Yeah, the name is Anon

C.C., the immortal Code

Imperial Capital Pendragon, Emperor's private quarters

Three weeks after Lelouch's accession

"—Hello everybody! This is Milly Ashford from KT-TV welcoming you to this special episode of 'Milly's festive council'! And today we have a truly special guest gracing us with his mighty- or should I say, majestic appearance? It's my pleasure to welcome to the stage, the only man under the sun who can proudly put on his resume that the reason he didn't graduate high school is because…! He's too busy governing an Empire! I present to you, the ninety-ninth Emperor of Britannia, Lelouch vi Britannia!"

Thus, the crowd composed of both Britannians and Japanese alike cheered over the high-beat jazz music for the young king to walk onto the stage from the left, making his Ashford Academy uniform looking fabulous all the meanwhile. Lelouch presented himself to the masses unequivocally spectacularly, befitting his title as a benevolent monarch with elegance in every step and a poised grin never far from his lips. The only time he stopped waving to the audience was when Milly cheerfully jogged over to embrace him in an affable hug.

"—Woah! The people really love you, don't they, Emperor Lelouch?" Milly tried her best to project her voice louder than the high-spirited clamour of the viewers, and soon they calmed down from seeing the one and only Britannia Emperor in person.

"—And I too love them, or if that's too personal, I truly appreciate the people of the world. Everyone, thank you all very much for your support!" Lelouch's esteem for his subjects only served to amplify their shouts even louder. "—But now, please. Let's respect Milly's program so we can continue the show."

When Lelouch politely requested quietness, the entire studio almost instantaneously fell into a wonderstruck trance. "—Hoho, now how about that… you just have to ask, wish I've known that, would've made my life much easier."

"—I guess it comes with the job." Of course, the fortunate spectators laughed brightly.

C.C. continued to watch the images scrolling past on her TV, broadcasting the friendly chatty banter Lelouch and Milly were partaking in halfway across the globe. Herself was tugged away under her heavy blankets with pizza boxes stacked up to the ceiling. Thinking back, the Code bearer had endured such a lifestyle for close to two weeks now, her only goal was to propagate a movement with herself as the only follower.

"—Well, you've sure been busy these days, haven't you, Lelouch?"

"—Quite true, I've been running ragged around the seven continents. Going from the Chinese Federation to the EU, back to Britannia and now here in Japan, I probably spent more than half of my time in the sky than on the ground."

"—If it's not too big of a state secret, Mister Emperor, mind telling us what you've been doing?"

Sending another slice of pizza to the bottomless abyss while amending Cheese-kun for her massacre of his people by letting the plushie nestle against her butt, C.C. mindlessly listened to Lelouch speak about his recent ventures in the pursuit of an imposing empire. Going from greeting some important figures in China to greeting some other important, albeit different figures in Europe, none of which piqued a speck of interest from the inattentive witch. Not even signing a peace treaty with the UFN was worth a spot in C.C.'s memories, since if it wasn't for that Lelouch would still be around for her to tease.

All except one subject caught her ears, it was an issue Lelouch barely got to discussed before Milly derailed their topic in favour of gossiping about his potential consorts. There was a short but precise reference to the first successful F.L.E.I.J.A. detonation test at the Dallas Research Institute, a supposedly high-classified event almost no one was meant to know. For the teenage Emperor to so casually let slip such a bombshell was no doubt part of a greater design as short lived as the announcement was.

"Ohhh, Lelouch… look at him go. Already so grown up and mature. It feels like only yesterday he started wearing that silly mask and swore vengeance towards Charles. Too bad for you, Marianne, you never got to laugh at the irony of being killed by your son who's only had the chance because he wanted to avenge you in the first place… and I'll laugh at it, thank you very much."

"-Although you aren't particularly laughing yourself." As the manifestation of stealth, a man's daunting voice spooked C.C. when the phantom-like Suzaku spoke from behind her. His feet brought him through the door but advancing any further had proven to be problematic thanks to the vast array of hindrances littering the floor.

"Doorbells, what do they do?"

"Did you have a pleasant time holding up in your room for two weeks, C.C.? I've actually been looking for you." As per usual, Suzaku's complete lack of humour made it too plodding even for C.C. to mock.

"Can't you let me wallow in my own misery without being bothered?"

"It's a mess in here; when's the last time you went outside?"

"Now I think about it, how did you get in here? My door is locked."

"Were you really talking to the Empress? Was her soul absorbed into the Collective Consciousness or completely destroyed?"

That was how normal interaction with Suzaku was like some days. More often than not, absolute circumvention was their preferred method of dialogue were the two to meet at a chance encounter, for the rare few times when the pair actually had to converse, their speeches just blew each other by and their messages never reached its recipient.

"That's enough. You came to me, Kururugi Suzaku. Ask me one question and you shall receive an answer." C.C. however, didn't promise anything about being truthful.

"Why are you depressed, C.C.? You, of all people." To her genuine intrigue, Suzaku was most concerned about her state of being.

"Lelouch… he dumped me."

"You two were together?"

"Ouch… rude." Hearing his lack of retort, C.C. was certain there was not a single funny bone in Suzaku's body.

"Well, don't hold up in here forever. He'll need you eventually."

"Won't you at least ask why?"

"…Do you want to talk about it? I might not be the best pick, so you know." C.C. contemplated his words fleetingly before not caring too much about whoever was imprudent enough to listen to her rant.

"If I recall correctly, the first time we had sex was after—"

"-I immediately regret this." C.C. sarcastically chuckled at Suzaku's accidental joke.

"I'm only half-kidding. We've engaged in… each other many times over the last year, but it was always only physical, we've never made the final commitment. We remained as partners in crime, accomplices tied by a contract, the demon and the witch…"

"Until one day you realized what you felt towards him was more than the corporeal craving."

"I wonder… if it's truly that simple. Even after thousands of years and countless lives, am I still a young maiden at heart, fluttering every step in front of a dreamy youth? Do I not hold the key to my own soul?"

"Maybe you only feel this way because you wanted him to have that key." Suzaku quietly commented, more insightful than C.C. ever considered crediting him for.

"But now… it has been returned to sender, and I sit here with a sealed envelope that never reached its destination." To the pure absurdity of her situation, C.C. couldn't help but giggle scornfully at her idiotic self.

"What was it he said that stopped even someone like you?"

"There was never a reason given for my rejection… how ridiculous, I'd have accepted any excuse he devised. Call me inhumane, call me dispassionate, call me apathetic or even call me repulsive. Yet there was nothing to shift the blame onto my dejection, truly maddening… how I've allowed myself to become a woman of weakness such as this."

"Yeah… it's terrible for you to experience a flood of emotions, almost make you seem too human." The Knight of Zero appeared to wish her harm with his vicious words on paper, but C.C. could separate Suzaku's poor usage of sarcasm from his truly callous attitude.

"Will I make a desirable lover had I been born hundreds of years later? Or should I have drawn him in months earlier?"

"Lelouch will never hate you for who you are, he'd never done anything with you if it's not the case. You were just a tad bit too slow, Kallen came through first, it's not your fault."

And so, what she presumed to be the culprit was vindicated by Suzaku's confirmation. The who or what barely mattered at the depth which C.C.'s heart found itself dwelling, as long as someone provided a rationale no matter how frail it was, she would latch onto it to save herself from the everlasting heartbreak.

"That's bullshit… but I'll believe it."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, if you're even bothered by one rejection, that is. I can't imagine Kallen being the one to stop you dead in your tracks, maybe you were never that dedicated in the first place." True to his claim C.C. also believed she had allowed Lelouch's denial to bother her for too long. From the perspective of an ageless hex such as herself, it was never too late to cook another insidious ploy on her burners.

"You know… you say some wise stuff from time to time, Suzaku. I am indeed the unfeeling witch, unbound by time itself. I have eternity at the tips of my fingers, what is another couple of months in an ocean of millenniums if that's what it takes to get what I want?" C.C. nearly surprised herself with how fast she found the incentive to continue. But then again, she was C.C., when did she ever let someone else stop her from taking what she wanted.

"I hope for your triumph, but must remind you the time left is short. Lelouch… has his own agenda that he chases after." As Suzaku stepped forward overcoming the clutter polluting C.C.'s dorm, she knew he was ready to reveal his objective for this uncalled-for visit.

"And you're here… because you want something from me."

"Lelouch said that I must be the one to purge his weakness were he ever to grow inadequate, so I will. Even at the cost of stepping into madness." Maybe C.C.'s previous judgment of the Japanese boy was misleading. As it turned out, he did have ways of encouraging a smile to surface on her face.

"Well, colour me shocked. I never thought a day would come when you, out of every single person on this earth, would come to me thinking of uttering what you have in mind, Kururugi Suzaku." The undying Code bearer couldn't contain herself from the spreading the immoral smirk from ear to ear.

"C.C., give me a Geass. I'll only ask once."

Milly Ashford, KT-TV newscaster

Japan, Ashford Academy, KT-TV Studio (temporary)

As Milly struggled to clip her bra straps behind her back, a couple of pages in her binder slipped out from her locker and plunged into a small clutter on the floor of the changing room. A frustrated pout took shape over the young anchorwoman and part-time TV host, seething at the collapse of not just her pages, but also parts of her daily routine.

"Gosh darn, Lelouch! I normally just read the headlines, how could you thrust this onto me!" Milly shuddered at the mere thought of interviewing the newest Emperor to the Britannia throne even after the program had already concluded. Not to downplay her recognition, she performed her absolute best in the role of an entertaining interviewer that the teenaged monarch appointed by name. So, after her work hours were done, Milly finally found the time to complain a little about her restless life.

But at least you're doing what you've always wanted to do, right? Milly worded a monologue inside her own head, admitting to herself that the extra workload Lelouch dumped on her following his ascension was all imperative for the fruition of the ambitious student's dream.

"Weelp! Guess it can't be helped, maybe I'll eventually branch out to nighttime show host, why not." Milly bent down to retrieve her fallen papers, collecting them in a neat pile and rose back to standing upright.

That was when she saw something startling through the mirror glued to her locker, something else was standing behind her seeped in an ominous aura.

"Eep-! …Y-you shouldn't be here! This's a private dormitory, I need you to vacate immediately!" Milly summoned her courage as the ex-Student Council president to inform the uninvited guest of their intrusion. However, after turning around and taking a closer look, it became obvious the trespasser was a member of Britannia's Knight of Rounds." S-sorry, but you still can't be here, Dame…"

There shouldn't be anything preventing the cloaked knight from interpreting Milly's notice, yet the visually feminine figure only trekked closer to the blonde with every step trod in her boots. Moreover, her appearance was entirely hidden from view as a hood covered her hair and a white mask shielded her face.

"S-stop! Don't come any- any closer!" Milly shouted another warning as she lost control over the shiver in her voice. If the frightful girl under siege was in the condition to act more observant, she would have realized the smiling mask depicted with red cheeks, two upwards moustaches and a thinly pointed beard worn by the invader was a symbol of a historic revolt.

From under the menacing red and black cape a single right hand reached out. Frozen by the fear of imminent violence or worse, Milly only just grasped she was still in a state of undress. A lonely piece of clothing was covering her chest and short trousers hugged her thighs but nothing else.

"Just what're you-!" Powerless to stop the invader, Milly shut her eyes to in preparation for the inevitable, whatever it might be.

And she remained willfully blind for a dozen seconds until she felt her breasts being groped.

"Damn, still bigger than mine." The first remark her molester couched in perfect English instantly gave away her identity.

"Oh… my god… oh-my-god! Kallen! What the hell are you up to scaring the crap outta me like that, girl!?"

"Aha, can't say I didn't get you now, Milly."

"…Sure, sure. You got me… now can you please take off that weird mask?" Relishing in her one victory over Milly, Kallen giggled a bit longer before removing her disguise. She pulled back the red hood attached to her cape and slide her refined plastic mask to the side of her face.

"Did you miss me, President?" Kallen flickered her crimson hair into the air and let it rest behind her shoulders. Milly took note of just how long the redhead's locks had grown when she straightened it out.

"I sure did, Kallen! We didn't get to catch up the last time you visited, after all!" Having already forgiven the esteemed pilot, Milly clasped her old friend into a fraternal bear hug.

"Ow, ow, ow… okay, I missed you too, Milly. Sorry I was in such a hurry last time, I had to re-establish the OSI facilities in Japan and track down Nina without alerting the Black Knights to my mission. It was a right mess, honestly. You won't believe how much red tapes there're for anyone not ranked Knight of One or higher."

"Yeah…I obviously don't know too much about what you're going through, but I see that it's all tough work." Kallen chuckled some more and nodded in agreement. Milly wasn't sure if her radical change of factions had anything to do with the complicity of her situation. "Although is it better than when you're with the Black Knights? -Oh, I'm not pressuring you if it's a touchy topic, of course."

"Errr… I've gotten over that now. They were my friends, still are, I think. But they killed Zero's future, and our visions are just too contrasting for us to keep working together. So I follow Lelouch under my Britannian name now… don't really want to dive too deep into this though, I'm still a bit complex about it." Milly patted the half-blood on the forearm, trying to ignore how superbly snuggly her uniform was.

"Hold on, so Zero didn't die from his injuries and was killed by his men instead?"

"No, he's not dead- I mean the identity is, but the man is fine." It took all of half a second for Milly to put two and two together.

"Wait a minute…! So Lelouch is Zero—" Abruptly, but perhaps not unpredictably, Kallen rushed Milly and hushed her mouth with her gloved palm.

"-Balalalala-! Don't randomly say stuff like that, Milly! Unless you wanna commit suicide with two bullet holes to the back of your… head…" Once the apprehension of her joke's consequence struck her, Kallen found her previous expression of gleeful surprise drained away all too quickly. "Sorry… that was my fault, I shouldn't have made a… sorry."

"It's okay… we've grieved for her already… anyway, is it true?" Milly's heart had been devastated by Shirley's death many times. She didn't find it so revitalizing to revisit a past tragedy.

"Yes, but keep it a secret please. You know, I'm starting to see why my standing can't be made public, anyone that knows me well will make the same guess."

"That's why you wear the mask? I mean- I guess it works, it does look pretty intimidating. But Guy Fawkes…? Actually, I can see how it's pretty relevant to who you're. Oh, Kallen you're such a clever little ex-terrorist!" Milly happily exclaimed, her fingers soothingly scanning the surface of Kallen's disguise.

"Who's Guy Fawkes?"

"Pardon, come again?"

"Who's Guy Fawkes?"

"Who's- you! You are! You're wearing his mask, Kallen."

"This mask? I thought it's from a movie. Well, Lelouch did make it for me and told me it's to be my façade as the Knight of Ten, it's pretty comfy so I don't really mind. Does this mask have a story or something?" Milly wasn't sure whether to laugh or pity the clueless girl. It was rather comical for her to have no idea what symbol she donned, but also a bit saddening to realize that Kallen's life had been made up mostly of grim years.

"Hmph… well, you are indeed missing the top hat, but that's alright. You still have all the time you need to have fun, girlfriend. In fact…"

— —

"Really? So the one that jumped twenty feet into the air and called the cosplay club gay wasn't Lelouch?"

"Definitely not, I think it was that maid Lelouch had with him, what's her name again?"

"Must be Sayoko. I see, it does make sense now. If Lelouch is doing his whole revolution thing but still want to be inconspicuous." Milly sipped her tea as she listened to the tales of Zero's exploit for a source any news outlet would kill to acquire, the scale of her scoop was incredibly insurmountable if only Kallen didn't lead a triple lifestyle.

The two former classmates sat by a secluded teahouse outside the TV studio where Lelouch shared his interview an hour earlier, drinking expensively elegant tea and reminiscing about the good days gone. Kallen, who Milly still had trouble envisioning as the Knight of Ten was on standby until her liege was satisfied with his visit to Japan and wished to depart. Until then, they had ample amount of time to share a friendly chit-chat.

"You sure you don't want to come with us, Milly? I can easily arrange any job you want at Pendragon. You can even live in the Imperial Palace with the rest of our classmates."

"Hehe… you sure have attuned to the Britannia way, huh? Thanks for the offer, but I'll decline, at least for now. My grandfather still needs me here, if anything happens, I'll have to take care of the school once it's fixed. Besides, if Lelouch ever remembers to restore my family status, we can officially return as nobles to the homeland."

"That's wonderful, Milly. I'll be sure to remind him about that. Nobility isn't the affluent and prosperous title it used to be, but it's still something, right?"

Milly pasted a smile in response to Kallen's jolly comment. Her thoughts naturally drifted to how the Black Knight's best and brightest ace pilot fighting under the flag of freedom and equality for all so casually turned a deaf ear to her jab about becoming the very image she sought to destroy not half a year ago, even suggesting to use her influence to carve out a shortcut.

Kallen… I really hope this is what you want, or else you'll only be hurting yourself. Milly sent a wish from the bottom of her heart for the future that Kallen was constructing to be one she truly wanted to live in. "By the way, I just remembered this. Rivalz called me a couple of weeks ago, apparently Lelouch is married already? To a green-haired hottie, he said?"

"Oh… that… look, it's—" An untimely ring of Kallen's phone spoiled Milly's opportunity at procuring some of that juicy gossip she longed for. "Sorry, this's work-related, I've to take it."

"No, no. Go right ahead." So Kallen did, on a somewhat fancy touch-screen phone painted entirely in red.

"-Go for Q-1. …Everybody knows His Majesty, that's what— …who? A ninja-maid… oh shit, copy that I'm on my way. Have Lord Gottwald secure the VIP and inform His Majesty! …What-? Jesus, Monica, it's Orange man, with the cyborg eye thing! …Okay, yeah-yeah, provide medical care if necessary, I'm coming right now." Then Kallen hung up, her preceding carefree mood blasted away by the call of duty.

"Did I hear something about Sayoko?"

"Yeah, she was trying to see Lelouch but was stopped at the gates, let's go." Slamming a handful of change down by her teapot, Kallen swathed herself under her grandiose cloak and adjusted her mask to fit over her features.

Kallen Stadtfeld, Knight of Ten

"I've… I've f-failed you, M-Master Lelouch… I'm undeserving of your care."

"Grotesquely Exaggerated, Sayoko. You've done your very best in service of me." Lelouch gently kneaded Sayoko's fingers as he sat with dedicated discretion by her medical bed aboard the Emperor's VTOL shuttle.

"There were two escape crafts that night during the battle, I was caught on board trying to rescue Lady Nunnally and couldn't stop it from departing. I only managed to escape later without Lady Nunnally. Right now… I presume Schneizel has her captured…" through her ragged breath, Sayoko squeezed out new revelations about Lelouch's dear sister once assumed gone.

"Yes… defeat comes for us all eventually, don't be too stressed over it. Rest and recover, Sayoko, I still have uses for you yet."

"…Understood, Master." The ninja-maid weakly connected her gaze to her lord, saying nothing more after she pulled the blanket further up her bandaged body.

"Jeremiah, I trust Sayoko in your care. If her condition worsens, you have my permission to take this shuttle to a suitable medical facility for treatment." Lelouch addressed his commander General next, the cyborg Margrave immediately saluted in an upstanding posture.

"Yes, Your Majesty! We're ready to depart at any time, by your orders."

"Excellent, I have some remaining business to conclude, but as long as nothing else interferes don't expect to stay overnight." Thus, Lelouch waved off his security guards and walked down the ramp of his personal jet with Kallen following closely behind.

"Lulu- sorry- I mean Your Majesty, I-is she alright? Is Sayoko…" The first to rush Britannia's mightiest was his long-time friend, Milly. She was stopped from entering the VTOL and had to put up with waiting anxiously outside.

"Yeah, she's been wounded by gunfire but she'll recover."

"Okay… thank God it's nothing too bad. Well, getting shot isn't super pretty… our standard for what is badly wounded sure is changing these days" Milly said quietly, tagging along with the two of them to wherever Lelouch headed for.

"You don't seem very surprised about Nunnally's survival, why is that?" After following the royalty dressed in white back to the school, Kallen posed a question of her own once she confirmed there were no nearby eavesdroppers.

"I've already known. Suzaku told me, then C.C. told me, and Gino also told me before I left Pendragon two days ago. Nunnally… allied herself with Schneizel in Cambodia, it is… something she decided to do for herself." Mirroring Milly's dumbfounded expression, Kallen also never believed something so inconceivable could be true.

"Then- then we need to rescue her immediately! We can despatch a strike force down there in half a day's time!" Kallen marched a step ahead to focus Lelouch's attention as she announced her strategy, but his radiant purple eyes were drowning in seclusion and reverie, not remedy.

"And lose them to Schneizel's F.L.E.I.J.A.? Keep yourself rational, Kallen. I'd have considered many scenarios of recusing her, none would pan out in victory for me." Heeding her liege's warning, the agitated knight back down and realized her impulsiveness. "I cannot launch an attack with F.L.E.I.J.A., at the same time I cannot launch one without it. Moving in on him now will only expose my knowledge of Nunnally's survival."

"And if he knows that you know Nunnally is with him…"

"Then there will be nothing stopping Schneizel from activating Damocles with her aboard, meaning I'd lose my only check of keeping the fortress at bay. Right now, doing nothing and feinting ignorance is my method of keeping this impasse. It's not a favourable solution, but it'll have to do." Lelouch mused, still deep in thought when he unknowingly reached the clubhouse that used to be his old habitat.

"Ooooh, so that's why you talked about the F.L.E.I.J.A. while we were on air. I was thinking back then that it's super weird for you to bring up a military secret." Milly charmed in casually. Her lighthearted attitude was an obvious motivation for the rest of her friends to turn their frowns upside down.

"It was so, I'm sure Schneizel would've heard of that news somewhere or another. Technically he could strike Pendragon right now and contact me to let me know Nunnally is alive, but the possibility of me ignoring him and blow him out of the sky still exists. It's not a risk he will take."

"Then… what about Nunnally? Don't you… you know? Wanna see her?" Kallen pressed on.

"I do. However, unfortunate as it is, she's at her safest with Schneizel right now. Besides… when Gino and friends took the order to take us down, they explicitly received Nunnally's blessing as a princess. She's all grown up now, I'll let her decide for herself what she wants to do."

"I see… it's not my place to question your decisions, especially when it comes to Nunnally."

"For that, I am thankful, Kallen. Please, don't let it worry you. I'm doing everything in my power to better the world, and everyone's lives." Sensing the serious atmosphere was at an end, the intuitive girl seized the opportunity to press a separate attack.

"Then, if you're really sure it isn't bothering you, there is something I really wanna do before we head back home. Of course, unless Your Majesty actually can't let himself have some R&R and wants to overwork instead." Her playful plea rinsed a short laugh out of Lelouch.

"Yes, dear Kallen, if you so insist. No use worrying about aspects of fate we have no control over." The young ruler's hearty smile was copied onto Kallen's own demeanour as she wrapped herself around his right arm.

"Then… you wouldn't mind hanging out with me tonight, Lelouch? There're some things I want to do."

"I suppose I have some gaps in my schedule to accompany you for leisure, as long as it stands reasonable."

"Perfect, wonderful! -Milly, if you would do the honours." Replying in her signature smirk, the club president tugged Lelouch away and Kallen willingly let go.

"Allll-ready then! Your emperor look is very majestic and such, but we can't really have you run around outside in this absurd garb, let's give you a more… citizen makeover."

"Wait, wait, I do actually have something I want to try."

"Ooh, you're gonna get to try it, alright. I assure you, Your Majesty." Lelouch wouldn't find out whether Milly was willing to show mercy to her dress-up victim until it was all over. For the time being, he was powerless to stop the stubborn blonde from dragging him away.

With her masterful plan coming together piece by piece, there was only the last bit of preparation to complete before Kallen was ready for a good time on the anniversary of the masked revolutionist's birth.

"—Q-1 to Monica, confirm." Kallen speed-dialled the number of the woman who served as the head of Lelouch's Royal Guard, how she wasn't fired from that position after she failed the same task for the previous emperor wasn't bothering the Knight of Ten at the moment.

"—Confirmed, what do you need, Kallen?" If the victim of the red-tinted Devicer's violent disarmament over Pendragon was still traumatized by her fearsome antics, the pale pilot didn't let it show over their cell phone transmission.

"—His Majesty and I will be travelling discreetly for the rest of today until… tomorrow morning, then we'll return to the capital. Visual confirmation might be difficult, so have a couple of teams track me on my mobile beacon. Keep out of sight, though, it's a private affair."

"—Private…? Nevermind, understood."

"—Also, did you find that motorbike I was looking for? The blue one with the sidecar, I kinda need it."

— —

Author's note

Inb4 "there's no way V for Vendetta could've existed in the CG universe!" Dude, you're so right, but let me indulge in this rereferral humour, also known as the lowest-tier of comedy for a brainless trend-chasing normie such as myself. I hope this kind of fourth-wall tapping jokes are still tasteful and doesn't turn off too much people, because it's so weirdly intriguing to me I don't think I can stop.

Kallen wearing a mask will have more plot-related relevance beyond the reasons in this chapter, although it being a Guy Fawkes mask will only have one more not-super-important importance. If you wanna visualize how she wears it to the side of her head, I was thinking it something like that one Touhou character with the mask. (Don't actually me, I seen some art of her, like once.)

This chapter is kinda short and ended at a weird spot, so I'll try to upload another chapter soon, and by soon I mean in the range of about a week to never updating ever again. Although I do have a pretty big stockpile of stuff already written down that's the same length as what I have uploaded so far, so it's going pretty alright.

A lot of CG fanfics do the 'redo the plot but with future knowledge thing', but almost all of them, good or bad are kinda all dead. I think it's mostly because when the scale of a story is so wide it's hard to find the motivation to continue without an ending in sight, that's why I chose not to write that even though it was my first idea even before seeing the catalogue. And with this story I do have almost the whole plot planned out, with how many major arcs and conflicts there will be. Hopefully I don't lose the drive to keep writing and leave the people that actually enjoy this story to hang.

Speaking of plot, I'm really bothered by how Schneizel didn't nuke Pendragon when Lelouch was there. Maybe I missed something, but if he wanted to just kill him, why do it at the exact moment Lelouch is in Japan? Probably just plot contrivance, not like I lack my share of those in here.

I hope everyone likes reading my absolute aimless rambling at the end of every chapter, a solid jumbled mess this is.

I am not super desperate for someone to beta this story for me, but I definitely won't turn down anyone's offer if they're interested. I certainly would like to run a rough draft through someone who's knowledgeable about all them English words and get some feedback to write gooder.

For replying to reviews, I don't really have anything to say this time either. Not that I'm not grateful to everyone that does leave a review, I am. I guess there's not really a lot of content to bite into each chapter since they're kinda short to leave a significant impression, and that's just how it is. I won't pretend I don't like it when you cool kids stroke my ego, but it's kinda like YouTube comments where it's actually hard to write one if you can't think of anything to write.

I feel like I ranted about something similar last time too, but it's hard to pat out every chapter to five thousand words.