After finishing the last chapter, I realized I felt like doing a Thanksgiving chapter, so I'll post this one before I get on with World Purge, hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos.
Ichika wakes up one morning to find Thomas scrambling to make food!
When he asks why, Ichika discovers it's Thanksgiving!
Thomas wants to show everyone a happy Thanksgiving feast, but tries to do all of the work into arranging it all by himself! With all the stress and disaster right around the corner, can Thomas bring everyone together for a tradition that isn't theirs?
Ichika slept peacefully in bed.
At least, until he smelled the scent of food.
Ichika shout up like a spring, and opened his eyes...
...To find Thomas working in the mini-kitchen of their dorm room.
Thomas was wearing an apron, and oven mitts as he slaved over the oven. Pots and pans were everywhere as Thomas made a culinary mess. Thomas yawned. Ichika looked closer, to find that Thomas didn't look very well-rested.
"Thomas? What's going on?"
"Thanksgiving's in a week."
"The American Tradition? I totally forgot! Sorry man."
"No need, I got this."
"Wait. Just how much food are you gonna cook? We've got the entire IS Academy!"
"Now there's an idea..."
"Hold on. Don't tell me you're gonna single-handedly cook a Thanksgiving potluck for the entire IS Academy!"
"I'll get dad to help."
"Why only the two of you? You're gonna need all the help you can get!"
Thomas stopped, as he opened the oven to pull out a tray of turkey slices.
"I mean," Muttered Thomas, "Not a great deal of people here really know about what Thanksgiving is, let alone what is involved with a Thanksgiving feast. Here, taste-test this for me."
Thomas handed Ichika a slice of turkey.
Ichika ate it, letting the juices soak the inside of his mouth.
"Wow! This is so savory! You're up there with Lingyin and Houki's cooking!"
"It's good then."
Thomas stretched his back, making an uncomfortably audible series of cracks.
"How long have you slept?" Ichika inquired, dreading what Thomas would say.
"Exactly four hours."
"What?! That's way too short! You need to-Aw crap! We gotta get to class!"
"Shoot, you're right! Hold on-I need to set the slow-cooker."
Ichika quickly got dressed, and ran out the door. By the time he did, he saw Thomas beginning to change.
"Godspeed, Tommy." Ichika thought.
Thomas flinched.
"Why did I just think that?" He pondered.
In Class 1...
Thomas just barely got through the door of the classroom as the bell sounded.
He crashed into his chair, out of breath and utterly worn out.
"Cutting it close are we, Scott?" Chifuyu judged.
Thomas was far too winded to respond.
"I get that you're still recovering from that incident in Kyoto, but that's no excuse for you to cut classes. Now sit down and pay attention!"
"Yes...Ma'am..."
Thomas eventually recovered from the sticky dryness in his mouth, but not after a dangerous period of time he was on the verge of falling asleep in Chifuyu's class. Considering how Chifuyu could be, doing such was a very dangerous and suicidal move.
Thankfully, Thomas didn't really have to do anything in Practical Training that day.
Thomas walked back to his room, more weary and worn than usual.
But everywhere he went, he was greeted with concern regarding the Kyoto Incident.
By the time Thomas reached his dorm room, all he could think about was what he learned during the Kyoto Trip. Most kids learned about the architecture and history, but Thomas learned just a little bit more about his heritage.
So far, Thomas had learned some very interesting things about his mother.
Her name was Ellen Scott, and she was a super-soldier, who'd passed on her enhancements to Thomas. Currently, that's all Thomas knew.
But he couldn't help but feel that Alex and Chifuyu knew more.
Squall admitted that she knew more, but would only say anything if Thomas agreed to submit to her. However, this still meant that Squall could be lying, just for the sake of getting Thomas to come with her.
Thomas continued to work in the kitchen as he thought.
Suddenly, Tatenashi burst through the door.
"Oh boys~!" She cooed, "Wait, where's Ichika?"
"Busy with materials. Chifuyu put him up to it."
"Boo...What're you up to?"
"Trying to work on Thanksgiving stuff."
"Hey...Ichika told me about that earlier. Isn't that the thing when Europeans and Native Americans came together for a feast?"
"Yeah-He did?"
"He also told me about your lack of self-care."
"Dammit..."
"Either way, you shouldn't stress so much about it! One order from me and we can have an official event! If we do, you won't even have to lift a finger!"
"Well," Said Thomas, "That would kinda kill the tradition of it."
"How so?"
"I mean, just giving up on the effort would just dumb Thanksgiving down to an event. What I want to do is show everyone the tradition behind it, coming together to give thanks to what we have."
"I think you just want to ease everyone's nerves after the whole Kyoto thing was disclosed. Everyone's been worried ever since they found out you boys were involved..."
"That too."
Tatenashi slipped a slice of turkey.
"Savory~!" She swooned as she trotted away.
Thomas chuckled as he returned to his task.
Elsewhere...
"Ma'am," Said Maya, "I have the results and everything you asked for."
"What exactly happened?" Chifuyu said, looking over a set of notes.
"As strange as it seems," Said Maya, "It appears that Orimura and Scott's GPS coordinates are..."
"Well?"
"...They're...The exact same."
"What?"
Maya handed Chifuyu more notes.
"They're GPS coordinates are the exact same from here, to here." Maya said, pointing to a line she'd marked.
"How could that be?"
"I've gotten recordings from the other Representative Candidates," Said Maya, "But the footage is far too messy to get a clear picture right now, so we'll have to enhance the image, which will take some time. On top of that, I have the medical examination you requested for the boys as well. Dansforth appears to have no lasting injuries, thankfully. But, Orimura and Scott..."
"What? What did the results say?"
"Both Orimura and Scott have identical injuries. They mirror each other in every detail."
"Why is that?"
"We don't know."
Chifuyu paused.
"See to it we get a clear image. I want to know exactly what happened to Orimura and Scott."
"Of course, Ma'am."
Maya went off to oversee the processing of the footage, leaving Chifuyu to think by herself.
She was worried.
The boys were both in mortal danger that night, and it nearly drove the woman insane. It was bad enough Ichika was beaten badly, and that Thomas had been in the enemy's clutches. But the worst of it came from the fact that both situations happened simultaneously.
She wanted to make sure the two of them were still okay.
Ichika, somehow, had managed to push the Byakushiki into Second Shift. However, due to lack of proper engagement, Ichika didn't have an opportunity to deploy the Byakushiki ever since the end of the fight over Kyoto, and still had yet to do so.
Thomas, despite having the Shift Switch function, had yet to follow Ichika and attain the Second Shift with the Revive. It was also possible that, due to Tabane's modifications to a Production Model, the Revive was permanently unable to attain Second Shift, due to the Shift Switch.
Chifuyu thought back to the final moments in the battle.
Maya's monitor went haywire some time after Ichika and Thomas engaged. The vital signs of both boys went erratic had suddenly crashed the program completely, so Maya and Chifuyu were unable to see what was going on.
Chifuyu, however, decided to look out the window.
She couldn't believe what she saw then, and she still couldn't.
As much as she wanted to, she stopped herself from hugging either of the boys until they suffocated.
Chifuyu then recalled a detail she ignored earlier.
When Ichika and Thomas returned from the fight, Chifuyu was quite confused.
Their injuries were the exact same, in every detail.
And, for a few minutes, they were finishing each other's sentences.
It seemed strange, a little funny even, but nobody really paid attention at the time.
Chifuyu got out of her chair.
She needed to pay the boys a visit.
Not as an Instructor concerned for her students, but as an Older Sister worried about her brothers.
Ichika opened the door to the dorm room...
...To find Thomas resting as he leaned himself against the fridge.
"Where's all the Thanksgiving stuff?" Ichika inquired.
"In the fridge. Just takin' a short break."
"Better than no break at all."
The boys heard a knock on the door.
"Oh, Miss Orimura." Said Ichika.
"Boys," Said Chifuyu, as she stepped in and closed the door, "I want to talk to you, both of you."
"What about?"
"Do you...Recall the ending of the fight over downtown Kyoto?"
"What about it?"
"Can you describe exactly what it was you did?"
"Well...We're still trying to figure that out ourselves."
"Oh? How so?"
"Me and Ichika can both do the Reiraku Byakuya, an' we figured it was the best way to crack open that energy barrier of theirs. But when we did, things got kinda fuzzy after, and we both woke up feeling weird."
"I see...Well, I'm just glad you both came out safe and sound."
Ichika and Thomas flinched.
"You only say stuff like that when you're apologizing after life-threatening stuff." Blurted out Ichika.
Ichika earned himself a chop to the scalp.
"He's not wrong." Agreed Thomas.
Thomas received a slap to the face.
"Anything else?" Questioned Chifuyu.
"No Ma'am." The boys said in unison, nursing their respective wounds.
Chifuyu blinked and quickly went to the fridge. She opened the door to find Thomas's Thanksgiving food supply.
"Is this why you were late to class today?"
"Yeah..." Groaned Thomas.
"Thanksgiving? Really? For who?"
"The entire Academy."
Chifuyu turned to look at Thomas with visible confusion on her face.
"Don't joke."
"I'm not."
Chifuyu delivered a chop to Thomas's head.
"Are you an idiot?!"
Thomas was nursing his head and couldn't respond.
Chifuyu sighed.
"You can't possibly cook a Thanksgiving potluck in this room."
"But-"
"You can use the kitchens in the cafeteria after classes. I'll go notify the cooking staff."
"Really?"
"Just don't overdo it. Ichika, if you think Thomas is in over his head, lend him a hand."
"Yes Ma'am."
With that, Chifuyu left the boys to themselves.
In the days that came, people began to notice Thomas had been appearing less and less in public.
Girls began to voice their concerns.
The Representative Candidates, who vowed to protect the boys, were very anxious about Thomas's absence.
Ichika told them the situation, only to be met with confusion.
Thanksgiving was an American Tradition, so some of the girls had no clue what Ichika was talking about.
"Vhat ish Zhanksgiving?" Inquired Laura.
"I've never really heard of it before..." Said Kanzashi.
"Oh right! I forgot Thomas celebrates that." Said Lingyin.
"Wow...That's some serious conviction!" Said Nana, imagining the sheer size of the IS Academy.
"He never really told me the whole history," Realized Ichika, "What exactly is the whole thing behind it?"
"Well," Said Nana, "Back in the day, there were a group of Christians who left England to avoid religious persecution. They went into the 'New World'-That being the soon-to-be officially-named America-and settled. They all almost died right off the bat, 'cause they landed during winter, and a majority of them got sick or died. But, they survived thanks to the help of Native Americans nearby. After, they all got together and had a big feast to give thanks for their good fortune, hence why it's called 'Thanksgiving.'"
The group all made a collective "Ah" in understanding.
"It kinda shits on England, so I know for a fact it's not a UK thing."
"Speaking of that," Noted Ichika, "Where's Elias and Cecelia?"
"Cecelia said she had some training exercises for Elias." Said Charlotte.
"Pfft! She's just making an excuse to put the moves on him!" Sneered Lingyin.
"And Thomas is trying to make the entire thing?!" Cried Ichika, "Either he's confident, or he's insane!"
"You've known him for years," Giggled Nana, "You should've figured out by now he's obviously both!"
Lingyin got a mischievous look on her face.
"So," She said smugly, "Who else wants to go see this?"
The girls all nodded, curiosity all over their faces.
Ichika sighed in defeat.
"Alright, c'mon." He groaned, leading the girls to the cafeteria.
In the kitchen...
"I'm Ichika Orimura, the Student Council Vice President." Ichika declared to the cooking staff.
Tatenashi had appointed him to the position of Vice President on the Student Council after the school festival, so she could keep better tabs on Ichika and Thomas.
It also gave Ichika a few added perks.
The cooking staff let the students into the kitchen. All manner of scents and aroma pierced their nostrils as they watched cooks working diligently left and right, with food of all kinds to be prepared and stored for meal times.
Amongst the bustling kitchen, stood Thomas as he worked an entire area by himself.
In the mere days he'd begun doing his work in the IS Academy kitchens, he'd amassed quite the amount of food on his own. racks upon racks of trays were on the side, and Thomas was hunched over on a stool, panting in exhaustion.
"Wow...There's...More than thirty-five trays of food?!" Cried Lingyin, not even I could do that much!"
Thomas wiped sweat off his forehead, and jumped back to his feet as he quickly scrambled back to work.
Ichika approached.
"Hey, dude..." He reasoned.
"Hey guys!" Thomas waved nonchalantly as he greeted without turning away from his work.
"Don't you think you need to slow down?"
"M'fine. After all that crap in Kyoto, I gotta show everyone I can still take it in stride!"
Ichika then noticed that Thomas's fingers weren't as stable as they usually were. His fingers were all weary and worn, slower, yet still trembling as though he were anxious for some reason.
Thomas picked up a tray to place on a rack, the tray was noticeably shaking in his hands.
The group got a good look at Thomas's face.
The bags under his eyes got a lot deeper and darker, he looked quite pale, exhausted. It was obvious he was trying to suppress his misery. Through the aroma of food around him, the group could smell he hadn't washed himself in quite some time.
"Just out of curiosity," Said Ichika, "How long have you been doing this?"
"Whenever I'm not around since the start of the week."
"I see..." Ichika trailed off, clearly unnerved.
Ichika quickly turned to the girls, signaling them it was time to go.
When the group finally left the kitchen, they all began to discuss what they'd seen.
"He's practically killing himself!" Started Lingyin.
"I'm a little scared," Admitted Kanzashi, "He's done this since Monday..."
"Alzhough conviction isn't a bad zhing," Said Laura, "Zhere's a difference between perseverance and suicide, and this counts as a very long and protracted suicide!"
"He needs someone to help balance things out!" Stated Charlotte, "Everyone saw how horrible he looked, no?"
The group all agreed.
"Alright," Said Ichika, "We'll stage an intervention when he gets back to the dorms tonight. Wanting to prove something or no, we can't just let him go through with this. Not like this, at least."
The group all grunted in agreement.
With that, they all went down to the boys' dorm room to wait.
Later that night...
"Hey," Said Lingyin, "What time is it?"
The girls had spent the rest of the day sitting and waiting for Thomas in Ichika's dorm room. To pass the time, they did everything from playing video games, watching anime, talking about almost anything they could think of.
The sun had gone down and the sky was pitch black.
But Thomas still hadn't returned.
Everyone was beginning to get worried.
"It's...11:30?!" Cried Kanzashi, looking at the time on her holo-screen.
"Ugh," Groaned Ichika, "He must've lost track of time or something."
"This is too far!" Snapped Nana, "If that idiot doesn't want a full eight hours of sleep, we'll just have to make sure he can't wake up until he does!"
Ichika looked at Nana, unnerved.
"But what about Tradition and all that?" Ichika said.
"There's a fine line between being proud of tradition and being fucking stupid!"
Nana marched out the door, thoroughly done with Thomas's self-destructive behavior.
The students in the room all looked at each other, and nodded in agreement.
"If he doesn't kill himself," Lingyin said, getting up, "I'm thinking Nana will."
"We should go with her, make sure nothing happens." Said Ichika.
With that, Ichika ushered everyone out of the room as they quickly caught up with Nana.
The group hurried down to the cafeteria.
None of them understood what was going on.
The cafeteria was currently empty, albeit for the light in the kitchen.
Since Thomas had been allowed full access to the kitchens, it was obvious he'd exploit the hell out of such an opportunity for his quest. Since it was almost midnight, the cooking staff had retired, most likely letting Thomas continue until he reached a reasonable stopping point.
Key word "Reasonable."
However, when the group walked towards the kitchen, they felt a strange sense of foreboding.
Where was this apprehension coming from?
The lights inside the kitchen were on, the door was wide open, but the strange aspect was that the sounds of culinary work one would expect to hear in a kitchen weren't there. In face, the kitchen was dead silent.
But why? Thomas would've made a racket, considering the amount of effort he was putting in to make this Thanksgiving feast.
Did Thomas leave?
The group slowly crept up to the open door.
Their anxiety was at its limit.
"Thomas?" Called Ichika.
There was no response.
Nana, fed up, marched right into the kitchen.
"Alright, numbnuts!" She snapped, "You better have a-OHMIGOD!"
The others quickly rushed in to see what Nana was reacting to.
What they found was a tray and spilled mashed potatoes on the floor...
...And Thomas comatose on the ground.
"Miss Orimura! Please, open up!" Ichika knocked furiously on the door to Chifuyu's room.
Chifuyu grumbled to herself as she went to the door.
"What could you possibly be doing at this time of night?!" Chifuyu snapped as she opened the door, ready to clap Ichika over the head.
"It's Thomas, Ma'am!" Cried Ichika, "He's..."
"He's what?"
"He..."
"Spill it."
"He's collapsed, and he won't wake up!"
Chifuyu stared in disbelief.
She really should've foreseen this.
"THAT DEAD MOTHERFUCKER!" Shouted Chifuyu as she followed Ichika to the Infirmary.
In the Infirmary...
Chifuyu didn't know whether to be worried or angry.
Currently, she was both.
Acting quickly the group carried Thomas to the Infirmary and got him in a bed.
"Well," The Nurse diagnosed, "He collapsed from exhaustion. Right now, his hands are-what the medical term?-Utterly destroyed by his little Thanksgiving passion-project. Right now, he's got a high stress-induced fever, and he's malnourished. At best, He'll be fully-recovered in he spends a while in bed and doesn't do anything."
"This is my fault," Muttered Chifuyu, "I didn't set very good limits on him, and he took it too far."
"We're also to blame," Admitted the students, "We were gonna intervene when he got back, but we didn't think he was approaching his limit. We should've put our foot down harder..."
"What're we gonna do now?" Said Ichika, "Thanksgiving's only two days away!"
The group all looked to each other for an answer.
"I say we finish the job!" Declared Lingyin, putting her fist in her hand.
"Wha?!"
"Think, people! Thomas put his blood, sweat, and tears into cooking! You all saw his miserable he looked! We didn't do the right thing by letting him be, and we gotta find a way to make it right!"
"I say we cook so much," Said Charlotte, "Thomas would be too shocked to be thankful!"
"Yeah!" Everyone else agreed.
"Hold it." Snapped Chifuyu.
Everyone then began to sink into despair, thinking Chifuyu would shut them down.
"Just make sure to be safe. The last thing we need is for everyone to wind up in the Infirmary with Scott."
"Yes Ma'am!" The students acknowledged in unison.
They all felt pumped and ready to begin the task right then and there.
However, due to how late it was, they all passed out the moment they entered their rooms.
That morning...
Ichika yawned as he reached the kitchen.
He was going to prepare for the arduous hours of cooking for Thanksgiving.
However, when he opened the door, he gasped as he found Thomas...
...Mopping up the mess he'd made as he collapsed last night.
Thomas's hands and fingers were wrapped in bandages and he was moving gently and slowly. He was shirtless, wearing his uniform pants and shoes. His pants slipped down his waist, exposing the top of his boxers.
"THOMAS?!"
"Morning."
"WHAT'RE YOU DOING?! You need to get to bed!"
"I will."
"Then go! After you collapsed, you really can't be doing this!"
"I know, and I won't."
"What does that mean?! You're just gonna break yourself!"
Thomas sighed.
"The only things I'm doing are writing down instructions and mopping up this mess, hand me the trash can?"
"What?"
"Ichika," Groaned Thomas, "I'm not senile or stupid beyond my limits. I know how crippled I am right now, and I promise, when I'm done here-which won't be too long-I'll go right to bed."
"Really?"
"Sure, I'm arrogant and a stubborn sunvabitch, but I'm not an idiot. A lot happened in Kyoto, I've grown, you've grown, we all grew a little. But I finally figured out how to do something I've been unable to do for the longest time."
"What's that?"
"I've learned to trust in others."
Ichika stared, surprised by Thomas's maturity.
"There's no way I can finish this myself, and I can't even do anything at all now. But the irony is that I only learned to accept other people when I'm sidelined completely. Now, again, trash can?"
"Oh-right!"
Ichika quickly retrieved a nearby trash can, and presented it to Thomas.
Thomas slowly emptied the mess of spilled food into the trash can, and went to return the broom to the supply closet.
"Anyway," Said Thomas, "I left recipes and instructions on the table, you'd best make use of them if you'd be willing to finish all this for me."
Ichika stared.
Thomas then began to slowly walk back to the Infirmary before anyone noticed he left.
He was utterly dumbstruck.
Thomas had obviously become suspicious of everything and everyone ever since they'd separated. He developed trust issues and became wary of people he'd call friends. Seeing Thomas act so trusting and actually let people meddle with his work was so unnatural.
It wasn't long before the other Representative Candidates arrived, wondering why Ichika looked flabbergasted.
Upon hearing about Thomas's condition, several more First-Year students gathered to help in any way they could. Following the recipes Thomas had left, they worked in rotations to evenly spread out the workload.
Thomas would've been stunned.
Many of the girls didn't really understand the meaning behind Thanksgiving, but they worked diligently to prepare a feast for the entire IS Academy.
2 Days later...
Thomas yawned as he woke up.
He really didn't want to get out of bed.
After wasting a lot of time with Thanksgiving affairs, the bed suddenly seemed far warmer and more inviting to him.
"Tommy!" Called Ichika.
Thomas groaned, pressing himself deeper into the bed.
"Wake up!"
Thomas refused to budge.
Suddenly, a fusillade sounded off right in Thomas's ear. Sounds of missiles and bullets instantly snapped Thomas out of his dreamy haze. Thomas instantly sat up, winded by the sounds of explosions and gunfire rocking his eardrums.
Ichika stood at his bedside, he pressed the pause button on his phone.
"C'mon," Said Ichika, "It's time to get to class."
Thomas groaned as he rubbed his ears.
It was quite hard for Thomas to button upon his blazer, and the boys decided to leave it be. Ichika ushered Thomas to class, staying by his side to ensure he didn't fall over or push himself.
The boys, after a great deal of time, finally reached the classroom.
"By the way," Thomas inquired, "How'd all that go? I mean, with cooking and everything?"
"About time you asked."
"And you now have to answer."
"Well...I'm not entirely sure..."
"Oh?"
Ichika opened the door to Class 1 for Thomas.
"Is this what you wanted?"
The class erupted with greetings for Thomas.
The entire classroom had been decorated with a Thanksgiving theme.
Chifuyu, oddly enough, greeted Thomas with a warm smile.
"You better be thankful," She chuckled, "Or I'll crush you when you finish recovery."
Thomas was dumbfounded.
"W-What...?"
"Well," Said Ichika, "We made sure to do our best and follow the instructions and guidelines you gave us. Plus, we took the liberty of looking stuff up online, hope you like it and everything!"
"But..."
"Oh, yeah. Chifuyu went through a lot to make this a day-off for everyone, so we can all enjoy Thanksgiving!"
"We all heard about how much you put into this, so we wanted to help!" Cheered Honne.
"Ichika told us about you leaving this to us," Complimented Houki, "That was...Uncharacteristically mature of you."
"Says you." Giggled Thomas.
"Hey!" Houki pouted.
"D'aw~!" Ichika chuckled, "Lighten up, Houki Pouki!"
"I-Ichika! Don't call me that!"
The entire class perked up, realizing they now had a cute nickname to embarrass Houki with.
"D-Damn you, Ichika..." Houki growled, doing her best to restrict herself from clocking Ichika right in the face on such a day like this.
Thomas sighed happily.
"Hey! It's Thanksgiving right?" Said Ichika, "What're you thankful for, Tommy?"
Thomas thought long and hard.
"I only have so many things I can say," Said Thomas, "If I could be brief, I'd say I'm thankful for being lucky enough to land myself a place like this. Here, I'm surrounded by people who care, and I feel safe calling them my friends."
Chifuyu turned away, doing her best to hide her blush.
The girls squealed with delight as they heard Thomas compliment them in such a way.
Ichika felt a renewed kinship with Thomas, chuckling as he began to remember how foolish Thomas could be at times.
It was refreshing for everyone to see how open Thomas had become ever since he'd started attending the IS Academy. For the longest time, when he started, he wasn't as slow and patient as he'd become over the months unto now.
It was times like these that Thomas wanted to last forever.
For the entire day, everyone enjoyed a whole day of good holiday fun. People ate, conversed, and bonded.
Thomas could feel he had vanity, as he wanted his life to stay right where it was.
But he knew it wouldn't be long before he'd once again have to grow.
That was the beauty of their lives.
It was all well and fun, acting their age, and horsing around. However, they still had quite the journey ahead of them.
And each day was the start for the rest of their lives.
There would come calms between storms, days where they could look back and envy their youthful playing, days where they could stop and make new memories to look back upon, days where they could learn how to be better and improve upon what they once were.
It was a carefree and happy balance.
But there would also be days where their little balance would be violently rocked, days where something would happen that they couldn't undo or redo, days where they'd lose something they couldn't get back, days where they had to make a decision that would ripple and determine their lives, even their fates.
As much as Thomas tried to force himself to not think of such a dilemma, he knew it to be true.
One day, he'd either push too far ahead, or he'd be left behind. Both would end with him being left alone, whether to wait for everyone else or to try and catch up.
There would be many more days like this, where everyone could take in and rejoice. Days where they could all afford to be greedy and indulge themselves
But there'd also be many days where they'd have to grow, and change for better or worse. Days where they'd realize they can't do both, and would have to choose one thing or another.
As much as Thomas was fearful of what the future held in store...
...He knew that whatever would happen, he'd have his friends by his side.
That is, until the day came where they weren't there.
There would be many days where he'd be all alone.
He'd have to find help, that wasn't to be had.
A/N: That's about it. I wanted to do a Thanksgiving chapter to break the flow a little. Throwing everything from Kyoto to World Purge would be far too abrupt, and there wouldn't be too much development.
Some things take time, like growing up.
It's always nice to do filler chapters like these, it lets me relax and try to write something that could prove meaningful.
But, with this Thanksgiving Chapter done, it's time to move on to World Purge!
Anyway, I've been wanting people to give more feedback on the story, and ask questions about anything on it really, so I encourage reviews be left! Thanks to all your support and appreciation of the story, I wouldn't been able to go this far without it!
Next Time: World Purge Part 1
On a rare day off, everyone does their best to enjoy the time to unwind.
Ichika and Thomas are sent off the Academy island by Chifuyu.
The girls are left wanting to spend time with the boys, despite being stuck at the Academy.
However, without warning, the IS Academy's network suddenly comes under attack from the outside!
The remaining Representative Candidates cyber-dive into the school's computer systems to remedy the situation, but a program known as the "World Purge" traps them in illusions of their hearts' desires.
But it appears that the hackers weren't the only ones targeting the IS Academy...
Leave a review, they're much appreciated and show that you care!