Interlude 9 - Breaker

"Alright, time's up. Put your pencils down and turn in your papers. After that, you can go."

With almost a collective sigh, the whole class stopped what they were doing and began to stand up. More than a few looked excited as they walked to the front, and even more looked nervous about placing their papers on the tray on the teacher's desk.

"Hey, how do you think you did?"

"The less I get to think about the test, the better, okay? Right now, I just want to get in my Uchigane and fly free."

"Get in your IS? Girl, we're going to go to Cosmoworld! Come on!"

Ichika sighed as he looked over his answers one last time, carefully checking if each question had been answered. He had no doubts that he performed average, maybe even lower than average. He hasn't been able to study properly because of all that has happened in the past week.

How could he, even?

The news still regurgitated the same stories about the 'Second White Knight Incident'. The internet was a total battlefield with flame war after flame war erupting, and to top it all off, almost all of his friends got seriously hurt in one way or another.

He gave a discreet glance at Houki and couldn't help but wince at the bandages covering the upper left part of her face. Ever since she had been discharged from the hospital, just in time for all of them to return to the IS Academy, she had been even more quiet and easily irritable. She denied that she did what she had done, that she couldn't even remember herself cutting off Ephraim's arm. She would vehemently express that the recordings had been manipulated or that it was his fault for provoking her to that point.

Of course, this didn't sit well with the others in their friend group.

He and, surprisingly, Rin stood by Houki even as the others made their stances known. While they couldn't deny that the recordings were evidence enough, the fact that the swordswoman seemed so distraught even before her eye was nearly gouged out had them give her the benefit of the doubt, at least in Rin's case. He wanted to stick by Houki because he knew she was going through something challenging and needed all the support she could get.

Charlotte was torn between all this and had wordlessly decided to stay neutral. It was understandable, in a sense. After everything that has happened, not everyone can come to a decision so quickly. More so in her case, as he knew that she had her own problems to sort through concerning the near end of the semester and the situation with her enrollment in the IS Academy.

Kanzashi didn't interact with them all that much in the first place, and in the rare few times that she did, she was curt but coldly so. It was more of the same when it came to the bluenette, though she seemed to have been rather occupied with something lately.

Laura was downright furious with her, almost threatening homicide, were it not for his sister's efforts. She had been kept on a tighter leash by the teacher, though it didn't stop the scathing remarks or insults from coming through. She was, by far, the first student to have been issued detention in their class due to this, which surprised him because he didn't think the IS Academy had such punishments in the first place. Her popularity, which wasn't that high to begin with, but had been improving ever since she had associated herself with the Trio, had unfortunately plummeted to pariah levels after word got out that it was her that wounded Houki.

But the one affected the most was the British noblewoman. Cecilia had given her an extremely cold shoulder, even barely, downright refusing to acknowledge her presence following their return to the Academy. Outwardly, she retained the haughty perfectionist, but Ichika could tell it was as apparent to others that she harbored a deep sense of sorrow and a tinge of regret by the way she would look at the empty seat beside hers.

As he got up to put his test paper on the tray with the others, he glanced at the aforementioned empty seat itself.

Ephraim hadn't come back with them when they returned from Okinawa. It was a numbing realization, even after witnessing his literal disarmament from the recordings. There was always that faint hope, the little expectation that he'd pop up again out of nowhere, wounded but still defiant in his attitude as he was with many things. But no, there has been no word from him since then.

"Orimura, are you just gonna stand there?" His sister's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked at her annoyed expression. "Go on, get out of here. Pack your bags and go back home. I doubt you'd like being here the whole Summer."

"Oh, sorry, sensei." Ichika apologized sheepishly as he walked to the door, pausing briefly at the doorway to look back into the room.

Houki had finally gotten up from her seat and trudged slowly to the table, not willing to meet anyone else's eyes as the remaining few students stared at her bandages. The rumor mill had gone wild when she had returned with new bandages, and already there were those who tried to ingratiate themselves to her upon learning that she had a 4th Generation IS.

Cecilia had long since left. She and Laura were some of the first to submit their papers, most likely to lessen any interaction between them and Houki. Laura stood by his sister's side in parade rest, her crimson eye staring straight ahead. Charlotte was waiting by the doorway, having passed her paper after Cecilia, and she curiously eyed Ryo as he simply stared at his paper. Davion was in the process of walking to the front but had stopped when Houki got up.

Chifuyu looked up at him as the ponytailed girl submitted her paper. "Guele, to my office. Murakumo, go to the teacher's lounge, someone wants to meet you there."

Davion didn't react much other than the small downturn of his lips, and Ryo's gaze merely flicked over to her. Houki glanced at the mechanic, her sole eye almost smoldering with barely-contained spite before she shook her head and walked towards the door.

"Hey!" A pair of hands smacked his back, and he almost jumped in surprise. Turning his head, he saw Rin give him a peppy grin. "Wanna go somewhere now that we're free?"

Ichika glanced back at the approaching Houki, and he clenched and unclenched his right hand. "Uh, let's ask Houki if she wants to go somewhere."

A brief flash of discomfort and understanding flashed through the twin-tailed girl's face before she nodded. Taking a step to the side, into her rival's path, she crossed her hands behind her back and leaned forward. "Hey, Houki, you wanna go somewhere with Ichika-?"

"Home." The bandaged girl mumbled audibly enough for the two to hear. "I just want to go home. Move it, I still have to pack."

"I'll uh, help you out." The male IS pilot offered, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm going back home too. Rin, you wanna come with us so you know where our places are?"

"Oh, uh, sure! Actually, let me contact Yang-san first before I come with. She's going to skin me alive if I up and disappear on her without permission…again…"

As the three of them walked away, Ichika couldn't help but look back at the classroom, where his sister and the two Astray pilots were walking out of, with Ryo and Charlotte speaking quietly. The Red Frame pilot shook his head in apparent disagreement before the blonde nodded and walked away. A part of him wondered if they had anywhere else to go this Summer. It would be great if they could all meet up and hang out together during the break. But…

He looked back at Houki, whose frowning countenance and bandaged eye made for an intimidating enough sight to clear the path for her.

'...She needs me more.'

Closing the door to her office, Chifuyu made sure to activate the lock before turning around and walking back to her desk. The Blue Frame pilot watched her every move, stance relaxed but veiled with tension so thick she could almost physically feel it. He faced her, expression more than evident that he was not happy to be here with his brows furrowed and the lips set into a slight frown.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she placed her hands on her desk to lean on it. Narrowing her eyes at the person before her, she began to speak.

"I have…so many things that I want to say to you. That I want to question you because you've been hiding things from me." The combat instructor stressed as she maintained her stern gaze. "But right now, there is one question that keeps digging into the back of my mind every time I think back to the recordings." She then leaned forward, her lips curling into a near scowl.

"…"

"How did the three of you know that there was going to be a fight during our trip to Kanucha?" Chifuyu clenched her fists. "And why didn't any of you inform me?"

Davion remained silent, looking at her with slight scrutiny.

"I remembered that morning in Takabakasaki Lighthouse, where you three seemed to be combat-ready. And Murakumo," She fixed Davion with a piercing glare. "I distinctly recall his words. 'A storm is brewing up'? I don't know whether or not he was just being bullshittingly poetic. He either had some sort of weather precognition or knew about the mess that was to come. Regardless, I want answers."

"You know how he works. The weather is something he can read like the back of his hand-"

"Cut the shit, even weather forecasters make mistakes."

"Tch, then isn't it obvious at this point?" Davion near-fumed, his expression twisting with displeasure. "Where there's the Rabbit, there's going to trouble. Unveiling a new IS on her little sister's birthday with obvious intent for her to show off said new IS the only way it could. It was only a matter of time before it all went to shit…"

The mechanic expression then soured.

"And the worst thing is that she's not even totally at fault for what happened."

"She made that clear to me." Chifuyu frowned, recalling the words of the rabbit-eared woman concerning the five Astray-like suits, or the 'Gundams' as the three referred to them in the recordings. "But we're missing the question. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cause I didn't know." Davion snorted sardonically, shaking his head. "Even if I did tell you that we suspected that she would do what she did, what would you have done in that short of a timeframe? Would you even believe us?"

"It would have mattered to Ichika and Houki!" She struck her desk in frustration. "Lest you forget, it's not only you that were fighting up there! If you had told them about what you suspected-"

"Oh sure! 'Sensei, there's gonna be a bunch of other Gundams that are going to come out of the blue and attack us, it will also cut off Ephraim's arm if we don't do anything. Whatever shall we do!?'" Davion snapped back, a brief glint of red flashing in his gray eyes. "Oh wait, in fact, it wasn't them that amputated his arm, IT WAS HOUKI!"

The mechanic's body language spoke to her that he was one step away from snapping.

"It wouldn't have mattered in the first place because Houki was the liability! The moment she was given that red eyesore of an IS, the power immediately went to her head. There was little to no chance that she would have listened to us in the first place, because she'd think that she was more than enough to handle it!"

Chifuyu went silent, taking a sharp intake of breath.

"We had full confidence that they would be fine. We even had taken into consideration Ichika's relative inexperience and Houki's hot-headedness, we would not have let them get seriously hurt. If it were just the Silverio that we had to deal with, then Plan Zulu, and by expy, Operation Angel Down would have been a resounding success. But…"

"No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy." The teacher could almost hear her assistant lecture her about it.

"Tch." Chifuyu grit her teeth as she recalled the moment where Plan Zulu had fallen apart and the genuine shock on Ephraim's face and the dawning horror of the other two Neo-Types' when the five Gundams had appeared and wreaked havoc on the fleet. "Fine. Fine! Whatever. We can come back to that later."

Her narrowed eyes shifted from her desk to Davion, who returned it with a crimson-speckled glare.

"So, can you tell me why exactly you have a working Micro-Fusion Reactor in the Blue Frame?"

"That's not related to what we are talking about."

"Just answer the damn question."

"Am I not allowed to?" The mechanic countered as he crossed his arms. There was a sense of defiance in his tone as he continued. "As far as I know, there isn't a law or a treaty against it."

"It doesn't matter whether there is or isn't a law about it." The teacher stressed as she slammed her hand on her desk. "The fact that you created a nuclear reactor in the Academy without us noticing or realizing is a huge security breach! How the hell did you even get uranium on the island?!"

Davion smirked. His lips were sealed in that regard. "I have my ways."

'That and I always had the uranium on hand from the facility after our Gundam Jacking.'

"Guele, this isn't the time to be stubborn." Chifuyu almost hissed, a sense of panic and caution in her tone. "The Japanese Government is breathing down our necks, constantly asking for you three to clear up what happened in Ogasawara. The UN is up in arms and are accelerating their so-called 'Astray Addendum' even further!"

"It's not a nuclear weapon according to their laws and treaties." The mechanic huffed, annoyed at the mention of the UN. "And since I did make both the micro-fusion reactor and the cannon, as well as field-tested it on the island within Arzenal, I can tell them to eat shit and die."

The combat instructor was close to throttling the stubborn brunette. This was not the time for him to be rebellious!

"Guele, what you did spooked the whole damn world. They were already wary of the abilities of the Astrays months before, but now that you basically revealed that you have what is essentially a WMD, the world's militaries are scrambling to either get a piece of that or to destroy it." She looked at him dead in the eyes to convey her own seriousness on this topic. "You basically opened Pandora's Box. I don't know if the IS Academy could even protect you at this point."

Chifuyu was honestly worried about the trio now that the world was largely aware of their abilities, much less the sheer potential that Mobile Suits presented. It was made worse by the fact that the militaries of the Eastern Hemisphere had a front-row seat of MS versus IS, and MS against MS combat, all within the same day in the skies around Ogasawara. She had no doubt that many of those countries' Research and Development were looking for ways to create their own Mobile Suits before the UN could ratify the 'Astray Addendum'.

"And that's not even mentioning your on-camera kills."

"What, are the keyboard warriors suddenly calling us murderers for defending ourselves?" Davion spat with venom, a quiet, animalistic growl escaping from his throat as he scowled. "Bunch of idiots."

She had to address this. It was almost too late for her to do so. She was well aware that the three of them weren't unfamiliar with dealing with death, her assistant had told her of their memories of Project: Neo-Type and their escape from it in the aftermath of Bodewig's rampage. But hearing how they killed in the past and seeing how they killed now were two different things. Even then, she had doubts, but now it was as if they didn't exist in the first place.

"It may be a surprise to you, Guele, but you were given a pass." She retorted with little mirth, nor even a smile. "Just because you were obvious enough in your distraught after you had vaporized that white and blue suit you called the 'Duel'." Her brown eyes slowly narrowed slightly.

"However… that's not the case for the other two."

"The hell did they say?"

"They called Murakumo's kill an 'execution'." Chifuyu stated, and she was of a similar mind. The recorded scene repeated itself over and over in her head. His 'Tsubame Gaeshi', which was a sword technique rooted in myth and history, was so fast that she could barely see the swings. Perhaps it was just the fault of the recording tech, but that entailed that his swings would have been faster than what a high-fidelity camera could even capture. "They said it was unnecessarily cruel and brutal in that he had both slit their throat and disemboweled them in the blink of an eye."

"What did they expect him to do? Just stand there and take it?" The Davion scowled. His earlier anger had regressed back into annoyance. "We were fighting for our lives, it was kill or be killed up there."

"I know that." She stressed as she raised her hand to calm him down. "But most of them won't care about that because what they saw was how he cut his opponent down and dragged their corpse around like it was a trophy."

Davion's face twisted in displeasure. "He's not like that-"

"Look, I'm not going to pretend that any of you are innocent. You all have blood on your hands, I've already come to accept that. But before Operation Angel Down, the others didn't." Chifuyu made sure to look at him straight through the eyes for this. "It was a big shock for all of them at how easy it seemed for you three to kill. They're not hardened like you three, save for Bodewig, but she's the obvious exception." She sighed, shaking her head. "As for Murakumo… what he did just created a lot more questions on who he is. Someone who claims to just be a regular mailman wouldn't be able to perform something like that."

The Neo-Type stayed silent, his expressions changing from annoyance and displeasure to slight contemplation.

"Ichika, Houki, Charlotte... They may be IS pilots, trained to fight in battles, but not for war. They're kids. And kids have no place on the battlefield." Her brown eyes softened from their ever-hardened state. "I don't give a shit about what those looking in would say, but what I do care about is how your actions would affect those close around you. Don't let tunnel-vision blind you so much that you'll fall back to old tendencies and traumatize your friends beside you."

"I know that… but they'll have to learn one day." He huffed.

"I'm not idealistic enough to deny that. Yes, I know that they'll have to face reality one day, but what I want is for them to enjoy their youth as long and as best they can. As best as they could after all that they've undergone just to become IS Pilots in the first place."

"And Houki?"

"We're still working on that." The teacher answered him with a neutral expression, though her eyes had a troubled glint. "By all accounts, she's guilty of Assault and may face a fine of upwards of half a million yen or up to 15 years in prison. But given that she claims that she didn't remember that she cut his arm off, things are only going to get more complicated. That's not to mention how far Tabane might go when it comes to her little sister. There's also the matter of public support for her from the IS hardliners and apologists..."

"That's fucking bullshit and you know it!" Davion threw his hands up in aggravation, having had to stop himself from punching a nearby bookshelf. "She cut off my brother's arm, and she somehow gets support from the idiots?!"

"She's not getting away scot-free if that's what you're thinking." Chifuyu interrupted what would have been a rant with a firm look. "The Board has decided to suspend her from any IS-related activity for the foreseeable future until they decide that she's mentally sound enough to handle being in the Akatsubaki again."

"That's basically a slap on the wrist! And what did they give us, hmm? I bet we're going to have to relinquish our Astrays! They'll have them once they pry them off of my cold, dead hands!" The mechanic snarled.

"Calm down, please, I don't want to make this any more complicated than it already is" With a tired sigh, the teacher stood up once more. "I assure you that it won't come to that. The Board is just looking at the bigger picture when it comes to the IS Academy and its significance to the world. Having the first ever 4th Generation in their grasp is something that they could never pass up on, but they also know that if they ostracized or disavowed you publicly, they'll deal with the backlash from those who are in your corner. No, they'll have no choice but to play it safe and have someone from us as a representative do a press conference where we have to explain what happened. The Board has reviewed the recordings you gave them and have formulated a list of questions that will be asked by select journalists that are invited."

"Then who'll be the keynote speaker?" The Blue Frame's pilot frowned as he pulled out his phone, thumb tapping on the screen as he looked at something. "Talking to a crowd's not my thing, and chances are, I'd blow up on stage if some idiot starts yapping…"

"No need to worry about that, I already have someone in min-"

Buzz! Buzz!

"Huh?" His brows furrowed as he narrowed his eyes at his phone. "Kazahana just…"

Beep!

"Orimura-sensei, you have a few guests waiting outside your office."

The two of them turned towards the intercom on her desk before the teacher huffed.

"There's a reason why I installed an indicator outside my door that told people if I'm…" She muttered as she walked around the desk and towards the door. Placing her hand on the touchpad beside it. There was a brief second of silence before it beeped and slid open. "So, who-"

"Orimura-sensei, we meet again." Lath Winslet greeted with a sharp smile, her sea-green eyes glinting with intrigue. She was wearing a navy blue blazer over a white dress shirt tucked into a pair of matching blue slacks. She wore a sunny yellow tie that had a golden tie clip of that of the sun itself, and her cufflinks were of a similar design. "I hope that you didn't terribly missed me."

"Winslet-san." Chifuyu's tone was professional, but it was clear tell that she was annoyed. "It's…a surprise to see you here. Why did you seek me out, specifically?"

"Oh no, I didn't come here for you." The slightly taller orangette leaned slightly to look past her, right into the curious eyes of the Astray pilot.

"I came here for him."

Davion stared back at the new arrival, a silent question in his eyes. Was she here to tell them about Ephraim? Or maybe she was there to tell them about the Blitz that the mechanic had donated and of the cadaver of its pilot.

"Him?" The teacher looked over her shoulder at her student before looking at the businesswoman with narrowed eyes. "Why?"

"Can't a sponsor visit one of her beneficiaries?" The Sahaku Successor's smile widened at the raised brows of the two people in the office.

"Wait, what?" The Blue Frame's pilot let out a confused noise as he pointed at her. "But Ta– The Professor's our sponsor?"

"Not anymore." Strutting past a stunned Chifuyu, Lath placed the briefcase she was carrying on the teacher's desk and opened it. "As of last week, she had transferred all rights to me and my new company. Right now, you're looking at the new head of Project: Astray."

"Hold on," Chifuyu closed the door and turned around, her furrowed brows conveying her bewilderment. "Why weren't we informed? Something big like this should have been run by us first!"

"You're being informed now." The Scandinavian pulled out the documents necessary for the school to update the Astray pilots' information. She also pulled out a folder and handed it to Davion. "I met with Murakumo-kun earlier, by the way, so consider him also informed."

Taking the folder, the mechanic opened it and read the first few pages. Almost immediately, his eyes widened as he took in the words of the documents within.

"Oi, oi, are you…" He looked back up at her with disbelieving eyes. "Is this all real?"

"Hundred percent." Lath nodded and then sent a discreet glance at Chifuyu, who seemed to be reining in her anger. "So my advice for you? Pack your bags, because you don't have much time. We're on a strict schedule, and I'd prefer to keep to it or accomplish our goals ahead of time."

"Hold your horses." The teacher spoke up firmly, causing the two to look at her. She was practically livid without showing it, her brown eyes alight with fury. "Sponsor or not, no Astray Pilot is leaving the island until I say so. As Guele's legal guardian, I can't, in good faith, let him go with you on some unknown venture."

"When the hell were you my legal guardian? I thought it was Tabane or something…" Davion grumbled as he shook his head. "And this isn't just 'some' unknown venture. My new sponsor needs my skills and experience in something that will actually help us." He then looked at Lath with some guilt. "Though, there are a few things that I want to do first before I get off of the island. Do you also mind if I bring someone along?"

"I think I have a feeling I know who this 'someone' is." The orangette narrowed her eyes at him. "But if you trust them to not leak any secrets, then by all means."

"Guele!" Chifuyu snarled, her hands clenched into fists. "Don't make me order-!"

"Order me to do what? Sit here and twiddle my thumbs when I could do so much more? You have already lost the right to have me do anything ever since you decided to 'protect' that pigheaded bitch."

"That's all the business I needed to do with the two of you." Lath cleared her throat and then nodded, almost uncaring of the tense exchange in front of her as she closed the briefcase. "The rest of my time here is going to be spent negotiating with the Board and with the Principal about my company's future presence on the island. Oh, and to repay a favor from an...acquaintance."

The combat instructor massaged her temples, feeling her blood pressure rising steadily at the rapid series of events that again unexpectedly occurred. Slapping her hand on the touchpad, it barely took a second before the door slid open.

"Fine. Fine! Just get out before I get even more stressed than I already am. Out!"

As the two strolled out and the door slid closed again, she took deep breaths to calm herself. Walking to the corner of her office, she crouched down and then paused. She had long since gotten used to the presence of the mini-fridge there that its absence was…

'...She didn't even say anything about Sahaku.'

The last week's failures came swinging back, weighing her shoulders down even further. The emptiness of the office became even more noticeable, and the stacks of papers on her desk almost taunted her with their mere presence.

Was it just a mistake of theirs? Were they focused on something else?

Did they blame her for his condition or something?

If so, why? She didn't…

'...I didn't do anything...'

Charlotte waited in the lobby of the First Year Dorms, two cans of coffee in her hands. With Summer Break rolling around, there was a near-persistent pit in her stomach.

She was not looking forward to coming back to France– or, more specifically, back to the Dunois Corporation. Everything there was cold and impersonal; her father, the employees, the lab technicians, even the maintenance staff.

It was a competitive hellhole, and she hated spending more than a second back 'home'.

The Academy was different. It was where her friends were, where people saw her as 'Charlotte' and not 'Charlotte Dunois'. It was where she could have fun, read in the library, gaze out at the sea, and even go on shopping trips with Rin and Cecilia on the mainland.

It was warm and only got warmer whenever her friends were involved.

They were a beacon in the tempest that was her life, a calm breeze that replaced the harrying winds. Whenever she was around them, she was calm, and could be herself without fear of being judged. They accepted her, even past her lies, and she greatly appreciated it.

But lately, that warmth had been… dimming.

Ever since the Battle of Ogasawara, ever since Houki had…disarmed Ephraim, they had been… he had been…

It was almost like he wasn't there.

His previously bright eyes had dulled into a dark, dead green, and there was a lack of proper energy in his movements. It was like he was going on auto-pilot, with his mind elsewhere. She had, in a vain hope, attributed this to the accumulation of stress after both the battle and of the upcoming tests but…

"Mon dieu, what am I supposed to do..?"

"Is there something wrong, Charlotte?"

Nearly squeaking, the blonde whirled around to see Cecilia looking at her in concern.

"O-Oh, Mademoiselle Alcott!" The purple-eyed Frenchwoman calmed herself with a deep breath. "Please don't scare me like that…"

"You can call me Cecilia, Charlotte. We've known each other enough to warrant that." The noblewoman gave her a half-smile, though it grew to a full, amused one when she saw the two coffee cans in her hand. "Waiting on Ryo?"

At the mention of the courier, the shorter blonde's cheek warmed ever so slightly.

"Oh, yes. I wanted to talk to him about Summer following the exam, but he had somewhere to go to after the tests."

The mention of 'summer' made the Brit's expression twist in discomfort for a moment.

"Ah, yes. I assume you had plans?"

Charlotte's face displayed her dismay at her 'plans'.

"I'm returning home back to France for a short while. Business, you see. I'm hoping that Ryo could go with me so I'd have some company."

Cecilia's strained smile turned to one of empathy, and she lightly patted the shoulder of the Frenchwoman.

"I understand that all too well. I have to go back home to deal with my family."

The two blondes shared a look of understanding, commiserating about their similar situation when it came to their private lives. Charlotte didn't need to think long and hard about the unspoken wish of the noblewoman to want Ephraim to come with her.

"When are you leaving?" The purple-eyed blonde asked her, and Cecilia sighed.

"Later this week. I have a few more days to pack before my flight."

The sound of the sliding doors opening cut their conversation short, and Charlotte turned around to see Ryo walking towards them carrying a folder and an opened letter between his fingers.

"Ah, Ryo!" She called out, waving one of the coffee cans in her hand at him. His green eyes quickly locked on to the can before looking into her own purples. There seemed to be a bit more life in them than before, which was a good sign.

"You two." The courier nodded at them with a small smile before refocusing on the Frenchwoman. "Sorry, the talk I had with a certain someone took a bit. Did you wait long?"

"It's nothing." Charlotte replied with a radiant smile back as she gave him one of the cans in her hand. "So, I wanted to ask you if you had any plans for this summer…"

Ryo glanced at the letter in his hand and adopted a regretful expression that the purple-eyed blonde quickly noted as she trailed off.

"Sorry, Charlotte." The Astray pilot apologized with sincerity. "I… had just been offered a work contract that'll keep me busy for a bit."

"A work contract?" Cecilia wondered her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. "But… aren't we supposed to enjoy Summer? To be busy and not have a hint of rest…"

Ryo breathed out an amused huff and shook his head. "Some people do work in the summer, you know?"

"Th-they do?"

"In any case, my contract only lasts for around two weeks. After that, I'm free to enjoy the rest of the Summer."

"Oh…" Charlotte wilted somewhat, her expression going crestfallen. "I… actually wanted to invite you to visit France. It would've only been for a week, and I wanted to show you my hometown…"

"Je suis désolé, Charlotte." The courier once more apologized as he gave the blonde an affectionate head pat, his hand resting on her shoulder afterward reassuringly, somewhat surprising her. "I'll make it up to you once I'm done with this work, deal?"

"Pinky swear." The Frenchwoman puffed her cheeks as she looked up at him. She raised her free hand, pinky out. "Pinky swear that we'll spend a whole day together once we're both back."

Both Ryo and Cecilia's brows rose at her words, but the former's lowered as his lips curled into a small smile.

"I don't want to make promises but-."

"Ryo. Say the whole thing." Charlotte insisted, a small blush emerging on her puffed cheeks while she maintained an expression of mock irritation. "I want a promise."

"And I don't want to make promises I might not keep…" Ryo retracted his arm from Charlotte he let it rest at his side.

"Then…" Charlotte drew her hand back and her gaze shifted down. Cecilia gave her an empathetic look. Looks like she's not the only one who will be alo-

"How about I call you instead?"

Charlotte looked back up to Ryo, her expression shifting to a more hopeful one.

"Eh?"

Ryo rubbed the back of his neck with his now-free hand, having tucked the letter into his hoodie pocket.

"I'll try to call you whenever I have the chance to while I'm on contract. I won't promise that it will be daily, but I'll try."

The Frenchwoman's expression brightened before she smoothened it into a serious, businesswoman-like mask.

"Deal."

And as if closing a business agreement, each extended a hand and exchanged a firm handshake, leaving Cecilia somewhat bemused at what just happened.

"You two…" She trailed off before she shook her head once more, turning and beginning to walk away. "Nevermind. Hope you two have a lovely summer."

Cecilia sighed quietly, a light smile growing on her lips as they curled up into an amused smile, the two's actions alleviating some of the pangs in her heart that had become increasingly more frequent.

"Alcott-san, hold on." The courier spoke up as he separated from the Frenchwoman, who quietly whined at the lack of contact. "I have a letter from a certain someone."

At his call, the noblewoman stopped. Turning, she looked at him with a raised brow, a silent question, and a gesture for him to go on.

But instead of saying anything like she expected, he walked up to her and handed her an envelope from within the folder.

"Winslet-san says to take care of her brother."

At the Brit's quiet gasp, he backed away, Charlotte appearing shortly after by Cecilia's side, curious about what she had just received. Exhaling a breath he didn't know he was holding, he finally opened the can of coffee and took a sip, letting the cold liquid refresh his senses. Clearing his throat, he looked at the purple-eyed blonde as she looked at him.

"Charlotte, I know that you're stressing over your...predicament, so I asked Davion to compile the necessary data for you. Here." He reached into his hoodie pocket and tossed a thumb drive towards her.

The Frenchwoman's eyes visibly widened and she caught the drive, cradling it close to her chest as if it was the most precious thing she had. "Ryo..."

The courier shook his head. "Don't say anything. It's been a long time coming, anyway." Finishing his can of coffee, and licked his lips clean before he pushed himself off of the pillar he was leaning against.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna need to pack."

"So soon..?"

"My… Employer had already booked my flight in a few days." Ryo sighed as he walked past them. "Can you stick by Alcott-san for now? I don't know what's inside that letter, but she might need someone after she reads it."

Charlotte's expression softened as she looked at her fellow blonde then back at him. "I'm more than happy to, but-"

"It's fine. Let's go Charlotte." And with a turn, Cecilia strode off, her steps now brimming with some of the energy that she had lost.

Charlotte turned alternately between Ryo and the leaving Brit, unsure of how to react.

"U-Um, I'll talk to you– No, I'll call you! Cecilia, wait!"

Green orbs watched as both of their figures disappeared around a corner, a tired sigh leaving his mouth once they were out of sight and out of mind. His feet then brought him to his room, the golden 72 on the door almost taunting him in its resplendence.

With a click, he opened the door to an empty room.

And he was alone once again.

Kanzashi frowned as she reviewed the data readings of her IS during Operation Valkyrie. The exams might have been over, but her struggle continued regardless.

"I need to find a more efficient power supply for the Barrage Pack…" She muttered, watching the readings spike whenever she used the Beam Launcher or the Railgun. "But I can't have it connect to my CORE or else it would also drain my shields…"

The most efficient solution was to upgrade it with a Power Extender like what she had when she was lent the Gold Frame's Aile Pack. But if she added a Power Extender, then that would add more weight to the already weighty Barrage Pack. There was also the matter of producing all of her future ammunition.

What she used during Valkyrie was the last of her stockpile, a stockpile that was originally meant for the 'Uchigane Nishiki' that she had drafted in the days leading up to the Inter-Class Tournament. That meant she no longer had any ammunition for her micro-missiles, both on the hardpoints and in the skirts.

There was no way in hell she was going to contact her sponsor company for aid in this regard, and she was using the term quite loosely in this sense. Kuromochi Machinery Development had prioritized Orimura's IS instead of Japan's Representative Candidate, so it wasn't a big surprise that she would be spiteful to them. She could always ask her boyfriend to help her out but…

'I don't want to be a bother, always asking for help from him.' Her fingers stopped typing on the holographic keyboard, the frown on her lips becoming more crestfallen. 'It's embarrassing and…and I don't want to depend on him all the time.'

While she loved the boy with all of her heart– and admitting that even in her mind was embarrassing enough– she had her own pride to keep. Being entirely dependent on Davion wasn't good for her, for her growth as a person and as an IS Representative Candidate. She needed to be independent and strong enough to handle herself in any given situation. He wouldn't be there to help her all the time…

Ping!

Looking away from the holographic screen displaying all the data, she turned her chair around just in time to see the aforementioned boyfriend enter her personal hangar. In his hand was a folder that he seemed to be holding tightly, making sure that none of the papers would fall out. There was an excited grin on his face that piqued her interest.

"Davion-kun?" She asked, as he quickly walked over to her before squeaking in surprise when he placed his hands on the armrests of her chair, effectively pinning her in place. "W-Wait, what are you-?!"

"Do you have any plans for summer?" He asked her as he leaned in, seemingly unaware of their position nor how close their faces were. His gunmetal gray eyes were twinkling with a fervor she hadn't seen in a while.

Her heart rate had skyrocketed when he pinned her, and her mind immediately began to whirl around with various thoughts.

'W-Why is he asking me that all of a sudden? Is he going to kiss me? Does he have plans for this Summer? Is he going to include me in his plans? Is he going to kiss me?'

"N-No?" She stammered out, unable to take her gaze away from his eyes. "I mean, there's Comiket next month…"

"Oh, shit, Comiket is next month!" A brief flash of panic came across his face as he leaned back in shock. Shaking his head, he cooled his expression but still couldn't keep the excited grin from coming back. "Well, we can go together, I'll check if they have my booth ready-"

"Wait, what-?"

"-but first!" He pulled away, much to her quiet disappointment, and placed the folder on the desk. "How do you feel about working with me on projects for the whole summer?"

Kanzashi blinked at the offer before thinking about it. Spending time with him the whole Summer was the biggest boon in said offer, because that meant that they could further upgrade her Strike Uchigane together. It also meant more chances to have dates or outings, or even just hanging out whenever…

"What…kind of projects?"

"Mobile Suits, duh." Davion gave her a giddy grin as he reviewed the data she had previously checked. "Though, we won't be in the Academy for it…"

"Isn't that risky?" The bluenette wondered as she watched her boyfriend think about possible upgrades for her Strike Uchigane. He may not have vocalized it, but she can tell from his eyes that he was already making blueprints for prototypes. "We won't have the excuse of 'field-testing in the Academy' if we're out of it."

"Well, let's just say that as long as we're quiet about it, people won't know until it's too late." The brunette muttered ominously as he crossed his arms. "Take a look at the folder and its contents. I think you'll find it interesting."

She glanced at the folder and frowned to herself. Was the folder why he seemed so excited? Just what was in it that got him so gung-ho about Mobile Suits, even more than usual? Pushing away such thoughts, she wheeled herself over and took the folder in her hands.

Looking at him, she found that he was already scribbling down notes on the Strike Uchigane's data and comparing it to a piece of paper that he had unfolded, nodding every now and again. She couldn't see what was on the paper, but he looked really serious about it, and her heart fluttered at the sight of him so…dedicated to helping her.

Shaking her head, she focused on the task at hand and slowly opened the folder.

…

"Huh…"

Her glasses gleamed as she took in the words of each page, before coming back to the first, where in bold was…

"'Morgenröte', huh?"

AN:

Aaaand update time! It's been a while, eh?

Sorry if there hasn't been any updates lately, my free time's been divided between being hooked on Baldur's Gate 3 alongside Project Ryo, rewriting the story from the ground-up starting from the Prologue, dealing with personal issues, writing other stories in the background (I'm so sorry Soar Above, I've been neglecting you) and the stress of looking for job prospects while I prepare for which Master's Degree I want to pursue next.

Anyway, this is gonna be the prologue to the Summer Arcs (yes, Arcs), and they're going to be vastly different from what Volume 4 would be. Not gonna spoil anything, but prepare for some craziness.

Oh, and I've included some tidbits in the earlier chapters that are in the process of being rewritten on what I was up to during my trip to Tokyo last month. Hope you all review on the rewritten chapters!

On to the reviews!

MVC X BBCTB: Well, that's probably due to her low self-esteem and anxiety at being seen as 'mediocre' compared to the other girls. An Inferiority Complex, if you will. And what did you mean by 'makeup' fights? Because when I read that, the thoughts of making more IS vs MS action scenes to make up for the lack of them in Season 1 came to mind. I appreciate your liking of this more than the Light Novel, though, I wouldn't say that outright. I consider my writing style to be…adjacent to how the author wrote the LN's.

Guest: I hope that my distaste for volatile tsunderes isn't seeping in whenever I write Houki's parts. I do like her as a character, or rather her position in the narrative, but I just don't like the cliche 'incredible violence upon the MC when embarrassed'-style of tsunderes. She'll get her development away from that trope as the story goes, I assure you.

Zero: Oh, that is quite assured.

P.B.S: Geez, what the hell. I'm really gonna need to read up on what The Seventh Princess can do. I've been going out of the house so much that I forgot to resume reading Volume 4. Well, that and I've been playing Fate Empire of Dirt.

I'm probably gonna have my own take on Tabane and her personality in this fic. Not quite LN-accurate, but not too OOC. Something along the middle-ground, in a sense. But, yeah, Tabane-Houki interactions going forward aCre going to be interesting, to say the least.

Comparing the three to Piccolo, Vegeta, and Gohan…yeah, sounds about right. And your words about Ephraim are correct, he's not faultless in all of this. I don't want to spoil anything, but his Summer Arc is going to be interesting for sure.

Hahaha, again, I don't want to spoil anything. Ama-no-Iwato's contents will remain vague for now. Project Ryo, Davion's Controller, and I are still in the middle of finalizing its contents so that it won't be too much of an asspull narrative-wise.

Azure Defiance: In due time, my good friend!

With that, this is Cipher, signing off!

Oh, and random trivia time: Interlude 8, S1 Finale, and Interlude 9's titles are references to ocean waves. Ripple, Waves, Breaking [Wave]/Breaker.