April 8th, Monday, 2195 A.D, 08:50 A.M.

Location: Japan's IS Academy.

"Show a little emotion, will you? You're going to scare the rest of the girls if you keep that face all the time." Said a brown-eyed woman with long black hair that flowed freely down to her waist.

The woman wore a buttoned up black business suit over a white dress shirt with dark red tie, black pencil skirt, stockings, and black high-heeled shoes.

Ichika sets his expression into a more neutral one and looked at his older sister beside him as they walked on one of IS Academy's long corridors.

"Is this better?" He asked.

Chifuyu Orimura, elder sister of Ichika Orimura, three-time champion of the Mondo Grosso, The Strongest Woman in the World, The Brunhilde, and the Lightning Countess nodded her head in satisfaction.

"Better. But still could use a little less frown." She critiqued.

The teen unheeded the last bits of her words and looked straight forward again as they made their way to their designated classroom.

Due to policy, the boy now wears the only male version of Japan's IS Academy's uniform. A long-sleeved white blazer with red lines, white trousers, and black shoes. His blazer were left unbuttoned, showing his dark green tank-top and he forgoes his blue-colored tie that signifies him as a 1st year. Wrapped around his left wrist is a red, blue, yellow, white, and black winged metallic bracelet with a green gem on the middle.

"Here it is. Class One-One." Chifuyu placed her hand on the sliding door before looking at him.

"You memorized the route, right?" She asked.

He nodded.

"Well then..." The black-haired woman slides the door open and walked inside with her little brother.

All attention were immediately upon him.

The students murmured amongst themselves as they all stared at him.

"That's him?"

"Yea, that's him."

"Damn, he's hotter in person than on the TV."

"I know, right?"

"I wonder if he's single or not..."

"I want him."

"What?! You want to date him?! But he's a killer!"

"To terrorist. They're Phantom Task, remember?"

"But still...!"

"I'm gonna ask him his number later!"

"How is he able to pilot an IS? I thought they were meant for girls' use only."

"I wonder if the teachers allowed him to use that in here."

"I know, right?! That thing is ridiculously powerful!"

"And cool looking."

"It's able to transform too, right?"

"Unbelievable. Who do you think made that thing?"

"Can anyone else here beat him with that kind of power...?"

"Eh... probably the upperclassmen and staffs can."

"Orimura-sensei can definitely beat him in record time."

"But Phantom Task pilots are no joke from what I heard, and he easily took them out while other pilots struggled."

"It's because of his weapons, I bet. Those things are like Anti-IS."

"Shit! And we all have to fight him later?!"

"I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I'm too young to die!"

"Is it okay if I drop out now...?"

"Count me out!"

"Calm down! I'm sure the teachers won't let anything happen to us. Right?"

A Japanese girl with long brown hair tied in a slightly messy ponytail and dark blue eyes watched the boy in wonder and amazement.

'Ichika...' She thought in awe as she inspected him. 'You've grown. I've grown, too. Can you recognize me?'

A long light blonde-haired British girl with light blue eyes wearing a modified version of IS Academy's uniform stared at the teenager with acknowledgement and slight respect.

'So this is Ichika Orimura, huh? I admit, he's not like any other men I'd seen in my entire life before. His posture, his gait when he walked in... he's definitely not an ordinary boy. He's also not that bad to look at either...'

A pinkish tint appeared on the girl's cheeks.

'If he's anything like the news portrayed him to be, he will be quite a formidable opponent to face off indeed.' She thought.

A long honey blonde-haired European girl with nile blue eyes who also wears a modified version of the uniform looked at the teen with intrigue clearly shown on her face.

'His eyes...' The girl thought concernedly. 'There's almost nothing in them that I could see. What could had possibly happened to him to have such an eye like that?'

"Everyone. Please, calm down." A bespectacled green-haired woman with matching colored eyes wearing a short sleeved yellow dress with black edges tries to subdue the growing chaos that is the students and failing miserably at it.

As the class gets rowdier, Chifuyu stepped up and let out an authoritive yell.

"QUIET!"

The class shuts up immediately and all of them looked at the black-haired woman with attention as they straightened their backs.

Chifuyu nodded her head approvingly before speaking with a normal volume.

"Everyone. This is Ichika Orimura. He will be joining us all as of today until the next three years. Orimura?" She turned to her little brother.

Ichika stepped forward and the class' attention were instantly upon him again.

He puts his hands behind his back and speaks.

"I'm Ichika Orimura. It's nice to meet you all." He introduced and bowed a little before raising himself up again.

Everyone waited for more words to come out of the boy's mouth but was heavily dissapointed when Chifuyu spoke up instead.

"You can sit beside Darlian. Darlian!" She called out.

"Yes!" The long honey blonde-haired girl raised her hand up in the air.

The boy wasted no more time and walked towards her as soon as she reveals herself.

The long brown-haired ponytailed girl looks dissapointed and upset when he passed by her.

'He didn't even gave me a glance. I'm not surprised, Seven years have already passed since then. I doubt I'll recognize him either if it weren't for the news. But still...!' She pouted as she looked at his back.

The girl named Darlian gave him a kind smile as she watched him took a seat beside her.

"It is nice to meet with you, Orimura-san. My name is Relena Darlian." She introduced herself as she raised her right hand towards him in greetings.

Ichika looked at it before raising his head towards her smiling face.

He slowly raised his own right hand and took hers in his.

"Ichika Orimura." He greets back neutrally.

They both let go of each other and turned their heads back to the front of the class.

The students began to murmur upsettedly amongst themselves once they saw their exchange.

"Did you see that?!"

"Damn... seems like Class Rep has an advantage here."

"Well, poop. There goes my chance with him..."

"She's rich, she's smart, she's beautiful, she's skilled, and she gets the guy. How...? How could someone be so lucky in life?"

"Wish I could be her..."

"This... this is... argh!"

"No! This cannot stand! I won't let this stand!"

The brown-haired ponytailed girl just looked at the honey blonde girl enviously.

The light blonde British girl sighed.

'I shouldn't be surprised, good things always comes to Miss Relena's way, and she deserves every bit of it.' She thought as she stares at them.

'But still...' The Englishwoman pouted as she chewed the inside of her mouth.

Relena expertly ignores her classmates' words and looks as she occupied herself with her own thoughts.

'He's interesting,' The honey blonde girl thinks as she glanced at the boy sitting beside her. 'Ichika Orimura. What kind of person are you? Please tell me. I want to know.'

"Umm..." The bespectacled green-haired woman looked very nervous as she stared at the students before turning to Chifuyu who looks very displeased.

The black-haired teacher took a deep breath.

And exploded.

"ENOUGH! IF I HEAR ANOTHER NONSENSE REGARDING ORIMURA, I SWEAR I WILL GIVE YOU A DETENTION YOU ALL WILL NEVER FORGET! ALL OF YOU HEAR ME?!" She raged and gives the class her biggest glare.

"YES, SENSEI!" The students immediately shut themselves up after that as they all looked at the woman in fear.

Standing besides the blackette, the bespectacled greenette looked ready to cry.

Ichika were completely unfazed by all of this and let out a sigh.

When no more words came out from the girls' mouth, Chifuyu nodded to herself and calms down before starting the lesson.

"Now. Today, we would be continuing and finishing the lesson we've left off last week."

At her words, the green-haired woman quickly scrambles towards the teacher's desk and grabbed a device before pressing a button.

A large screen situated on where the chalkboards are usually at lights up to reveal a slideshow of pictures.

"Due to the suddenness of our newest addition, I will be giving him a recap." Chifuyu began.

"Four years ago, the three IS Academies were both a military school and an IS school made for women of all ages. However, two years ago, a new rule was made, and new courses were added. Now, the Academies are a normal high-school, a military school, and an IS school all rolled into one and was made for girls who wishes to have IS piloting careers..."


Once the lesson ends, Chifuyu and the green-haired woman excused themselves before walking out of the classroom.

The girls who were interested in the boy immediately used this chance to approach both Ichika and Relena and talk to them respectively.

"Orimura-kun, let's exchange numbers!"

"Orimura-kun, can I have a moment of your time?!"

"Orimura-kun, please go out with me!"

"Orimura-kun, do you have a girlfriend?!"

"Orimura-kun, are you single?!"

"Orimura-kun, are you dating someone?!"

"Orimura-kun, what's your favorite color?!"

"Orimura-kun, what's your favorite food?!"

"Orimura-kun, what's your preferred music?!"

"Orimura-kun, could I see your IS?!"

"Orimura-kun, you're Orimura-sensei's younger brother, right?! Can you tell me everything about her likes and dislikes?!"

"Relena-san, are you planning on making a move on Orimura-kun?!"

"Relena-san..."

"Orimura-kun..."

"Relena-san..."

"Orimura-kun..."

The brown-haired ponytailed girl contemplates with herself as she watches the girls asks questions after questions to the two popular students.

'Come on, girl! What are you waiting for?! All you had to do is approach him and ask him if he remembers you or not!' The girl thought frustratingly to herself.

'Aren't you curious about what he has been up to?!'

The light blonde-haired girl watched the girls with an irked expression.

'Doesn't they realize that they are being rude? Keep doing that and you all won't be getting any favors from people.' She thought irritatedly. 'I should go and set them straight.'

Before the light blonde British was about to get up from her seat, the honey blonde girl sitting next to the only boy in school beat her to it.

Relena looks at her classmates and speaks.

"I'm sorry, but I would like to give Ichika a tour of the Academy since he is new here." The European girl looked down to the boy and smiles at him.

"We better leave now before the bell rang again." She told him.

Ichika stared at the girl for a brief second before nodding.

"...Right." He said as he stands up from his chair.

The girls moved to the side and the two popular students walked away from them.

The black-haired teen puts his hand against the sliding door and opens it to see many students all ranging from 1st to 3rd years outside of their class.

Stepping out, the two noticed that the corridor they were in were packed full to the brim with girls.

Taking Ichika's left hand in her right, Relena gave him a smile.

"Follow me." She says before guiding him through the mess of students.

Once they were out of sight, the brown-haired ponytailed girl cursed her indecisiveness as she sat there on her own.

The light blonde-haired girl pondered.

'Should I follow them? Yes, I better should. He fought Phantom Task, right? I want to asks him a couple questions regarding that organization.' She thought before getting up from her seat.

The British girl then made her way towards the door, passing by the group of complaining students and the frustrated-looking brown-haired ponytailed girl.


On the Academy's rooftops, Relena closes the door behind her once she and the boy stepped their foot out.

The honey blonde girl takes his hand back in hers and leads him towards the front of the railings.

Relena releases his hand again and put her arms ontop of the railings.

She stared longly into the horizon before sighing softly as she feels the cool breeze brushing her hair back and forth.

Ichika glanced at her before speaking up.

"I thank you for the help back there." He says neutrally.

Relena turns to him and replied.

"It is of no problem, Orimura-san. please forgive them for their behavior, those girls are just curious about you." She said with an apologetic smile.

'That's an understatement.' The boy thought as he nods in acceptance.

"I would also like to apologize for calling you by your first name, I had forgotten that I'm not in my homeland anymore. As a form of compensation, please call me Relena." The European girl said.

Ichika nodded again.

"Alright. Relena." The boy replied.

Relena beamed and turned her head back towards the horizon.

"So, Ichika." She began. "Tell me about yourself."

The Wing pilot glanced at her.

The black-haired teen were silent for a few seconds and considers with himself if telling her about him is a good idea or not.

Finally, he took on a decision.

Ichika turned around and lean his back against the railings before opening his mouth.

"My name is Ichika Orimura. I was born in September 27th, 2180 A.D, Kanagawa prefecture, Yokohama." Relena listens with rapt attention as if this was an important lesson.

"I was the second and middle child of Gunshin and Aoi Orimura. When I was 5 years old, my parents were killed in a house fire, leaving both me and my sister as orphans. We were taken in by the Shinononos not long after the accident. Growing up with them, I had a relatively normal childhood. I became best friends with their youngest daughter, Houki, and their eldest, Tabane became my sister's. Houki and I usually play and practice Kendo inside her family's dojo, we always spent our time there and was completely inseparable from each other. However, once my sister was old enough for work and has accumulated enough money, she leaves the Shinononos, bringing me along with her to live in a small apartment. This, thankfully, doesn't affect our relationship with them and we kept in touch with the Shinononos for a while. Life continued on normally for us, even after Tabane debuts her IS. Until after her death, that is..."

The honey blonde-haired girl soaked all of that information into her brain as the boy continued.

"It was during a Kendo tournament seven years ago when we were informed of her murder. The Shinononos was... devastated, to say the least."

The raven-haired teen closed his eyes as he remembers those days. "Especially Houki. She completely lost her drive in Kendo and was unresponsive for the most part. I managed to alleviate some of her grief, but not by much. Not long after, government official came to their house and send them away to somewhere unknown for protection. That was the last time I'd ever seen the Shinononos. Until today."

Ichika opened his eyes and, much to Relena's surprise, frowned and went silent.

She saw the boy mutters to himself, but she couldn't make heads or tails of what he said.

He then shook his head, snapping out from whatever he got himself into and fixes his expression before continuing.

"A year later, my sister joined the military and quickly becomes the best of the best from her peers. Two years later, she enrolls in this very Academy. Another year later, she gains the rank of Major. At the same time, I made friends with a transfer student from China called Lingyin Huang."

Relena blinks her eyes a few times as she recognized that name.

'Isn't that the Chinese Representative Student from Class One-Two?' The girl thought curiously.

"That year was also the turning point of my life." Ichika says as his face hardens and turned serious.

Relena was taken aback by the sudden change of attitude from the boy.

"That year, Phantom Task kidnapped me and gave me something that supresses my emotions." He explained, causing the girl beside him to gasp and puts her hand over her mouth in horror.

"I found out that they're going to try and turn me into their asset, but I managed to free myself and killed a few of their members before blowing the place where they kept me." Ichika's face darkens as he remembers that day.

"But..." Relena stammered as she lowered her hand back down.

"But why? Why would they want you to become their... asset, as you say?" The girl questions in confusion.

Ichika doesn't answer but he narrowed his eyes and frowns heavily.

Relena took that as a sign to back off.

"I'm sorry, please continue." The honey blonde apologizes.

The black-haired teen took a moment of reprieve before doing that.

He took a deep breath and sets his face back to neutral.

"Because of their actions, I was lost, the inability to feel emotion was almost crippling to endure. Even the realization that I had killed people, terrorists or not, was lost to me." Ichika closed his eyes again.

"I'm healing, still, and have gotten slightly better from it. But before that, I've completely lost my purpose in life. Any excitement that I've felt before, have went out like water flowing inside a drain. I've went to many therapists, but even they can't do much for my situation. I was on my own at that time, Lingyin had gone back to China due to family reasons before my kidnapping had even begun. I had struggled to regain my emotions back and continued to do so until I was approached by my employer a year later." Ichika opened back his eyes before continuing.

"They... helped me get my revenge at the ones who took my emotions from me. In my sister's early days of military, Chifuyu teaches me how to properly shoot a gun and I fired my first shot at the age of ten. I used that skill to kill the surviving members who's responsible." He says darkly.

Relena flinched at that but didn't let her fear get the best of her as the boy reveals his past to her.

"I realized that I can't go back and pretend that thing had never happened, so I joined my employer and aid them in trying to take down Phantom Task all across the world. I used up the year to train myself and take out as many PT base of operations and hideouts as I could in Japan the next year before volunteering to pilot the Wing that my employer creates."

Ichika raised his left arm and shows the girl his colorful metallic winged bracelet on his wrist.

Relena looked at it and was reminded of the IS' design and power from the news.

The boy stared at it almost without emotion.

"Yesterday, I was given a mission to take out and annihilate one of the shipping docks in Kagoshima that Phantom Task used to get their IS around. It was an easy mission, laughably so. But when I found out that my identity was compromised, things got very complicated." The teen lowered his arm back down.

"I went into hiding as soon as I received the news from my employer. But before that, I was given a new mission."

Ichika then frowned again. "That mission... was to enroll myself in an IS Academy. Doesn't matter which one."

He sighed. "I could see some of their reasoning behind that mission, but I personally think that tying myself with a country has more problems than it's worth than going out alone as a third party."

Relena looked at him in surprise.

"You would rather be a Rogue IS Pilot?" She asked in concern.

"Yes." The boy answered without hesitation. "Being a criminal is a small price to pay when our goal is the total annihilation of Phantom Task. And I am not an IS pilot."

Ichika turned towards her.

"...I'm a Mobile Suit pilot. More specifically, a Gundam pilot." He emphasized the latter as he corrected her.

The girl tilted her head a bit in confusion at that word.

"Gundam...?" She questioned.

The sound of the rooftop door being opened alerted the both of them and they turned their heads to look at the person who did it.

A light blonde British girl reveals herself to the two teenagers as she stepped outside and walked towards them without even bothering to close back the door behind her.

Relena recognized her while Ichika merely narrowed his eyes at the sight of her and stood up straight.

"Cecilia? What are you doing here?" The honey blonde European girl asked the British girl in English.

The light blonde named Cecilia smiled at her placatingly.

"Calm down, Miss Relena, I just wanted to ask Mister Orimura some questions." She answered before turning her attention to the aforementioned boy and stops in front of him.

The two stared at each other as they gauged one another with clinical eyes.

Then, Cecilia smiles and extended her hand out to him.

"Greetings, I am Cecilia Alcott." She introduced herself in fluid Japanese and with a haughty air around her. "England's Representative Student."

Ichika ignored the gesture and spoke.

"Did you eavesdrop on us?" He coldly asked.

"Ichika!" Relena chastised the boy but she was ignored.

The light blonde girl lowered her hand back down and put on an affronted look.

"How dare you! I would never...!" She sneered offendedly.

Ichika couldn't detect any lies from her as she scowled at him.

He relaxes a little.

"I apologize, but we were having a private conversation with each other before you showed up." The black-haired teen told the Englishwoman neutrally in her mother's language. She and Relena looks surprised.

"You'll be upset too if you thought someone was listening to you, no?"

Cecilia calms herself down after hearing that and breathed out.

"...You're right." She nodded as she crossed her arms under her bust.

"I would. It's common sense, after all. To answer your question, Mister Orimura. No. I did not eavesdrop on you two. I waited down the stairs to give you and Miss Relena some time for each other." The girl answered.

"Cecilia..." Relena started as she stares at the Englishwoman.

"You said that you wanted to ask Ichika some questions?" She asked curiously.

The light blonde girl looks at her and nods.

"That's right. I wanted to ask him a couple of things regarding of what he knows about the organization he's fighting with." Cecilia looked back to the boy.

"Oh. Do you want me to leave?" Relena asks.

"If you please." Cecilia answered politely. "I would like to keep this conversation just between the two of us."

The honey blonde nodded in understanding before looking at the boy.

"I'll see you back at class, Ichika." She told him before walking towards the opened door.

Once they were completely alone, Ichika crossed his arms and looked at the British girl.

"So what do you want to know?"The Gundam pilot asked her. "Keep in mind, however, since you're not actually apart of this conflict, I could not give you anything crucial."

"Oh, but Mister Orimura, I wanted to be a part of this conflict." The light blonde IS student reveals to him as she smiles.

"Once I graduate from this Academy, I'm going to enlist to the military and go and eradicate the Phantom Task." The girl continued.

The boy narrowed his eyes as he hears her goal but didn't comment on it.

Instead, he shrugged. "...Ask away, then."

Cecilia opens her mouth.

DING—DONG—DANG—DONG!

The loud sounds of the bell interrupted her.

The Englishwoman slowly closed it back and clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Tsk."

The black-haired teen spoke.

"It seems this Q and A will have to wait for another time." Ichika uncrosses his arms and walked past her.

"I suggest we hurry lest we wants Orimura-sensei to hound us for being late, even if it's just a minute." He told her.

At his words, Cecilia pales considerably as she could definitely imagine that happening.

The boy was already ahead of her before the British girl follow suit.


"...Since your first week has passed, I will be selecting a number of you to explain in detail regarding last week's lessons to see if you are ready to step out of the Introductory Phase."

Chifuyu doesn't gave the class time to react as she raised her right arm and point at one of her student.

"Sano! Tell me the advantages and disadvantages of combat between the 5 IS types!"

The student named Sano stood up abruptly and began to explain.

"There are 5 types of IS in the world. Close-quarter type, Mid-range type, Long-range type, All-range type, and Custom type. Close-quarter type IS has an advantage over Long-range types. However, it disadvantages is that Close-quarter type IS has no ranged equipment to speak of, thus, it depends on the pilot's skills to get in close."

"Enough." Chifuyu nodded at her and point at somebody else.

"Hagiwara! Continue."

The student stood up.

"Mid-range type IS has an advantage over Close-quarter type IS due to its powerful weaponry, but against Long-range type, its attacks are rendered mute due to it doesn't have enough reach."

"Hino!" Chifuyu pointed.

"Long-range type has an advantage against Mid-range and Close-quarter types. However, if the pilot couldn't keep her distance, she will be overwhelmed by the Close-quarter due to her IS not having a close-range weapon."

"Nishioka!"

"All-range type IS has an advantage against every IS types. Its only disadvantage is that it's very difficult to use."

"Shiroma!"

"Custom IS type are more powerful than the standard mass-produced IS and has mixed advantages and disadvantages against different types. It could be Close-quarter, Mid-range, Long-range, All-range, or a mix of the first three."

"Good." Chifuyu nodded in approval and satisfaction. "Now, describe the primary protection of the IS."

She pointed at a student. "Enomoto!"

The girl stood up and explain.

"Infinite Stratos' primary protection is an invisible energy shield. The shield are usually referred to as 'Shield Points', or, 'SP' for short. SP normal value differ from model type with the exception of Custom IS."

"Maita! What are its weakness?!"

"Shield Points can be lowered with the use of high kinetic energy and beam weaponry. Once it reaches zero, the pilot will no longer be safe from injury or death. SP recharges itself when the pilot dematerialize their IS."

"Morimoto! Tell me what PIC stands and used for!"

"PIC, or Passive Inertia Control, is what protect IS pilots from g-forces. It's what allowed them to perform impossible maneuver and turns and stops at a relatively high speed. It's also what allowed the IS to hover and fly in the first place."

"Correct." Chifuyu let out a pleased smile, much to some of the students' delight.

That was short-lived, however.

"Yokota! What are the material to make an IS Core?!"

"Ah! Uhh... umm... I believe it's some kind of crystals, sensei...?" Yokota answered unsurely.

"...And? Where did those crystals came from?" Chifuyu pushed as she stared at her with a flat expression.

"Uhh... uhhh... U-Underneath Luxembourg!" The girl yelped when the black-haired woman narrowed her eyes at her.

The teacher pressed her lips in a thin line.

Yokota whimpered.

"...Ishikawa! What are the standard weapons and additional equipments for IS called?!"

Yokota let out a sigh of relief.

"Preset and Equalizer!"

"Minamoto! What are the uses and purposes of wearing an IS pilot suit?!"

"The suit enhances and let out the signals sent from our brain to our body directly into the IS, allowing us to move the powered exoskeleton the way we want it to."

"Amada! Describe the three forms of IS!"

"IS have three forms. Inactive Form, Closed-Form, and Activated Form. Inactive Form is when the pilot ejected herself from her IS without turning it into its Closed-Form. Closed-Form is the state of an IS where the pilot dematerialize her IS into some kind of accessory. Activated Form is what the IS are usually called when they are being piloted by someone."

"Nishihara! What impacts and changes does IS makes to society?!"

"After the IS was debuted, the social balance between men and women were evened out together and women gained more freedom in choosing of what they wants to be. IS also changed the way we live our daily lives and made us see warfare in a new different light."

"Good." Chifuyu nodded as she finally lowered her hand back down.

"That is all, everyone. To the rest of you, make sure to remember all of that because those are basic knowledge you should all know if you want to become an IS pilot. Now, I believe that all of you are ready to step out of the Introductory Phase. From this week onwards, your lessons will be a mix of practical and theoretical. Also, you are now free to use the Training Facility during break and after school."

At that the students' faces became excited.

The woman continued.

"Don't get too carried away though. For now, we will continue doing theoretical." Immediately, their expressions fell, much to the black-haired teacher's amusement.

"...However, next lesson, will be a practical one, so I hope you're all ready." Their features have done more than answered her of what they're feeling.

She turned her head towards one particular student.

"And Yokota."

The girl stiffened up.

Chifuyu stared at her. "For your information, those 'crystals' are called the Tempszeit Crystal. Remember that. Understood?"

She slumped. "Understood, sensei..."

On her seat, Cecilia mentally hummed in happiness.

'Finally I'm allowed to use my IS. It's been a long, harrowing eight days, Blue Tears, but I finally able to pilot you again.' She thought as she touches her left earring.

'Also...' She glanced at Ichika who somehow still didn't change his stoic look.

'I can't wait to see him in action in that IS of his. Do not disappoint me, Ichika Orimura. Show me everything that you have.' The British girl stares at him.

The long brown-haired ponytailed girl looked back at the boy and stared at him without any hints of subtlety.

As a result, it gained the attention of the male teen and caused him to return her stare.

She bit back a small, panicked gasp as their eyes briefly met and the girl quickly turned around again.

Ichika's gaze lingered on her for a few more seconds before finally looking away as well.

Relena watched their exchange with a confused expression.

She looked back at the ponytailed Japanese girl.

'Weird. Why does she act like that towards him?' The honey blonde European thought. 'Why did Miss Shinonono looked away when Ichika noticed her? Didn't he say that they are best friends?'

Ichika's sister's authoritative and commanding voice brought her back to reality and reminded her that she is still in class.

"Yamada-sensei, I've said enough. Please continue for me." The black-haired woman turned to her colleague.

"Y-Yes!" The bespectacled green-haired teacher replied nervously to her before walking towards the students.

Relena sighed and puts her nagging questions in the back recess of her mind and began listening to the lesson.


When 2nd break starts, Cecilia wastes no time in getting to his desk and grabbed his right arm.

Ichika's body twitches reflexively at the sudden contact but he quickly calms himself down and let her drag him away.

Relena and the other students watched as the Englishwoman dragged the only male student out of the classroom.

Then came the comments.

"Alcott-san sure is bold."

"Right? I didn't expect her to drag him away like that."

"Where are they going, anyway?"

"Don't know."

"Gah! Beaten by another foreigner. I can't believe this..."

"Haahh... I wish I had her bravery..."

"Yeah. I mean, she did know who she's dealing with, right?"

"Of course she is! This is Cecilia Alcott we're talking about! She is the class' smartest and strongest student! If anything went wrong, I'm sure she could handle it."

"Well, she does have a Custom IS, but I don't think that matters. Didn't you remember yesterday's and today's news?"

"I agree. While Alcott-san does have some extra training, she is still a student, and Orimura-san has actual experience none of us currently have and a powerful, Custom IS to boot."

As the chatters continued, Houki Shinonono, the brown-haired ponytailed girl narrowed her eyes at the wide opened door.

Oh, no way. Hell no. That's it, she was done chickening out. She will not let anymore girls get in the way of reuniting her with her childhood best friend.

The brunette quickly stood out of her chair and ran out towards the once packed corridor.

Relena watches as the Japanese girl took off.

'Seems like she realized that she can't avoid him forever. That's good, I was afraid that she may have been scared of him because of his actions yesterday.' The European girl leaned back against her seat.

'As much as I want to finish my own conversation with Ichika, that could wait. For now, I will let them have their turn.'

The honey blonde stood up and walked out of the classroom before her classmates could go and approach her.


Once they're on the rooftop again, Cecilia let go of the boy and shut the door behind her.

After catching her breath, she looked at the teenage male and approached him.

"I will not wait any longer!" She declared as she put her hands on her hips and put on a fierce expression. "How long have you been fighting Phantom Task?!"

"I've begun fighting them since a year ago." The boy answered calmly.

She continued. "How do they fare? Their pilots, I mean."

"To a fully trained pilot with an average IS, they are impossible to beat. But with a Custom IS, she might have a chance against one of them. Might is the strong word here. Even with a Custom IS, the pilot will be heavily restricted to what her country can provide for her while her opponent doesn't."

Cecilia knows what he's talking about. The IS Treaty.

"So... what do you think the solution for that, exactly?" She questioned.

"By fighting fire with fire." Ichika crosses his arms. "To beat them, the world leaders need to fully come to an agreement. They need to start allowing the exchange of IS along with its tech and starts mixing it together just as Phantom Task did to create a highly powerful unit against them."

"Like the one you have." Cecilia pointed.

"Like the one I have." The boy affirmed as he nods.

"What's with that IS of yours, anyway? The firepower on that rifle is unlike anything I've ever seen." The girl said.

"That is the result of the combined Buster Rifle and the Drei Zwergs. At max output, it can release the beam that you've seen on the news yesterday for three times consecutively before it needs to be reloaded."

Cecilia looked uncomfortable at the thought of being rapidly fired upon by that horrifying death beam.

"Who made it?"

"My employer."

"And who's this 'employer'?"

"That's classified information."

The light blonde's uncomfortable look turned into an annoyed one.

Just as she was about ask her next question, the door behind her were opened forcefully by an individual, instantly attracting the attention of both her and the male pilot in front of her.

The girl scowled and looked behind her.

There, panting for breath, stood a sweaty and exhausted Houki Shinonono.

"Houki." Ichika uncrossed his arms when he saw the girl as memories came rushing at him. The boy were suddenly reminded at how much time has really passed as he stared at her.

"Ichika..." The brown-haired girl spoke, feeling slightly elated and pissed at being called by her name by the boy.

"So you do remember me." Houki said.

Cecilia looked back and forth between the two of them.

"You two know each other?" She asked in surprise as she lowered her hands down.

The British girl diverted their attention back to her.

Ichika answered her question.

"Yes, we're both childhood friends." The boy said neutrally.

Houki walked towards them as her heart rate began to calm down.

"We'd parted ways seven years ago." She explained to the foreign girl and stops next to her while panting slightly.

Cecilia looked at the brunette's appearance in a mix of surprise and disgust as she stepped away from her.

"Did you seriously run all the way up here?" The light blonde asked incredulously.

Houki looked at her with a blank face.

"I did. You guys took the elevator, so I had to take the long route." She told her before turning towards the male teen.

"So... how are you?" Houki asked awkwardly.

"Good." Ichika answered expressionlessly.

"...Congratulations for winning the Kendo championship last year, by the way." He added.

The brown-haired ponytailed girl froze up at that.

"S-So you know about that, huh...?" Houki smiles a little as she played with her hair.

He nodded.

"Now hold on a second!" Cecilia interjected in displeasure.

The two childhood friends looked at her with two different emotions. Neutral for Ichika and annoyed for Houki.

The light blonde turns to the latter.

"Shinonono-san, I apologize for ruining your reunion with Orimura-san, but I was in the middle of asking him important questions. Now, can you please leave the two of us here for a moment? I promise that you'll have your desired reunion with him later and I won't be there to bother you two." The British girl said as civily as she could.

"And what were those questions?" Houki inquired challengingly.

"Things only a future military personnel should know and not a civilian." Cecilia couldn't help but add some bite in her words.

It doesn't took a genius to realize what those questions were.

'Phantom Task.' Houki thought.

"She's right." Ichika agrees with the Englishwoman and the Japanese girl looks at him in shock.

"Houki.

those in the military or someone who wants to join them can hear this. And, sorry to say, Houki, but if I remember correctly, you don't seem the type to want to be involved in something like that."

Houki wants to stubbornly say that he's wrong and that she wants to be involved too because she's his friend, but would that be a good enough reason?

The brunette slowly held herself back reluctantly and nodded.

"Alright."

Houki complied hesitantly. "...It's good to see you again after all these years, Ichika." She said tersely before turning around and walked back inside the Academy.

Ichika watched her leaving form for a bit before Cecilia goes and continued her questions.

"So, Mister Ichika. Mind if I call you by your first name?" The British girl asked.

"Do what you want." The black-haired teen answered gruffly and uncaringly.

"Brilliant." Cecilia smiles before continuing. "I have a favor to ask of you." She said, gaining his attention. "I would like to spar with you later during after school."

Ichika raised an inquisitive eyebrow towards her. "Why?"

He asked.

Cecilia answered. "I want to measure myself against someone with a real combat experience. I want to know where I stand in all of this."

"So you wants me to act as your measuring stick." Ichika crossed his arms again as he think about it.