Interlude 7-2 (e) - Friday Focus


The door to the launch bay hissed open, and all heads turned to see who had entered.

"Was the showboating necessary?" Ryo deadpanned to the tall blonde that walked into the launch bay, followed by Cecilia and Ichika.

The black and purple-clad pilot shrugged, an easy smirk on his lips as he held his helmet under his arm. "Couldn't help myself." He tapped the new Closed Form of the Gold Frame, a black metal collar choker with a stylized sun as a tag. "The Perfect Form needed a perfect debut."

"How was the new helmet, by the way?" Davion queried, eyeing the band-aid on the blonde's nose. "It wasn't too stuffy or anything?"

"If you're worrying about the nose, it's fine." Ephraim waved off the concern and sent a reassuring smile to his partner. "I heal fast, and Orimura-sensei didn't break it that bad."

"What?!" Cecilia yelped, turning to him fully as she now noticed the fading bruises and healing cuts. She hadn't noticed those earlier! Damn her nervousness!

"It was from a spar yesterday…"

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

Ichika ignored the two blondes' argument as he looked around the launch bay with furrowed brows. "Have you guys seen Houki? Or has she passed by here by any chance?"

Charlotte looked up from her reassembling of a Rain of Saturday shotgun, raising a brow before shaking her head. "No, I haven't seen her pass by. Perhaps she met up with Mademoiselle Huang and Bodewig as they were heading to their launch bay? Or maybe she's in the arena's IS maintenance bay…"

"Damn." The male IS pilot frowned. "She slipped away while I wasn't looking. She's been…" He glanced at the Ephraim as he attached his helmet to a pop-out hook on the nape of his suit. "Really jumpy and irritable lately."

Ryo grimaced as he spun the Closed-Form of Gerbera Straight around his finger. "You don't have to sugarcoat it, you know she hates our guts."

"Eh?" The Frenchwoman looked up at her partner in surprise. "Is that so? She isn't…" The blonde trailed off as she recalled the moments when the swordswoman refused to talk to the boys or even mention them in any capacity. "...W-Well, I guess…"

Sighing, Ichika ran a hand through his hair as his shoulders slumped. "I've tried to ask her what her problem was with you guys, but she just…"

"Beat you over the head with her shinai." The courier chuckled lowly, a lack of humor in his tone. "Women are weird."

"Ahem." Charlotte cleared her throat, smiling as she grasped the Rain of Saturday shotgun.

"'Tsunderes' are weird."

"The next fighters are a varied sort! Guns and blades, artillery and heavy firepower!"

The two broke off their staredown to turn their heads at one of the holographic screens, showing a grinning Tatenashi in the Control Booth.

"Good luck you two." Ephraim patted both of their shoulders as he passed by, somewhat causing the Frenchwoman to jolt at the sudden contact.

"Indeed, best of luck and remember the spirit of sportsmanship~!" Cecilia cheered as she followed the taller blonde.

"Unlike last match, both teams are on equal footing!"

"Don't be afraid to do some risky maneuvers." Davion advised as he walked to the doors. "The Red Frame's new upgrades will allow a fair bit of leeway when it comes to damage." With that, he gave a small wave of farewell before he left.

"Be careful with your blades, alright?" Ichika eyed the pen the courier was spinning. "I don't want you to hurt Rin or her pride too badly." The Byakushiki pilot exchanged a look with his fellow swordsman before leaving, eyes narrowed as he began to track Houki down.

"This pair packs quite a punch! With Railgun and Impacts, can these two blow away their opponents?!"

Ryo grasped the Closed-Form of the Gerbera Straight and put on his helmet. Pressing a button just underneath where his right ear would be, the visor slid down and polarized as HUD elements popped up on the glass.

Charlotte, in the meanwhile, hopped into the Inactive Form of her Rafale-Revive II. In a couple of seconds, the orange armor materialized itself on her person before she took a step forward from the berth.

"Hailing from China, this contender is a firebrand! With dual daos, she cuts her way into conflict with a wild glee! Ladies, let's give it up for-!"

"Lingyin Huang, Shenlong: Blazing ahead!"

They both turned to look at the screen, just in time to see the black-pink form of the Shenlong launch from their Launch Bay.

"She's not the only one with dual blades." The courier mused as he crossed his arms. Idly, he reached up to grasp at the gorget again, snarling briefly as he pulled it in an effort to give his neck a bit of space.

"So, what's the plan?" The Frenchwoman turned to her red-clad partner. "Who do you want to fight?"

"I'll take on Rin." Ryo huffed as he gave up on trying to loosen the gorget. "I haven't fought the Shenlong, I wish to measure her skill with her blades."

"And her partner for this match! A deadly neophyte valkyrie, she blasts her way into battle with her massive railgun! Let us welcome-!"

"Laura Bodewig, Schwarzer Regen: Aufbruch!"

The black-gray form of the Schwarzer Regen landed beside the Shenlong, a clear distance between the two IS'. It was obvious that Rin still hasn't fully forgiven Laura after what happened the week before, but for now she was willing to fight with her for this match.

"So it'll be me and Bodewig again…" Charlotte huffed, smiling as she carefully cupped her chin with a claw. "Our people's blood feud carried over here too, eh?"

The courier snorted, slightly amused at the joking tone in her voice. "I'm pretty sure you were kicking her ass last time."

"And it'll be the same this time."

"Feisty."

"Now for their opponents! Another Euro-Asian pair, these two wield dual weapons themselves! One is a sharpshooter while the other is a swordsman like none other~!"

Ryo grimaced.

Charlotte's smile strained as she got on the catapult.

"While her IS may be a Generation behind, the pilot herself can fly and fight up there with the best of them! Soaring straight from the sunset, let's give it up for-!"

"Charlotte Dunois, Rafale-Revive II: Allons-y!"

With the hissing of the steam catapult, the orange IS rocketed down the ramp and into the air. Not a second later, she landed cleanly on the ground, narrowing her eyes at her opponents in the opposite end of the arena.

The courier closed his eyes as he steadied himself.

"Her partner is quite the interesting one indeed~! Delivering packages and happiness wherever he goes, this member of the Student Council is ready to rumble!"

At that moment, all sound vanished.

The metal walls faded away, replaced with a gray expanse that surrounded him at all sides.

'Breathe in…'

Taking a step forward, his foot caused a ripple to spread outwards on the floor. The quiet sound of a deer-scarer echoed in the infinite expanse

'Breathe…out.'

He opened his eyes, unaware of the ethereal glow of his verdant greens, and looked down at the white armor decorating his frame.

"Please welcome-!"

"Ryo Murakumo, Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai: Launching!"

The catapult hissed as he hunched, the platform accelerating forward rapidly before he was launched into the air. The Tactical Arms II's Flight Form roared as it softened his descent, the red blades shining in the morning light as he touched down beside the Rafale-Revive II.

"And here are our fighters, ladies~! Are we all ready for a show?!"

The sea-green optics of the Astray dimmed as a manipulator rested on the Gerbera Straight's handle as the crowd's cheers reached another decibel.

Beside him, Charlotte brought out a Rain of Saturday and a Garm PDW.

Across from the two, Rin's wild grin only grew as she summoned her own weapons, the Souten Gagetsu. Laura's sole eye only narrowed as she looked between the Frenchwoman and her partner.

"I'm going to enjoy this, Murakumo!" The Chinese Representative roared, pointing one of her daos at him in challenge.

"Ohoh, looks like our fighters are quite ready for a scrap~! What will our strong and silent swordsman say to that?"

The Red Frame slowly unsheathed the Gerbera Straight, the keening noise of the blade meeting air silencing the arena for a few seconds.

"Is that so?" His voice was low but weighty enough to be carried across the entire arena. It was clear that he was smiling underneath the impassive mask of the suit.

The emotion behind the smile, though, they could only speculate.

Charlotte couldn't help the frown from curling her lips as she and Laura took a few steps away from their partners, their eyes locking on to each other as they found their opponents in this match.

"いざ."

The courier's voice turned steely as he unsheathed Tiger Pierce, both blades slicing through the air as if there was nothing there. He rested his second blade on his shoulder as he pointed Gerbera Straight at the Shenlong.

"尋常に勝負."


A collective shiver went up the spines of those watching, but even more so of those of Japanese descent.

What the red swordsman said was a staple among samurai media, a request for a fair fight, but one steeped in tradition. The air grew heavy for them as they watched the swordsman and his blades. Those descended from the samurai clenched their fists, their blood urging them to witness this duel between honorable fighters.

Some felt the call to battle, an itch to fight growing as they waited with bated breath.

None more so felt the call than one Chifuyu Orimura.


Knuckles going white, the former Brunhilde pushed down the urge to grin as she felt her blood sing to her. With mere words, Ryo Murakumo was able to instill this feeling within many people with just presence alone.

'With just a few words he…' She took a deep breath, reining in her own battle-hunger. 'The Project's title for him as the 'Songbird' doesn't cover this level of power…'

"Well~" Tatenashi's grin was the epitome of pleased as she sat back in her chair, lazily holding the mic near her mouth as her rubies glimmered with heavy emotion. "Now that's a declaration for sure!"

Her words broke the silence in the arena, the crowd snapping out of their stunned state as the cheers came back louder and with far more energy than before. Even muffled, both teacher and student in the control booth could feel the vibration of their united voices.

"I can't take this tension anymore! Let the carnage…BEGIN!"


Bang!

The moment the match started, the Schwarzer Regen's Purizushi snapped up and shot off a 20mm slug.

Slash!

And instantly, it was cut into three neat pieces before anyone could blink. The scrap metal scattered on the ground, and the dull thuds was all that Rin needed before she closed the distance between her and the Red Frame.

"Take this!" She cried as-!

-the Ryuhou's fell apart in clean pieces-

'!'

The Shenlong rolled to the side, surprising the audience at her sudden action.

"Hm. Good instincts." Ryo complimented as the tips of the spikes fell off, the shifting of his grips on the swords being the only indication that he swung it at all. "Though, have you forgotten just what I can do with my blades?"

"S-Shit…" Rin paled as they locked eyes, ignoring the erupting firefight between their partners around them. "That's kinda unfair with your cheat blades…"

"Is that so? Then why don't I give you an advantage by using only one? Two swords are overrated anyway…." The Red Frame sheathed one of his blades to his sides and held the one left aloft, gripping them not too tightly, its edge glinting in the colosseum light.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm not Musashi."

His opponent immediately raised her own blades to his unspoken challenge, her pallor returning as her expression turned determined.

It felt as if his aura changed from one warrior's disposition to another. In her mind's eye, she saw his silhouette briefly switch from the mechanical figure of the Astray to one of a man wielding an absurdly long sword.

"Now… Can you keep up with me?"

(BGM: Fate/Unlimited Codes - Tempest Knight)


"And there goes those two! Don't cut each other up too badly!"

Golden eyes blinked as she sat up straighter in her seat. Her classmates' cheers around her were muted as she leaned forward, those same eyes narrowing as she watched the Red Frame exchange shockwave-inducing blows with the Shenlong. Even from the bleachers, she could hear the screeching and keening whine of the blades as tehy crashed against each other.

"Kick his ass, Huang!"

"Yeah! Beat him like you did Guele back then!"

"Class 1-4's cheering for you!"

"Emiya-san, are you alright?" One of her classmates asked her, having noticed the smile slip and turn into a thoughtful frown.

Haku waved away her worry with a small laugh. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Murakumo-san…" She trailed off, looking back at the fight with furrowed brows.

The redhead looked back just in time to see a couple of the Schwarzer Regen's wire-guided daggers be cut apart with an errant slash of the Gerbera Straight, or perhaps the Tiger Pierce, the move barely trackable as the silver rivers that was the single blade clashed with the Souten Gangetsus.

"What about him?"

She watched as the Shenlong kicked the Astray in the side, a loud ringing coming from the impact. White chips of foam metal armor broke off from the strike, but instead of attacking further, the black and pink IS shot up into the air and charged its Ryuhou Cannons.

"He just…said something my dad would say when he felt confident."

"...Eh?"


Bang!

Charlotte growled as she used Rain of Saturday to shoot away one of the wire-daggers that the German had tried to flank her with. Glancing to where her partner was, she saw him dodge the blasts from the Impact Cannons by leaping back, the action gracefully and far more human-like than any IS'.

"Don't look away!"

The Frenchwoman whirled around with a burst of her PDW, the cluster munitions pinging off the shields of the Schwarzer Regen as it closed in in a low crouch. The beam sabers activated, a fist rising in an uppercut.

Leaning back, Charlotte felt the heat of the weapon as it brushed past her chin. Leaning back further into a backflip, she snapped a kick up that the super-soldier dodged with a short leap to the side. Dematerializing Garm, she pushed off against the ground and shot up into the air with a sharp burst of her thrusters.

"That's right, run!" The albino grinned as Purizushi snapped up, letting off a quickly charged shell that the Rafale-Revive II dodged with a twirl. "I almost forgot how good it feels to be in an IS!"

"Don't let it go to your head!" A Vent rifle materialized in her free hand, popping off a few shots as she dodged a few more of the wire daggers. Purple eyes took a quick glance at her partner, who was still evading the Ryuhou's shots, but this time he had sheathed his blades.

'Is he trying to make the cannons overheat?' The blonde wondered as she dashed to the side, shooting another wire dagger with her shotgun that tried sneaking up on her from behind. 'Or…'

Bang!

The bullet pinged off the shields of the Shenlong, snapping Rin out of her staredown with the Red Frame. Growling, she whirled at the Rafale-Revive II and aimed her cannons, letting loose two linear shockwaves in her direction.

Charlotte made to dodge, but found herself being tugged back into the path of the shockwaves. With wide eyes, she looked down at the sneaky wire-dagger that wrapped around her right leg unit and glared at a smug Laura.

"I told you to not look away!"

The Frenchwoman could only snap her head up and stare wide-eyed at the incoming blows. Tensing her body, she waited for the inevitable-

Fyoom!

A yellow arrow cut the wire that held her in place.

Charlotte lurched as her thrusters, which were still going on full burst, successfully launched her away from the path of the linear blasts. The albino whirled around only to be struck thrice by more of those yellow arrows, forcing her to dodge the barrage by taking to the air.

(BGM Change: Emiya -Extella -James Harris)

The blonde looked down at her partner, eyes widening at the weapon held in its hands.

It was big, easily bigger than the Red Frame itself had it not been wielded. She recognized it as the odd blade backpack, the Tactical Arms if what she remembered Davion refer to his own as. While the Blue Frame's could turn into a gatling gun, Ryo's was…


"Oh my! That's a greatbow! Didn't think such a weapon could be actualized!"

Huffing slightly, the courier quickly shifted his aim towards the Shenlong, pressing the trigger for his Beam Torch thrice.

Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!

Three more arrows sailed towards the black and pink IS, snapping Rin out of her shock as she barely dodged the attacks. The projectiles had a deceptive speed, firing just as fast, if not faster, than the Type 71 Beam Rifle of the Astrays. They brushed past her shields, skimming and taking small chunks of it as they crashed against the Arena shielding far beyond her.

Bang!

He glanced over as the world slowed down, watching as the Purizushi snapped back and fired toward him. He saw the slug leave the barrel, its form somewhat distorted as electromagnetism aided its acceleration. In a way, he was thankful for the level of training Ephraim suggested for the three of them, because it allowed the courier to perform at levels already superior to that of the mundane or even IS pilots.

Especially since it allowed him to do…

Fyoom!

Within the span of a second, the Tactical Arms II's Arrow Form switched targets and let loose a single arrow.

The world sped back up.

Boom!

Slug and beam met in a rattling explosion, knocking up dust and debris everywhere.

"Woohoo! That's our General Affairs Manager for you! You go, Mu-kun~!"

"Take this!"

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the Ryuhou's fire again, the linear shockwaves racing towards his position. Licking his lips, he leapt back just as it impacted where he was before, flipping over while in the air and letting loose three more arrows while he was upside down.

Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!

He didn't bat an eye when Laura activated her AIC to tank the shots, he knew that she was smart enough to do that.

He wasn't aiming to damage her anyway.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The albino lurched as her shields flared, nearly stumbling forward when the .55 caliber bullets and the .62 cal slug impacted her back. Whirling around, she snarled as she rocketed up towards the orange IS, the beam sabers igniting again for another bout with the veritable arsenal bird.

"Du verdammter Franzose!"

Charlotte merely frowned as she switched her shotgun for a new weapon. Snapping her hand up, purple eyes narrowed when the sole carmine widened when she was face to barrel with the long tube.

Click!

The 127mm telescoping barreled Trompe rocket launcher let loose its payload right in the face of the German IS, the explosion engulfing both of them as Laura let out a surprised scream.

Boom!


"Ouch! A rocket right to the kisser! The Schwarzer Regen only has 56 points of shield energy left while the Rafale still has 204!" Tatenashi called out with an excited grin. "This match is just full of surprises, huh?!"

Chifuyu ignored the bluenette, focusing instead on the Tactical Arms of the Red Frame. A bow weapon was commonly seen as tacky in this day and age since there was the obvious upgrade and advantage of guns and other firearms. But the Astray had a weird mix of two, a glorified gun in the shape of a bow. Not only that, but its wielder also showcases a highly proficient, if not unnatural, level of skill.

It shaped energy into arrows before they were fired, the process of which all took less than a quarter of a second. They flew straight and true, and with the aim of Murakumo, right into their intended targets.

Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!

And there went another burst, forcing the Shenlong to dodge as it dove down towards the Astray. A snarl was on the Chinese girl's face as she combined her Souten Gangetsu into its guandao form, the weapon swinging down just as the Red Frame used the bladed edges of the Arrow form to block the attack.

Clang!

'Murakumo purposefully missed.' The teacher noted as the Astray began to parry the guandao with frightening ease, utilizing the large size of its weapon as some sort of mobile wall. 'His previous shots were dead-on, but those last three…'

"It looks like the Red Frame's on the backfoot!" Tatenashi reported, grinning as the crowd came alive with jeers and cheers. "That's a detriment to having such a big weapon!"

"He's playing her." Chifuyu muttered, frowning slightly as she spied the Red Frame's right hand pulling away from its Tactical Arms. "There's no way someone who's been with my dumbass assistant wouldn't know how to defend themselves from polearms."


The right manipulator sparked, the hand plug arcing as energy was gathered and shaped into a ball. He did not question why it was a ball in the first place, but all he needed to know was…

Clang!

The Arrow form of the Tactical Arms II was finally knocked away, leaving him open to a downward blow from the Souten Gangetsu.

"Gotcha!" Cried the twin-tailed girl, her green eyes blazing with well-earned satisfaction.

His lips curled into a small smirk as he threw the ball underhanded, the unstable mass of electricity distorting the air as it left an energized trail. Rin barely had a second to blink and realize what the yellow mass was before it exploded into a bright flash.

"Aaah!" The twin-tailed girl screamed as she stumbled back, her weapon dropping to the floor as she covered her eyes. "You cheap sunnuva-!"

As she was recovering from the impromptu flashbang, he stepped forward and casually unsheathed Gerbera Straight with his free manipulator, pointing it directly at the Shenlong Pilot, who was still covering her eyes with her claws.

"Good fight, but I highly suggest that you call it quits." Ryo complimented her with a long sigh of relief, tapping the tip of the katana against the odd rib-like armor that hung to the pilot's sides. The noise of metal on metal so close to her caused the younger girl to freeze. "But I am impressed that you managed to actually keep up, even if it was only for a bit."

Rin growled as she glared at him between the claws, rapidly blinking to clear her vision. "And I would have beaten you too if it weren't for your tricks!"

Boom!

They both turned their heads to see the Schwarzer Regen lying in a crater, the albino pilot struggling to get up as the Rafale-Revive II slowly floated down. Charlotte's smile was almost sadistic in the light as she slowly aimed Trompe toward her opponent.

"Looks like I win this time, Allemande." The Frenchwoman tittered as she tapped the trigger to the rocket launcher. "It is best you surrender."

"Verdammt, Franzose!" Laura snarled as she glanced at the Red Frame, the cold optics staring into her and causing her to shiver. "Beim nächsten Mal hole ich dich!"

"And Laura Bodewig yields! The match goes to Charlotte Dunois and her partner, the illustrious Ryo Murakumo~!"

(BGM End: Emiya -Extella -James Harris)

The blonde slowly turned her head to the Control Booth, purple locking on to red as the bluenette waved at her cheekily.

"Nice work."

She heard the footsteps far before the voice, but she jolted either way. Turning around, she fixed a pleased smile towards the Red Frame as she placed her hands on her hips. "Thank you! You did great work yourself, Ryo."

The Astray shook its head, thumbing over his shoulder at the Shenlong following him. "Rin was an okay fight. Though, she made a mistake when she combined her blades into a polearm."

"And why's that?" The Chinese growled as she stopped beside him, ignoring her partner as the Schwarzer Regen climbed out of the crater.

"First of all, I'd like to commend you for taking the initiative of realizing the advantage of reach against my sword." Ryo spun the lie as the four of them began to walk to the nearest exit, their suits dematerializing save for his Astray. "But what made you think I wouldn't be prepared to fight an opponent with an unfair advantage? Call what I did a cheap trick to secure my win, but I'm not exactly complaining about your cannons now, am I?"

The twin-tailed girl merely rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as they left the arena, the crowd's loudness dying down to a distant echo.

Dematerializing his Astray, the Red Frame's pilot grasped the two calligraphy pens and put them into a special holder in his pilot suit. "You also need to stop relying too much on your AIC, Laura."

The albino jolted at being mentioned, but she frowned at the courier. "Give me a break, Ryo-nii, I haven't been in my IS for a week."

Ryo merely shook his head as they walked further into the halls, the branching corridors of the arena almost like a labyrinth. Settling on a retort, he opened his mouth-

"Mu-kuuuun~!"

-only to be suddenly pulled to the side, a familiar bluenette turning her failed ambush tackle into a graceful cartwheel. The courier didn't need to look as to who pulled him, the telltale blonde locks in the corner of his vision being far closer than it was before.

His cheeks flushed, however, as he saw something that wasn't meant to be seen in that brief moment when she passed him.

'That- that was the perfect peach shape-'

'Stop.'

Tatenashi landed on her feet, her arms out to her sides before placing them on her hips with a huff. "Well, that was rude!" She turned around and fixed a disappointed stare at the smiling blonde. "I was just congratulating my General Affairs Manager!"

"Don't you mean the Student Council's General Affairs Manager, president?" Charlotte asked innocently, inching closer to the red-clad pilot. "And it looked like you were going to tackle and hurt him."

"He's wearing a helmet!"

Which he was now taking off, attaching it to the pop-out hook on the nape of his gorget.

"Really now..." Ryo raised his voice slightly in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Let's not argue."

But before he could even try, Tatenashi sidled over to him and latched on to an arm of his, making sure that it was between her breasts. "Man, Mu-kun, you were sooo cool~!"

Charlotte did the same with his other arm, bringing it between her breasts as a cold sweat formed up his spine. "Yes, my partner is quite cool, yes?"

Behind them, Laura and Rin shared an uneasy glance, both of them easily detecting the familiar female hostility between the blonde and the bluenette.

"Come on, Mu-kun~!" The bluenette chirped as she began pulling him away. "Join me in the Control Booth. I need your sharp wit to bounce off of while I host~!"

The blonde tugged him back to her, sending a wide smile at the 2nd year. "I believe Ryo wants to take a rest after the match. I'll walk with him to the vending machines, senpai."

The courier sighed quietly, glancing left and right to try and spot-

"Oh, hi Ichika!" Rin gleefully waved at the Byakushiki pilot as he turned the corner, his expression twisting from concern to surprise at the sight of them. Ryo discreetly thanked whatever higher being was there for the distraction.

"Oh, hey guys." The male IS pilot greeted with less cheer, his lips turning into a frown as he fast-walked towards them. He was still clad in his pilot suit, though there were signs that he had been sweating based on the slight sheen on his skin. "Have you guys seen Houki by any chance?" He directed the question to Laura and Rin, the latter frowning at the mention of her rival before raising a brow.

"No, I don't think we did so." The twin-tailed girl shook her head, trying to recall if she had seen the blue-eyed swordswoman prior to the fight. "Maybe she was watching in the crowd..?"

"I didn't see her amidst the crowds during the whole fight." Laura put in her two cents, crossing her arms as she stared at Ichika with her sole eye. "Why are you looking for her?"

Taking this moment to slip away from the two girls' grasp, the Astray pilot smiled at his friend. "I think I know why. Want me to help?"

"That would be great."

With an apologetic wave at the girls, who were not so pleased at his exit, he walked away with the Byakushiki pilot.


Once they were far enough, the courier turned to the pilot.

"Thanks for the save, by the way."

Ichika gave him a glance, the corner of his lips twitching. "What save?"

Ryo huffed and brushed his hair back. "Don't act innocent with me. You know that if I helped you try and find Houki, she'd be in an ever worse mood when we do."

Sighing, the dark-haired boy shook his head. "I just don't understand why she's so mad at you guys. I mean, I get that she and her sister have some beef between them but…" He stopped and leaned up against a nearby wall. "For it to extend to you three? It's a bit unfair."

"If you put it that way, yeah." The courier muttered as he stopped beside him, crossed arms and a frown conveying his displeasure. "Ephraim and I tried to give it a shot over the months to see if we could be friends, maybe even acquaintances. She just brushed us off and went on her way."

"I think I recall Sahaku-san being super frosty those few weeks." Ichika chuckled briefly before his lips curled into a frown again. "Damn it, why is she so complicated?"

"Women, in general, are complicated." Ryo deadpanned, a certain bluenette popping up in his mind before he pushed the thought away. "But I guess that's where the intrigue of being the pair of them is. Men like us are simple, easy to understand, while the girls around you are like Rubik's cubes, ever enigmatic in the machinations of their feelings and wants, all jumbled together into different sides."

The IS pilot looked up at him in slight surprise and a little bit of awe. "Speaking from experience?"

"Heck no." Those green eyes glinted in annoyance and embarrassment. "It's just something that I've thought of after reading lots of Light Novels."

"How many have you read?"

"Lost count," Ryo answered as he gestured down the hall. "Now come on, let's find Houki before Davion's fight begins."

Ichika pushed himself off the wall, pursing his lips slightly as they began to walk. "Say, speaking of the fights…"

"Yeah?"

"Did you guys…"

There was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that the Astray pilots were not fully serious in their fighting. He had witnessed them fight seriously before, against that mutant IS the week prior. Hell, he had seen them fight in the weird memory nexus in their days in Project: Neo-Type.

What he saw in the arena was none of that. It was like…

"Did you guys hold back?" The IS pilot finally asked, glancing at his friend who he couldn't get a read on his emotions with. Those verdant greens seemed to both sharpen and dull as they bore into him, and he didn't even know he held his breath until he released it when those same greens looked up and down the hall they were in.

"… Yes, we did." Ryo muttered, keeping his face serene and unnervingly nonchalant.

Ichika couldn't help but clench his fists, feeling somewhat insulted that Ephraim had practically toyed with him and Houki. Was this what she felt like?

"Why?" He hissed out. "We gave it our damn all, and you mean to tell me that you guys were pulling your punches?"

Ryo paused in his stride, turning towards him with a bemused frown. "What do you think we should do then?" The hollowness in his eyes caused a shiver to crawl up the younger man's spine. "We want to keep our true abilities a secret. You remember what you saw in the Project, right?"

Ichika couldn't help but let out a slight hitch of his breath as brief flashes of blood and gore invaded his mind.

"I can't say the same with Ephraim, but do you really think I was holding back because I wanted to toy with them? That I didn't think they were enough to bother with my full capabilities? That they weren't worthy of my time?"

Ryo stepped closer to him, towering over the brown-eyed teen as he backed up, lifting his hands up defensively.

"If I were to go full-out, what do you think'll happen? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to actually hold back?"

Those green eyes narrowed, almost blazing in restrained affront as they bore into the Byakushiki pilot.

"How easy it was for me to end it in a flash, but no, I didn't want to do that because of three things. One was that I didn't want to hurt Rin physically. Or did you also forget that my swords can easily cut through the IS' shields? How simple it is to swing and make one clean cut, and it will be all over. And even if I somehow avoided hurting her while ending it quickly, how do you think the Academy will react? How the whole world will react? How you will react?"

Ichika began thinking of multiple possibilities, ranging from positive to good, but there was all one constant. "It will change how people look at you and the others..."

The courier poked the shorter male's chest, his lips set into a disapproving frown. "Didn't you say that I should hold back a bit just so I could give Rin a break? Think about it, her ego as a martial fighter just got a wakeup call by some upstart male student not even piloting an IS. Will it be that easy to accept an overwhelming defeat knowing the pressures behind her back? Do you want her to be remembered as the pilot who got one-shotted by an Astray? Do you think she will ever live that down? As her friend, how would you feel about her?"

'Pity.'

The Byakushiki pilot would feel pity that his friend lost. And he knew, that Rin wouldn't stand for such a thing. Pity was the last thing she would want to be given at such a loss, and doing so might strain their relationship...

"And how would you feel about me? The one who just threw her confidence to the ground? Will you hate me, or will you praise me for my skill?" The Neo-Type hissed, letting slip a bit of venom as he gave a harder poke.

The younger teen looked away, dropping his arms to the sides in surrender. "Okay, okay…I get it…"

Ryo wanted to retort but chose not to, collecting himself as he realized that this wasn't his way, that Ichika wasn't some battle-hardened warrior.

Ichika was just a teenager, prone to emotional highs and lows, and those came with it decisions and actions not fully thought out.

Taking a deep breath, he took a step back and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes with a low, tired groan. "Look, it's not that we don't appreciate your efforts, okay? I was kind of proud that you managed to actually cut through the Blue Pierce's shots, and Rin did manage to impress me. There are also a lot more things to factor into why we are holding back, including how the government will react. But-"

'But?'

Brown eyes watched as those verdant greens, those that were previously almost glowing, dulled.

"We don't exactly belong here, Ichika…."

Deciding to drop the topic, the Astray pilot shook his head and turned around. "Try and check if Houki's in your dorm room. Maybe she went there to cool off." With a lazy wave over his shoulder, the courier walked down a separate corridor and disappeared around a corner.

Ichika didn't fail to note the highly uncharacteristic frown Ryo wore as he said those words.

What did he mean by that?

What did he exactly mean by 'not belonging'?


Chifuyu eyed the bluenette as she sat back on her seat, noting the tense air around her. "Everything alright?"

"Fine! Fine. Everything's positively hunky-dory." Tatenashi smiled up at her as she grabbed the mic. "I just wanted to shower my General Affairs Manager with praises, even if there was a miserable shrew who-"

"Aaand that's enough." The teacher didn't want to hear the 2nd year lose her cool. "Focus on the next match, will you?" She turned to her fellow teacher, who was managing the live feeds of all the cameras. "How are the videos going, Yamada-sensei?"

Maya looked up from her editing of the latest match and gave a small smile. "Thankfully, the high fidelity cameras were able to capture some nice montage-worthy shots if I combined them with the older videos."

"Good." Chifuyu sighed as she shook her head. "Maybe she'll leave me alone for a bit longer…"


AN:

TL-

"Aufbruch" = Departure/Departing/Heading out in German.

"Allons-y" = "Let's go!" in French, an expression typically used when with friends or when one is about to start something.

"いざ" = Iza (Now)

"尋常に勝負" = Jinjou ni shoubu (Let's have an honorable fight)

"Du verdammter Franzose!" = "You damned French!" in German

"Allemande" = "German" in French

"Verdammt, Franzose!" = "Damn it, Frenchie!" in German

"Beim nächsten Mal hole ich dich!" = "I'll get you next time!" in German

Proofread/Edited by: ProjectRyo

Another fight done, some character conflict, and a brief showcase of the new upgrades to the Red Frame. Of course, as is the case with the Gold Frame, not all of the upgrades were used.

Gotta keep your cards close, as the Controller of Ryo would say.

To the reviews!

KnightOfZaku: Oh, Houki will definitely get drunk on power when she gets the Akatsubaki. Tabane hasn't been idle in the background and she's quite doting on her little sister, the 4th Gen is gonna have a few more bells and whistles added to it. Your idea has merit, yes... I may incorporate it in one way or another, since I have the general framework of the whole Silver Gospel fight ready. Also, much to my surprise, I saw you in the reviews of Uchiha of Remnant. Good taste!

P.B.S: I understand you losing interest, IS is a mech anime after all, it would be weird to not have mech fights aplenty. The Controller of Davion did bring the issue of the lack of fights to me prior to writing Interlude 7 (e), so I modified the original idea into this since I reasoned that exhibition matches would be better that what I initially wrote down. I might upload the original idea as an omake chapter once Interlude 7 is over. Don't worry, it's a fight chapter.

TonkatsuEnjoyer: Hey, welcome and thank you for the review! You both flatter and relieve me with your words. As I've said before in the earliest chapters, English isn't my first language, so I tend to have a few grammatical errors here and there, as well as some odd writing choices. I'm glad you find it well-written! I can only hope that I do not betray your expectations. As for recognition, well, I can only hope that any future recognition would be positive ones.

With that said!

This is a 'very tired of university' Cipher, signing out!

.

.

.

Here's a little something my sleep-deprived mind made!


Canon Omake: Even

"How exactly did she break your nose?"

Royal purple opened as his fingers lowered the volume of the music blaring in his earbuds. Glancing to his side, he saw the troubled blonde beside him try to keep her expression nonchalant.

"As I said earlier, it was during a routine spar of ours." Ephraim answered her as the muted cheers of the crowd echoed in the empty hallway they were in. "We got a bit carried away and held little back, I think I tried damaging her kidneys and liver with a few punches of mine."

Cecilia's expression scrunched in slight discomfort at the mental imagery. "Did you really have to go that far?"

The taller blonde shrugged as he paused the music, resting the back of his head against the wall he was leaning against. He had dematerialized his helmet minutes prior, leaving him in just his Orb pilot suit. "I thought that something like that would be taught by your military trainers."

The Brit winced before she sighed. "It was but I still try my best to go for submission holds or quick knockouts. Targeting vital points for the sake of hurting the other party is..."

His lips quirked into a smile as he crossed his arms. "Cecilia, she had me pinned down with her forearm on my throat. I had to get out of that hold in any way I could, lest I get knocked out."

"And I'm assuming that you indeed got out of the hold?"

The smile turned into a small lecherous grin. "And what a way it was..."

Stomp!

"Ow!"

Cecilia huffed as she pushed off the wall and then stood imperiously before him. With crossed arms and an affronted glare, she made quite an intimidating sight.

...If she wasn't looking up at him.

"My dear Knight, is there something you should be telling me?" Her tone was saccharine as her lips curled into a smile, the glare turning into a leer in the meanwhile. "I do hope that what you did wasn't too underhanded...was it?"

Ignoring the pain in his stomped foot, he glanced away with a closed eye. "Look, I had to get out of the hold somehow and what I did was the most effective method."

"...And that was?"

...

"I grabbed her by the tit and squeezed." Ephraim muttered, his cheeks flushing ever so slightly in embarrassment.

"Ephraim."

"I didn't want to lose, okay?" He looked back at her, his royal purple staring into her ocean blues. "I was close to beating her when she reversed the hold, that rankled me enough to warrant that!"

Cecilia merely narrowed her eyes at him.

He stared back, his own eyes narrowing.

Her stare slowly faltered, and she slowly looked down, her hands dropping to her sides in clenched fists.

"...How did they feel?"

The taller blonde blinked.

"What."

Her head snapped back up at him, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she stomped a foot down, thankfully not on his foot again. "How did they feel? Were they soft? Firm? A bit of both?!" She raised her voice as she raised a finger to his face, poking him in the chin with each question.

Ephraim raised his hands placatingly, looking left and right in slight worry that she attracted unneeded attention. "Cecilia calm down," The blonde tried to get her to lower her voice by placing his hands on her shoulder gently. "Look, I know I said that I liked Orimura-sensei but I wouldn't do that-"

"You-! I know-! Gah!" Cecilia fumbled with her words as she grasped his wrists, shaking them in an effort to convey her frustrations with him at the moment. "Why do I even-?! You bloody-! Fine!"

She pulled his hands down, her cheeks burning even more as she-

Squish~!

-placed them on her own breasts. Thanks to her still wearing her pilot suit, the taller blonde got to feel almost everything.

"H-How's this then?!" The noblewoman tried to present her usual smug front but it was ruined by her shaky voice. "Compare hers to mine! Come on! How are they-?!"

Squeeze~

"Iyaaahn~!"

Her mewl snapped him out of his brief trance, an embarrassed flush consuming his face as he quickly pulled his hands back. "Cecilia, what the hell?!" Ephraim hissed, looking down at his hands as if it had just defiled something sacred. "Seriously, what the hell?!"

"Answer my question!" She hissed, grabbing his wrists again and tried to drag them down to her breasts again. "I will give you this chance as many times as you want until you give me an answer!"

"You're stark raving mad!" Came his hysterical reply.

"Answer!" Cecilia roared, a near mad-like glint in her ocean blues.

"Yours is softer than hers!" Ephraim roared back, eyes wide in a bevy of emotions, the most prominent being that of bewilderment.

The noblewoman quickly let go of his hands, turning around and scoffing. "T-Then she and I are even! Good day, Ephraim. Hmph!" With that, she walked away, leaving the perplexed and somewhat frustrated young man in the hallway.

...

"What the fuck was that?!"