
"So uh…" Kazahana looked up at her brother with a bright grin. "Can I look at your Astray now, Nii-san?"
"...Go ahead, Kazahana."
"Yes!"
.
.
.
"Had fun, Kazahana?"
"Yep! What about you, Lath-nee?"
The Scandinavian leaned back in her seat, her sea-green eyes looking out of the window of their private jet. It was one of the few luxuries they had that they could use. It's upkeep was getting more and more expensive, however…
"Well, Orimura-sensei runs a tight ship. She keeps her students in line with just a glance, and the Academy's Board delegated her as the final say in their plan for next week." Lath sighed as she tried to get comfortable. "I heard that you had some of our brother's cooking?"
It still sounded weird to refer to him as 'brother'.
"Mhmm!" Kazahana nodded, closing her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Emiya-san won that round with her flan, however. I ate all of it."
"I see…" Placing the briefcase on her lap, the orangette tapped her fingers against its exterior. "...Did you get a look at the Astrays?"
The childish air around Kazahana quickly died down and she opened her eyes. "Yeah. Guele-san and Kanzashi-san allowed me to look into its inner workings briefly." Furrowing her brows, the younger girl tapped her chin. "But I couldn't grasp the concept, not with such a limited time frame. The Professor hasn't released any documents pertaining to the Astrays since April, and even then it was just the barebones information about the suits."
Lath sighed, almost slouching in her seat. "So we're going to have to ask the Professor then…"
"We do have an alternative..." Her younger sister muttered. "Guele-san's been the one upgrading the suits. We can probably approach him so he could help us..?"
"...I don't know. He's friends with him."
"Nee-san." Kazahana sighed, turning her head to look up at her. "Nii-san won't usurp you, trust me."
"And how could you say that?" Lath grumbled, her fingers tapping once more. "Even his teacher, the great Chifuyu Orimura, wasn't sure how to deal with him. He just seems so knowledgeable, like he's ahead of us or has plans within plans when it comes to anything. Like he's some sort of grand schemer!"
"Lath-nee, he's not." The brunette furrowed her brows. "The guy I was with was no schemer, he wasn't a manipulator or anything. He wasn't wearing a mask or was fake, he was genuine while he was taking care of me. He was genuine in his delight in facing off against Emiya-san. There wasn't a trace of deception in his body language or in his face while he talked with his friends in the Culinary Arts Club…"
"But what if he's just that good?!"
Kazahana often regretted trying to play peacekeeper, because her sister was sometimes so damn paranoid!
"Now you're just making excuses…"
"Bodewig."
Laura paused at the low tone, almost flinching as she passed by the dorm's common room. Turning her head to the source of the voice, she saw her three brothers sitting with their friends.
Ryo and Charlotte were doing some light studying alongside a few other girls not of their friend group...
"...Tell me again, why she called you 'brother'..?"
"...Like I said yesterday, I was being nice to her..."
Rin and Houki were arguing once more about something while Ichika tried to play peacekeeper...
"I did not bump into you on purpose!"
"You so did! I made him some Lo Mein for dinner and you made me spill them! You're just jealous, Houki!"
"I am not!"
"G-Girls, how about we don't argue..? We're uh, kinda disturbing the others in their studying!"
As she swept her sight across the common room, her sole red finally locked on to royal purples. They stared at her with a judging gaze, and she felt as if she was under the microscope...
She fought the urge to gulp. "Y-Yes, Sahaku-san..?" She whispered back, aware that their enhanced hearing would be able to pick up their conversation.
…
"Gute Arbeit heute. Du bist gut mit Kazahana umgegangen." Ephraim grunted before he went back to scrolling through his phone. She recognized the app that he was using as Tweeter-
'Wait. 'Good job'..?'
A sense of warmth spread throughout her body. Her eye widened as she continued to stare at her blonde brother.
"...Oh. Lady Alcott, there seems to be a budding rumor about us on Tweeter. Again."
Cecilia looked over from her own studying, a brow raised as she leaned in to look at his phone. Her other brow joined its partner up her hairline before her cheeks flushed. "W-What drivel! Libel! I do not 'bow beneath his heel'!" The noblewoman raged, looking rightfully angry at the online rumor. "Just because we're good f-friends doesn't mean that we aren't equals!"
"That's what I hate about this bird app. Plenty of stupid people..." The purple-eyed blonde huffed in amusement before he glanced over at her again. He raised a brow, giving her a silent question of 'what?' before looking back at his phone.
…Had she perhaps shown some form of her 'strength' to him..?
'Perhaps… This warmth…' Laura placed a hand over her heart, unaware of the soft smile gracing her lips as she began to walk away. 'I think I shall sleep while this is still strong…ruminate on what I've done...'
Her hand curled into a fist, her lips setting into a determined grin.
'And find out how I can do so again!'
The three Neo-Types suddenly felt the urge to facepalm.
AN:
Proofread and Edited by: ProjectRyo
Translation: "Gute Arbeit heute. Du bist gut mit Kazahana umgegangen." = "Good job today. You dealt with Kazahana well."
Oh goodness, I did not intend this to be this long. This is just as long as an Episode, damn it.
I guess it's because a lot of things happened on that Wednesday. Kazahana and Lath's appearances are due to a lucky dice roll (crit 100 on an encounter roll c'mon!), and I had to scramble and salvage the original plan for Wednesday. It was going to be more on a spar between Laura and Ephraim, communicating via actions rather than words, but the dice gods have spoken and I, a humble TTRPG player, must follow.
To the reviews!
KnightOfZaku: It's like game difficulties. Ryo's is Easy Mode, Davion's is Standard, and Ephraim's is Hard Mode.
Rodvek97: Hey, been a while! Don't worry, Ryo'll come up with a plan to cool things down...hopefully.
With that, Cipher out!
Tick tick tack tick tack tack...
The hangar was silent, dark, save for the dim glow of the laptop...
Tick tick tack tick tack tack...
Grey eyes, ones that had bags forming underneath them, scanned the screen rapidly, taking in the numerous amount of data taken from various sources in the United States.
Tick tick tack tick...
His fingers stopped their typing, his eyes locked on to the end of the document. The document that should have contained what he needed, what they needed.
...
"Nothing..." Davion breathed out in disbelief, leaning back into his chair, a numb feeling spreading through his body. "Abso-fucking-lutely nothing..."
He had tried every trick of the trade to bypass firewalls and cyber-defenses, he had broken through some of the Black Boxes' firewalls, this was a damn cake walk! Plenty of secret documents were laid bare for him to see, every dark dealings, every unethical experiment, everything was accessible for him!
So why...
"Why the fuck is there nothing on the Silver Gospel?!"
It looks like they were going to rely on outdated information...
