Disclaimer: I don't own Infinite Stratos.

Ichika and Jaden were in the middle of getting their stuff unpacked from their 2-week vacation. It was pretty ruff, considering all the things that they had to do during that period. For starters, Jaden knows what it's like to work at a restaurant and work as a waiter. And it was…okay, for the most part.

Some customers were rude, others didn't pay attention at all and ended up spilling their drinks and blaming it on Jaden, and some were just plain creepy. He still remembers this one guy, who looked like he saw something terrifying; straight out of hell, order for the weirdest drink that they didn't even have. Unfortunately, he had caused a bit of a mishap and was arrested.

Then they met Keith. Ran from a mob of girls chasing after him, and getting a chance to play in the new arcade that opened up. It was all fun and games until it was time for Jaden and Ichika to return to the IS academy. They practically had to wake up extra bright and early just get on the monorail on time.

And when they got off the train, they immediately booked it towards their room. They didn't care about the stares and suspicious looks that the girls were giving them, all that mattered was getting to class on time.

Barged in the room, threw their duffle bags on their beds; surprisingly accurate and perfect, and wasted no time on getting to their class. Bumping into almost every corner and taking extreme turns, they finally made it. Chifuyu obviously wasn't happy and very annoyed that they arrived late on their first day back, but what surprised her, even more, was the way Jaden talked back to her.

Usually, he would look at her crazy or give her a weird look, but this time he held a firm grip and confidence in his voice. He'd only yelled at her once before and she let it slide, but this time it was unacceptable. So much so that Laura intervened.

She was pissed and angry at the way that Jaden had spoken to her instructor like that and reprimanded him for his actions. He obviously didn't care about the way that Laura was talking to him, but he was already tired of her actions. And imagine the shock that Ichika and Jaden felt when they saw Keith there.

They haven't seen him ever since they met up and ran from those girls, and played in the new arcade. So seeing him again was a shocker for both of them. Anyway, Jaden and Ichika had got down unpacking their stuff, and sat on their beds respectfully.

"First day back, and already having to deal with this bullshit," Jaden said, remembering the encounter with Laura.

"Yeah, and it hasn't even been another week yet," Ichika said.

Chifuyu reprimanded Keith that he was in the wrong room and told him where to go to get to classes 1-4. It was exhausting how many times Chifuyu had called on them when the class started, even when it was to read the introduction of the chapter they were reading.

Luckily, Jaden and Ichika were prepared. Before they were exiled from the academy, they took some study material and read over it hard, making sure that they didn't miss anything, and quizzed themself and each other on the questions at hand. It was to say that they are ahead of the class by a few chapters.

Jaden then got an idea. "Hey, wanna find Keith?" He asked. "I'm pretty sure that he doesn't know his way around the place, and getting swarmed by girls again is going to make him jump out a window, if necessary."

"Sure," Ichika said. "But what about Houki and the rest of them? I'm pretty sure that they want an explanation on what was going through our heads when we almost killed Laura."

And then there was that problem. The boys were pretty sure that the girls were still pissed at them, especially Laura. During class, they didn't notice anything wrong or something too unordinary in there, but the fact that Chifuyu constantly called them; they did it with confidence and respect.

"Well, I don't know about that chief," Jaden said. "I can clearly tell that the girls are still angry at us for that whole incident that we did to Laura." Which was true overall. There was a reason why Ichika and Jaden got suspended, and it was very devastating; nearly costing someone's life.

"Do you think we should apologize?"

"No," Jaden said. "At least not yet." He then got up and went over to where the desk was at where the computers were located. Sitting down, he looked at Ichika with a very serious face. "I think I told you this before, but if not here it is again."

Ichika was getting a bit uneasy. Sure he is Jaden's second-best friend and partner for life, but what happened 2 weeks ago spooked him beyond belief. He told him that he had a strange power, but he never thought that it would be that scary. Ichika still gets goosebumps on Jaden's face back then.

"Ichika. You're being too lenient with these girls here," Jaden said.

"Lenient?"

"Yes, lenient," He said. "You're letting these girls put their hands all over you, taking the abuse from verbal and physical matters, and stepping down from your sister from time to time."

Ichika was dumbstruck. Did Jaden really notice all the things that happen to him? No way, right? "What are you saying? Are you suggesting that we should put our hands on them?! No way dude! I'm not going in that direction," Ichika said, getting up into a conflicted motion.

"No! I'm not suggesting that. I'm saying that we should give the girls a taste of their own medicine," He said. Jaden then got up again and walked over to Ichika and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We both know things that the girls are afraid to even say out loud," Jaden said. "Like the fact that Houki has a crush on you or the fact that your second childhood friend also has a crush on you. And to top it off, Charlotte has a crush on both of us! And don't get me started on Cecilia."

There was no way, could it? Ichika hasn't noticed these things at all, and Jaden somehow managed to figure out every little detail that quickly? They've only been at the academy for a month and a half. How could he have figured that much within such little time?

"The reason why I know is that I had to learn this stuff," He said, remembering the times that he had to learn about gender, sexuality, etc. "And I know for a fact that you're dense about girls because your sister was never there to tell you about it, or you just didn't know, correct?"

Ichika had to think back about it. And he did recall an event earlier in his life when he had to learn about gender equality, the reproductive system, and relationships with boyfriends and girlfriends. He never understood it, and ultimately dropped the subject about it. Plus, he also recalled when Dan told him something before.

"Ichika, has your sister ever had the "talk" with you?"

He was young at the time and didn't know what the "talk" was, which ultimately led him to believe that he didn't need to learn about relationships like that and all that personal stuff. He learned the hard way about being nice to girls and respectful to his seniors, which in turn led him to be the kind, gentle, caring person that he is today.

It seemed like an eternity when Jaden said those words and Ichika didn't respond at all, he just stood there in total disbelief. It took a few minutes, and Ichika sat back down on his side of the bed, completely shocked and confused.

Jaden also took a seat on his bed, sighing. "Look, I know what you're feeling. This is all new to you, and you don't have a good response to answering that question," He said. "But I'm not saying that you should change the way you see your friends, just stand up for yourself sometimes, okay?"

There were no words to describe how Ichika was feeling. It was true, all of it. He did take the verbal and physical abuse that Houki, Rin, and even the likes of his sister gave him, but he would rarely get that angry with them to the point where he hit them. It was like a lie to him.

He stood up with his new-found personality and looked down at his friend. "Thank you for that Jaden," He said. "You opened up a whole new meaning to me about those girls."

"Glad to help," Jaden said.

"Now let's go find Keith."

Somewhere on the outskirts of the IS academy, there was a 16-year old boy by the name of Keith Wilson, running away from yet another group of girls. He had hoped that it wasn't going to be a day like this, but boy he was wrong.

He had just got out from finding a decent male bathroom around the place, only to be met by a few girls wanting questions from him. Asking him about his personal life does he has experience with girls, is he an ideal man for all girls' fantasies, etc. it was all too much.

Keith took off without a second to think and didn't realize after about 5 minutes of him running that he was being chased. How he wanted to be back in his home country so bad right now. That was until he passed by the dorm building for students, and saw Ichika and Jaden.

Stopping quickly, he rushed over to them and hid behind Jaden's back. "Keith? What the hell are you doing?" Asked a very confused Jaden.

"Shh! Here they come," He whispered.

"What?"

Just as on cue, a swarm of girls came out of nowhere, surprising both Jaden and Ichika. They had quickly figured that Keith was swarmed by girls, and took the smart approach by running away like a coward, but keeping his innocents. The girls didn't even acknowledge Jaden or Ichika and continued running in the opposite direction.

Once they were gone, Keith fell in a comedic anime style and took out a couple of deep breaths. Jaden kneeled to where Keith's face was. "Seems like you ran a marathon didn't you?" He said, feeling the exhausted breaths and ragged slow voice coming from Keith.

"You… could say… that," He said. Jaden didn't think it would be the time and place to be doing this and pulled Keith up to his feet in a matter of seconds. Keith himself was surprised by Jaden's strength. "Woah, you're strong," He said.

"Yeah anyways," Jaden crossed his arms over his chest. "I could probably guess you were being chased by girls because of personal questions, am I right?"

"How did you-"

"Because," Jaden cut him off. "When you're a man of culture, you just know. Also, the fact that I and Ichika had to deal with it during our first days at the academy, except for all the running parts," He said.

Keith dusted himself off and looked up towards the sky. "I'm glad that I have both of you to accompany me during my school-year here," He said, wiping his brow a bit. "Back in my home country, school there is a bit uneasy to be around without having the feeling of getting harassed."

Both of the boys were put off by Keith's words. What did he mean by harassment? "What are you talking about?" Ichika said, looking very concerned. "Were you getting harassed before you even got here?"

Keith shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Well, to put it simply," He said. "My nationality is Finland, with a deep descent of Greece. I was born in Canada, but my accent is Spain."

Jaden and Ichika looked at him like they had just seen something mythical. There was no way that Keith had four different accents, and Jaden can only speak English and a bit of Mexican. "I know it's hard to believe, and I really don't like talking about it, but I also can speak a bit English or Japanese if it makes you two understand me more," Keith said.

"Yeah, you do that," Jaden said, rather completely confused, and impressed that Keith can speak in four different accents. He might learn one of them when he's feeling angry and needs to let off some steam. But right now, he's studying in Japanese.

Keith wanted to say something else, that is until another group of girls started approaching them. They were in a group, practically really close to each other. Two of them had blonde hair, and the other two had long brown hair; one of them having it in a ponytail while the other had it in twin tails.

It was obvious that Ichika and Jaden knew who these girls were, but Keith was let in the dark about it. He's in a totally different class from them, and even if he did have a chance to see them, he would have gotten swarmed by girls later on. The only girl that looked out of the ordinary was a girl with blue hair.

The girls eyed the two specific boys and looked away in disgust. They continued walking until they were out of the boy's sight. Keith knew that they weren't looking at him in that way so that only meant that they were looking at Jaden and Ichika.

"What's wrong with them?" He asked.

Ichika, after gaining his new-found confidence and perspective of the girls, shrugged it off. "They mad at us for something that we did, something undefinable," He said, which piqued Keith's interest in the subject further.

"Go on," He said.

Jaden, thinking not to put the extreme pressure on Ichika only, cleared his throat a bit. "We didn't tell you this when we met you, but we nearly killed a student here 2 weeks ago by the name of Laura Bodewig," He said, feeling the guilt returning to him.

"What?"

"It's true," Ichika said. "Me and Jaden here had a match with Laura. We were getting a bit out of hand like insulting her, calling her out on her mistakes, and even damaging her pride as a woman," He said.

"After a few minutes of fighting, she was low on shield energy and we decided to not hold anything back against her," Jaden said, focusing Keith's attention on him. "Ichika used the one-off ability that he discovered, and I used something similar to that, but not quite."

This confused Ichika too. So, what Jaden did… wasn't part of his IS? Ichika already knows about his weird ability that he has, but he didn't think he could manifest something to that degree. "I'll tell you later about it. But, we did a combined attack that nearly cost Laura's life, and that's how we were suspended in the first place."

After hearing all of that, Keith might think it would be the perfect opportunity to just give up life on the IS, and start something else that you love, but Ichika and Jaden aren't people who would easily give up like that.

"So in conclusion," Keith said. "They are mad at you for almost killing Laura?"

"Not just them," Ichika said. "The whole academy is angry with us." Keith was beyond shocked by what they were saying. He hasn't even been here a day; a few hours, and he has already heard something that completely baffled him.

"And, we're on punishment," Said Jaden.

This had been the most complex, confusing, and terrible story that he has ever heard in his life. Apparently, Jaden and Ichika nearly killed someone; putting them in the hospital for who knows how long, and the entire school hates them for it. Not to mention the fact that they haven't even apologized for their actions judging by their voices.

"I'll help you guys."

"Huh?"

"I said I'll help you guys," Keith said again. "It's the least that I can do, considering that you guys saved me a week ago from those girls, and today by letting me hide behind you." Jaden and Ichika's faces lit up with determination, but Keith put out a finger.

"But, now isn't the time to be apologizing," He said. "You guys said that you just got back after your suspension week? So that means that they are not ready or wanting to hear an apology coming from you two, right now."

As much as Keith's words seemed like he was wrong, he was right. Judging by the looks Jaden and Ichika were getting, it was to say that they didn't want any part of the matter to do with both of them. Not also to mention the teachers, who Chifuyu was constantly calling on Jaden and her little brother to make sure they didn't slack off, or just as punishment.

Today they didn't have IS practical training or any lessons about actually having to touch and get into a unit. And it was almost that time of getting dark. Some students were probably in their dorms, the cafeteria to talk, or chatting in nearby stop stations. This all didn't make sense to Keith.

"So," Jaden perked up, feeling the distance and strain in his voice for some reason. It never really occurred to him that he really does care about these girls at the school. If his brother or Tyler ever saw him like this, they'll burst out laughing. "You're saying that we should wait a couple of days until they are ready to hear an apology from us?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Keith said.

Both of the accused boys looked at each other with stressed faces. They knew that today was just the beginning of their punishment, and tomorrow might be even worse. Giving a heavy sigh, Jaden looked down at his phone and through his contacts.

It's been a while since he last called his brother, and he wonders what's he doing; his work schedule, and the fact of dealing with the government about being his brother. Jaden sometimes wishes that he never should have touched that infernal machine in the first place. I mean, look where it got him.

Suddenly, Jaden's phone started to go off, catching both Keith and Ichika off-guard. They almost laughed when they noticed Jaden's ringtone sound he's using. With blushing red cheeks, Jaden quickly answered his phone, clearing his throat in the process.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jaden it's me, Tyler."

"Tyler?! What are you doing calling me at a time like this?"

The person on the other line grew quiet as Ichika, Jaden, and even the newcomer, Keith, waited for a response from Tyler. Rustling was heard, then a sudden drop happened, partially starting to worry Jaden. Tyler was his very first friend before Ichika and later Keith. He'll be damned to know that he's in trouble.

"Sorry," Tyler on the other line responded. "Carlos was just telling me about something. And about that, I and Carlos are coming to visit you."

"What?!" Jaden yelled to his utmost limit, causing Ichika and Keith to cover their eyes from the sheer pain and agony that they were experiencing right now. "You're coming now?!" He said, then he remembered something he read from that book. "And you guys aren't allowed at the school."

"I know that," Tyler reassured his number one best friend. "I mean come visit you as in Japan. We're on our way there as we speak, mostly because it's been a while, and the fact that it's almost summer break for you, and school just ended for me."

Then it hit him. He quickly checked the date that was today and nearly broke him. It was May 20th, the day that the American school-year ends. He totally forgot about that. How did he forget? Was it because of all the drama that has happened at school? Or could it be the fact that Jaden just lost track of time like he did last time?

Jaden nearly let his phone drop until he heard Tyler on the other line ask for his name. Eventually, he gave up and just knew that Jaden was still listening in on him. "I know you can still hear me, Jaden, so I'm going to make this quick," He said.

"Since we are affiliated with you, and Carlos is your older brother, the government decided to fund us on our trip," Tyler said, then started to text Jaden something. "And this is the address that we're going to be staying at for the next 2 months."

A notification marker appeared on Jaden's smartphone indicating that Tyler had indeed been telling the truth. He tapped on it and his eyes scanned the link that he was given. Clicking the link, he was redirected to a webpage; reality homes, where he was viewing the house.

It was a modern-day, middle-aged house with 2 stories. He looked at the house and pondered a bit before Tyler spoke again. "It's not much, but it's something that would last us a while before we have to head back."

"Anyway, I have to go, we're getting on the plane right now, and it's going to take a few days before we arrive there alright!" He enthusiastically said, which Jaen was still spacing out. "See ya!" With that, he hanged up.

Jaden, unconsciously, put his phone back in his pocket and looked in a linear frame; staring directly into the 4th dimension itself. "Jaden? Are you okay-"

"This is bad! This is really, really bad!" Jaden cut off Keith's sentence before he even finished. "My brother and childhood friend are coming to Japan!? And I haven't told them about the situation that I'm in right now!?" He began to panic, which Ichika put his hand on Jaden's shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay," Ichika reassured him. "After the pep talk you gave me; about rethinking the way that I look at the girls, I believe that you have plenty of time before they arrive." Then Ichika's mood took a turn. "But, don't tell them right away. You said your brother is a chill dude, but I think when it comes to something like this he'll be just as angry as Chifuyu."

Ichika did have a point there. While Carlos is very chill to be around, he does have boundaries. Jaden remembers a time when he was being bullied in middle school; right before he was put in a new school, that he nearly killed someone. Carlos gave him an extreme lecture and gave him a good talking to.

During his time at the academy, he's learned to harness and somewhat control his power, but it takes a huge amount of concentration and focuses; otherwise, it'll be like shredding his entire body for a day, and then explain to Chifuyu why he isn't in class. Nightmare waiting to happen. Jaden seemed to have calmed down before looking at Ichika.

"Thanks," He said. "I kinda needed that after today." He then flexed his arms and looked at the sunset. Then he got a bright idea. "Hey Ichika, Keith? How about we do some night-time sparring? You know, like Dragon Ball?"

Both of the boys looked at Jaden like he was crazy. Dragon Ball fighting?! He must be crazy. Ichika let out a sigh. "I think that's impossible Jaden," He said. "Dragon Ball doesn't obey the laws of psychics, etc. Hell, I'm sure we don't even have ki."

Jaden shook a finger at Ichika. "That's not true," He said, then proceeded to remember a time when he was watching the famous anime. "Ki is the life force energy in everyone, everybody, and nonliving things. Don't think of it as generating massive energy beams, and shooting it out of your hands, think of it as your secondary power source when you're down."

He then proceeded to take off his shirt followed by his white undershirt that he wears just in case something happens to his shirt, revealing his well-defined muscles. Ichika and Keith winced at Jaden's figure. He looked like he was trained in all the right places.

"Uhh, Jaden," A very flustered Keith said, covering his brows with two fingers. "Not to be rude in this situation, but you do know that we're out in the open, right? And anyone who walks by can see us."

Jaden shrugged. "So? As it is known now, the girls here; as of right now, could care less about what we're doing. And were not assaulting anyone, or giving them weird stares," He said. Which was partially correct, but he forgot one thing.

"It's inappropriate," Ichika filled in the loss of words between them.

Jaden sighed and put his shirt back on. "Fine, we could do it later. But as of right now," Jaden said, running to the far another end of the dorms. "I'm going to do a workout!"

Ichika and Keith looked at each other for the final time before shrugging it off, and then proceeded to follow Jaden into their night-time run through the IS academy's walkway, and stop stations. Unaware of a specific person watching them.

He was dressed in a generic business suit with rolled back sleeves, and glasses. He looked to be in his 40s, but from his appearance, he looked to be around his 20s, which caught some staff off-guard when he approached the island on the monorail. He was perplexed on how many scans and metal detectors that he had to go through to get here.

This man's name was Ethan Smith, and he had a smile on his face. He looked out in the distance as the boys ran away to their exercise before bed. "I don't remember you taking night-time runs, Jaden…"

A day had passed and Ichika and Jaden were going through hell. It was time for practical training at the arena but with class 1-4 there all of a sudden. It was way past weird, considering that Keith is in that class but a representative candidate for Japan, Kanzashi Sarashiki.

Why was it so weird for him you may ask? Because the fact that Keith is roommates with her, and she's the student council president's little sister, raises a huge amount of problems. First, she hasn't even spoken to him yet and vise versa. And secondly, Keith fears the rumors that would probably go out if he does something horrible to her.

The students, staff, school, and it may hit the news if he's unlucky enough. But the one thing that stands out for him is that he has his own personal unit. It was in standby form around his neck. Anyway, Jaden and Ichika aren't having a good time.

As punishment for their actions, they had to run around the arena 50 times with an IS, without any PIC; Passive Inertia Control, and it wasn't easy at all. While they were going at it well during the beginning, it slowly turned into a nightmare around the 24th lap. Both of the boys were exhausted but still pushed through to the end. Meanwhile, Keith is looking at him, feeling pity for them.

They weren't lying when they said that the entire school was angry at them. Keith noticed the glares and cold shoulders that the boys were getting, and it kinda nerved him. But he couldn't do anything about it, as of now. Jaden and Ichika finally got done with their last lap and collapsed on the cold, sweet dirt below them.

"That… was… way different… than night-time… training," Jaden said in between breaths. He and Ichika were boned-out tired right now, and it's only been about nearly 30 minutes since they started. Well, that is an impressive record to set for carrying an IS on your back and running in circles for nearly 30 minutes.

Chifuyu was watching over them while they were running and approached them. "Get back in your lines now, class has already started," She said. Turning around she began to walk away, before giving them a cold glare. "And don't think that I'll be over soon. I want you both in this arena for some extra lessons by mid-night, got it?"

The two boys shook their heads accordingly, not caring for a minute that they were completely exhausted. And with that, she headed back over to where her assistant teacher, Maya, and another person by the name of Natalie, Jaden's old teacher.

Jaden was quite surprised and shocked to see her again, but he could tell that she was just as hostile towards him and Ichika as the others are. Call him honest, but this was just plain rude. Well, they did deserve it. Getting back in line with the others, they had to catch up with what they were doing.

"Alright, listen up!" Chifuyu shouted out, making everyone who was whispering, chatting, or not paying attention at all seal their lips; since they valued their lives. "Today we have received new garments and equipment regarding you girls," She said, then pointing over to the changing areas. "Go there and change into those new suits ASAP, and be here within 5 minutes, understand?"

Every girl who was a part of class 1-1 understood and then proceeded to head to their lockers to get changed and do what they needed to do. And surprisingly, class 1-4 was doing the same thing, leaving only the boys, Chifuyu, Maya, and Natalie there to discuss matters.

"So," Jaden said. "What do you think they are getting? And not to mention that Keith over there looks confused on what he's supposed to do," Jaden motioned over to Keith, who was looking around and at his necklace around his neck. It was true that he was confused and a bit nervous on his second day of school.

When he arrived at his supposed class yesterday, he was getting weird stares. It made him uncomfortable as hell, but the worst part was introducing himself to the class, which they barely cared for at all. It took the pressure off a bit, but he was assigned next to Kanzashi, to which she barely obliged him.

A whole 2 minutes went by in total silence at Jaden's question before they heard heavy footsteps coming from somewhere. The boys turned to look where it was coming from, and it was indeed the girls, looking very different than before. It was stunning to think that these lucky boys were in paradise, but that wasn't the case as of now.

Getting back in line, they stayed silent. Jaden inspected a girl in front of him and found some noticeable changes with her suit. First, it still looked like an old-style swimsuit with stockings; for some odd reasons, but they had sleeves now, followed by a tag around their neck area.

The most obvious change was that there were two holes in the crotch area, and two tags on their upper thigh area. A slight frown grew upon Jaden's face. Why did they have to make that area visible now? He couldn't see exactly, but he did notice the outline of their parts, which started to serve him.

"You boys will receive your new suits a day from now due to some…malfunctions," A slight blush formed on Chifuyu's face before it vanished in an instant. "For now, you would be wearing your old ones. And now it's time for the lesson at hand," She said. Then she looked at Natalie and nodded.

Responding, she led her class over to her co-worker's class. They grouped and bunched up, creating some slight disturbances for the girls who were already stationary, but it was sorted out very quickly. "Today we will be practicing artillery; regarding that of guns," She then pulled out of her pocket a remote button, which opened up the ground, and out came multiple rows of desks with guns on them.

And on the other side, it showed to be targeted; holographic points on where to fire and aim the gun's perspective. "Each line will line up in a row and proceed to assemble the gun's clip and add ammo. Once done, fire the entire clip towards the target as best as you can, understood?"

A sound of agreement amongst all girls, including boys that they were ready for what's at stake here. "Assistant would be provided for those who struggle to continue," Raising her hand in the air, she made a chip motion. "Begin!" Then each line started to form on the desk.

Girl by girl started to take turns reloading, shooting and emptying the clip for the next person in line. Some of them; meaning almost everyone, needed some assistance with handling a gun right. Now it was time for Jaden to shine. The girls, including Chifuyu, Maya, and Natalie, Ichika, and Keith all started to look towards him in utter silence.

He wasn't served at all. Picking up the gun with a swift motion, he threw the clip in the air, taking back nearly everybody from his prowess. The clip was falling back down to the ground and Jaden noticed. Flipping the gun upside down, the clip fell perfectly into the slot, and he gave it a tap to see if it was fully in.

Turning it back the right way, he aimed at his target and emptied the entire load, hitting the very point of precision and accuracy; getting headshots basically. Everyone was stunned, except for Ichika. Jaden has a gun; well rife depending how you use it, for a weapon on his unit. It's only natural that he learns about it. And given the fact that he's been training on how to better his skills.

More and more girls went up to try their shooting skills, with Laura, Cecilia, Charlotte, and Jaden coming out on top when it comes to guns. Houki, Ichika, and Keith however, didn't fare as well as the others, but they did get some close hits on pure perfection; as close to the center as possible.

Chifuyu and Natalie watched in surprise as Ichika was adapting to the way that he fires a gun. Jaden, Cecilia, Charlotte, and Laura have at least one weapon that requires ammunition or some type of fuel to power their weapons, while Ichika was slightly struggling. But still, the question stands: How did Ichika know how to fire a gun?

And Keith. Well, he was doing somewhat okay. His accuracy and aim weren't nearly on the level as the others, but he was doing way better than the regular students. Even the likes of Kanzashi, who probably has her own unit, were doing better than the regulars.

It's funny and weird at the same time that those boys progressed in such a short manner of time. Not to mention the fight 2 weeks ago. Chifuyu, Maya, and even the likes of Akira, the principal, had to defend the boys in the last ditch effort to make sure that they were hauled off to some sort of labor or prison for their actions against Laura.

Germany was quite pissed that their representative candidate was nearly killed in a match with those despicable boys, but Chifuyu somehow calmed down the tension with them. Still, it wasn't easy. Not to mention the request made by Laura. That's beside the point. Ichika somehow adapted to artillery means and sparked Chifuyu's interest. But not now.

An hour had passed by and it was time for mock battles, something that Natalie suggested amongst the teachers during one of their meetings when the boys were suspended. She deemed it "fit" and "necessary" for girls, pilots, and instructors to view and study the works of the personal users. And the first people up were Ichika and Jaden.

Personal user vs personal user. Well, Chifuyu was guilty of putting the two up against each other, which they didn't have any problem with at all. Jaden and Ichika started down each other. The pure determination. The respect. And finally, the confidence they had for each other. It was all going in towards this match, and they were ready.

"Byakushiki!"

"Soviet Ranger!"

Their units started materializing out of thin air, the clangs and sounds of metal being pressed against each other were very well detailed but enticing. The boys stood in their respectful units, glaring at one another. It was time for the ultimate showdown to begin.

"Alright boys," Natalie spoke up, walking forwards a bit. "This is a demonstration battle for us all to inspect and learn from, it shouldn't be taken seriously at all, got it?" The short but silent nod both of the boys gave her, still looking at each other. She was curious and surprised by both of their actions. "There will be some limitations on their battle. So, make sure that-"

"Screw that."

"Excuse me?"

"I said screw that," Ichika so calmly said, still looking at his opponent. "I'm sorry ma'am, but this fight right here needs to be without any limitations." Ichika's sword then retracted, spitting out a blue energy blade nearly touching the ground. "That's what we boys need, real damage to each other, right Jaden?"

Jaden happily nodded his head with a smile on his face. Every girl looked at them like they were crazy. There's no way that they purposely need to hurt themselves to get stronger, right? Well, you know that they say. The pain only makes you stronger.

Natalie looked back at Chifuyu, who gave her a confused shrug. Even she was put off by her brother's attitude change. He went from this nice, calm, and respectful guy. To this? That wast him, right? Chifuyu started to suspect that it was from their suspension period, but that wasn't the case at all. It was Ichika's newfound confidence in girls and always following their rules.

Thanks to Jaden of course. Without him, he would still be the same person taking orders and not giving any backbone in it. Chifuyu would be mad at them later, but who cares at this moment? All Ichika and Jaden wanted were to really let loose, and show these girls; and Keith, how much they have improved during their time being suspended.

"Okay then fine," Natalie reluctantly agreed. Backing away, both boys got into their battle stances. It was completely different than before. Even Chifuyu was thrown-off by their stances. It was clear that this was a very serious battle, and the boys weren't backing down at all.

A short but loud buzzer sounded in the arena, signaling that Ichika and Jaden could attack each other at any given point and time. To which they did. Rushing at each other with immense speed, both of them clashed with their swords, Yukihira and Sakikasane. Sparks started to become more visible as they continued their clash.

Jaden and Ichika were gritting their teeth with smirks on their faces. Today was the day that they showed the girls, including the teachers, that they weren't weak anymore, that they could handle any challenge that they were thrown at or given. A few inches away, Houki, Cecilia, Charlotte inspected further.

They had never seen the boys so riled up before in their entire lives; Houki, who knew Ichika for the longest, had never seen this side of him before. Chifuyu was also in the mix of this confusion. Of course, she had inspected that it was because of how he treated Laura and having to cope with the fact that he was suspended, but he shouldn't be acting like this at all.

That attitude was something completely different. Back to the fight, it was very intense. Practically both Ichika and Jaden were giving it their all, which further shocked everyone down on the ground watching. Jaden unleashed a slash that was blocked by Ichika, with him retaliating in the process. Reacting quickly, Jaden's quilt brought out his rifle, Blood Moon, and fired at Ichika.

And to his surprise, he dodged. Ichika would normally take the attack head-on, but this time he reacted at the same speed as Jaden did when he unleashed his weapon upon him. It was fascinating and a bit concerning; given that Ichika only had a month of piloting an IS, same as Jaden, but advanced a bit more than him.

Unleashing his one-off ability, he landed a direct strike on Jaden, which in turn made him convulse in pain and agony. Jaden backed off to notice that Ichika had landed a critical blow to his unit's shield energy, and damage to his physical body. As much as it hurt, Jaden somehow managed to smile against the pain.

"Well done bro," Jaden said, slightly clutching in pain from his left shoulder. "You managed to react faster than I had ever thought you could. A worthy opponent who I can go all out on," gripping the hilt of his sword even tighter than before. Ichika returned the smile.

"Thank you man," He said. "It was because of you that I figured out where I was slacking when it comes to my body and techniques. And how I deal with problems that we have today regarding trust."

It was confirmed. It was Jaden that changed Ichika's personality for the worst. This sparked a new-found dedication into a few people on the ground. They readied their swords and charged at each other once again intending to push themselves beyond their normal limit.

Spark after spark, clash after clash, they fought each other. Eventually, they evolved into just a strike before switching to pure speed and accuracy to hit each other, which in turn shocked everyone even more than before. And something else was amazing.

Ichika. He was using his one-off ability, in short bursts?! It wasn't impossible, but you need to have a high concentration and focus just to be able to pull it off. And not to mention the drain he is doing upon himself, which he needs to work on. But otherwise, it wasn't possible for someone who's been piloting for a month and a half.

But somehow… he did it. And Jaden on the other hand doesn't know or think he has an ability like Ichika. He has his power, but he can't use it in a fight like this. Sure, they're going all out, but that would possibly mean death for Ichika. They both saw how effective it would be for Laura; considering Ichika was using his ability too.

So, he's somehow managing to match Ichika blow for blow, even with his Reiraku Byakuya. Back on the ground, this was the most intense fight anyone has ever seen before, even better than Laura's. Instructors, personal IS users, and regular students were in awe at what they were witnessing.

It was amazing how Ichika and Jaden improved in such a short manner of time. But they aren't finished yet. Taking on a completely new fighting-style, both Jaden and Ichika did a series of dodges and clashed with one another if given the right opportunity.

Both Jaden and Ichika did something unexpected. Synchronizing each other, they both did a 90 degree turn to the left, followed by a serious break between them, spreading both of them out like flies. Both of them did not give the other a chance to breathe as they crashed at each other again.

But this time, something was different. A faint glow started to appear around both of them as they continued to clash with one another. They hardly noticed anything different before it reached the frame near their necks. Thinking that it was nothing really important, they continued fighting.

The clashes this time sounded like tanks clashing against each other; as loud as they could be. Their speed seemingly increased all of a sudden, making them seem like blurs; something that only highly professional people can see, such as Chifuyu herself.

The boys backed off each other, panting for air. They were fighting so hard, that they forgot about their shield energy; at 1% of concluding the match. But they weren't finished just yet. All that time training with each other, learning how to use a sword, hand-to-hand combat training, and reflex training. It was all going to be put into this last strike.

Using their absolute limit, they rushed at each other for the last time, or what they think. They suddenly forgot about the glow that their units were beginning to adapt, and crashed at each other head-on, creating a huge bright light in the process. The force and impact that was felt were beyond anything that anyone could ever imagine.

It took a few seconds for the light to dissipate, leaving the two units from before, looking completely different than before. Chifuyu, Maya, Natalie, Houki, Charlotte, Cecilia, and even Laura, and somewhat Kanzashi looked on in complete disbelief. Jaden and Ichika had achieved their 2nd shifts.

Ichika's unit was now looking different than before, supporting 4 large wing thrusters, and a new look to his frame. His legs and knees were supporting more armor than before, also adapting a slight bulky look. On his ears were some type of piece, and his arms were supporting more armor like his legs were than before. And he was given a large caliber charged particle cannon, and an energy claw. All fitted on his left arm.

Jaden was a sight to behold of. It seemed like he was nearly covered in bulk armor, but his abdomen and neck area stayed the same. And just like Ichika, he gained wings, 4 to exact. His sword on the other hand adapted to something more familiar to him. The hilt was rougher and graspable than ever before and it seemed like his blade had gotten sharper. A notification popped up near their faces.

"Warning! Formatting complete! Unlocked new characteristics: 2nd shift, new abilities, and maneuverability enhanced further. Would you like to set this as your default setting? Yes or no?"

Ichika and Jaden did not have a clue what this message was talking about, so they accepted the term of use. The pop-up message disappeared and both of them were just left there, glazing around the place. That's until Chifuyu barked across their intercoms. "Orimura, Smith! Get back down here this instant!"

Disappointed that they couldn't have continued fighting, they reluctantly agreed. Ichika and Jaden may have gotten a new backbone and confidence when it comes to girls and getting treated around, they aren't going to go against Chifuyu, not yet at least. Both of them collided with the ground beneath them and looked confused as to what's happening.

All they knew was that Chifuyu might not be happy about how they were acting.

It's been a week since the battle between Jaden and Ichika, and things weren't going as smoothly as they thought they would. For starters, Chifuyu had put both of the boys through the most rigorous lessons, and training that she had ever done in her entire life. It would leave the boys drained at first but slowly started to become less frequent.

A week ago she, amongst her class, assistant teacher, co-worker, and students had witnessed two people achieve 2nd shift for their units. Currently filling out some paperwork she had been bomb rushed with ever since the incident, she had been thinking thoroughly about it.

It shouldn't have been possible for someone to advance to the 2nd shift in only 2 months, but she was proven wrong when those two fought. She had suspicions before about Jaden, but this was completely ridiculous now. First Ichika and Jaden get too cocky with a fight that happened 3 weeks ago and get suspended. And to come back and achieve 2nd shift on a no-limit fight they requested?

She's starting to think a certain someone is behind all of this, so she stopped doing paperwork and picked up her phone. Scrolling through her contacts list, she spotted a familiar name she's been known ever since elementary school. Dialing the number, she took on a sigh before the caller on the other line picked up.

"Hello~ It's been a while, Chi-Chan!" A very cheerful and child-like voice came from her phone at a high pitch.

Chifuyu sighed. "I told you, don't call me that," She said. Seeing as she knows this person very well, she took on another sigh. "Oh fine… I have something I want to talk about today, or must discuss."

She sulked her head down a bit, looking at her windows. "Did you have anything to do with Ichika's unit, Byakushiki? As in tweaking it when he was sentenced on his suspension period?"

A little gasp shouted through the other line. "Ikkun got suspended?! When?"

"About 2 weeks ago," Chifuyu said.

"Well, I didn't know that," The voice on the other line said, then proceeded with something falling in the background. "Damn it! I forgot to adjust the coffee slider. It got all over my clothes~" She then proceeded to start whining like a 5-year old, which didn't surprise Chifuyu at all.

"And about Ikkun's unit, I didn't touch anything or tweak anything, yet~"

Chifuyu nearly crushed her phone from the way her friend said that last sentence. Then she thought of something. If she did it, she should have known. "So you didn't do it?"

"No, I didn't~"

Chifuyu hung up immediately. She couldn't stand to hear her voice anymore, but her suspicions were confirmed. If she had anything to do with it, she would have known sooner or later depending on how you put it, but the fact that something was still stuck with her.

"Tabane is a real pain after all these years, huh?" Chifuyu said, looking down back at the paperwork she still had to do. "But the fact that Ichika is improving faster than I had ever suspected, is something I can't oversee."

Summertime had officially arrived, and now it was time to get loose and crunk. Jaden stared out the window of the bus, thinking about what has life done for him. Touched an IS and he arrived here within a heartbeat. Barely even got a chance to properly say goodbye to his family, and having to deal with more drama he has ever witnessed in his entire life.

It was a fact that Jaden and Ichika haven't even apologized for their actions, and they were going through with it. Keith told them that the girls didn't want to hear an apology anytime sooner, so they are waiting for the right moment.

But at the same time, things had been going differently for the boys. The girls don't give them weird stares or cold shoulders anymore. It's more or like a glance before they look away and continue chatting with their friends again. Speaking of friends, Cecilia, Charlotte, Laura, Houki, and Rin were getting along quite well.

Laura had gotten really friendly with the group and now trains with them nearly every day after school, but hasn't really gotten along with the boys at all. She doesn't think of them as before, but there is definitely some hate still there.

Ichika turned to his fellow friend. He noticed that he was looking a bit down and decided to cheer him up. "Hey, Jaden? Are you alright?" He said, looking out the same window Jaden was looking out of. "You've been staring at the window for about 5 minutes."

"Huh? No, it's nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm good," He said. Looking down at his phone, he received a text message from his number one best friend, Tyler. Reading the message, he looked at where they were followed by a picture of him, Carlos, and a random man.

It was strange. This man looked extremely familiar, yet indifferent when it comes to his features. Straight bluish-black hair with bangs running down his neck, along with amber-brown eyes. key features that looked like him. It couldn't be, could it? Quickly texting Tyler, he thought of many things.

How is he alive? Where was he when Carlos and Jaden needed him the most? And finally, does he want to see him again? Finishing his text message, Tyler replayed a few minutes later. "It's a surprise~," He said. If his suspicions were confirmed, then it was him.

Jaden felt the anxiety started to come over him. Taking quick deep breaths, he found a way to calm his nerves. Coming back to his senses he finally noticed the people on the bus. The main group; the girls in a corner in the middle row of the bus. Chifuyu and Maya were in the front talking about adult stuff, probably. And the rest were chatting with their friends.

And not to mention Keith. He was on a different bus. Bless his soul from all the questions and pressure he'll be under for the next few minutes. Yes, minutes. They were very close to the place that they were heading to, the beach. What better way than to celebrate reaching a new mode for your IS.

At first, when Ichika and Jaden found out, they couldn't believe it. They've read about it but never thought it was actually possible within 2 months. Apparently, it's a very rare case for an IS to shift into its second shift, considering that when it happened, Jaden and Ichika shrugged it off like it was nothing.

But, an IS can track, or experience how much BDR; Battle Damage Repair it had achieved. As the IS gains experience during the situations that they have gone through, it can improve the state that they evolve. Basically, the fight that Jaden and Ichika had was just enough to push their units to the next level, unlocking the stage that they now know of.

Now that they know, Chifuyu gave them midnight sparring lessons and training. It wasn't anything special for them, but to one person it was affecting them differently, Laura. She'd witness her instructor training the boys at night, and it was something she had to let go of.

"Poor Keith, right?"

"Huh?" Jaden responded, quickly trancing out of his thoughts.

"He's probably being bomb rushed with questions left and right, and we can't do anything to help him," He said. Looking back at the crowd of girls talking and having fun, he turned back to Jaden. "But at least he's not going through what we're going through. That advice he gave us was helpful."

"It sure was," Jaden then received another text message. But this time it was from an unknown number. "It was very helpful…" He shifted out of the conversation. This text message was uneasy, talking about his family, and did know this person.

"What the fuck…"

The bus stopped, and all the students came flooding out the doors. Everyone was ready for a fun, relaxing, and hot day at the beach. But the thing was that girls started immediately changing into their swimsuits, which made Jaden, Ichika, and the regrouped Kieth blush madly. Not to mention that they had to change themselves.

Finding a place to change into, they put on their swimsuits; Ichika had to drag both Keith and Jaden for a shopping trip at the mall a few days ago, and head outside for the nice sun to shine on their bodies. Jaden and Ichika's physique forms were something to be marveled at.

Well-defined chests, with a considerable amount of muscle. They had to admit that they were looking pretty good for themselves, but Keith was… different. You see, he did do some training with Jaden and Ichika, but he was just a beginner. Both of the boys had been doing it for practically years; if you judge before the academy.

So as a result, he had a bit of muscle on him, followed by his now starting to be visible abs. He was kinda peeved that Jaden and Ichika had better stats than him but realized that he was just a beginner. Nobody could advance that fast in a short amount of time, right? Well, apparently they can after what he witnessed a week ago.

And now it was time to party.

Ichika, Jaden, and Keith didn't know what to do, considering that the girls might think of them weird or probably just give blank stares, but it isn't that bad, right? Apparently not. When the boys approached the beach, some girls immediately locked onto them and started googling, slight drool dripping down their mouths.

Unnerved by all the glances and ogling over, they found something to do, practice fighting. Why were doing something like this on vacation? Who knows. All they know is that Jaden and Ichika were throwing hands at each other like there was no tomorrow while Keith watched from the sidelines.

There was a place for him on his battlefield, but he decided not to interrupt their playthrough, just yet. Suddenly, Jaden was hit with a massive object to his skull, making the boys tumble over in the hot sand. "What the…" He muttered. Then it was clear who threw it. It was Tyler.

"T-Tyler?! What are you doing here man?" He picked himself up and went to hug his friend before pulling off him with an awkward smile.

"Thank that strict lady over there," He pointed his thumb behind time revealing no other than Chifuyu. Ichika's mouth gape from the sight of his sister. Dressed in a black 2-piece swimsuit that would make anyone cry over.

"Oh, right, her," He said. Clearing his throat, he looked around him. "Where's Carlos? You said that he was coming with you on this trip."

Tyler, looking to his rest, followed by the others, saw Carlos. Jaden's mouth nearly gaped from what he was seeing. His brother, wearing a very, very suspicious swimsuit. It looks like women wear a 2-piece swimsuit, but for boys; only the bottom area. Carlos, seeing his brother again, walked over to him with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey, little bro! What's going on? Missed me?"

"What the hell is wrong with you!? Wearing something as suspicious as a girl's swimsuit around here. You do realize this is an all-girls school, right?"

"Don't worry," He said. "I'm not into little girls bro, especially really tough ones." A shiver went down his spine for a second.

Then something that he noticed. Everyone was staring at them now, and it was only going to get worse from there. Jaden had to make a mental note to force Carlos to buy some trunks next time. "Anyways, what are you guys doing here? Did Chifuyu send you here? Or were you in the area?"

Tyler winced and rubbed the back of his head. "Well actually, we just got off our flight not too long ago and were on our way to the new house that we rented," He said. "Until, we were approached by a guy who I didn't know at first, but Carlos did."

"Long story short, we were taken by him and met up with the lady over there," Slightly pointing back to Chifuyu, who had a stoic stare on her face. "Who we had explained ourselves to, and gave us an opportunity for us to meet you again. In exchange for some… information," A slight blush appeared on his face.

"What type of information?"

"...Personal information…"

Jaden was beyond his mind with this one. What type of information did Chifuyu want with them? It couldn't be good, that's for sure. Knowing her, and her suspicions about Jaden being beyond normal, she would ask something like that.

"And," Carlos cut into Jaden's thoughts. "I have someone to introduce you to. You can come out now."

Walking from the crowd of girls, was a man. Jaden looked at him further and noticed the same details from before when Tyler texted him. Straight bluish-black hair with bangs down his neck, and amber-brown eyes. A white lab coat gloated over his white shirt, with a pen sticking out of it.

Black pants and glasses on. "Hello Jaden," He said, his voice clear and tickled a few of the girl's ears from how he said it. "Or should I say… son?"

"Dad…"

I want to take this time to apologize about Keith's IS not being shown or viewed at all. His IS is going to be different and a bit more complex than the others. And as for Jaden and Ichika reaching 2nd shift together, and earlier for Ichika, I have a perfect explanation for it; might not be good in your eyes.

Since Jaden and Ichika train with each other every day after school, during those Kendo lessons, etc, it would be possible that the development of both of the characters has increased further than ever before, as for their units.

And finally, when are Ichika and Jaden going to apologize for their actions? I'm going to change to when AFTER the Silver Gospel incident happens.

That's all, peace!