A Change in Paths
Chapter 1: New Places, Old Faces
Within a small office, a lone girl sat at her desk, typing away while tending to paperwork in between. The room around her was of a typical office layout, albeit with some futuristic features. The only sounds that bounced off the walls were her fingers on the keyboard, the movement of her pen, and the humming of a tune seemed to create a quiet working environment for herself. She continued working, until she was interrupted by the sound of knocking on her door.
Knock Knock
"Come in!"
The door opened on command and from behind came a tall girl, some notable details being long braided hair, glasses and a short-sleeved blazer.
"Tatenashi-san?" she asked, opening the door fully.
"Utsuho, what can I do for you?" Tatenashi asked, setting down her pen.
"Mrs Kutzuwagi has requested you in her office, with an important request." Utsuho answered, giving her the details of what she was required for.
"Well, let's get going!" Tatenashi said, turning off her computer while standing up and picking up her fan as she walked around the table. She walked through the doorway as Utsuho closed the door behind her, following Tatenashi as they walked out of the room and into the corridors. As they walked through the corridors, their clothes and skin became an orange glow from the setting sun outside.
"What do you think it could be about?" Utsuho enquired.
"I'm not too sure. Usually when it comes to changes around the Academy, I'm usually told during the meetings in the first week back so if I am being told this before the new semester, then it must be important" Tatenashi responded, not completely sure on what would be an appropriate answer.
"You don't think it has to do with the reports on the male IS pilot do you?"
Tatenashi pondered for a moment.
"It could be, however we've not heard any more news except the initial discovery and statements from the government. Given he's Miss Orimura's younger brother, I'd image she'd enroll him here to protect him, but nothing has been said from Miss Orimura herself on the situation so we will most likely not know until last minute"
"I see, it would seem plausible due to the timing, however if it's not that, then could it be?"
The two continued speculating as they made their way up the staircase and walked a fair distance before reaching a small waiting room. As they entered, Utsuho made her way over to the side of the room, taking a seat beside a coffee table, covered in magazines. Tatenashi on the other hand, made her way over to the door, knocked twice and opened the door once she heard a response on the other side.
"You wanted to see me, Mrs. Kutzuwagi?"
"Ah yes, Tatenashi-chan. Is Utsuho with you as well?"
"She's just outside, ma'am."
"Tell her to come in as well."
"Yes ma'am."
Tatenashi walked out of the office and motioned for her friend to come over. Once Utsuho had stepped into the office, the two took a seat at the desk. Utsuho was the first to speak.
"If I may ask, why was I asked to be brought in?"
"You are one of the few 3rd years that I would trust in knowing this information, plus I would like you to assist Tatenashi in helping out our new student" (I though Utsuho was a second year?)
"New student?" Utsuho asked, puzzled.
"Do you mean you want us to help out the first years?" Tatenashi wasn't quite sure where Mrs Kutzuwagi was going with this.
"Yes, however you are focussing on one specific student, one that graced the headlines in terms of IS coverage"
It suddenly clicked in their minds.
"You mean Miss Orimura's younger brother is coming?" The two asked, figuring out what was going to happen.
"Yes, however he isn't the one I would like you to keep an eye on."
This threw both Tatenashi and Utsuho into a loop. If they weren't to keep an eye on Ichika Orimura, then who were they meant to be keeping an eye on?
"The memory must have faded, I wouldn't blame you as the news didn't last long." Mrs Kutzuwagi sighed. She got up from her chair and walked over to the window.
"Do you remember the rumours about a boy from the United Kingdom being able to use an IS?"
"Yes." The two responded, the memory returning to their thoughts. The news, despite catching the attention of millions around the world, including government officials, had a very short lifespan.
"Well, those rumours were disproven as part of a coverup operation. His name is Nigel Battersby and he will be attending the IS Academy alongside Ichika Orimura"
The girls were rather surprised by this.
"So you want us to keep an eye on him then and be his mentors?" Tatenashi questioned.
"Yes. I've been speaking to his representative today, Mr Richard Fletcher who has brought him over from the UK a few days ago."
"You mean he's already here?"
"No. He is currently residing at the airport in Tokyo. Mr Fletcher has been escorted back to the airport to return to him so they can carry out tonight's movement. They will be arriving at the academy station before midnight, where both Nigel and Richard will be escorted to the first year dorms, floor 3 and room 2050." Mrs Kutzuwagi explained, writing down the details once she returned to her desk and handing the slip of paper to Tatenashi.
"From what I've heard from Richard, he is hardworking and passionate about his hobbies, however he's not comfortable about moving across the world, which is where you two come in. I would like you two to show him around the island tomorrow and help him adjust to life here"
"I see, we'll do our best!"
"That's good to hear. You two are now free to leave, I've got some paperwork to finish."
Now given permission to leave, Tatenashi and Utsuho made their departure back to their office to finish off the work that Tatenashi had been working on prior to the meeting, in preparation to meet Nigel.
"How do you feel about becoming a mentor, Tatenashi-San?" Utsuho asked. She seemed honoured to be considered one of the few 3rd years to be trusted, but she wasn't sure about her friend's thoughts on the matter, despite what she said.
"Me? I'm rather excited to be honest. It might get a bit fun around here now with two males attending the academy and I can't wait to see what Nigel looks like." Tatenashi chuckled.
It was obvious that things were about to get interesting…
Mainland Japan - Tokyo
Nightlife filled the streets of Tokyo as the billboards became the main source of light in the areas as people made their way through the city. In the airport, Nigel was finished checking over his luggage, making sure he had all his belongings when Richard walked in.
"How are you feeling Nigel?" Richard asked. He knew Nigel wasn't enjoying any of it and was worried about his mental state.
"I'm fine." Nigel responded, trying to hide his emotions as he began locking his luggage back up.
'I should have expected this. He's beginning to shut down.' Richard thought to himself, maybe bringing him to the Academy was a bad idea.
Nigel threw his bags over his shoulders and grabbed his suitcase, facing Richard for one of the final times in a long while.
"I'm ready"
Richard guided Nigel through the airport's hotel before stepping outside once at the front before getting straight into a group of cars waiting for them. The convoy set off into the night, passing through the streets of Tokyo as they were escorted to the monorail. Nigel looked out the window as he saw the signs around him. He wasn't sure what they all meant, but despite his current feelings, he felt a warm feeling from within and decided to rest his head and slowly shut his eyes as the journey continued.
"..."
"Wake up Nigel"
BUMP
"H-huh?!"
"Catching some Zs are we?" Richard chuckled.
"Y-yeah, just tired" Nigel yawned.
"Don't worry, you'll be able to sleep soon." Richard responded as the convoy came to a stop.
"We're here." the driver called.
Richard and Nigel stepped out of the car, the latter grabbing his belongings from the boot of the car before joining Richard on the footpath. From there, they were guided up to a deserted monorail station where an empty monorail stood waiting for them.
"The government made changes to the timetable to allow us to move over to the academy" Richard explained as they stepped aboard.
The monorail driver didn't waste any time and set off before they could even sit down.
"Jesus, someone wants to go to bed." Nigel jokes.
"Aye, this is probably what you would have planned to do isn't it? Working night shifts,"
"Yeah, maybe. I had other ideas as well if that fell through" Nigel said as he looked out the window, taking notice of the moon's reflection in the water as they left the mainland.
Richard was very much concerned at this point for Nigel. He wasn't far from leaving him on an Island, thousands of miles away from home and only inhabited by women. For some, that might be a dream come true, but he knew otherwise when it came to Nigel.
"Nigel…"
"Yeah?"
"Promise me something will you?"
"What is it?"
"If something is wrong, please tell me. I know I'll be in the UK and time zones are gonna get in the way, but I want you to know that as your representative, I want to make sure you are comfortable while staying at the academy. Alright?"
Nigel sat there for a moment. He looked back out the window for a minute, processing everything before turning back to Richard.
"Alright, I will"
"Good, cause it looks like we've arrived"
Nigel looked past Richard as the monorail came to a stop in another station, this time occupied by guards. As they stepped off the train, they identified themselves, before they were each given their ID. Richard received a red ID with his name and company applied while Nigel received a blue ID with other details including a student ID number as well as a photo of himself attached.
Once check-ins were complete, they were soon escorted out of the station and made their way across the island. Even in the dark, Nigel had to admit that the place looked nice. He could see the plants and trees were clearly kept in good condition, he could even see a river flowing underneath them as they crossed over a small bridge. While Nigel silently marveled at the sight of the island, Richard began talking to the lady escorting them.
"So, where are we heading?"
"We're taking Nigel to his dorm, where he will reside with the rest of the first years"
"Don't you think he should reside in a dorm with people his own age?"
"It's really a double-edged sword. While you can argue that he is older than the first years, if he was put into a dorm with students his age… Well, let's just say they might try experimenting…"
"I can't argue with that, but he's a good lad so I trust him that he won't cause any trouble. I take it he will be living on his own?"
"Yes, that is the current living arrangement. He will only receive a roommate under extreme circumstances, if rooms become scarce or students need to be exchange rooms due to any issues, which is rare"
"I see…"
Richard remained silent for the rest of the walk until they stood outside a hotel style building.
"This is the first year dorms, where you will be residing Nigel. Here is the key card to your room. You will be living on the 3rd floor on the far right in room 2050" The lady explained, while handing Nigel his key, his room number engraved onto a keyring.
Nigel and Richard made their way inside as their escort stayed in the lobby while they entered the elevator. As the doors closed, neither Richard or Nigel noticed a pair of eyes watching them out of the corner of the room. The elevator ride was short and they soon found themselves on the 3rd floor, the top floor of the building. Taking a right, they walked down the corridor passing all the rooms, which seemed to be empty as no sound came from anywhere at all, other than their footsteps.
"Feels like a fucking ghost town in here" Nigel said, breaking the silence.
"You're not wrong about that, the silence is also giving me a bad feeling and they weren't wrong about your room being at the far end, that's a fair distance to walk"
"Aye, but here it is"
Nigel inserted his key card and opened the door, immediately flicking on the lights. Upon entering, they took notice of the large room, with two single beds occupying the room, as well as a bookcase, built-in wardrobes, computers and a small kitchen being other highlights to the room.
"Not bad of a room is it?" Nigel commented.
"Aye, looks like you haven't got it so bad"
"Aye…" Nigel said, a downcast look beginning to cross his face as he set down his bags after choosing the furthest bed. He turned back to Richard.
"I guess this is it then…"
"Sadly it is…" Was the only thing Richard could respond with. He was dreading this moment from the beginning.
It didn't take very long before Richard noticed tears beginning to form in Nigel's eye, before pulling him into a hug. Nigel reciprocated it as the waterworks began.
"I-I'm gonna miss you" Nigel sobbed, his calm facade he tried to keep up finally breaking under the panic and stress that kept mounting.
"I'm gonna miss you too. We all will..."
The two stood there, as Nigel sobbed into Richard's shoulder as he tried to calm him down.
'It was inevitable that this would happen. The academy better treat him right' Richard thought to himself.
Richard pulled himself away from Nigel before handing him a tissue from his pocket.
"Listen to me, your family is proud of what you've been able to achieve. The training you took back home, receiving your driving license and becoming a passed out cleaner all in the space of a couple months is a grand achievement. Becoming an IS pilot obviously wasn't what you wanted to be, but you still persevered and took on the training to use it, you won your first IS battle with no experience before. Nobody can take that away from you. Please, do this for your dad, Nigel"
Nigel took a moment to recollect himself before responding.
"Alright, I will"
"Good. I wish I could stay longer, but it's after midnight and I've got to return to the hotel. Don't forget what I said on the monorail and take care Nigel" Richard said. Having given his farewell to Nigel, he walked out the room and closed the door behind him.
Nigel was left on his own now, only himself and his thoughts. He turned back to his bed and began unpacking his suitcase, placing his clothes in the wardrobe and leaving his boots at the bottom. He then moved to some of the other pieces within his suitcase, moving a few smaller items up onto the top shelf before stopping when he picked up a small patterned box. He stood there, looking at it before speaking, with tears forming again.
"We did it… We finally made it…" Nigel said to himself before placing the box up with the other items before moving his other bags off the bed.
'I'll sort them out tomorrow,' he thought to himself as he moved over to the bathroom. Upon opening the door, he noticed one major detail missing.
"Why is there no fucking toilet?!" Nigel said frustratingly. Of all things that could be missing, why the toilet?
Nigel quickly retrieved his toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed his teeth, still infuriated that there wasn't a toilet, until he remembered seeing some signs which pointed towards a set of doors.
'Don't tell me the toilets were back there…' he groaned as he spat out his toothpaste and washed his tooth brush.
He walked out of the bathroom and straight out of his room, taking his key card off the kitchen counter as he left. He walked down the long hallway, the odd feeling didn't go away.
'Even walking down here a second time, I don't like the feeling I'm getting. Hopefully that'll go away once it gets more lively'
Reaching the middle of the hallway, where the elevator was, he continued onwards, reaching a pair of doors a couple feet away. One was locked with a sign on the handle:
OUT OF USE
'I wonder if this is to be the male toilets'
He had yet to see any toilets around the campus for males... and that might be a problem. Nigel walked over to the other door, pressing on it gently, it was unlocked and the lights flickered into life from Nigel's movement, he had another bad feeling in his gut.
'Am I really about to use the girls bathroom?'
Nigel looked to his left and to his right, to see if anyone was at either end of the corridors, no one was about. He headed back to the staircase opposite the elevator to double check there was no one there, still no one. Richard must have already been gone as there was nothing but silence, other than his footsteps.
'Alright, just go in, do your business and get back out. Should take less than a minute cause I am not pissing in a bush'
Nigel quickly (and silently) walked into the bathroom to go about his business.
(Was there a point to having him use a girls bathroom?)
Richard made his way back down the corridor to the elevator, he felt really bad about leaving Nigel, but he didn't have much of a choice now. He's now under the care and protection of the IS Academy and he didn't have as much power as he did prior to their arrival. Standing in the elevator, he thought about the last few months since the first discovery up to now.
'Maybe I should have kept things under wraps instead' Richard thought, doubting himself.
He sighed.
'I just hope I don't regret this'
The elevator doors opened and the lady from the station was still there waiting for him.
"Are you ready to leave?"
"Yes. I'm ready"
"You also have two guests who would like to ask you a few questions" The lady mentioned, pointing towards the two girls beside her.
Richard turned to face the two girls.
"I'm Richard Fletcher, Nigel's representative. And you are?"
"I'm Tatenashi Sarashiki, and this is Utsuho Nohotoke. We've been assigned as Nigel's mentors and we wanted to ask you some questions about him"
"Well, we can talk on the way back to the monorail, I need to return to the airport as my flight home will be leaving early afternoon"
"That's fine"
All four made their way out of the dorm building, with Richard, Tatenashi and Utsuho trailing behind a little as they asked questions.
"So, what exactly did you want to know?" Richard asked.
"Well, we want to know what he is like and if there is anything we should be aware of," Tatenashi answered.
Richard took a deep breath.
"Alright, let's talk on the way back to the monorail" the girls agreed, walking with Richard and his escorter back to the monorail.
For the rest of the walk, Richard explained as much as he could to both girls as Utsuho continued to write down everything mentioned until they reached the staircase up to the monorail.
"I wish I could talk to you a bit longer, but I don't want to miss my flight tomorrow, so I'll leave you with a few crucial points so please write this down"
Both Utsuho and Tatenashi listened intently.
"Please, do not ask him about his eyepatch," Richard said sternly.
"Why is that?" Tatenashi questioned, not entirely sure why they shouldn't ask that specific question.
"That's for you to find out sadly. I'd tell you, but it is a really sensitive topic towards him. He'll tell you eventually, but that's only if he can trust you, so just play the waiting game"
"I see…" Tatenashi responded, processing the information while Utsuho finished writing down notes.
"I only ask for one more thing: please make sure he is comfortable here. I honestly didn't want to do it, but I had to leave him and I have a feeling he is pretty upset about everything and it's been building up till now. It's one thing to move out into your own house, but it's another thing to move several thousands of miles away to somewhere you've never been. Can you promise me that?" Richard explained, hoping that they will be able to help his friend and make him feel welcome.
Tatenashi was the first to speak after all the information had been given to her.
"I promise you, myself and Utsuho will make him feel welcome at the academy"
"Good. While I remember as well…" He said, putting his hand into his pocket.
"Here's my card, my email is on the back. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask" Richard said, handing it to Tatenashi.
"Thank you, and you won't regret anything," Utsuho said, with gratitude.
"I sure hope so. Take care" Richard said, giving his regards to the two female students as he stepped onto the monorail. The doors closed behind him as it took off back to the mainland. Tatenashi and Utsuho stood on the station platform and looked at each other before looking down at the notes.
"What do you think?" Utsuho questioned, slightly unsure after looking at the details she had written down.
"He sounds like an interesting character, I can't wait to have some fun with him. Why don't we go surprise him now?" Tatenashi chuckled.
"If what Mr Fletcher said was true, I'd highly suggest against doing that. We should let him get some rest" Utsuho said, not agreeing with her friend's current plans.
"Awww…" Tatenashi pouted.
It's okay for now, But it'd be better if Tatenashi acted like her coy and playful self in the future.
"We can go see him in the morning, but for now we should go back to our room, it's nearly 1 o'clock in the morning" Utsuho said, taking the final word as they retired to their dorm for the night.
Richard looked out the window back towards the academy as his monorail sped across the open water.
"Please don't make me regret anything…"
Tatenashi & Utusho's bedroom - 08:00 AM
Rays of sunlight shone across the island as the new day arrived. The sound of an alarm blared out and was immediately shut off. Utsuho rubbed her eyes as she set herself up. Despite the curtains being shut, the room was still filled with light. Looking over to her right, she saw Tatenashi, still sound asleep.
'I should probably get ready, we've got a busy day ahead of us' she thought, shifting herself off the bed and making a b-line straight for the bathroom to freshen herself up. Once the door was locked, she turned on the shower and proceeded to take off her clothes and step in, letting the warm water flow down her. As she began washing her hair, she thought back to the events of yesterday evening, the talk with Richard and the details she had written down. Nothing seemed to add up in her mind.
'Please, do not ask him about his eyepatch. But why?'
Utsuho continued to ponder on the warning, not clearly understanding what it meant.
"I can understand not wanting to discuss it, but there has to be more to it than that" she said to herself, very much lost in thought.
Knock Knock
"Utsuho? Are you in there?"
Utsuho snapped out of her thoughts and looked towards the door.
"Yes, yes I am" she responded
"Alright, let me know when you're done with the shower" Tatenashi said, moving away from the door to prepare herself.
Utsuho quickly finished washing over herself and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her and unlocking the door for Tatenashi before plugging in her hair dryer. Tatenashi walked in and proceeded to do the exact same as Utsuho and hopped into the shower.
"So, how do you think today will go then?" Tatenashi asked, turning the shower knob on.
"I've been thinking about it, and something doesn't seem to add up," Utsuho confessed.
"Oh? How so?"
"Well, even after what Mr Fletcher described Nigel as, the fact that he doesn't want us to ask about the eyepatch confuses me. I could understand if he is private about his personal life, but if Mr Fletcher doesn't want to talk about it, then something must have happened. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but it doesn't sit right"
Tatenashi continued washing herself, taking in what Utusho said.
"Perhaps you are. As you said, he might be private about his personal life or he just doesn't want it to be pointed out and asked constantly, so he would like to carry on with life normally. Try to keep an open mind, if Mr Fletcher has a good view on him, then we should do our best to make sure he is welcome with open arms"
"You're right" Utsuho put down the hairdryer as Tatenashi turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping her towels around her.
"Would you like me to make some breakfast?"
"No thank you, we'll meet up with Nigel and take him down to the cafeteria on our tour"
"Alright". Utsuho began brushing her teeth while Tatenashi began drying her hair. Being much shorter than Utsuho's she had caught up and began brushing her teeth alongside her. Eventually, the two were ready, both in their respective uniforms, closed their wardrobes and made their way towards the door.
"You ready Utsuho?"
"Yes, let's go meet Nigel"
Utsuho opened the door, letting Tatenashi out first and followed her out, closing the door behind her. As they made their way down the corridor, Tatenashi's phone rang, it's ringtone bounced off the walls. She pulled it out and answered immediately.
"Hello? Miss Orimura?"
Nigel's bedroom - 08:12 AM
Nigel slowly opened his eyes, having rolled over and taken a face full of sunlight. Pulling himself upright, he looked around the room, remembering the transfer from the airport, the monorail journey and the talk with Richard. He sighed as he moved his legs over to the side of the bed, looking out the window.
"So, this is my life for the next three years…"
Nigel got up from his bed and pulled the curtains open, letting the light in across the rest of the room. He looked down at his bags, his suitcase had been emptied of his clothes and all that was left was other belongings to be put away, then it was just the duffle bag and the backpacks left to empty.
"I'll freshen up and get to unpacking the rest of this" he said, bending down and grabbing a bag filled with shower products, as well as a fresh pair of boxers before walking straight into the bathroom and placing everything on the counter. Turning around, he saw some towels on the towel rack and came to the immediate assumption that each room had a set of towels.
'I'll use them for now' he thought, using the towels the academy provided rather than going back and pulling his own out of his suitcase. He turned on the shower and let it warm up before taking off his overlay and boxers, stepping into the shower with his shampoo and began cleaning.
Several minutes later, he was cleaning the rest of his body and lost in his own thoughts.
Knock Knock
"Jesus fucking Christ!" He almost lost his balance from the sudden knock. Regaining his composure, he shouted.
"ONE MINUTE!" The noise bounced off the walls, but he hoped that whoever was knocking got the message.
Unbeknownst to him, Tatenashi and Utsuho were the ones that had knocked on his door. Utsuho turned to Tatenashi upon hearing Nigel's response.
"Did we come at a bad time?"
"Maybe"
Nigel quickly washed off all the soap, turned off the shower and quickly began drying himself once out of the shower, trying to not keep whoever his guests were from waiting any longer. Leaving his hair till last, he quickly put his boxers overlay. He unlocked the bathroom door and began drying his hair as he walked out and opened the door, taking the towel off his head, he realised he was face to face with two girls, two cute girls at that. He looked at the two for a moment before breaking the ice.
"Can I help you two?" Nigel asked, puzzled by the appearance of the twos and how they even knew where his room was.
"My apologies if we disturbed your morning routine, my name is Utsuho Nohotoke and this is Tatenashi Sarashiki. We've been assigned to become your mentors"
"Mentors?" Nigel quizzed, he had not been told anything about gaining a mentor
"Yes, since you're a male student, and the secret one at that, we've been asked to help you throughout your first year" Tatenashi responded, giving him a basic answer as well as opening her fan in front of her mouth once finished, with the word 'RESPONSIBILITY' written on it.
'Eh?' Nigel was confused by the sight, as if she had planned for it, but none of it made sense.
"Are you ok?" Utsuho asked, getting Nigel's attention.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. You two can come in, just let me brush my teeth and get some clothes on" Nigel opened the door, letting the two enter before closing it and walking back into the bathroom.
"And don't touch my stuff"
Utsuho and Tatenashi surveyed the room, taking note of Nigel's bags on the far side of the room, both assuming that he had claimed the furthest bed, leaving them the option of the closest bed to sit down on. Utsuho pulled out the notes from her pocket and began reading over them again as she heard the sound of running water behind them. Nigel came back out and walked over to his suitcase, ignoring the two as he took the lock off, opened it and began pulling out clothes, settling for a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Any other clothes were laid out on the bed once he had put his clothes on. He walked around his bed, sitting down on his bed opposite Tatenashi and Utsuho, unsure of what to do next.
"So… what do you want to do?"
"We're going to take you on a tour of the academy of course!"
"I see, shall we get going then?"
The two girls nodded and stood up from the bed as Nigel rolled over to the opposite side of his bed to grab his phone, as well as several other items. Walking back around, he followed the two out of the room and into the corridor, picking up his key card from the kitchen counter. Just like it had been when he arrived, the corridors were silent with the only sound being the footsteps that bounced off the walls as the trio headed for the elevator.
IS Academy Staff Room - 09:08
Elsewhere on the island, a large group of women sat working in an office, each of them focussed on their own work at their computers, some were dashing around the room with files, working the printers, all to make sure everything was prepared for the new term. Among them was a lady with long black hair and a stern look. She was the only one that was calm in the room. The tension in the room was cut short when the door opened.
"Miss Orimura, the male uniforms have arrived!" A lady with short green hair and a yellow dress stepped through the door, her hands occupied by the box she was carrying. She walked over and set down the box, opening it to inspect the contents.
"Thank you Miss Yamada, I take it that there weren't any issues with security?"
"None at all. I was chatting with security and they mentioned that the night shift team saw the arrival first of the two male students late last night" Some members of staff looked up from their work, intrigued by the revelation.
"Already? Ugh, I swear they don't tell me anything these days"
"Yeah, according to them he is currently being given a tour of the Academy as we speak by Sarashiki and Nohotoke. The last area they found them was leaving the cafeteria"
"Right, send a message to Sarashiki and tell her to bring him here so he can collect his uniform"
"Yes Miss Orimura" Miss Yamada walked over to her computer and began signing back into her account when a thought struck her.
"Miss Orimura?"
"Hmm?" Miss Orimura turned to her colleague, having some clue as to what she was about to ask.
"What about your younger brother?"
"I'll be leaving Friday to check on him and make sure that he is prepared to move to the academy and I'll be returning on Sunday with him"
"I see" Miss Yamada turned back to her screen and began typing a message.
"Do you think they'll get along?" Miss Yamada quizzed. Neither of the two males had yet, nor did they know what Nigel's behaviour is like, creating a level of uncertainty.
"I have little reason to doubt that they won't get along, they are the only males to be on the island so they have no one else to go to in terms of friends unless they travelled back to the mainland. Besides, being on an island with only girls would be any man's dream"
"I guess, but what are the odds that they aren't very fond of their situation?"
"Again, boys will like girls, girls will like boys, the girls here will be all over them. The only thing I hope is that they don't start 'experimenting'" Miss Orimura confessed.
Miss Yamada blushed at the thought and attempted to hide it from the other members of staff, but Miss Orimura noticed.
"Please don't get any ideas Miss Yamada, especially when they will be in our class"
"T-they will?"
"Yes, the class rosters have been finalised and we will have a bit of a hand full as we have Ceclia Alcott, England's representative cadet and Houki Shinonono"
"Shinonono? As in Tabane's younger sister?" Miss Yamada quizzed, surprised. Now everyone in the room was listening in.
"Yes, the very one. Although, I noticed one peculiar thing"
"What would that be?"
"Shinonono isn't a representative of any R&D company, nor a country for that matter"
"But surely, since she is Tabane's sister, she would be hounded with offers. S-she could go anywhere she chooses" Miss Yamada stated, bewildered by what she was hearing. Anyone would take up the offer of becoming a representative, so it was unheard of for someone to ignore or decline an offer.
"That seems to be the reason, judging by the notes, Miss Yamada"
"H-huh?"
"She's received several offers from companies, including the government of Japan for being Tabane's sister. But she turned down every offer that she received." Miss Orimura explained.
"But why?"
"I don't know, the notes don't specify any further. All I know is that we've got quite the handful this year. I suggest you get back to writing that message, Miss Yamada"
"R-right" Miss Yamada turned back to her computer and her fingers began darting across the keyboard.
"And that goes for the rest of you!" Miss Orimura yelled, addressing her colleagues in the room, who were all started and quickly began focussing on their own work. Miss Orimura sighed and took a sip of her cup of coffee, she was in for a wild ride.
"And here we are, the IS Maintenance Workshop!"
Nigel, Tatenashi and Utsuho stood in front of two large doors, a sign to the right reading what Tatenashi had just said. Tatenashi stepped forward and the doors slid apart, showcasing what was inside. To their right, were a line of booths right down to the end of the room and to their left were crates, tools and other pieces of equipment. The room was a hive of activity as girls occupied the booths, passing tools to one another and collecting parts.
One girl turned and walked over to them. She had brown hair tied into a ponytail, smart glasses and a green band on her left arm.
"Ah Tatenashi, Utsuho, what can I do for you?" She turned to Nigel. "It seems you've brought a guest as well"
"Hey Kaoruko, we're just taking our new student for a tour of the academy" Tatenashi said, winking at Nigel in the process.
Nigel simply looked away in embarrassment. Kaoruko noticed this and turned her head, looking down towards the opposite end of the room.
"Well, let's head down to the last bay, we can talk more there" she said, turning back to face the group, leading them past the bays.
Nigel looked at the bays as they passed them. Each one had an IS in various states, some were completely disassembled, some were nearly full units, others only had certain components removed as each group talked amongst themselves. Some girls noticed Nigel looking, who turned away and sped up to keep up with the others. By the time they reached the last bay, all the girls were looking at them, to which Kaoruko noticed when it became deathly silent throughout the entire room.
"Come on you lot, back to work!" she yelled out, all the groups immediately rushing back to their jobs and the sound of work filled the air again. Kaoruko turned back to the group, facing Nigel.
"There we go, sorry about that, were they making you uncomfortable?"
"Yeah… a bit" Nigel rubbed the back of his neck, deciding to be honest.
"Don't worry, I can give you a bit more privacy" she said, pulling a curtain around the bay and pressing a button, illuminating an 'IN USE' notice on the wall.
"Better?"
"Yeah. Thanks for that"
"It's no problem. Anyway, my name is Kaoruko Mayuzumi and I'm the student head of the IS Maintenance Department here at the academy. My role is to arrange the undertaking of maintenance of all IS units, both academy-owned and personal units"
"Wait a second…"
"What is it?" Kaoruko asked, confused. Both Tatenashi and Utsuho turned to Nigel as well, not sure why he stopped her.
"Mayuzumi… Mayuzumi..." Nigel clicked his fingers, trying to remember something. "Do you have an older sister by chance?"
"Yes, her name is Nagisako, why do you ask?" It finally clicked.
"That's the name! I couldn't remember her name for a second, she interviewed me the other day"
"So that explains the cryptic message she sent me"
"Cryptic message?"
"Yeah, my sister texted me yesterday evening saying that the academy would be getting more interesting with a new arrival, turns out it was you"
"Hang on a minute!" Tatenashi said, butting into the conversation. "How did she find out about you before us? We were only told yesterday evening you would be arriving at the academy. In fact, how did she even know about you in the first place?"
"Ah that's… gonna be an explanation and a half." Nigel rubbed the back of his neck again. "Basically, from what Nagisako said, they had been keeping an eye on any information about me. I guess they managed to swipe up as many articles about me before everything was 'disproven' at the press conference, but it's obvious that they didn't take their eyes off me and when I was moving here, an associate, I think spotted me at the airport and alerted them, to which I was confronted upon arrival with a request for an interview, to which Richard, begrudgingly agreed, but only under specific conditions that they agreed to."
Tatenashi and Utsuho listened intently, finally getting an understanding as the pieces began to fit together.
"That and I told her I would be moving to the IS academy last night when she asked after the interview. And that's about it really."
"I see, that makes sense, but it's a little weird that they didn't stop looking into you after the press conference, and wouldn't that affect his credibility if he lied to so many reporters, companies and governments as it would seem like he was trying to keep you all for himself?" Kaoruko asked, although most of it made sense, there were a few details that seemed a little off.
"Yeah, I found that a little weird to be honest. Most people seemed to take it on the chin and left it at that, but I guess when there is the potential of a male IS pilot, you'll want to find as much info on them as possible. Also, since Richard is a respected business man in the UK and in the IS industry, he has… a bit of influence, so even if he lied to so many people, he did it for my personal safety, which was to dispel the rumours. I don't do well with the press, let along public speaking, so it was the only way."
"But how did he manage to dismiss the rumours at the time, other than his influence?" Kaoruko asked, Tatenashi and Utsuho were also keen for a response.
"Well, that's what the internet is for, it's amazing how you can get a stunt double arranged on such short notice."
Kaoruko, Tatenashi and Utsuho all stared blankly at Nigel.
"A stunt double?"
"Yep, just get someone around my age and height, have a bit of a trim of the beard." Nigel rubbed his chin, which had begun growing again since then, as if to prove his point. "Get a wig, a pair of smart glasses and an eye patch and you are good to go. I was well impressed by how much they got right on me, almost a little unsettling." Nigel chuckled.
"That's a lot to unpack." Utsuho admitted.
"Yeah, but enough about me, let's get back on topic."
Kaoruko composed herself, after deviating from the topic.
"Yes, right, so as I said we manage the maintenance of all IS units at the academy so if you want any fine tuning or some regular maintenance done, come to us and we can arrange a slot in one of the bays to let you prop up your IS."
"I see, and everyone working on them out there are students as well?"
"Yup, all the maintenance crews here are students who have volunteered to help out. Some students aren't all for fighting in the IS units, like myself and are more interested in the operational side of things and how it all works so I tend to help out in my free time maintaining the academy's units when needed."
"And this is you using your free time to do maintenance."
"Yes, but not at the moment. We carry out regular maintenance checks every year on all of the units before the new year starts so they are ready for the freshmen and upcoming training sessions."
"Then what's going on with this unit here?" Tatenashi quizzed, looking at the unit in front of them, #25 to be exact. Kaoruko frowned upon seeing the unit.
"Ugh, that was what Holly's group was meant to be working on, but they haven't shown up yet and it's starting to get on everyone's nerves, considering she and her friends signed up to help. They took two days to complete the maintenance on unit #12, the girls out there are currently on their 3rd, maybe 4th unit."
"How long does it take to complete maintenance on an IS unit?" Nigel asked, not completely up to date on what Kaoruko was saying, but wanted to see if she may have been a bit too strict on them, perhaps they can't work as fast?
"It can usually take a couple hours, usually about 6 to 8 hours at most. A lot of the work is just replacing parts that have become worn or have started to show damage from training and tournaments along with calibrating all the weapons and systems to make sure everything is running, but that's only if the situation is really bad." Kaoruko explained
"Even if they are in their third year, it shouldn't take 2 days to complete maintenance. It makes you wonder what they have been doing over the last couple years." Utsuho added.
"Exactly! I'm surprised they've lasted so long here. They're attitude is bad enough, but this is downright lazy. Fumi told me how the group showed up late, took their time and spent most of the time chatting while everyone else was working, it's starting to create a bad atmosphere among the others. Problem is, I would file some kind of report, but because it isn't during school time and this is purely volunteer work, I don't have much of a case other than what myself and the girls out there have seen. We can tell a teacher that they've been lacking on their duties, but that's about it." Kaoruko began to feel irritated as she let out all her thoughts on the three.
"Buncha bullshit if you ask me." Nigel blurted out. "Back home, if you were lacking in your duties or constantly showing up late, you'd have been dismissed from your duties. Believe me, I've seen one or two lads have that happen to them." All three girls looked back at Nigel, intrigued by what he said, especially Kaoruko.
"Do you volunteer as well?"
"Aye, I'm a railway volunteer so I understand your frustration in terms of people not pulling their weight." Kaoruko looked impressed by what she was hearing. Unfortunately for her, Tatenashi noticed.
"Oooh, looks like you've hit some marks, Nigel-kun~." Tatenashi says playfully, grinning behind her fan. "Kaoruko likes a hard working man~." Both Kaoruko and Nigel turned away, their faces turning red. Before either could respond, the curtain swung open, revealing to be one of the volunteers.
"Kaoruko-san, Holly and her group have arrived." Kaoruko stood up, upon hearing Holly's name. "I think it's best I dismiss them from helping out, they've not been very serious in their duties and it'll be better if the others don't have to worry about having to take on their work on top of their own."
"That sounds like a good shout. I'm all for giving them a second chance, perhaps if they are just slow, but if what you've said is true about their attitude and what your friend said how they are just simply not pulling their weight, they shouldn't even bother."
"I'll do that now then." Kaoruko pushed the curtain aside, with Tatenashi and Utsuho following behind her. Nigel stayed where he was, keeping out of view from the open curtain so no one could see him, so all he could do was listen.
"Alright Kaoruko, we're here now so we'll just get started on our work."
Nigel couldn't help but notice that 'Holly's' voice was rather familiar.
"That won't be happening Holly."
"What?! Why not?!" Holly shouted. By this point, all the girls had stopped working and all eyes were on her.
'It couldn't be, could it?' Nigel thought.
"You and your friends simply aren't pulling your weight. We need to get these units ready for the start of the new academic year, but all you've been doing is taking your time, talking and basically being lazy."
"You can't prove anything!"
'Maybe I should take a peak?' Nigel considered, everything seemed to line up, but he didn't want to believe it.
"I'm afraid there is. There's a lot of witnesses to your group slacking off on your duties. I'm gonna have to suspend you from helping out with unit maintenance and ask for you all to leave."
"You can't do this!"
"I think you'll find I can, as the student head of the IS Maintenance Branch."
"Holly, I think it's best if you and your friends leave." Tatenashi added, sticking up for her friend, while trying defuse the situation.
"Stay out of this, blueberry bitch." Holly retorted.
Nigel couldn't stand by and listen any further and stepped out from behind the bay wall. He made eye contact with who he assumed was Holly and his eyes widened in shock.
"And another thi-" Holly cut herself off as she looked past Kaoruko and was surprised at what she saw. Kaoruko, Tatenashi and Utsuho turned around and looked back at Nigel, his face contorted into anger, Holly's face doing the same as they looked back.
"THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE BATTERS?!"
Neither let the other speak as their voices echoed around the room.
Kaoruko, Tatenashi and Utsuho were all bewildered at the sight before them, and were even more concerned as Nigel stormed past them towards Holly.
"So this is where you've been these last few years, I should have known. At Least things were peaceful after you left"
"You seemed to have changed, not that it matters, you'll always be seen as 'Batters'"
'Jesus Christ, they even brought back that old fucking nickname' Nigel sighed, old memories resurfaced that he'd rather just forget.
"Even after all these years, you still can't come up with something original. I thought you'd have moved past all this shit now, same goes for you lot as well; Rebecca, Leah, Melissa, Jessica. The fact you all haven't changed and judging by what everyone else has said, you're all still as incompetent as ever." Nigel stated, it seemed everything now was one big reunion, not a positive one at that.
"Why you!" Melissa grabbed a wrench from the nearest stand and intended to throw it at Nigel, but her accuracy wasn't on point and ended up sending it not towards Nigel, but in the direction of Utsuho.
Nigel didn't realise what he did, but a bright light shone out from Nigel, which gathered everyone's attention while Utsuho put her arms in front of her face and shut her eyes, embracing the impact that was about to come upon her.
...
...
...
But that never happened. Utsuho lowered her arms and opened her eyes, realising what had happened. Ahead of her, was an arm of an IS, and it had come directly from Nigel. Everyone in the room stood wide-eyed and the sight of Nigel, his right arm outstretched and the arm of an IS, giving that extra length across and in its grip, was the wrench that was gonna hit Utsuho. Nigel let go of the wrench and let it fall to the ground.
CLANG
"Now, I'm only gonna say this once" he took a step forward, seething with anger. "I and many others put up with your shit for far too long and I'm not gonna tolerate any of you here as well. Here's how things are gonna work, you and your little group of bitches are gonna do what Kaoruko said and leave, cause if not, I will personally drag all of you out by force. You hurt so many people back home and I'm not gonna let you leave your mark here"
All the girls were now feeling uncomfortable by the tension in the room, including Holly and her friends, but Holly wouldn't show it.
"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" he bellowed, causing everyone else to jump back.
Holly stared at Nigel, both looking like deer's caught in headlights, until Holly spoke up.
"Tch, come on girls, let's get out of here."
Holly turned on her heel and the rest of the group followed her out of the room.
"This isn't the end, Batters" she yelled before walking out of view.
"It's been nearly 3 years and you still can't think of something more creative, ya fucking cow!" The doors shut and silence fell upon the room. None of the girls knew what to say, until Kaoruko walked up and broke the silence.
"Nigel, are you alright?" Nigel didn't respond immediately.
"I'll be honest, I'm fucking angry" he responded, still looking right at the door.
"Come back to the end bay and let yourself calm down."
Nigel took a deep sigh, and the arm of his IS disappeared as he turned to Kaoruko.
"Alright." He turned back to the girls by their IS units "Sorry about disrupting you lot" He rubbed the back of his neck, the realisation of who witnessed the outburst dawned on him. Nigel walked back to the end bay, with Tatenashi, Utsuho and Kaoruko following behind, with Kaoruko pulling the curtain back across. All three girls took a seat while Nigel simply laid down on the ground, putting his hands to his face.
"I am a fucking idiot". This took everyone by surprise.
"What do you mean?" Kaoruko asked.
"I should have known she'd be here. Her sudden disappearance, it all makes sense"
"Who's disappearance?"
Nigel turned his head to Kaoruko.
"Holly. She disappeared during our second to last year of school along with her friends. A lot of us were happy that she was finally gone, myself included, so much so that we never actually considered why or where she went"
"I guess, but why does it matter?"
"What you saw out there from her, is only a fraction of what I had to endure from her for four years"
"We all knew she was self-centred, but I didn't think she was that bad"
"There's clearly a lot you don't know about about her"
"Can you explain some more."
"At some point, sure, I just want to go back to sleep" Nigel turned his head over to Tatenashi and Utsuho, the former seemed to be writing something on the nearby tablet while the latter stayed quiet, presumably shaken up from the ordeal.
"How're you holding up Utsuho?"
"I'm fine, I just didn't expect any of that."
"Same, for once I just wanted to wish that it wasn't her. What're you writing Tatenashi?"
"I'm writing a report. Considering they tried to attack you, and by extension Utsuho, I'm filing a report to have them punished, and to push through how they haven't been keeping up on their duties." Tatenashi said, her eyes not leaving the screen. "One thing that caught my attention, and I think everyone's attention, you have a personal IS."
"Yeah? What about it?"
"Was that IS from Mr Fletcher by chance?"
"Yeah. Wait, how do you know Richard?"
"Me and Utsuho talked with him last night after you were dropped off."
"Oh." Nigel's head turned, facing back up at the ceiling.
"I want to know, how much experience do you have with an IS?"
"In what way?"
"Anything."
"Theory-wise, I'm probably a good 50/50. I've spent the last few months reading that big fuck-off manual, but not everything sticks. Practical-wise, I've got nothing. I've never had any training on how to use an IS, beside my fight with an instructor, and even then I had to learn on the fly, no pun intended." All three girls chuckled.
"Did you win?"
"Barely."
"Well, you're further up than most students, so good job."
"Thanks. Other than that, I've not even flown in my IS yet, I've only been taught on how to summon and recall my IS, and by extension the partial deployment, which you all saw."
The group stayed silent, each of them thinking over the events that had transpired. Nigel was fed up, while all three girls were curious as to what had gone on between them.
PING
Kaoruko, Nigel and Utsuho all turned to Tatenashi, who had received a notification on her screen. Opening it, she read the message aloud for the others to hear.
"Miss Sarashiki, please could you bring Nigel Battersby to the teachers office to collect his uniform. We would also like him to check some details with us to make sure everything is correct. Signed, Maya Yamada. Guess we're going to the teachers office, we should get going and let you get back to work, Kaoruko"
"Yeah, the girls are probably finishing off their units soon so I'll need to get them checked off" Kaoruko got up and walked over to the curtain "Also, Nigel"
"Yeah"
"Thank you, for standing up to Holly," Kaoruko said, her face turning red as she left the bay, closing the curtain behind her.
"Oooooh, look at you~" Tatenashi teased. Nigel turned his head towards Tatenashi with a blank and unamused face, Tatenashi just laughed as she turned off the screen. "Well, that's the report finished, come on, lets go"
The trio got up and stepped out of the bay, walking past all the units. The girls had gone back to work and Kaoruko was getting paperwork sorted for the final inspections. She waved as the three left the workshop.
"Keep me updated on that report!" She yelled.
"Will do." Tatenashi replied, the doors shutting behind her. Kaoruko looked down at the paperwork, silent.
"Kaoruko?"
Something stirred within her.
"Kaoruko?"
It was nothing she had ever felt before.
"Kaoruko!"
"H-huh?!"
"We're ready for inspection on Unit #19"
"Oh right, sorry Sumi. I'll be right over" Kaoruko gathered up her papers and followed her friend over to their unit, work taking priority again. She'll have to sort out her thoughts later.
"Miss Yamada, we have arrived!" Tatenashi announced. The green haired teacher looked up from her monitor, spotting all three at the doorway.
"Ah, there you all are. I was wondering were you all were, I sent that message nearly close to half an hour ago"
"Oh, I only received the message a few minutes ago"
"Strange. The network must be running a bit slow today. A-anyway, I have Mr Battersby's uniform next to me and I have some details I'd like for him to check over."
Nigel walked over to the table, taking a seat next to Miss Yamada. She looked at him, a bit mesmerized, seeing one of the first male IS pilots in front of her. What stuck out to her the most was the eye patch and glasses combination that he had going on, but stayed silent on the matter. Nigel on the other hand, had also noticed the finer details on Miss Yamada, her green hair, yellow dress, large glasses, and a rather large bust, but he stayed quiet, which was for the best.
"So, I just need to check that all the details are here before we file these off."
"Alright."
Nigel pulled the sheet in front of him and began looking over it, noticing a blank box near his name.
"Should I put in my middle name?"
"I don't think it will matter, since there won't be anyone else here with your name, but if you want to add it, that's up to you."
"I'll put it in then." Nigel said, grabbing a pen and began writing in the black box. Miss Yamada moved back and got up from her chair, walking over to Miss Orimura, who was talking to Tatenashi and Utsuho, only just catching the conversation as she got closer.
"I've got the report ready to send if you want to see it now."
"I'd like you to send over the report, and I'd like you to get as many personal statements from the maintenance department."
"Yes ma'am." Tatenashi walked over to a vacant computer and began to sign in.
"Apologies for intruding on you Miss Orimura, but what was that about?"
"Tatenashi is sending a report to me over an incident that happened at the maintenance bay earlier"
"Really? What happened?"
"From what Tatenashi and Utsuho have said, attempted assault, involving Utsuho and our male student over there" Miss Orimura whispered, pointing at Nigel. Miss Yamada looked back at Nigel, who continued to scan over the document. She decided to lower her voice so as to not distract him.
"Who was at fault?"
"Holly Anderson and her group"
"I knew they were troublemakers, but I didn't think they'd go that far"
"Neither did I, but apparently they have history with Battersby and the encounter seemed to reignite something."
As Miss Orimura finished, a notification popped up on her screen, opening it, it was revealed to be the report Tatenashi had sent over. Opening the document, she had a quick scan over the whole report, one part catching her attention.
"Miss Yamada, look at this" Miss Orimura pointed at a specific paragraph, both of them reading it from start to finish.
"This looks like aggravated assault, but there seems to be a lot of aggression on either side that would have contributed, it's hard to make a definitive answer on who is in the wrong." Miss Yamada noted.
"Yes, I've asked Tatenashi to get as many statements from those at the maintenance bay, and I'll be looking into acquiring the security footage as well. As it currently stands, the situation is rather complicated with just one statement." Miss Orimura explained.
"I see." Miss Yamada walked back to Nigel, who had been joined by Tatenashi and Utsuho while she talked with Miss Orimura.
"Is everything complete?"
"Yeah, nothing needed to be changed and I've added my middle name" he handed the document back to Miss Yamada, reading over it.
"So your middle name is 'Ethan'?"
"Yeah, Nigel Ethan Battersby."
"Do you have a preference for either?"
"Errm, not really. I mostly go by Nigel, but usually close friends and relatives call me Ethan, just a case of the latter being able to have nicknames"
"Is there any reason for the middle name?" Tatenashi asked.
"You seem to want to know every bit of detail about me don't you?" Nigel said bluntly.
"I'm just curious, that's all"
"Well, the details aren't very important, but I was named after my uncle Nigel and uncle Ethan. They were both twins who served in the army together. I never got to meet them sadly as they died in combat a few weeks before they were meant to return home from deployment."
"I'm sorry for your loss" Tatenashi said, she realised she pried too deep and was worried that she went too far.
"It's alright. I'm not too bothered." Nigel admitted "Is that all, Miss Yamada?"
"Yes, that is all. Here is your uniform" Miss Yamada, handed Nigel a set of clothes, still in its packaging. "You'll receive your timetable towards the end of this week, any questions?"
"No, nothing at the moment"
"Good. You three are dismissed" Miss Yamada walked back over to her computer as Nigel stood up and the trio walked out of the teachers office.
"What is the plan now?" Utsuho asked.
"Umm, I think Nigel intends on heading back to his room, is that right?"
"Yeah, although it's only…" Nigel pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned on the screen. "Jesus! It's only 10:42"
"That's what I thought, it's a bit early to go back to bed, as you said earlier. We can continue the tour, or we can go somewhere more secluded if you'd like" even though moments earlier Tatenashi thought she had stepped on thin ice, she was already back in teasing mode.
"If there's anything nearby that I haven't been shown, sure, otherwise I'd head back to my room and stay there till lunch or something. It's only been like nearly 3 hours and I'm already fed up" Nigel chuckled
"Well, there isn't much here in the main building, other than the student council office. There's no one in, if you want to go there until lunch"
"Umm… Sure. Let's head back to my room first so I can drop these off, plus I can grab my laptop cause I need to do some organizing on it"
"Sounds like a plan, I'll go open up the office while Utsuho, you go with Nigel back to his room" Tatenashi set off down the hallway before turning around and opening her fan.
"Don't take too long now you two~" she giggled.
Utsuho and Nigel began making their way back towards the dorms. Despite being unsure about everything in the morning, the events that had transpired seemed to put some of those thoughts at ease.
'Actions speak louder than words, I guess' she thought to herself.
"Umm, Nigel?"
"Yeah?"
"Hopefully, I'm not treading on thin ice, but what is it between you and Holly?"
"It's a very long story, we'd be here all day if I began to tell you it all" he laughed.
"I see, but you mentioned that others were sick of Holly"
"Again, there's a lot to process so I'm not gonna delve into it. It's not very pleasant here and there so you can see why I don't want to talk about it"
"That's understandable" Utsuho remained silent as the two continued their walk, the dorm entrance coming into view in the distance.
"Ugh! Of all people, why did he have to show up?!" Holly shouted, her frustration reaching boiling point. All five had grouped outside the building, hiding away in an awkward spot where no one would see them. Holly brought her knees up to her head as she tried to concentrate.
"I never expected Batters to be able to fly an IS, but he looks like he's had a bit of a glow up since we left," Melissa admitted. "I just wish my aiming was better, but regardless, we're gonna get pulled up for that."
"But, if he's here, doesn't that mean we can have some more fun with him, just like old times?" Jessica asked.
"Are you an idiot Jess, he's clearly got a backbone now and won't cower beneath us. It's been nearly 3 years and he's changed. The last time we were involved with his life was when he was with his lass, and even then he had changed by then" Leah answered. None of them seemed to have any ideas on what to do. Holly looked back up at her friends.
"Any ideas Rebecca?" Holly quizzed her friend, who had remained silent throughout the discussion.
"Oh I think I have an idea or two." Rebecca responded, a wide grin forming on her face. Holly liked what she was hearing.
"Go on then, explain."
"This isn't gonna be direct, but I believe we can still do damage to Nigel."
"How?" all the others were intrigued, but were confused by her choice of words.
"It's simple, spread the truth a bit. His shouting could be seen as verbal abuse towards us, we just need to get our point across to the others."
"You think it'll be easy?"
"If we pick the right people, then yeah. That asshole won't see it coming."
"Oh this is why you're the brains of this group." Holly laughed.
"What about the girls in the maintenance bay? Too many people saw what went down." Melissa stated. She had a point, too many people had witnessed the event from start to finish, meaning that they were outnumbered.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
"But there's one more issue we haven't looked at." Leah commented.
"And that is?"
"What do we do about Ichika Orimura?" The group had clearly overlooked the other male that they might have a little extra work to do.
"Leave him, we'll just fry the big fish for now. Let's think this through a little more and go do something else. Batters won't know what hit him." Holly laughed, they had a lot planned for Nigel.
End
Authors Notes:
Well, it's been a while since Chapter 0 came out (nearly a year in fact!). I had a bit of a writers block and lack of motivation during the first half of 2021 due to the national lockdown and so production on the chapter slowed, as well as trying to make certain decisions and ideas for this chapter, so the chapter was only written when I had bursts of ideas. One thing that got the boot was an epilogue to the chapter. With some feedback, I came to the conclusion that I'd done everything I wanted, so I've canned the epilogue for now, but it'll show up in the next chapter, hopefully.
I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and are ready for the next one, cause class will be in session.
Take care!