September 8, 2017 a.t.b.
Area 11, Tokyo Settlement, Ashford Academy, 1:40 pm
The news from the aftermath of the Special Administrative Zone hit Ashford like a bombshell. Students and faculty were gathered around a large screen as the live feed played before them.
The camera panned over ruined buildings, patrolling tripods, and a fleet of alien ships in the sky above.
"We are live a few kilometres from the Special Administrative Zone!" said the reporter. "Or, rather, what was left of it. Infrastructure has collapsed and burned down. The cause seems to be an extraterrestrial attack."
Milly looked at the scene with shock and horror.
She had seen the carnage caused by the Britannian-Japanese war several years back, but even that paled in comparison to what took place in the SAZ. In less than two hours, it went from a rather well-developed urban area to a desolate, burned ruin.
"This is…this…I…," Milly gasped, unable to find her words.
Nina held herself close to Milly, shaking. "What's…what's going to happen to us?" the bespectacled girl thought fearfully.
It was made even worse for them by the fact that three of their friends were yet to make contact or return.
"Shirley…Rivalz…Sophie…please be safe," Milly breathed out, concerned.
Laura gazed at the scene with wide eyes. It all looked so unreal to her. She could not believe what she was seeing. Alien invasions weren't among the list of things she thought she would ever see for real in her life.
And on the centre of her mind was her beloved Sophie.
"This is bad…Sophie…please be alright…" the bluenette thought nervously as she feared for her lover's life. "Please be alright…"
Laura pulled out her phone.
September 7
Britannia, 9:40 pm
Alexandra watched the news as it reached the Britannian homeland from her manor.
"They're here, and they're hostile…the worst case scenario came true. I hope we can convince the other royals to take this seriously now, otherwise Britannia's finished for sure," she thought.
She, along with Prince Edward, have attempted to present their findings and warn them of the alien threat. The reactions were varied.
Marrybell, as well as the Seventh Princess Laila la Britannia, were sceptical naturally, but kept an open mind out for things.
Schneizel, Euphemia, and Cornelia were not available at the time. Emperor Charles, too, was also unavailable.
The simple-minded First Prince Odysseus eu Britannia thought that Edward was playing a joke on them. As usual, he was out of his depth.
Guinevere and the Fifth Princess Carine le Britannia dismissed the very idea of a threat to Britannia's very existence. Far too secure and confident in their power, they couldn't accept the idea and merely opted to laugh off and deny the very possibility of an extraterrestrial invasion.
"They've grown far too accustomed to Britannia being on top that they could not envision a force great enough to crush it. Their minds were too closed and just laughed us off in denial. People like them will lead our empire to its death!" she thought regarding Guinevere and Carine. "I hope they believe us now after this…"
Area 7 (Hawaii), 6:40 pm
In proximity to the Britannian base around Pearl Harbour, the flagship of the recently-founded Glinda Knights, the aerial battleship Granberry was stationed. The Glinda Knights were an elite special unit of, well, knights, led by Marrybell.
She watched the news of the alien invasion at the SAZ from the Granberry's lounge along with several other members of the Knights. Oldrin Zevon, Marrybell's personal knight and lover, a blonde woman with green eyes, sat beside the pink princess.
Sokkia Sherpa, a woman with short dark green hair and blue eyes, sat a short distance away.
It had been merely four days ago when they on their first operation fought off and defeated a Britannian terrorist organisation called the Wings of Talleyrand, led by a Wilbur Millville. They managed to kill Wilbur in the battle, with the remnants of the organisation having dispersed shortly after.
And now they were witnessing news of this far worse attack. Something that even the best efforts of the defenders fell against.
"I can't believe it," said Oldrin.
"It's only been a few days since we had to deal with those Talleyrand terrorists…and now aliens!?" Sokkia exclaimed.
"Edward warned me about the possibility of an impending invasion, but we weren't prepared for this," said Marrybell. "I hope Euphemia is safe…" the pinkette trailed off in worry.
September 8
Area 11, G1 en route to Tokyo
Kallen and Naomi sat beside each other inside the personnel lounge as they thought about their recent losses.
The Kouzuki Resistance had been brothers and sisters in arms, close-knit. For Kallen, they were more family than nearly all of her actual blood relatives.
The recent departure of two members thus felt for them like the deaths of family members.
"We've lost Sugiyama and Minami…it all happened so fast…" said Naomi disconsolately.
Kallen clenched her fists. "Damn it…just fucking damn it…" she seethed. "Everything's just falling apart…"
It was worsened for them by the fact that they could not recover their bodies for a proper burial. They doubted that there was enough of them left to bury, anyway.
And they failed to even take down the tripod that ended their lives.
Furthermore, Zero himself had almost been killed by the aliens as well. The Gawain had returned with heavy damage, and it was clear that if they were a few minutes too late, Kallen would have lost the man who had given then hope for Japan and that she had come to admire.
"Just what are we up against," said Kallen. "What are we really up against? We even almost lost Zero as well…" The redhead grit her teeth as she slammed her fist on the seat.
"Damn it, just damn it!" she continued angrily. "First Britannian oppressors, and now aliens! Was the suffering we already had to face already enough!?"
Naomi tried to set aside her own sadness and steel her own mind. She had been like an older sister for her, and she knew she had to be a pillar of support for Kallen right now.
For Kallen's sake, she could not afford to falter before her.
"Kallen…," said Naomi, trying to comfort her. "I know it's been hard for us, but we still have to carry on. We've been through tough times before…"
"But Naomi," said Kallen, "none of those earlier times were anything like this…"
"I know," said Naomi. "But we need to be strong, now more than ever."
As they reeled from their losses, they needed each other's' shoulders to lean on now more than ever.
In the bridge, Zero and a few members of the Black Knights discussed plans for their next move, along with the Kyoto leaders.
"Once we reach Ashford, we will establish communications with other resistance groups in Japan. We will need to bolster our numbers against a foe of this magnitude," said the masked revolutionary.
"I still don't know why you choose a Britannian school as a base of operations," said Kirihara, "But otherwise I agree. We need all of Japan's resistance to unify under a cohesive force."
"And the Britannians?" questioned Tatsunori.
"It pains me to admit it, but we might have to establish a truce with the Britannians," replied Kirihara.
The other Kyoto leaders save for Kaguya were shocked at this statement.
"Lord Kirihara, you cannot be serious!?" exclaimed Hidenobu. "A truce with the Brits!?"
"Wha-what?" Tamaki spoke up. "You're kidding, right? Why the hell would we work together with Brits!? After all they've done to us!?"
"We've seen what those invaders are capable of," replied Kaguya. "We don't have any other choice. We have to make the hard decision otherwise there won't even BE a Japan left to liberate."
The other leaders save for Kirihara were about to protest, but then realised that Kaguya had a point and conceded begrudgingly.
Tamaki was about to speak up but a quick glare from Kaguya silenced him. It was as if she had pierced into his soul with the intensity in her eyes at that moment.
"Barriers between nations mean little in a war between worlds," said Zero in further affirmation.
Rai arrived in the room shortly after, having heard the conversation.
"True, Zero, but I don't think convincing Britannia's rulers or nobility will be easy," the silver-haired man said. "There's also the members of the resistance who won't accept having to work with Britannians."
"Certainly," said Zero. "But it will need to be done. While we amass Japan's forces, we will also need to meet up with Cornelia. If she's rational, she will have no choice but to accept our truce."
"True," said Rai, "But getting Cornelia to talk with people she considers terrorists will be…well, like trying to break down a wall with your face. She does not talk it out with terrorists, especially one who killed one of her brothers."
"Well," said Zero, "I think I have a solution for that."
"And what would this solution be?" asked Rai.
"It is something I unfortunately cannot disclose," said Zero.
"You can't possibly be thinking of—" Kirihara thought as he clued in on Zero's plan.
"I need to get my answers about mother from Cornelia anyway," thought Lelouch. "I would eventually have to unmask myself to her."
"I do not understand anything anymore!" cried Tamaki, clearly not fond of where the situation had been going. "Aliens!? Truce with Brits!? Please tell me this is all some kind of weird dream…"
"You weren't always the best at understanding things, Tamaki," replied Rai. Tamaki muttered and grumbled in response.
"And what's up with her?" Tamaki pointed out at Euphemia who sat in a nearby seat. She had been silent during the entire time, depressed.
"She thinks she's failed," replied Rai. "Which of course she did, like all of us."
"This failure took a hard toll on her," Lelouch thought. "She saw this as a chance to begin to make her difference in the world, a chance to begin her dream…but now it's all gone up in flames. It must be making her feel awfully inadequate. Making her feel helpless."
"I need to talk to her," Zero spoke up. "Euphemia?"
Said pinkette turned her head in response. "Huh?"
"Can you follow me for a moment?" asked Zero.
Euphemia nodded as she got up from the seat.
Lelouch and Euphemia walked out of the bridge and into a personnel passenger room, which was empty at the moment. Upon entering the room and closing the door, they sat beside each other. Lelouch then took off his mask.
"Euphemia…," said Lelouch. "About what happened in the Zone…"
"I know," Euphemia replied with a downcast expression. "I couldn't do anything…I'm such a failure…I'm not good for anything…"
"You tried what you could," said Lelouch.
"And what did that amount to?" asked Euphemia sadly.
"The fall of the Zone wasn't your fault," said Lelouch. "We were simply not prepared to fight a highly-advanced alien invasion. I'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in this world who would have succeeded in your place. Please, don't blame yourself over it."
"Euphemia, you're better than you think you are," continued Lelouch in a comforting tone. "You're not useless or weak."
"Do…do you really mean that, Lelouch?" asked Euphemia.
"I do," said Lelouch. "It is thanks to you that I am still alive now. If you haven't stepped in, the invaders would have almost certainly killed me."
"I…I suppose you're right," said Euphemia.
"You're a wonderful person, Euphemia. Please, don't forget that," said Lelouch as he took Euphemia's hand to console her.
"Oh, and one more thing," Lelouch spoke up after a minute. "Since you'll no longer be a princess soon and you've relinquished your old name, what name would you go by now?"
China, Luoyang
News about the alien invasion has made its rounds in the Chinese Federation. From the main government building the High Eunuchs watched the international broadcast.
"This is interesting," said one of the eunuchs.
A messenger ran into the room, catching the Eunuchs' attention.
"My lords, Cambodia is under attack!" the messenger reported.
"It seems that the Federation is also being targeted," said another eunuch. "We mobilise our military. Call Xingke!"
"Yes, my lord!" The messenger departed the room to carry out the order.
Area 11, Mishima
Ruined cityscape continued on for kilometres around as Shirley, Sophie, Rivalz, and Charmelle drove through the southern section of Mishima city.
Scattered survivors around them tried to find their way through the war-torn streets.
"Man, the aliens really tore up this place," said Rivalz.
"Those poor people," Shirley said sadly in a low voice as she looked upon the survivors.
Sophie's smartphone began ringing. The purple-haired lass promptly took it out and answered it.
"Sophie? Are you okay?" Laura's voice came, fearful and concerned.
"Yes. We're on our way there, don't worry," Sophie replied.
"Thank goodness, I'm glad you're safe Soph," Laura answered in relief. "I was worried sick about you when I got the news."
"The alien invasion? I wouldn't have believed it myself if I haven't been caught up in it," said Sophie.
"I'm still working on believing it," said Laura.
"Anyway, we'll be fine. Don't worry. See you later!" said Sophie.
"Come back safely!" said Laura as she finished the call.
A few moments later, Charmelle noticed that the car was running low on power. Fortunately, they were able to get into a recharging station next to the Daiba River by a bridge just in time.
"The car battery's running low. We'll need to make a stop here to recharge," said Charmelle. "Don't wander too far off, kids." She took out what looked like a large cord from the station and connected it to the car's energy filler.
"Sure thing, Ma'am!" said Shirley. The orange-haired lass' stomach then started grumbling, getting the attention of both Rivalz and Sophie.
"This is embarrassing…," said Shirley. "Looks like we haven't eaten our lunches…"
"There's nobody around here to buy food from," said Sophie as she looked around.
"Hey, how about…let's take the food left there?" Rivalz spoke up as he turned his attention to the recharging station's snack bar. The building was still standing, although it clearly looked like it had seen better days. A sizeable chunk of roof from the northwest side had been blown off.
"Rivalz, you cannot be serious?" Shirley snapped. "That's stealing!"
"Come on Shirley, that store's good as abandoned now. We're not stealing, we're, well, taking things up for grabs here," said Rivalz. "Why let all that food go to waste?"
Shirley was about to speak up, however Charmelle responded first. "I agree. Ms. Fenette, that store is pretty much dead in the water. I don't see any harm in scavenging abandoned goods."
"How about you, Sophie?" Shirley asked as she turned to her roommate, looking for support.
"Shirley, they have a good point," said Sophie. "Whoever ran that store, even if they're still even alive out there, is probably not coming back, and even if they do all that stuff will have gone bad by then. We should focus on our needs, shouldn't we?"
Shirley looked around at her companions and realised that she was alone in this. "Okay, fine…," she spoke with a defeated sigh. The trio then walked towards the abandoned snack bar.
Tokyo Settlement, Administrative Building
Princess Cornelia has returned from the battle seething.
The Black Knights were already enough to deal with during her time so far in Area 11. Then there was the entire matter about the Special Administrative Zone. And now the aliens, against which they have utterly failed against.
Her streak of victories, ended.
"This entire day has been a nightmare," the purple-haired princess thought, gritting her teeth as she sat in her office.
Furthermore, to add to her list, Euphemia was far out of her watch, obviously having refused to come back to her.
"If I see her again, I'm going to have more than a few words to say," Cornelia thought regarding the pinkette in question.
Mishiima
The Ashford trio had finished eating their lunches and were loading food items into the car's storage for the trip.
As Shirley loaded a bag of chips into the car's trunk, she noticed something floating down the river.
As she moved to get a closer look, she was treated with a macabre sight.
It was a corpse. And it wasn't alone.
Several tens, maybe even hundreds, of corpses followed as they floated down the river.
Shirley became paler and paler as they came. Her blood ran cold in her veins. She hyperventilated as she took on an expression of fear and horror.
"Uh, Shirley, are you okay right there?" Rivalz asked her in concern as he noticed. He walked up to Shirley.
"Shirley, just tell us what is goin—wha-wha-what the fuck!" Rivalz stammered and exclaimed as he also saw the plethora of corpses floating down the river.
Sophie ran up to Shirley in time and placed her hand over her roommate's eyes just before Shirley could let out a terrified scream. Her own eyes widened in horror at the scene before her.
The purple-haired girl pulled Shirley out. Rivalz followed them not even a moment after.
"We should be ready. Let's go!" Charmelle called out.
The Ashford trio wasted no time and got in the car. Shirley was still pale as Rivalz and Sophie held her hands in an attempt to calm her down.
"It's going to be okay Shirley, take deep breaths, it's going to be all okay…," Sophie whispered to her roommate.
Charmelle drove the car away as they continued their journey to Tokyo.
Ashford Academy, 2:30 pm
A girl in an Ashford student uniform with long pink hair, light blue eyes, and a brown hat entered a vacant classroom. She scanned the area for any watching eyes nearby. Upon confirming that there were none, she pulled out a communicator from her pocket.
"Agent, report," said V.V. from the communicator.
"Director, everyone is occupied with the invasion. Other than that there are no noteworthy events," the hat-wearing pinkette replied.
"Good," said V.V. "At night and when any potential watchers are preoccupied by the matters regarding the invasion, as they should be, your orders are to take Nunnally and bring her to Kamine Island."
"Got it, Director," said the pink-haired girl.
G1 en route to Tokyo
The group on the bridge were joined by Kallen and Naomi. Zero briefed them of the plans.
The idea of making a truce with the Britannians didn't sit well with the redhead.
"Wha-what do you mean a truce with the Britannians!?" Kallen exclaimed.
"It's for our best chances of survival and victory," said Zero. "The circumstances have changed far beyond what it once was the moment the invaders arrived."
"Yeah, I get that, but will the Britannians keep up their end of the deal?" asked Kallen. "How can we be sure they won't backstab us? Sure Euphemia's willing to cooperate with and help us, but can we say the same about Cornelia? The nobility?"
"It will surely test our diplomatic capabilities," said Zero.
Avalon
Prince Schneizel, accompanied by his aide Kanon Maldini, observed footage and reports from the fall of the SAZ.
"This is quite a dire matter," thought the second prince. "Within the span of only two hours both the Black Knights and the Britannian army faced defeat at the hands of the extraterrestrial invaders. While the invaders' technological prowess certainly paved the path to their victory, there's also the matter that both defending forces fought on their own, in two disjointed stands."
He opened up a communication channel with Cornelia.
"Schniezel, what is it?" asked Cornelia from the screen.
"Cornelia, you are aware of the recent situation I'm sure," said Schneizel.
"I am," said Cornelia. "We lost the whole sector."
"Given the foe that we are now up against, we are in need of drastic measures," said Schniezel.
"What do you mean?" Cornelia asked.
"We might need to form a truce with the Black Knights," said Schneizel.
"Wha-what!? Schniezel, you cannot be serious!" Cornelia exclaimed in shock. "They're a bunch of unruly terrorists!"
"It would be unwise to continue our current conflicts in the light of this alien invasion," said the second prince. "Our best chance of survival would be to form a cohesive, unified front. Fighting a three-way war will not bode well for us in this situation. You should be aware of that, Cornelia."
Europia, French-German border, Castle Weisswolf, 9:00 am
Anna was in a communication channel with a high-ranking Europian official, a middle-aged man with black and greying hair.
"For the last time Captain Clement, we are not wasting funds on ejection systems for the Alexanders," said the official sternly.
"And you would rather continue treating the lives of our own troops as expendables to abandon and throw away?" Anna retorted.
"Again, the lives of mere elevens are not worth investing resources in!" the official replied.
"This mindset is why Britannia has been pushing us back!" Anna shot back. "The W-0 unit has lost nearly all of its pilots and cannot fight due to a lack of combatants! A problem which could have easily been avoided if we didn't treat soldiers' lives as expendable simply due to their heritage!"
"No means no, Captain Anna Clement! Once again, we refuse this proposal. Unnecessary waste of funds. This discussion is over!" The unscrupulous official ended the transmission.
"Damn corrupt bureaucrats," the lilac-haired lass seethed. "Putting their own greed for wealth over lives. They're no better than those Britannian despots!"
She walked out of her office and met up with Leila in the hallway.
The blonde immediately picked up on Anna's incensed expression.
"I can only assume your request was denied," said Leila.
"It was," said Anna. "They're far too consumed by their own selfishness."
"Just like the lot of those damn Britannian nobles," said Leila. "What even is the point of fighting Britannia if you're going to act just like them?"
"I know, right?" said Anna. "And to make it even worse, I can't help but feel like I'm responsible for everyone who died in my frames due to being unable to eject or blown up by their very own commanders as unwilling suicide bombs…," she added, disconsolate.
"The burden an inventor can face," said a tall, brunette woman with indigo eyes who had joined up with them. She was Sophie Randle, their specialist in brain science.
"I feel the same when I remember what my own work did to my husband," Randle continued on. "We can't help but blame ourselves for those who face unfortunate fates from what we designed, even when we're not really at fault ourselves. It's human nature to blame oneself."
"But you shouldn't let it drag you down, Anna," said Leila. "You tried your best. It's not your fault that we're being lorded over by corrupt officials. And it's not your fault that our previous commander decided to self-destruct our own troops. Don't beat yourself over it Anna. You're a good person, remember that. It's not your fault."
"I suppose you're right…," said Anna.
The three of them made their way into the lounge room, where the large TV set played the international news. Already in the room were Akito, Ayano, Yukiya, Ryo, and Claus.
Anna, Leila, and Randle took their seats and watched.
"Extraterrestrial attacks have occurred throughout the globe," the newscaster announced.
There came the reports. The utter destruction of the Special Administrative Zone in Area 11. And there were seven more attacks that occurred at roughly around the same time.
Footage of the other attacks were presented in the broadcast.
The night sky was lit up by raging fire, plasma, and lasers as alien warships pummelled the city of Johannesburg in South Africa, as tripods and other alien ground forces overwhelmed the defence forces.
The town of Sagres, Portugal. Koh Kong city in Cambodia. The city of Aden in Area 18. Panama City in Panama. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Gold Coast, Australia. Anchorage, northern Britannia.
The devastation that took place in the SAZ repeated themselves in all of those places.
The expressions of all those watching ranged from shock to apprehension. The very prospect of being up against such a foe was unsettling on its own.
"Oh my…oh my god," Anna thought as she gasped, taken aback by what had happened. While she had never denied the possibility of extraterrestrial life, she had never expected to see a real alien invasion in her lifetime.
The sheer devastation and carnage wrought by the aliens in only a matter of hours to those places was unreal.
"This is…this is just insane!" thought Ryo.
"We need to prepare for the worst…we have to set aside all our differences as humans to fight against this…otherwise all of humanity is doomed," thought Leila grimly.
Area 11, Ashford Academy, 4:00 pm
The Black Knights have reached Ashford, the G1 parked just outside the school grounds. They were setting up tents and communication facilities on the school yards as Milly, Nina, and Laura all watched from the club room windows.
"I wonder what the Black Knights are up to here," thought Laura.
"I-I'm scared," Nina whimpered as Milly held her close. "All those Eleven terrorists here…"
"Shhh, Nina, don't let them hear you call them that. Keep quiet, okay?" said Milly.
"If they're really knights of justice as they publicly called themselves, they shouldn't be here to harm us. Or at least I hope…," said Laura.
A trio of Black Knight soldiers led by Tamaki broke into this room moments afterward, armed with rifles that they pointed at the students.
"Hands up and turn around!" Tamaki shouted. "The Black Knights control this school, and you all are now our hostages!"
Laura rushed to place herself between the two Student Council members and Tamaki's squad, spreading her arms protectively.
"Put down your guns!" Laura exclaimed in a commanding voice.
"Huh? What's that, you Brit wench!? That's one hell of a thing to say to us right now!" Tamaki shouted back angrily.
"You are supposed to stand for justice, are you not?" asked Laura. "Isn't that what Zero says? We're just students!"
"Laura!" Milly cried out.
"And so what!?" Tamaki shouted back at Laura. "Now stay down and—"
"ENOUGH!" Zero commanded with authority as he came into the room. "I gave explicit orders to not incite any violence! We are NOT taking any hostages! Stand down, all of you!"
"R-right, Zero!" said Tamaki.
"We're…sorry for our comrade's…rash actions," said Rai as he entered the room. "Tamaki's not really the sharpest tool around."
Tamaki grumbled and muttered in response.
"Rai?" Milly asked in surprise. "You're with the Black Knights?"
"Guilty as charged," Rai replied as he saw no point in denial.
"Zero, if I may ask, why are the Black Knights here?" asked Milly.
"Your academy is strategically important for our purposes, so we are turning the school into a command centre," said Zero.
"And what of us?" Laura asked. "You're not going to hurt us, aren't you?"
"I guarantee that no harm will fall upon you," said Zero. "As long as you stay here in this school you are under our protection. You have my word."
Dorms
Euphemia sat on a bed in one of the spare dorm rooms as she watched updates to the invasion situation from her tablet. She had changed from her lilac and white princess dress to a more casual outfit.
"An estimate of the death toll in the Special Zone invasion reaches over 150,000," said the newscaster from the screen.
She gripped the bed with a shaking hand at the statement.
More than 150,000 Japanese and Britannians alike perished in what was supposed to be an opportunity for a new life.
All within two hours.
"They're…they're dead because of me…I led them to my proposal…I led them to this massacre," the pinkette thought sadly.
The doorbell to the room rang a few moments later.
"Please come in!" said Euphemia in response.
The door opened as Kallen came into the room. The redhead took a seat on the bed next to the pinkette.
"Hey," Kallen began. "I have to say that you did pretty good out there."
"Huh?" Euphemia wondered.
"I didn't think you had it in you. I didn't think you could pilot a frame and fight with it like you did back there," said Kallen.
"I was surprised at myself at how well I did so too," said Euphemia.
"And the way you came back for those people and risked yourself for their sake as well," said Kallen. "While your people looked down on us Japanese and saw us as lesser for years, you didn't. You didn't run away and twiddle your thumbs, you went all in and actually fought to save them."
"I see now that I was wrong about you," the redhead continued. "For a long time I simply thought you were a useless puppet princess who couldn't do anything on her own. I really misjudged you, huh?"
"I suppose you learned the lesson of not judging a book by its cover," said Euphemia.
"I guess I did," Kallen concurred. "I didn't get to take the time to actually know you."
"But, I just have to ask, weren't you a pacifist or something? What made you change your mind?" the redhead asked, curious.
"We're dealing with hostile aliens here," said Euphemia. "They attacked us with no provocation on arrival, and there was no communication with them. Even if we tried, I doubt we would be able to even understand each other. There was no other choice. After I saw them slaughter so many people before my own eyes with no mercy whatsoever, that's when I realised what I needed to do."
"True," said Kallen.
"Well, I suppose I should introduce myself properly, since you don't have my name. I'm Kallen. Kallen Kouzuki," the redhead introduced herself.
"I think I should introduce myself again, too," said Euphemia. "Because I no longer go by the li Britannia name. I'm Euphemia Lamperouge now."
"Got it," Kallen acknowledged. "That's the same surname Lelouch uses…"
"Anyway, I have another question I need to ask. If you weren't really a puppet princess, then why didn't you at least try to stop Cornelia from causing a massacre of innocent civilians at Saitama?" asked Kallen.
"A what? A massacre at Saitama?" Euphemia asked in surprise.
"You didn't know…," said Kallen in realisation, her question having been answered by the pinkette's genuine surprise. "Cornelia never told you anything about it, didn't she?"
"She doesn't know about it at all…Looks like I now have to break the truth of that day out to her…"
Notes: Sophie Randle will be referred to by her surname in this story so as to avoid confusion with Sophie Wood.