Hiya everyone. Stuck in my home during the quarantine with little to do but write. Well, might as well make use of the time given. Here's chapter seven of Change My Mind.

/-/

The period was nearing its end as a class led by Maya Yamada was wrapping up.

"And that concludes our lesson." Maya concluded. She turned to the students to make her last announcement. "Finally, it has been decided that the representative for our class will be Ichika Orimura. It makes me happy that you all came to an agreement."

Ichika blinked. Something Ms. Yamada just said didn't sound right.

"Hold on, I lost the class representative tournament, so why am I the representative?"

"That's-"

"It is because I declined the position." Cecilia interrupted.

She stood up to address the class. "While you did lose the match Ichika-san, the outcome was already decided based on our skill level. After all, you were fighting against me. There was little you could do. And besides, upon reflection. I must admit my actions were childish." She blushed just recalling all the ways she insulted him. "There's nothing better to improve your skills with the IS than actual experience. Seeing as I already have so much experience, I decided to give the position of class representative to you to help you improve Ichika-san."

"You're so understanding Cecilia!"

"Seeing as he's a guy who can pilot an IS and our classmate, we have to give him our full support."

"You go girl!"

While the girls applauded Cecilia for her actions, one girl in the back looked mortified. Yua Tani couldn't believe what she was hearing. Cecilia was giving an undeserving male the class rep position. To that man who had barley ever piloted an IS and clearly had no experience leading others! She pinched herself to wake up from this nightmare, and yet she was still here. Her voices of objections were drowned out by all the praising Cecilia received for her kindness.

Cecilia basked in the praise and turned to Ichika.

"B-By the way Ichika-san. I do believe that if someone as skilled as me oversaw your training, your skills would improve more rapidly. Therefore, it would be best if I oversaw your training."

Houki stepped in. "Sorry but I'm the one training Ichika. He asked me to do so himself."

"Oh, if it isn't Ms. Shinonono who has a "C" in IS rank. Don't you think it would be better for someone with an "A" rank such as myself to teach Ichika-san?" Cecilia gloated.

"T-This doesn't have anything to do with rank!"

"C rank?" Ichika wondered what this talk of rank was about.

"It isn't all about rank you know..." Jayden threw his hat in the ring, having enough of Cecilia's boasting. If Cecilia wanted to boast how great she was, then he figured it'd be up to him to stop her. "You think just because you have a higher IS compatibility rank doesn't automatically make you a better pilot?"

"No. It's also because I'm far more experienced and skilled than both you and Ms. Shinonono combined. And pray tell. What is your ranking Jayden?" Cecilia asked.

Jayden mumbled inaudible words.

Cecilia put a hand to her ear. "What was that? Speak up" Cecilia mocked.

"I've been told mine is D." Jayden looked away in embarrassment.

"Um excuse me, what's all this about IS ranks?" Ichika asked. As the teacher, Ms. Yamada explained.

"IS-Compatibility ratings are a system to measure how well the IS responds to a pilot. The rankings are as followed from lowest to highest: E, D, C, B, A, and S. E is the lowest which means not compatible at all. This is usually for men and a very small amount of women. On the other hand, S ranking pilots have great compatibility and have been shown to have great response time in an IS and have a higher rate of invoking change in an IS."

"So, the higher rank, the more potential you have?" Ichika asked.

Maya nodded.

Jayden's head dropped to his desk as Cecilia laughed.

"But don't feel depressed Mr. Sylvan. With enough training and time, anyone's rank can rise up." Maya tried to cheer him up.

"Well rank doesn't matter! Only skill does." Jayden challenged.

Cecilia shook her head. Some men just didn't learn. "And you lack both of those. The system of rankings allow us to tell who is among the best of the best and who should know their place. If you ask me it's a perfect system."

"If you ask me it's a shitty system that has the skills and nuance of IS piloting reduced to single letters." A serious voice said from the room's entrance.

Silence hung around the room.

Chifuyu Orimura entered the classroom, returning from her meeting. Chills ran down the spines of all the students. She swatted Cecilia on the head with her signature attendance book to silence her boasting.

"That IS ranking test is nothing more than empirical testing with actual IS suits to serve as a benchmark for how well a pilot can interface with an IS."

Cecilia looked uneasy, as though all the bravado she'd built up just vanished.

"Your rankings and whatnot are irrelevant. In my eyes, you're all just baby chicks who haven't even managed to break out of your shells. So, don't go bragging about your so-called merits. And you should know that not even being S level compatible or a representative cadet will exempt you from learning what I'll be teaching. So, show some reservation you idiots."

No one dared to object to Chifuyu. Her message had gotten across crystal clear.

"Ms. Yamada, you told them the final results of the class rep tournament?" The green hair teacher nodded. "Your class representative will be Ichika Orimura, any objections?

The class was silent. Yua wanted to object but couldn't muster the will to speak up.

"Very well. The official class representative of class 1-1 is now Ichika Orimura. Congratulations."

Ichika's face fell onto his desk. He was now stuck with the responsibilities of class representative.

/-/

"Listen up Everyone. Today we'll be practicing basic IS maneuvers."

The next period was on basic IS maneuvers in one of the IS arenas.

The teachers Chifuyu and Maya were dressed in their white and blue tracksuits respectively while every student wore IS suits. Every personal pilot wore a custom-made suit with regular students wearing a school loaned IS suit. Except for one student who was wearing her school swimsuit.

"Orimura. Sylvan. Alcott. Try flying with your IS's." Chifuyu ordered.

"Yes ma'am" The three students chorused. Cecilia summoned her unit, Blue Tears instantly. Jayden was second summoning his with a cry of 'Nova Union'. After a bit of trouble, Ichika managed to summon his IS with a cry of 'Byakushiki.

"Sylvan. Orimura. Learn to summon your IS units without calling their names. Now all of you, fly. Get up to two thousand meters." Chifuyu ordered. They all nodded Cecilia rocketed off while the guys flew up behind her.

"You holding up okay Ichika?" Jayden spoke through the communication line.

"I'm managing, still not use to flying this though." Ichika replied.

"Ichika-san. It's just a mental image. All you need to do is find the image that works best for you." Cecilia advised.

Ichika thought about different things that could fly but none of it helped.

"Try thinking of yourself like a superhero flying while the front of you steers, that's how I usually do it." Jayden offered.

"My, how that kind of thinking suits you Jayden." Cecilia smirked. "It's the thinking of a boy, not a man."

"And what's that supposed to mean drill head?"

"It means there's much more to flying than using a pose. You have to take into account the anti-gravity wings and theory of flow interference." Cecilia lectured.

Jayden and Cecilia flew on ahead to the designated altitude where they proceeded to bicker like an old married couple on the process of IS flight and equipment.

Ichika flew up to meet with Jayden and Cecilia at the designated altitude. He watched as the two argued over the best way to fly. He decided the best course of action was to let them resolve it themselves. After the shopping trip it seemed like he and Cecilia how gotten closer, like the wall between them had broken down. However, the wall between Jayden and Cecilia was still as strong as ever.

Once they had remained floating, Chifuyu used a communicator to speak to them. Thanks to the vision of the IS's high grade sensors, all three pilots could see Chifuyu clearly, every from so far away.

"Orimura. Alcott. Sylvan. Execute a power dive from your current altitude and come to a complete stop. Your target is 10cm above the ground."

"Well, ladies first."

Cecilia took her cue and leaned her body forward to descend at a 45-degree angle. Using her thrusters on her feet, she leaned upwards. Placing her heels on the floor she let gravity do its thing and set herself on the ground with a flawlessly executed power-dive.

The guys watched Cecilia's maneuver from above "Wow. She totally nailed it."

"That's not so hard. Anyone can do that." Jayden dived downwards, flying quite similarity to how Cecilia flew moments ago. As he reached the ground, Jayden pulled up a little too early, leaving himself balance on the heels of his feet. Jayden circled his arms to keep his balance and managed to stay upright in the end. It wasn't perfect but it was a decent power-dive.

Not it was Ichika's turn, diving down to attempt the same maneuver. While he imagined the wings on his back, he didn't know how to stop himself. Lower and lower he dropped with no while not knowing how to rise back up. He waved his arms frantically trying to stop until he crashed into the ground, the impact leaving a sizeable crater in the ground.

Students ran the to the edge of the hole to get a better look. In the center of the hole was Ichika face down in the dirt. With a bit of struggle Ichika deactivated his IS and managed to pull his head out of the ground. He gasped for air while thinking about how he thought he was going to die.

Chifuyu walked to the edge of the crater to inspect the damage. "You idiot, who asked you to open a hole in the ground? I expect you'll take responsibility and fix this."

"Sorry about that. Chifuyu- I mean Ms. Orimura."

"That was pathetic Ichika." Houki called out to him. "How do you expect to pilot an IS when you can't-"

"Are you all right Ichika-san? Have you been injured?" Cecilia pushed past Houki, slid down the crater, and kneeled at Ichika's side. She then offered a hand to help him to his feet.

"Y-yeah, I'm just fine."

"I see. Thank goodness."

"He had his IS on, he couldn't have gotten hurt." Houki slid down the crater to join in.

"Oh Ms. Shinonono. Worrying about others is a fairly normal thing to do, even when a person wears an IS. It's a natural thing to do." Cecilia answered.

Houki wasn't buying it. It if was anyone but Cecilia's she'd believe it was out of natural concern. "Bull. You've always hated Ichika, ever since you first met him."

"Says the wolf in sheep's clothing."

"Much better than being a devil in witch's clothing I say."

They glared at one another, sparks flying between their eyes.

"Is it just me, or are they hating each other more than usual." Jayden whispered to Ichika. They watched as the female duo kept up their glaring contest.

"I think you may be right."

Figuring they'd be here a while, Ichika and Jayden climbed out of the crater. Houki and Cecilia were too caught up in their argument that none of them noticed Chifuyu Orimura standing behind them.

"You two idiots. You really love to fool around during my class, don't you?"

The girls tried to explain but were too petrified with fear to get a single word out.

Ichika clapped his hands together, praying for the safety of his friends.

/-/

*PA!* *PA!* *PA!* *PA!*

Party poppers popped in all directions as colorful ribbons and streamers rained down

Once classes were done for the day, the students of class 1-1 decided to hold a party for the celebrations of their new class rep. All four of the tournament combatants were at the head table next to one another. From left to right, Cecilia, Ichika, Houki, and Jayden sat in a booth as the party's guest of honor.

"Our class really knows how to throw a good party." Jayden stuffed his face with cake. A small section of the cafeteria was being used for the class's celebration.

Ichika rubbed his head, not used to all the attention. "It's still a bit embarrassing to be the center of attention, and I'm not even sure I'll do a good job as class rep."

Cecilia shuffled a little closer to Ichika, almost to the point of resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry Ichika-san. If you ever need assistance, I'll be glad to lend you my aid."

"Gotta say, I envy you Ichika." Jayden watched as Cecilia cuddled up to Ichika, whatever he'd done to turn Cecilia from hating his guts to was something Jayden wanted to find out. Maybe if he knew, girls would show the same kind of interest in him.

"Well aren't you Mr. Popular?" Houki said with sarcasm.

"You really think so?"

"Humph." Houki gave a cold response before taking a sip of her drink.

Before Ichika could imply further, a sudden bright flash emerged at the table. It was a girl with a camera in hand.

"Hi! My name is Mayuzumi Kakoruko. I'm a second year and I'm from the newspaper club. I'm here for a special interview for the people who fought in the class 1-1 tournament."

She placed her business card on the table for all to see, it looked well made for a high school student. She then held a tape recorder in front of Ichika's face.

"Please, Mr. Orimura. Tell us your thoughts on becoming the class representative and what you plan to do with your new position."

Ichika could feel his sweat drop, he hadn't expected anything like this. "I'll do my best, I guess."

Mayuzumi's smile faltered. "Really, that's the best you can say? Can't you give me anything better than that?" She folded her arms in disappointment. "Whatever, I'll just make up some content for you. Cecilia any words from you?"

Cecilia cleared her throat to speak. "While I'm not fond of doing interviews, I'll make an exception this time." Though she complained, she didn't seem disinterested. "I'd like to start with my reason for giving up the position of class representative-"

"Yeah that's way too long." She interrupted yet again.

"Y-You have to hear me out until the end!"

"Relax, I'll make up something for you to." Mayuzumi reassured. "I'll just say you've fallen for Ichika or something."

"W-Wha. W-What was that?" Her cheeks went red as she denied her allegation.

Jayden coughed into his arm to not so subtly draw their attention. "If you want, I can give you some words as well. I did fight Ichika to a close battle."

The reporter considered it than shook her head. "Thanks for the offer but I don't really need you. The readers are more interested in the finalists with their amazing battle. But you were good to. I'll be sure to mention you and Houki somewhere."

Making up things people said, and only interviewing high profile people. This girl would go far in the journalism industry.

"Now that I have your interviews, may I take a picture of you guys? Specifically, Ichika and Cecilia. You two were the center of attention with your personal IS units so a photo would be great for the paper. Oh! Can you two hold hands or something, that would really make it stand out."

Mayuzumi pulled Cecilia's and Ichika's hands together so they were touching directly. Ichika didn't seem to mind while Cecilia seemed to fidget.

"Perfect, hold that pose."

Jayden watched with jealousy as the girl focused the lens on her camera. The same could be said for Houki who was trying to glare a hole in Cecilia's face as Mayuzumi finished her preparations. Both had a look of wanting to interfere.

Mayuzumi held up fingers to count down.

"3"

"2"

"1"

"Smile!"

/-/

Cecilia was heading back to her room now that the party was dieing down. She looked over her keepsake from the party. A photo of just her and Ichika.

And Houki…

And Jayden…

And everyone who felt like jumping in.

Just when the photo was about to be taken, Jayden jumped into the photo. Then everyone seemed to take that as a cue to make it a group photo. Turning what should've been a photo of her and her beloved Ichika into a class picture.

"Maybe one of my maids can photoshop it." Cecilia neatly put away the picture for safe keeping.

"Hold it right there!"

From across the hall, a shy voice spoke out. Yua Tani marched right over to Cecilia.

"Ms. Tani, I trust you're doing well this evening. I didn't see you at the party but there should be some food leftover if you hurry."

Yua wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

"Heading back to my room to retire for the evening." Cecilia answered.

"Not that! You gave that man the class representative position! I want to know why. You told me you'd make him kneel at your feet, that he wasn't worthy of being here!"

"I admit I did feel that way when I first met him. But after getting to know him, I saw some things in him that I hadn't considered." Cecilia recalled all the people Ichika help, especially that elder woman. "If you get to know him, you'll see he's different than other men."

"But… But the class representative position! You can't break your promise, Ms. Cecilia."

"I gave that to Ichika-san as my way of saying sorry. And I recall I only promised you that I would win the tournament, which I did do."

Yua started to panic. She couldn't follow Cecilia's kind of thinking.

"You talked so much about making him suffer, that you would show those men where they belonged. Why are you going back on your word!? Why!?"

Cecilia turned away from Yua to hide the blush on her face. "I'm afraid it's complicated.

"Complicated?" Yua's face lit up in realization. "Oh my god. You're in love with him, aren't you?"

The red that took over Cecilia's face confirmed it.

"Oh god! You are!" Yua grabbed Cecilia's shoulders getting into her personal space. "Ms. Alcott, please listen to me. You are better than those degenerate males. They will ruin your life and wreck your future. I know that's how it ends. It's happened three times to me, don't let the same happen to you."

She shook Cecilia, all the while begging her reconsider. "If we talk to Ms. Orimura now, there still may be time to get your position back."

Cecilia placed her hand in-between them to cease Yua's shaking.

"Ms. Tani. You may not think fondly of men, but I ask you give them a chance. Or at least Ichika-san. I believe he can do amazing things. And I want to be there when he does" After some difficulty, Cecilia managed to pry Yua's arms off her. "You have a dislike of men and I respect your decision but please don't force your views onto me. You may find a good man if you look hard enough."

"But there are no good men!"

"I see." Their viewpoints were too different to find common ground. "I think it would be best if retired for the night. I'm not in the mood to argue."

"Ms. Alcott, please wait!"

Cecilia turned her back and continued to her room. "Have a pleasant night Ms. Tani."

Once she was gone Yua fell to her knees. Her supposed ally had just abandoned her to the other side.

"Even you fell for their tricks Ms. Alcott?"

She clutched her shivering body, and her breathing increased. "Of course, what was I thinking relying on you Ms. Alcott Or relying on anyone?" Yua stood back up, gathering her thoughts. "You may not believe those men will ruin us Ms. Alcott but I do. If you won't do anything, then I will."

/-/

As Jayden returned to his room from the party, Professor Gelimer was there waiting right by the door to his room.

"Hey Gelimer, do you need something?"

The man looked up, putting on an obvious surprised face, "Ah hello Jayden. What a coincidence running into you here." Said the man who'd been waiting outside Jayden's room. "I just came to check up on you, see how you're doing and your plans for the IS."

"Oh, I'm feeling great, the class threw a great party for the class rep." Jayden answered.

Gelimer nodded. "And for your studies?"

"I'm going to practice tomorrow, get the hang of the controls and all that."

"That's good to hear. You're taking initiative. I thought you'd be wasting time screwing around."

"Yeah, and then I'll go for the leaderboards in competitive matches when I get the hang of it."

"Leaderboards? Rankings?" He wasn't sure what Jayden was talking about.

"Yeah, it's the main point of the game."

"Wait…. Are you talking about a video game?"

"Infinite Stratos, Battle Arena 3. Just came out." Jayden answered.

"And your plans for the 'real' Infinite Stratos?"

Jayden shrugged his shoulders.

Gelimer hid his clenched fist in his pocket. Was this kid seriously more interested in virtual IS's than real ones?

"So, you're saying you'd rather play with a virtual IS than a real one?"

"Well… it's complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it."

Jayden tried to think of something. "I just figure I should take my training slow and steady to soak it all in."

Somehow, Gelimer managed to resist the urge to pull Jayden to his height by his shirt collar. Instead he kept his calm attitude and tried again. Maybe if he explained Jayden would understand.

"Jayden you need to start taking your IS training more seriously."

"Hey, I'm going to all my classes."

"That's the bare minimum you should be doing." Gelimer countered. "As the owner of a personal IS unit, you should be doing more. You need to keep up your practice. You're already far behind everyone else, even with your own IS."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who made a hole in the ground at class today."

"And I'm thankful we've managed to drill the basics into your head before we got to this school." Gelimer sighed. "But you can't take it easy even though you're just beginning. Everyone here Is going to be trying to outperform you. And your lack of enthusiasm is really making me doubt you Jayden. What happened to that excitement you had when you discovered you could use my IS?"

"Aww, such a big boy. You're really growing up. So much that I think it's time for you to leave the nest." Irene released her grip, dropping Jayden out of the sky.

Jayden shook those memories of his kidnapping out of his thoughts. "I'm just being realistic. I have a lot of time till I graduate school, so there's no need to rush."

"No need to rush? Do you think all your classmates are going to sit around in a classroom? News flash Jayden. One day of IS training in a real IS Unit is worth 10 days of classroom training. Not to mention I'd rather you be prepared instead of saying 'I'll do my best'."

"I'm good enough as I am."

"Is that so? Partially deploy the right arm of Edel Gleam. Right now."

A partial deployment. It was typically harder to bring out a part of the IS rather than everything at once. The pilot had to concentrate to bring out only what they wanted rather than releasing the entire IS.

"And do it without calling out the name of your IS."

Jayden closed his eyes, picturing only the right arm of his IS. He stood their trying to picture just the right arm and nothing else.

*YAWN*

Gelimer made a loud showing of yawning in a way too obvious manner. "Oh, don't mind me, I'm just standing here in boredom. You know, a good IS pilot would've deployed that arm in less that second."

Jayden continued to focus, picturing more and more of the right arm of Nova Union. When he was about to summon it, it felt like everything was going to come out at once, so he had to stop and try again.

Half a minute went by and no part of Nova Union had been deployed.

Gelimer tapped his foot impatiently. "I'm waiting."

"It, it'll be ready soon. Ahh, forget it! 'Nova Union'"

Jayden reluctantly shouted out the name of his IS. With his focus gathered, light surrounded his right arm and the dull green metal appeared. Even with it deployed, Jayden didn't feel any better. He'd only proven Gelimer right.

"You can only bring out the IS in a partial deployment by calling its name out. It's a beginner's method and the sign of an amateur." Gelimer folded his arms, having proven his point. "And this is why you need practice."

Jayden looked away from Gelimer. "Then I'll just study more."

"I don't need you to study! I need you to practice more with your IS. Heck, you still haven't achieved your first shift yet."

"I've been meaning to ask, why is that? Ichika got his barley after using his IS, so why hasn't Nova Union achieved a first shift."

"To be honest. I have no idea. Typically, an IS achieves a first shift after a few hours of usage with a pilot, however, you've yet to bring my IS to that level. All I can assume for now is that you need to practice more with Edel Gleam to bring out its first shift. So what's wrong, why are you not focused on practicing?"

Jayden pictured Irene once again. He didn't give Gelimer an answer.

"Okay then."

Gelimer turned to leave, but not before giving his final thoughts.

"I'm not criticizing your lack of skill; I'm criticizing your lack of initiative. You may be content to go the easy route and take it slow and steady but I'm not. I need data and results to improve my work. You're a child Jayden, but in this school, I'm going to treat you like an adult. If you can't show results, I WILL find someone else who can. And right now, I'm seriously considering finding someone else. Your job is a personal pilot is to grow and learn. So, start taking responsibility and do you damn job."

Jayden entered his room, any happy mood he had was killed thanks to Gelimer. So, what if he wasn't passionate about fighting in an IS? Just cause someone likes baseball doesn't mean they have to become a sports athlete. And it's not like he wasn't going to practice the IS at all, it just wasn't his top priority. Because he if he wasn't good enough, no one would force him to fight against threats.

"If Gelimer wants me to practice then I'll show him. Starting tomorrow." Jayden wanted the day to be over. He saw an unnatural lump under his covers. Pulling them aside revealed the fox clad pajama girl, Honne. She was fast asleep with her head on his pillow.

Looks like they were trading beds for the night again. Jayden climbed into Honne's bed to sleep.

/-/

The next day, Jayden walked into the classroom 1-1 where most of the class had already arrived. He overheard the students discussing something about some girl.

"What's going on guys?"

"Haven't you heard? A transfer student is coming to IS Academy! She's said to be a first year just like us."

"A transfer student? This early in the year?"

"Yeah. And that's not all" Sayuka pointed out. "She's said to be the cadet representative of China!"

"Oh my! I wonder if she's wary of my existence and decided to transfer in?" Cecilia posed with her hands on her hips. Her confidence was as high as ever.

"She can't possibly transfer into this class, right?" Houki didn't like the idea of another girl transferring in and getting close to Ichika.

Honne shook her head. "I've heard she's going to another. Definitely not ours."

Houki breathed a sigh of relief.

"I wonder what kind of girl she is." Ichika wondered.

"Well if she's a cadet representative, than she has to be strong." Jayden glanced at Cecilia. He hated to admit it, but she was a cadet representative and knew how to use an IS. He hoped that this new girl wouldn't be as arrogant as Cecilia.

"Ichika, you don't have time to think about other girls. The class rep tournament is coming at the end of the month. We need you to be focused."

"Class rep tournament? Like the one we just had?" Ichika asked.

"Sort of. It's a tournament for the class reps of the first-year classes." Sayuka explained. "The representatives from all our classes will fight each other tournament style. This tournament is to give the first years a realistic goal before we really start learning how to pilot an IS."

"And as a motivation bonus, the winning class rep gets their class half a year's worth of free desert coupons!" Honne said excitedly, imaging all the sweets she could get with her share of winnings. "Please win Orimu! You just have to win!"

"Well I'll do what I can. I have my own IS but I'm still not all that great with it." As the class rep, Ichika would be the one to fight for his class.

"Doing what you can isn't enough Orimu." Honne grabbed Ichika's shirt. "You have to win! Whatever it takes. Think of the dessert. If you win, it'll make me…. Err I mean everyone will be so happy!"

"Down Honne! Down girl!"

Jayden and Sayuka had to pry Honne off Ichika. Willpower and hunger could really make a girl move mountains.

"I did a bit of research this morning. Every class has someone with a personal IS unit except for class 1-2. So, they should be an easy win for you if you get matched with them in the first round." Yuzu said.

"Sorry but that information is outdated." A voice called out from the room's entrance. "Class 1-2 now has a representative with a personal IS unit. So, you won't have an easy win. Or any win for that matter."

She was a young teenage girl with light brown hair tied into twin tails, with a yellow ribbon at both sides. She stood there confidently with her arms folded over her chest.

While everyone wondered who this girl was, Ichika seemed to recognize her almost immediately.

"Rin? Is that you?"

The girl gave a cocksure smirk and aimed a sharp pointing finger at Ichika.

"That's right. I'm Lingyin Huang, cadet representative of China. And I've come here to declare war!"

Our favorite Chinese Pilot has arrived.

The Rin arc now begins. Keep safe in these tough times and remember to take care of yourself.

Keep your sense of wonder and see you next time!

Omake

"Thank you all for coming." Gelimer addressed his class, which consisted of only Ichika and Jayden.

Jayden raised his hand. "Gelimer? Why are we the only ones here?"

"Excellent question. You two are the only ones who need this lesson because it only affects you two."

The summons for them came from Gelimer himself who asked the boys be directly pulled from their main lessons for this. Neither guy knew what to expect. The boys gave each other a confused look as Gelimer wrote on the board.

"Boys. Welcome to How to Survive a Harem 101!"

Ichika and Jayden stared with blank eyes, unable to process this addition to their curriculum. Eventually Ichika decided to break the ice.

"What is-"

"This wonderful lesson?" Gelimer finished his sentence for him. "Why it's my guidance to you to make sure you both stay safe and alive at this all-girls school. Having girls go after you at this school will most certainly lead to your demise"

"Wait wait wait." Jayden interrupted. "How can having a bunch of girls chase after me be a bad thing. Heck, that's one of the bonuses for going to this school."

Gelimer shook his head. "Ah the ignorance of today's youth. Listen well you two." Gelimer's tone changed. "As of now your lives are in a state of danger and karmic imbalance. For every bit of fortune, you experience with the opposite sex, you shall experience misfortune in everything else. Not to mention these girls will tear you apart if you upset them. They have access to the IS, a military weapon capable of ending your life whenever they please. You need to be prepared for any disaster that can and will ruin your life. Do you understand Jayden? DO YOU!?"

Jayden quickly nodded his dizzy head in whatever direction he thought was vertical.

"Good. Now because you two are dumb. As in dumb enough to not realize that there are girls who love you-"

"What?" Ichika blinked.

"What? Gelimer echoed, and then ignored the conservation entirely. "Anyway, as you two are the only boys on an island full of hormonal teenage girls, some of them are bound to be attracted you. I don't know how, but they will. So, I'm going to give you advice on what to do and how to manage so girls don't kill you when you eventually screw up."

Gelimer sipped from his mug and proceed

"I recommend you both take notes so you don't forget…. As fast as you normally would." He gave them some paper and writing utensils and begun his lesson.

"Don't you think you're over reacting Mr. Gelimer?" Ichika asked.

"No. Now, we'll begin with basic advice to survive your harem. The first thing you need to do is not panic. This may sound obvious but you'll be surprised by how crucial this is." Gelimer warned. "No matter how many girls try to kill you for an accident you unintentionally or accidently caused, keep calm and run away."

Ichika raised his hand. "Shouldn't you try to explain that it was an accident instead?"

Gelimer laughed at the fruitless question.

"No. Any excuses you make will fall on deaf ears. Those girls will be too blinded by anger to even consider that it's a misunderstanding. Your best option is to book it and avoid contact with them until they settle down. Trying to explain yourself will only lead to you getting hurt. Remember, just keep calm and run away."

Ichika decided to ignore that while Jayden scribbled furiously on his paper.

"Second," Gelimer moved on. "Maintain constant awareness of what's around you. You must always be aware of your surroundings. One minute you're walking around the corner minding your own business, and the next you're on top a girl with your face in her crotch and your hand somehow on her breast. Then a second girl will trip over you and her butt will be in your face with your other hand's groping her breast. Then more girls more will appear and see the position you're in and call you a pervert."

"That seems very unlikely." Ichika said. "And extremely specific..."

"Happens to one in every three harem protagonists." Gelimer pulled out a chart to show them the evidence. Before Jayden or Ichika could question legitimacy of such study, Gelimer moved on with his life saving lesson.

"Lesson number three. Keep your hands closed." Gelimer opened and closed his palms for emphasis.

"What?"

"With the way the world is now conspiring against you, you're going to get into physical contact with your female friends. Their boobs and butts will be like magnets to your hands and they will try to kill you when you eventually make contact. To minimize the damage, keep your hands in closed fists. That way you can't accidently slide their skirts off or cup their boobs. Do note this will change your crime from sexual harassment to physical assault, but this is a much better alternative."

Ichika brought his palm to his forehead. He considered himself a patient man but this was quickly draining him of that patience. "This is just ridiculous. And no one would ever need this so-called advice. Back me up Jayden."

"Punch…. lots of…. boobs…" Jayden finished writing.

Well if you can't beat them. Join them. Ichika gave up and wrote it all down.

"Now there's a lot more to go over but these will serve as the basics. If you take my advice, you two will be able to survive your harem."

"And yours." Jayden mentioned.

"Pardon?" Gelimer blinked.

"You said every guy here gets a harem. So that includes you MR. Gelimer."

Gelimer laughed, waving the idea away. "No no no, the girls here are much to young to take an interest in me. And unlike you boys, I have a legit reason why I can't date them. I'm their teacher" He continued to laugh the idea off.

"What about the staff?" Ichika pointed out.

Gelimer's laughter ceased.

"What? Well… um…."

Jayden realized what Ichika was getting at and clapped his hands together in realization. "Yeah, all the teachers are female, and most of them are about your age Gelimer. Early to mid-twenties, just like you."

Gelimer was starting to break into a sweat. He was too old for the students but the staff at IS Academy was a different story. He focused so much on Ichika and Jayden that somehow, he forgot to consider himself.

"So that means…"

"No no no."

"You Gelimer…."

"Don't say it!"

"You're the only male teacher in a school full of female staff." Ichika and Jayden said in unison.

Gelimer was a stubborn man, rarely ever admitting he made a mistake. This time however he had no choice but to admit it, otherwise death would claim him.

"EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELF!" Gelimer bolted out the door like the room was on fire.

As bad as the situation was, Gelimer knew he could still salvage this. All he had to do was build a bunker, stock on food and water, make all his classes online, and avoid his fellow female staff for the rest of the year.

Gelimer sprinted through the halls too deep in thought that thought that he didn't look ahead of him as he crossed the corner. There he ran into Maya and Chifuyu. Literally running into Maya and Chifuyu, he crashed into them, inviting them on a trip to the ground.

"Sorry about that ladies." Gelimer apologized.

"SQUISH"

"Mmh!"

"Mmh!"

As Gelimer tried to get up, two moans emerged from the women under him. And the ground felt so squishy. Gelimer believed that if he prayed hard enough, he wouldn't be grabbing what he thought he was grabbing.

Up in the heavens, the gods heard Gelimer's prayer and denied it.

In his palms were a heaping handful of Maya's and Chifuyu's breasts. Big enough that his hand couldn't completely cover them. Gelimer's heart was beating rapidly, and definitely not because he was enjoying the dough in his hand. Everyone was too much in shock from move from their position. Somehow though, Gelimer managed to tear away his eyes from their jugs and on their faces.

Chifuyu was deciding which part of Gelimer's face she should introduce her fist to.

"Mr. Brighton, would you care to explain what the hell you're doing before I end you?" Chifuyu cracked her knuckles.

Maya on the other hand was turning redder and redder, trying to look anywhere else besides Gelimer's eyes.

"M-Mr. Brighton, we shouldn't do this. I mean… at least not like this. Maybe if we got to know each other better first then..."

To make matters worse, from out of nowhere a bunch of female staff had gathered to witness the scene. Cries of "prevent" and "scum" came from the crowd.

"I'm too late."

It was over. In Gelimer's panic he'd broken every rule he taught and was now at the mercy of fate and clichés.

The harem curse had claimed another victim.

Legends say that any male who attends to IS Academy will be blessed with a harem of lovely ladies, be you a young boy or older adult. Keep an eye out for the Gelimer spin off story as he survives his IS staff harem.

Special thanks to Gigguk and his "Harem PSA" for inspiring me to make this Omake.