A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoy the chapter in all and I'd appreciate it if you left a review letting me know your thoughts and opinions. Even if it's criticism, I need to know these things because it helps me improve as a writer. (Note: If it is just plain slating them please don't.)
It just ain't worth it and I will not read it or tolerate it.
Anyway... as I have mentioned I have a discord server full of many writers/readers from different fandoms that come together to just genuinely talk and discuss ideas and such.
It's quite fun, add me on Kano #3425 or check the link on my bio and you can get access through that.
Chapter 217: Problematic days
"What else did she tell you?"
"She briefly brought up that [Phantom Task] had a few plans involving Ichika Orimura in the future, regarding what they are, I have no idea, what I do know is that Daryl goes by the name Rain Meusel." Forte responded briefly, a tired expression plastered across her face.
"Okay, that is it for now, you may go back to your bedroom and rest up for classes to resume on Monday morning, use this time wisely and if miss Meusel tries to contact you in any way, you must let us know."
Chifuyu scribbled a few notes about Rain in her booklet, she and many others had known her as Daryl for quite some time, it was surprising to hear that she was related to a [Phantom Task] member. At the same time, it was not when Chifuyu considered that her family was more than capable of having a few spies within the academy to keep an eye on Ichika.
The older sister of Ichika made a mental note to let the other teachers and Tabane know a brief of everything she was told, it was not the uttermost important but it could help out in the long run when the Chifuyu thought about it.
"Of course, it had gotten to me recently so I could no longer hold it to myself." Although her tone was ice cold, her sincerity showed through.
"I understand."
Chifuyu replied shortly, slightly uninterested in the topic as her thoughts drifted slightly, her pen pressing against the table.
"By the way Miss Orimura, I heard about those attacks which is another reason why I stepped forward..."
"Oh?"
"Is your little brother and his friends alright? I heard they were in the heart of Kyoto during the attack? Or so I was told anyway..." Forte asked without her expression changing a single second.
"They are fine and will be heading back here for debriefing and then returning to classes shortly after the rest."
"Got it."
Their conversation had come to an end, Forte bowed sincerely before lifting her head up and walking away from the teacher, her steps loud and present as she walked towards the door. Chifuyu turned towards her desk and picked up a few pieces of paper, briefly reading them and putting them to one side as she reached for her coffee cup.
Pulling the handle of the door and opening it swiftly, a daunting figure loomed over Forte as she slowly looked up towards the figure, checking out her attire and eventually getting a good glimpse at the individual's face, a teacher she recognized all too well.
"!"
"!"
"Hello, Miss Shepard."
"Oh? What are you doing in here?" Natalia Shepard placed her hands on her hips.
"I sought an audience with Miss Orimura to discuss a few important matters regarding my future at the IS academy and an ally turned enemy of the IS academy known as Daryl and now Rain." Forte responded briefly and with a monotone voice as she stared into the soul of her superior.
"I heard about that, you were close with Daryl were you not?"
"Yes I was a good friend of Daryl's but I declined her offer to stay here and continue my days in the IS academy... Now if you would excuse me I would very much like to rest." Forte pushed past the teacher without giving her a chance to reply.
STOOOMP! STOOOOMP! STOOOOOOOMP!
'She's a rude one, I wonder if she is doing well after everything she has been through?'
Natalia stared at her student with a dumbfounded expression, surprised by her actions as she slipped away slowly, causing Natalia to shake her head and turn her attention to Chifuyu instead, leaning on the side of the door frame and crossing her arms as she watched her superior.
"I see you are working hard here."
Natalia stepped forward with a wry smile in her hand, a part of her amused.
"What are you doing here?"
Chifuyu continued writing on a piece of paper that lay on top of a yellow folder, Natalia assumed it was something about what Forte had mentioned.
"Oh? I was bored, I finished my last 'physical' sheets that I did on Ichika a while ago you see."
Natalia briefly mentioned her brother to get a reaction from her friend, however to her surprise Chifuyu only spared her a glare rather than her venomous words which she had been at the other end at.
"You better have not done anything weird to my student otherwise there will be hell to pay."
The busty nurse raised her eyebrows in amusement at Chifuyu referring to her brother as 'her student', she wondered whether or not Chifuyu ever got out of the teacher mode she seemingly appeared to be in.
"Oh, I haven't don't you worry your pretty little head about it."
"Good."
"Not yet anyway~"
Natalia giggled in amusement as she sensed Chifuyu's annoyance piling up slowly but surely.
"You know, speaking of your brother while the conversation is ongoing, he has seen some rather impressive growth since he has been a student of the IS academy, does this have to do with your family's genes?"
Natalia remembered reading a report on Ichika's original height while scurrying around for different reports on the students of the IS academy, she had stumbled on to Ichika's report file and noticed that the height he was originally was completely different from where he was now. She knew a lot about the human body and growth but she couldn't help but be caught off guard.
However monitoring him herself she saw a difference, she was slightly annoyed to not of seen it before.
"Perhaps."
Chifuyu replied very vaguely, not entertaining the question which slightly annoyed Natalia as she wanted to find out the answers herself. She knew Chifuyu was the best person to come to.
"You know the cat is kind of out of the bag about your family and Ichika, you can answer properly." Natalia crossed her arms and glanced at Chifuyu.
"Or perhaps he was a growing boy who grew a little."
Chifuyu rolled her eyes, she knew Natalia was not going to be satisfied with her answers, nor was she willing to spare care in the world to entertain her antics.
"Since he entered his second year and up until now, he has grown by roughly 4.52 inches, has he been fed super growth food? Or is it the work of that power he has? I'm curious~"
Thinking about it Ichika had always been taller than her, imagining his growth now and in the past, he was much bigger.
"Perhaps what you said is a massive part of his growth both physically and mentally, he is stronger than what you or I realize now, I'm not even sure he recognizes it himself."
Chifuyu replied as vaguely as she wanted to, her mind still set to focus on the copious piles of work.
She did not want to be spending her time chit-chatting with a woman who looked into the biology of her brother a little too much.
"Not.. the answer I was expecting?"
"I know."
Turning back to her desk and picking up the pen she used prior, she began circling and ticking different test sheets that her students had submitted before the weekend break they were given. Chifuyu knew she did not have any time for Natalia's questions, she knew ultimately she had to be focusing on the reports in front of her but she knew that it was never going to happen while the nurse was around, a few brief thoughts wandered as Chifuyu pondered... and pondered on how she could go about dealing with the woman to her left.
Still standing next to her as she refused to move, on the contary to that, Chifuyu could practically feel her gaze and her smirk as she waited patiently, her presence still lingering in the staff room.
"..."
"My answer does not satisfy that brain of yours doesn't it?" Natalia nodded vigilantly as Chifuyu hit the nail on the head.
"Correct."
"What is it th-
Before Chifuyu could finish her sentence, the staff room door opened wide with a student standing at the door, a camera in her left hand and a very curious expression plastered across her face.
Dark brown hair that was placed neatly into a ponytail, her glasses that half-covered her eyes, and blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds as the orange skies outside shined onto the three. The wind blew past the three from a nearby window as the student shut the door gently behind her, Chifuyu and Natalia's eyes lingered on the younger girl.
Her attire was similar to that of Cecilia Alcott's IS uniform.
"Oh my."
"And you are exactly?"
Chifuyu spun her chair around and faced the student head-on, leaning back in her chair as she crossed her left leg over her right, her index finger touched her bottom lip as waited.
"Sorry for intruding but I heard something about Ichika Orimura's measurements right?"
Chifuyu cocked her head to the side, her mind briefly glossing over the thought of a student listening in over a conversation between staff members.
'Oh my, she was listening to us huh?'
Natalia internally sighed as she closed her eyes.
"You were listening in to our conversation? You know you can get into big trouble for doing that." Chifuyu stared at the student.
"She's a member of the newspaper club, look at the sleeve."
Natalia pointed out an armband on her sleeve, it was mostly white with lime green as the outline of it, some writing on it too, Natalia had gotten to know the different types of armbands the students could use if they were in a club.
"I apologize for the disruption but when I happen to be walking past, I couldn't quite help but hear that you have Ichika's measurement this year right?" The student who stood in front of Chifuyu seemed a little too eager for her liking, Chifuyu thought for a few moments, wondering what to say.
"That is disc-
"Well, when I measured it was roughly around... six inches?"
Natalia interrupted Chifuyu in mid-sentence to let the student know what she had seen from the medical exams.
"Ok! Ok! I got it, was it bigger than you expected?"
The girl with dark brown hair quickly placed down her camera and pulled out a notepad and pen as she wrote down what Natalia had said at a quick speed, her eyes widening as she came to a finish.
"Hmm, well you can always get bigger but I was surprised I have to admit..." Natalia blushed as she imagined a taller Ichika doing the wall slam technique on her and placing a finger on her chin.
"Ok thank you, Miss Shepard and Miss Orimura! That is the best scoop yet!"
The student picked up her camera and quickly ran out of the room with an excited expression on her face, leaving Chifuyu and Natalia slightly surprised by the situation that had just taken place. Giving themselves a moment to recover as they stared blankly at the now closen door.
"What..."
"The hell?"
Chifuyu let out a breath, in a moment of realization, she began to let out a sigh.
'I haven't had enough coffee to deal with this, I'll just leave the rest for tomorrow...'
"I'm leaving, I have had enough of today."
"Huh? What about..."
"We can discuss that at another time, today I am done talking about those types of things!" Chifuyu's heels made themselves present as she walked forward.
'So much for answers, I guess Ichika growing five inches can wait another day.'
(Scene Change)
Later on at night, after Ichika and the other girls arrive.
It was late at night, the girls and Ichika were sitting in the living room of Charlotte's own home, to be specific one of Charlotte's many homes she had owned across the country of France. numerous infamous and famous paintings were on the amber wooden walls with desk drawers on the left and right of the room, the spacious room allowed for lots of space including the two sofas that lay in front of a screen. the wooden white door behind the group of friends had been slightly open and allowed the candle-lit lights outside in the hallway to illuminate a small light.
The lights were completely off with a large screen in front of the group, the sofa to Ichika's right had Cecilia, Marika, Ran and Houki all sitting on the spacious seated sofa, out of all of the ladies, Cecilia was fortunate to have the footrest. A few of the other girls that were unfortunate to get a seat were lay on the comfy mats with blankets wrapped around them.
A pillow to rest their head as they watched the show.
Those girls consisted of Tatenashi, Yu Na, Shinobu, Kanzashi, and Laura who lay on the ground, resting and relaxed.
"Come with me... we can have the life we always discussed!" The main character with blonde hair spoke out.
"But... But... My dad! My brother! They will surely find out that I am missing and then you... If they ever found us they will hurt you in ways that I never want you to go through!" A woman who appeared to be a bride had spoken with conviction.
"This was supposed to be our life! I was supposed to be the one to marry you and cherish you! My heart can't bear to see you with another man!"
The group seemingly watched a movie together with the curtains closed late at night together, the group simply enjoyed each other's company and watched on with content and a keen interest.
"My he is certainly forward." Tatenashi analyzed with her head in her hands.
"That he is!" Alys giggled as she sat with her hands around her knees.
Alys crystal was seated on the same sofa as Ichika, Rin, Sakura, Emelia, Ichika, and Charlotte in order, the french maiden known as Charlotte used Ichika's lap as a headrest as she was sharing the same blanket Ichika had used previously.
Emelia had her head leaned on Ichika's shoulders as she gently stroked Charlotte's messy hair.
A large part of Ichika felt fatigued. However, it was a different type of fatigue, Ichika had felt mentally tired since the news of Charlotte's father having passed away, many restless nights he had spent wondering about Charlotte's health, and wanting to take the sadness out of her heart and lock it away.
Looking down at her for a brief moment, Ichika was reminded of how grateful he was to have her in his life.
Not only that but he was grateful for the others too.
For different reasons of course.
"We can run away, start a new life, and have adventures that others can only imagine!" The man wearing a suit with shiny shoes grasped the bride's hand.
"... Let's do it!" She smiled brightly, her cheeks going a tinge red color
While the crowds of people that were there to support the bride and groom on their special day were distracted, the bride and the blonde hair man sneaked away and into the woods behind and into the dark forest as music and many groups of people partied far away from them.
"We could go skiing, stay in a lodge together." The blonde man spoke out loud as he held her hand.
"Eat pizza and enjoy each other's company?" She looked up towards him as they made their way through the rocky ground.
The girls in the room were infatuated with the movie in front of them, the couple on the screen had left all of the ladies wondering what it would be like to be the bride that ran away with her prince charming in a fairytale-like ending.
"I sure wish my prince charming would be as forward as he is." Rin rolled her eyes as she secretly wished to herself.
"No kidding..."
"That is very wishful thinking..."
"Meh he is special in his own way, I like him the way he is."
"Oh?"
Rin was half-heartedly joking when she spoke, she did not expect in the slightest to have a myriad of different answers to her comment she made about the person she liked most, Although the girls that slightly disagreed with her had a point and she understood where they were coming from, Ichika was special because he was Ichika and did not act like someone else.
Looking over towards him for a few moments, Ichika could see Charlotte looking back up at him briefly from his lap, although she was jealous of her friend's position, she knew more than to act upon how she felt.
'Sometimes I forget that there are others that are in love with you too... Ichika.'
Rin let out a sigh as she let out a gulp, turning back to the screen and watching as the couple ran and ran, seemingly they never stopped as they tried to get as far away as possible.
A scene of the boy in the movie picking up the runaway bride had ignited a few sparks in some of the girls.
"I wonder what it is like to be carried bridal style?" Alys asked the question that was on a few of the girl's minds but was did not want to ask.
"I was thinking that too..." Emelia brought her fingertip to her lip as she thought.
"Hmph! This princess would never think of such silly things to think about!" Marika turned her head to the side.
"Depending on the person who is carrying you, I can imagine that it would be very embarrassing but yet very good..." Sakura answered as her cheeks began to go red.
"I have no idea." Shinobu giggled wryly and began to chew on her nails.
The first years out of the girls had talked about how it would be being carried bridal style without some of the input of the older girls such as Tatenashi, Kanzashi, Cecilia, and the other girls, instead, some of the older girls chose to ignore it and continue to watch the movie, some of them secretly thinking about it as they watched on, imagining and creating scenarios in their own minds.
Ichika on the other hand had just raised his eyebrows at his younger friends, wondering why they were even thinking about being carried, perhaps they had gotten boyfriends who had not carried them? Perhaps they were just curious and nothing more?
All questions ran through Ichika's head as he stared at each of the first years with a curious expression.
"Hmmm?"
Ichika did not hear the humming coming from Charlotte who looked at him with a confused expression, her sleepy yet drained eyes lingered on him.
"..."
"What is it Ichika?" Charlotte asked with eyes threatening to close any moment from now.
"Don't worry about me, I was just thinking... You should get some rest, you look tired." Ichika looked down at her with a warm smile, the palm of his hand brushed some strands of hair out of his face.
"I know but you looked curious about something?" Charlotte rhetorically asked, catching the attention of some of the other girls.
"I was but it not that important right now, perhaps I can find out in the future for a later date, what matters now is that you get some rest, I can see that you are exhausted." Ichika watched her.
"B-But..."
"No buts! How about we get you to bed? We'll join you after this movie is coming to an end and it is getting late after all."
"!"
"!"
"!?"
"!"
"!?"
"!"
The aura of the room suddenly changed from a calm and soothing atmosphere to a surprised and heated atmosphere, Ichika was even more shocked when he saw the blush developing on Charlotte's face, when he looked up the young lad noticed the other girls faintly blushing too.
'Why are they blushing?'
Ichika's head cocked sideways as he became increasingly more confused, unsure if he said something bad.
"I-I-Ichika s-senpai I-I did not k-know you wanted all of u-us to join you and C-Charlotte-senpai in b-bed!" Sakura was the first to speak up.
"My~ how forward Ichika! I like it!" Tatenashi giggled and blushed lightly
"Oh my gosh! T-The way he said it to u-us makes it m-more embarrassing!" Houki blushed deeply, shocked by Ichika's sudden forwardness.
"..." Kanzashi remained silent but blushed heavily.
"I-Ichika! Y-You pervert!" Rin gripped the remote and squeezed in uncontrollably.
"W-Well who am I-I to deny b-big brother?" Alys' words came off nonchalant but her blush indicated something else.
The rest of the girls remained silent as they processed Ichika's words, unable to form a response as they all stared at Ichika, the boy took a few moments to realize the situation he had gotten himself into all of a sudden, his own words had led to the girls having opposite ideas' to himself.
'My god I feel like an idiot...'
Ichika could feel his face heating up slightly as he let out a breath, reclaiming his composure in the process.
"N-No! I miss spoke! I meant t-that we would be heading to our 'own' beds t-too! It's getting l-late after all!" Ichika's eyes diverted from any of the girls.
"Oh..."
Ichika tilted his head to the side, slightly surprised about the reaction of the girls.
It almost seemed like the girls were disappointed.
'No I'm imagining things, I have to be... I know some of them are in love with me but why would they look disappointed about this?'
Ichika closed his eyes for a few moments, thinking and thinking over their reactions, the young lad assumed there was a message behind their expressions and looks towards him, what that was...? Ichika had no idea or at the very least he wanted to believe that he truly had no idea.
"Well regardless don't you girls think it is getting a little late? I wouldn't want all of you ruining your sleep schedule because of some movie you can watch another time."
"That's true but..." Emelia paused what she was saying.
"Ichika-dono is right if we continue to watch these 'movies' then we will be on the verge of getting no sleep."
With Emelia and Shinobu agreeing with him, Ichika finally felt like he had made his case for the girls in front of him to get their beauty sleep. Ichika was surprised by the looks he received from the girls, it told him in the very least that they had considered the idea of sleep but had already made their mind up to some degree.
As much as Ichika had argued his own case, he knew he had to look at it from the side of his closest friends, they were still two days away from heading to their home in the IS academy.
With Charlotte losing her father and a tiring battle, they were allowed to rest for now.
"Eh? That's lame, we picked out many romantic movies to watch throughout the night, besides we don't have to go back for another two days!"
"I agree with Tatenashi-san, Ichika san!"
"We have nothing better to do in the meantime, we decided to stay inside this big mansion so we may as well enjoy its perks?"
Tatenashi, Cecilia, and Rin made valid arguments which Ichika had already considered, the boy with brown eyes turned to the younger girls, looking at Marika firstly who shrugged her shoulders and looked away from him. Secondly, his eyes landed on Sakura, she also looked at him the same way Marika did, in agreeance with the older girls.
'Just my luck.'
Ichika looked over towards Aila thirdly, the little emotion she showed on her face currently had told him that she was interested and merely watched the end credits rolled by on the screen.
Letting out a sigh, Ichika turned to the last two girls who he thought he could count on, Emelia and Shinobu, two girls who did not know what to think, they looked back at Ichika with complicated expressions as they looked back and forward.
Unable to make their minds up on which side they were on.
"Sorry, Ichika-dono..."
"Sorry Ichika."
Emelia and Shinobu let out a sigh of disappointment, readjusting themselves for another marathon of movies of some sort.
(Scene Change)
Earlier on that day...
A girl with neatly tidied pigtails separated into two was standing at a large wooden door.
The girl seemingly appeared to be at war with herself, wondering whether or not she should enter or knock on the door and get the person using the room to come out instead. Her hands hovered next to the handle of the door, her expression remained neutral as she remained in thought, her eyes blinking every once and in a while as she seemingly remained as still as a statue.
The brightness of the sun irradiated behind her as the morning grew brighter with each minute that passed by.
'What if she gets annoyed at me for waking her up? What if she is already awake and is about to leave this room before I can even begin to open the door?'
Emelia overthought as she moved her hand, placing it on the cold and metal surface of the handle.
The Italian's thoughts ran over and over as her hand pushed open the door to Charlotte's room slowly, a room filled with nothing but darkness due to the curtains on the left side of the room being completely closed.
Sunlight had of course beamed around the small cracks and edges of the window ceiling.
With the door opening, a creak came from the wooden floor as Emelia stepped forward, allowing the sunlight to come through the door and into her older friend's room.
"Uhhhh..."
As Emelia expected, Charlotte seemingly did not react well to the light.
Emelia closed the door behind her slightly and walked closer to Charlotte's large bedframe, her eyes wandering as she acknowledged the mess the room had been in for quite some time, wondering whether or not to help out and clean a little.
The walk-in wardrobe on the opposite side of the room from herself and a sleeping charlotte was overfilled with clothes that were ready to be washed or clothes that had been taken off of the coat hangers for whatever reason Charlotte had. Different piles of footwear were on the rack above the coat hangers, heels, running shoes, smart shoes, any type of shoes that Charlotte would ever need to deal with all types of scenarios.
'As expected from her, aside from the mess she has her stuff together! That's Charlotte-senpai for you.'
Emelia smiled wryly before her hands brushed the pole of her friends' bed, skipping past it and going to her side without thought.
The snoozing Charlotte remained sleeping with both of her hands above her shoulder slightly, her expression remained neutral and fatigued, the consistent being locked up and kept in her room had become more obvious.
The Italian singer noticed her covers were slightly messy and reached out to move them around Charlotte's body, making sure she did not get cold.
"Ahhhhh..."
With messy blonde hair at her side and a sleeping attire that was quickly becoming messy and uncomfortable to wear, the french maiden began to feel the throes of waking up.
"Charlotte?" Emelia noticed her expression changed.
"Ahhhhmmm..."
Charlotte stretched her limbs out and let out a loud yawn as she stared aimlessly forward at the wall in front of her.
"Your awake." Emelia smiled fondly at the older girl.
"Hmmm...? Ah bonjour..." Charlotte rubbed her tired eyes.
"I was going to wake you up but you looked so comfortable so I was going to leave you to sleep a little bit longer." Emelia laughed wryly before scratching the back of her head.
"Merci... Pourquoi es-tu ici? (Thank you... Why are you here?)" Charlotte sat up slowly and got the bearing of her surroundings.
"Ummm..."
"?" Charlotte cocked her head, confusion reigning in her mind.
"You are talking in French and it is kind of hard to understand more than I would have guessed or liked..." Emelia let out a sigh as her friend's eyes widened in realization.
"Sorry! It just happens and I don't really know or understand why!" Charlotte blushed in embarrassment and apologized to her friend.
"Don't apologize for it, it's not that bad I just was caught off guard that it was a habit of yours."
"It's hard to break..."
"Really? I think it is cool that you are able to talk in your native language as easy as that without trying too hard." Emelia beamed as she giggled, taking a step back and allowing her friend the space.
"It can be annoying at times, I spent so long talking in my native language that using any other language is hard to adjust to without it being my main language." Charlotte swung her legs out of her bed and messed with her hair, trying her best to straighten out the messy hair.
"For me, Italian is my native language too but I do not unconsciously talk in my native." Emelia giggled, slightly making fun of her friend.
"Oh, how lucky of you!" Charlotte joked back with a small smile.
The older girl stepped out of her bed in her pajamas and stretched her legs, getting the blood flowing and getting used to being on her feet once more, her heart still felt as heavy as the first day she had found out her father had passed but the memory of him kept her going and made her feel more positive than she had felt in quite some time. Charlotte did not know what it was about today but it felt special to her to some extent, the acknowledgment that she had so many people who cared about her around her made her feel fuzzy inside.
The reality of not being able to say goodbye to her father or spend a moment with her dad once more had and always would bring her great sadness and Charlotte knew that of course. She wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the week inside locked in her room away from the world but the idea that her father would never want that for her had brought another realization out.
Cherish the people you care about as much as you can.
Charlotte resisted the urge to give Emelia and the others who she would see eventually a hug and tell them how much she appreciated them.
"Thank you, Emelia." Charlotte flashed her a small smile.
"Huh?"
Emelia wore a confused expression as she stared at Charlotte with her eyebrows raised.
"I just realized that all of you have either been with me or came to France to help me in some sort of way... and I realize that I have been too selfish and kept myself locked in this room every day..." Charlotte looked down at the ground.
"But we understand why you did that, as much as we would have liked to of been there every moment of grieving over the death of your father... There are just some things in the world that even you have to do alone, me and the rest of us knew that which is why we never pushed."
Charlotte frowned, understanding what the younger girl meant while putting blame on herself.
"I suppose your right, but still... I wish I would of let you in before." Charlotte put her hands on her hips and let out a sigh.
Emelia nodded as she looked at the ground, staring at the shiny ground as she thought, a thought pinged in her mind.
"Well it seems like today will be a rest day, we talked and talked... We couldn't come to a conclusion on what to do so please take your 'time', that is what Orimura-senpai would have said anyway."
"Oh?"
"Yes, perhaps it's a very good thing with everything that has happened, a little breather could never hurt any of us!" Emelia chose to look at the positives rather than the negatives.
"Good point..."
Charlotte stared into thin air as she was left with a feeling of uneasiness.
(Scene Change)
The bright and vibrant city of Kyoto shined through in all of its glory, from a distance it was simply breathtaking to look at.
To most, it would appear that the city of Kyoto was a city full of life and many young people aspiring to do big things in their future, to others it was the place they called home and where they had always worked at. To others, it was a place that was merely a stepping stone to get to the next stop.
However, Kyoto had long been festered with shadows that controlled the city. Although it was relatively unknown to the citizens there, your worst neighbor could be the devil in disguise, not a soul could escape the ruthless and poetic grasp of the Orimura clan, the grip of a clan that had destroyed and tortured many that had tried to stand in its way.
That was the power of the Orimura clan.
Not too long ago after Chi-Tsuki had occurred, Azela Voltzov had made her great escape and found herself having to lay low within the shadows she had begun to come out of. It was a sight to be held, the city of Kyoto was a place she was all too familiar with.
Azela stood tall in a combat-like attire within a very high vantage point which she used to watch for any anomalies that dared to roam around the scary night.
A demonic-like creature appeared from the shadows. A dark red aura plagued her as it exploded ruthlessly, killing the person the creature had been hunting down for quite some time. The monster appeared hungry and ferocious.
With gracefulness, Azela followed the monster as it jumped from building to building. Its aura becoming more and more apparent that it was [Jaaku Reiki]. The same aura she had witnessed all too many times in her past.
The [Jaaku Reiki] the monster had possessed was nothing like the woman she had met back then. Stopping just short of her target, she watched as the leering eyes of the creature turned to her.
Azela wondered whether she would have to fight or not.
'A creature created by the Orimura clan. I am not in the slightest surprised, they must have tasked her to do something.'
The woman in her mid-twenties continued to follow the creature regardless of its acknowledgment. Azela had made up her mind long ago about following the target.
Vanishing with ease before the creature could look back, Azela moved buildings and felt a sudden presence enter the vicinity, it was another [Jaaku Reiki] user, one who she had no clue about in the slightest.
Azela quickly followed the message the aura gave out and jumped down in between an alleyway where the presence was coming from.
"Azela Voltzov." The voice spoke out as he/she moved into the light.
"I suppose you know who I am, and it is funny because I do not know who you are supposed to be." Azela had her left hand on her holster just in case.
"You know holding on to your weapon is futile. If I wanted to kill you... you would be dead." The roaring red [Reiki] did not calm down a single bit.
"It's a precaution." Azela remained emotionless.
"Well then miss Voltzov that is good to know. I would like to know why you are running after that thing in Kyoto? Last time I heard your stay... wasn't great." A cocky grin that was laced with evil intention spilled out like a wildfire.
Although Azela could see what the man was wearing, his face was covered by shadows except for the lower half of his face.
"You seem to know a lot about me. I guess you are one of those [Phantom Task] members that got experimented on?" Azela was beginning to get bored of entertaining the powerful entity.
"Well, firstly I am here for that creature for a part of my plan." The shadowed figure said and ignored her question.
Azela raised her eyebrows at the man. She knew too well he had ulterior motives with the creature and couldn't help but wonder what that was exactly.
"Secondly, I'm much more than a '[Phantom Task]' member that got experimented on, that is insulting to hear, and if you ever assume such things I won't hesitate to cut your tongue off." He snarled with his aura growing bigger.
"An Orimura." Azela wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"Thirdly I would prefer not to kill you but recruit that beast into something larger than life... something that it should have been used for a long time ago." The figure finished talking as it sensed the creature moving above.
"An Orimura chasing an Orimura created killing machine." Azela let it sink in for a brief moment.
"Yes, it seems even an ant-like you can get something as simple as that, Good. The [Forgotten Children] of the Orimura clan will need a monster like that for things someone like you can't comprehend." The man had made no effort to disguise his disgust for her.
"And why are you telling me this exactly?" Azela began to feel bored.
"It's like what those disgusting ants like to say 'Keep your enemies close' or whatever that means." He scoffed.
"Enemies?" Azela began to feel amused.
"Your relations to that heir Ichika Orimura will one day leave you wishing that you never sided with that disgrace of an Orimura! An Orimura's purpose is to grow in the darkness... with him existing it's an insult to those who have become before us." Hate laced in his words, that much was obvious to Azela.
Azela wondered whether or not this man and Ichika Orimura had a history that even she could not find out?
"Do you and him have a history?" Azela's expression remained stoic.
"Ever since I was a child, there was this one specific child that was always talked about, he was always regarded in the highest of standards... It was so annoying... everywhere I went he was the talk of everything and when he and that stupid sister finally left... Years later he becomes the talk of everything again! Many of the Orimura's wondering when he would step up to the plate of the patriarchy."
His aura grew with every second, Azela knew that the anger nestled within the shadowed figure had been building for some years.
"So you want the spotlight on you?" Azela wanted to let out a sigh.
"That is not what all of this is about! He disappears and then reappears and thinks he can just become the leader for all of us!" His hatred calmed down significantly, reminding himself to save his anger for another time.
"Huh..."
Azela realized something she should realize in the beginning.
"What is your name exactly?" Azela asked.
"My name is not that important as of yet, I will be watching with a keen eye like I have started doing, planning to destroy that disgrace of an heir before his sisters and friends very eyes."
Azela assumed that's where this monster she had been chasing for quite some time had come into play.
Regardless of all of that. The older woman began to ignore the aura that her shadowed friend had given off and turned around, planning to get away and continue her own mission in the meantime, she did not take the words of her the Orimura male too lightly either did she take them with seriousness. In the end, she knew what the clan was like. They could dispose of the rogue male within a second.
"One more thing. Ichika Orimura is not someone to take lightly in the slightest if you think that you can get anywhere near him..." Azela knew that if she was emotional she would giggle slightly.
"No one is invisible, I am not, and certainly Ichika Orimura, he has shown his level, right there... with those ants like he belongs."
The shadowed figure pointed towards the end of the alleyway where multiple citizens of the city of Kyoto had walked past sporadically, not noticing the Azela or the man in the slightest. It was almost like they weren't there at all.
Azela turned back around to face him.
"That will nev-"
Before she could finish what she was saying entirely, the figure of the man had completely disappeared as quickly as he appeared. Leaving her to stand around in the alleyway wondering where the mysterious stranger went. The darkness of the alleyway almost seemed to disappear significantly as the light from a building had switched back on instantly.
Azela looked around and noticed the many things that she had never noticed before. Trash cans that were concealed by the shadows, A vehicle behind her that had been covered in the darkness. The woman couldn't help but wonder what technique he had been using.
For now, she knew his identity would remain mysterious.
Azela quickly moved, disappearing before reappearing before a nearby building and going towards her original target within Kyoto, the single thing she had wanted to do since she had been backed into a corner, shortly after the prodigies had fought against their lonesome brother.
'Easy it was supposed to be... but never that easy, everything is not easy until it's too easy.'
The woman thought back onto her past, in her mind, body, and soul she knew there were a few things she needed to do for herself to be able to become a better version of herself. It started with dealing with an old problem. To put that issue to ease finally...
"Let's get this over with already..."
(Scene Change)
IS Academy, later on in the day as the shadowed and eerie night arrives...
"Did you hear? Ichika of the second year was attacked in Osaka last night! I mean whoever they are that attacked him has some serious guts to do that! I can imagine many people are angry about it."
"That's really true?! I thought for sure it was one of those things that get made up about him!"
"No, not at all! I mean not only that but those girls who also went to France were attacked too! There isn't much on that whole situation but I heard they are fine from the rumors going around!"
"Does this all mean that they will be back soon? I heard it wasn't going to take long after all..."
Conversations between students erupted after the day of disaster that was last night in Osaka, rumors spread like a wildfire about two different attacks happening on the same night, many students questioned the legitimacy of it all and spoke amongst each other, some very curious to find the answer that lay right in front of the students of the IS academy, for now, the answers were relatively unknown except for a few individuals who knew the answers.
The loitered hallways of the IS academy of girls heading towards class as they spoke amongst each other about various different topics, things that would quickly become irrelevant once they were in the classroom, one particular girl who walked on her own with dark brown hair and a pair of glasses that touched her nose.
She blended perfectly in with the rest of the other students around her due to her youthful look and IS academy outfit.
Sticking out of her blazer pocket like a sore thumb appeared to be a letter of some sort which was put together neatly, she headed towards the second year's own rooms once more, a place which if she was a year younger, she would be living and sleep there too.
"Ugh! Miss Yamada-sensei said we have to practice today..."
"Are you not up to it?"
"Hell no! I just wanna go shopping and stuff... This week is taking forever! When will our break finally arrive...?"
Listening to conversations was amusing to the girl with dark brown hair, she often enjoyed seeing what others had to say because it had often inspired new ideas for new headlines at the newspaper club, very often she had found herself listening in on some of the popular students and teachers at the IS academy.
Without their permission of course!
'So she's a gal? Out of the hundreds of girls here she is one of the more let-back ones who just want to go shopping and spend money.'
The girl with dark brown hair let out a sigh and walked past swiftly, her mindset on getting through that door that led to the newspaper club so she could work on her own up-and-coming projects that she had going on in the background.
There was something she had to simply do.
The other girls in the IS academy would thank her tremendously once she had pointed out that newspaper she was going to type up, it was going to be her biggest scoop of them all!
She could imagine the title already.
'The Only Male To Pilot An IS Has His Size Revealed!'
While it wasn't the best title she had in mind, it was better than nothing and it could still do with some slight adjustments.
Thinking back on the conversation with the nurse and Miss Orimura, she was slightly surprised how easy it was to get information off of them, she assumed they would have kept it a top priority because it was... Ichika Orimura.
There had always been gossip of his size down there but having confirmation was like a mega jackpot to the dark brown-haired girl.
She had heard it from a woman who had clearly seen it before, 'six inches' was what she had said. A big part of her hoped that the information being out in the open would please any other girl's curiosity about the mysteriousness of Ichika.
'Six inches huh...? That's enough for any girl to get both pleasure and babies out of~'
"Hey, Mayuzumi~!"
A feminine voice called out behind the brown-haired girl. Mayuzumi turned around with an eyebrow raised and noticed her friend Honne who she knew all too well.
"Honne, I would have assumed you would be busy by now?"
"Hmmm... Not really! I'm pretty free today and stuff. I came to see how you were doing." Honne smiled slyly.
"That explains why you are hanging around." Mayuzumi shrugged her shoulders.
"So whatcha up to?" Honne tilted her head cutely.
Mayuzumi wondered whether or not she should tell her friend about the large scoop she had been told, it was big enough to send an uproar in the IS academy alongside creating more speculation and all of that was surrounding the only male.
"What I'm about to tell you is shocking..." Mayuzumi grabbed Honne and began to whisper.
Honne's eyes widened at her friends' words.
Thank you for reading, please leave a review!
-Kano 22/11/2021
