Welp, change of plans again!
I need to focus a bit on Rin considering her backstory changes with the inclusion of the armored core elements, so whoops! Guess we won't be seeing Laura and Charlotte until much later.
As usual, I don't own anything.
-0-
"Hmph. It looks like this is the place."
It was night. A girl of slender frame was standing in front of the gate to the IS Academy, carrying an almost comically large travel bag. Her hair was tied into two ponytails of brilliant black and fastened with good-looking golden clasps and fell around her shoulders that fluttered in the breeze.
'Japan didn't change one bit last time I was here.' she noted especially during the travel from the airport to the Academy but nostalgia can wait for now she has a more significant issue to tackle.
"So where's the reception again?" She took a piece of paper from her pocket. The paper was utterly crumpled, perfectly encapsulating her haphazard, happy-go-lucky personality. "School Building, First Floor, General Reception…"
She repeated the locations multiple times, and with each repetition, she looked around and didn't find the building no matter how many times she looked because all of them looked the same.
"where the hell is it?" she complained while stuffing the crumpled paper back into her pocket with a scowl. It made an audible crunch as it crumpled inside. "Fine, I'll look for it myself. Can't rely on anyone!"
Grumbling, she walked away; it was better to act than to think. She was that kind of girl after all, and so Huang Lingyin began her journey to the West, a quest to find the general receptionist, looking around she never knew how much she missed Japan.
It was like a second home to her. She had lived in the country for a long time, and had many friends there both good and bad, even now she cannot help but smile at the memories with the occasional shudders.
History is about the people, not the places.
She suddenly stopped and looked around, despite her wandering she found no one, the whole place is empty save for herself, the howling winds, and the meowing of a cat in the distance.
'There's really nobody here, huh? No students, no teachers, or anyone to guide me around…'
She continued to wander the Academy grounds looking for a semblance of a person. It was a little past eight, and all the lecture and administration buildings were dark. All of the students were in their dorms.
'Oh my God, this pisses me off... Maybe I should fly up and around to take a look?' she was effectively stomping around in frustration, she could hear the teasing voice of her childhood friends.
Which brought her back to reality and made her think twice.
"On second thought... Maybe that's not such a good idea... "She made the realization, a suddenly uncharacteristically mature way of thinking from someone as impulsive as her. "The last thing I need is a bunch of people in suits getting mad at me again. The people back home thought as much too, the pathetic fools."
Yet her rationalization leaves little to be desired.
'Hmph. Well, I'm just too important, aren't I? I've gotta be careful.' smiling at herself, she cannot help but wonder if any male IS pilots are in the academy. As far as she saw it, the world was in great shape…at least it used to be in great shape.
Five years ago the saying "Male brawns are irrelevant! A girl's IS is justice!" would make sense but now? It barely made any and then the sudden continuous appearance of male pilots sent the world further into confusion.
Well, at least there's a comfort that male IS pilots are still rare.
She was feeling great. When she'd been a little girl, she'd hated boys who thought they had the right to decide just because they were boys. There were exceptions, a small group of close friends and dare she say best friends. There is someone special among them, that boy was the main reason she'd wanted to return to Japan.
The girl cannot help but giggle to herself as the memories of her childhood friends come to the surface, though she wondered if they attend the academy.
'I wonder how everyone doing now... Probably well enough, aha.'
"That's why... said…"
She looked around. The voice seemed to be coming from an IS training building. IS-related buildings in all countries look similar, so she recognized it immediately.
'Perfect, I can ask them where the heck I'm supposed to go!' she ran to the arena entrance hoping to get settled as soon as possible.
"Like I said, I don't know how to picture that," said a male voice.
She stopped on her track startled as she recognized the voice and it took her by surprise. 'is that who I— No, it can't be. Is it really him? What's he doing here?!'
Her eyes widened with curiosity and anticipation, her mind rushing with hundreds of different thoughts but after that brief pause, she continued to walk toward the building, wondering if he would even recognize her after all these years.
"Ichi—" she whispered only to immediately close her mouth. 'Oh, no! What's up with my voice? Come on, just say it normally!'
Before she could even speak properly she realized that he was not alone, in fact, he was accompanied by several other peoples
"Ichika, when are you going to get a handle on your mental image? We've been stuck on the same problem for a week," said the female voice followed by a chorus of agreement, some of them sounded masculine.
"What Houki said is true," a red-head Russian boy walked past Ichika. "You can even quick boost or quick turn properly without overshooting and smashing into the walls."
"Okay, first of all, your explanations are just really confusing. What the hell is 'djoom?'" before pointing to the redhead. "And Hari, it gets nauseating trying to replicate your examples."
"It's... Djoom."
"Maybe next time don't eat before training?"
"That's-I don't even know what that means! Wait, where are you guys going, Houki?! Hari?!" The man ran after the unknown girl before turning back and shouting at someone. "Mayotta come on! They going to leave us behind!"
"Coming." the reply came and she saw a second Ichika?!
'Haaah?! Wait who the hell is this clone?!-no wait.' despite at first glance this 'Mayotta' might be one-to-one in terms of appearance-no they are identical from face to hair the only difference is the hairstyle which appears to be slicked back, typical for someone to do an after training, but still! Who in the world is this doppelganger?!
Still Who the hell is that? And why do they seem so buddy-buddy?!
Little did she realize that said doppelganger was staring at her before shrugging and running to chase after his friends.
-0-
Soon after, she found the general reception. The school building was just behind the arena. Some of the lights were still on, as well.
"I think that should be all of the paperwork. Welcome to the IS Academy, Huang Lingyin." The clerk was friendly, but her words hardly reached the girl. She still felt the stinging anger blowing over her soul like a snowstorm.
To say Huang Lingyin was in a visibly bad mood when she talked was an understatement as her mind still replayed the scene from the previous, 'Just who on earth was that girl?!'.
"In which class is Orimura Ichika?" she asked, although it sounded like she is demanding instead.
"Oh, the boy they're all talking about? Class A. You're in Class B, Huang, but your rooms are right next to each other. Hey, I heard they even made him the class representative. I suppose he takes after his sister."
"Hoooh." All women loved to gossip. Lingyin coldly regarded the clerk, who was living proof of said gossip and continued. "Does Class B have a rep yet?"
"Yes, they do." the clerk replied.
"What's her name?"
"His."
"Eh?"
For real? Well, this might be easier than she expected! With her skill as a national cadet and the personal IS she pilots it would be a breeze to win the duel.
"So, why do you need that?"
Lingyin smiled in the most threatening way possible.
"I wanted to ask them nicely to give it to me."
-0-
It all fell apart.
Lingyin finds herself face down on her desk, how on earth did her plan fall apart so easily?
It was supposed to be a simple affair, challenge the class representative and take their position away from them, it was supposed to be as easy as plucking a flowing from the ground! But nooo-
"Rin, when you're done moping you should visit Ichika."
"Yes Noa…" she replied weakly as she turned her head to face the mixed-race teen on her left, his piercing blue eyes still sending shivers down her spine, before turning her face back against the desk.
It was Noa Nemain, the class representative who climbed the metaphorical mountain and face an uphill battle so steep it might as well be unclimbable, when asked about that her childhood friends only shrugged and said that he is less attractive and more plain looking than Ichika.
The Representative cadet cannot help but take offense at that because in her opinion Noa is the least plain person that she knows! He is the most reliable and dedicated person when given a task!
So she threw the plan of challenging him out of the window and gracefully accept him as the class representative, Lingyin knew she have little to no chance of victory against Noa despite her having a personal IS.
Well, made even more impossible when she saw the earring he is wearing which she instantly identify as an IS unit in its closed form.
Besides she doubts she can do better than him as a class representative, attending meetings and doing whatever responsibilities are given by the teachers. Didn't change the fact it's frustrating.
"Welcome back Rinny." she heard a confident voice, an all too familiar confirmation of the greatest fear in her life that also attend the academy, she turned her head and see another of her childhood friends.
Evan Kirimoto, a hero complex weirdo who like Noa before him is also a mixed race this time between American and Japanese, like all the other male students she saw in the hallway he is dressed in the standard uniform with the exception of the orange-tinted sunglasses.
What with him and sunglasses anyway?
Still, his short and spiky dark blue hair does make him stand out quite a bit, did he dye his hair, or was it all natural?
"Yeah, good to be back I guess…."
It's no surprise she dreads the last person in the trio, and just as Lingyin is about to ask about the last member the classroom door suddenly slides open and the cadet representative saw her.
In that second she felt fear-no it was dread, she felt like prey standing in front of a predator even more when she noticed her which caused her to tense up, she glanced to her sides only to see Evan clasping his hands in a prayer and Noa busy looking at his phone.
'Help me!' she silently cried as with each step the beast come closer and closer until they are face to face.
There she is a platinum blond-haired girl with a tomboy appearance proven by her short hair and piercings standing tall over her wearing the standard IS academy uniform with a modification that her skirts are shorter than the standard and wearing a black coat with brown fur lining that goes down to her hips.
She then leaned forward, hands gripping the edge of her desk as green eyes met steely grey.
"H-hey Zina." Rin stuttered as she raised both hands in surrender, only for Zina to burst out giggling suddenly.
"Prft, hahaha…you should look at your own face Rin," she said before cupping the Chinese girl's face and pinching her cheeks with both hands.
"Ow! Ow!"
"Welcome back, it's been forever."
"Alright, alright that's enough" Evan muttered, punctuating his words with claps of his hands "You're greeting her Zina, not trying to turn her cheeks into mochi"
In her usual Zina way, she responded with a dry glare and a vicious grin promising recompense for her spoiled fun "Fine, if the hero says so~"
And with that, her hands left Rin's cheeks, who swiftly began massaging the pain out of them.
"Thwnaks Eve" she managed the slur out through the pain, the young man only managing to offer a sympathetic look at her, evident even with the sunglasses on.
"So you're a cadet representative now?" Noa asked while sitting down behind his desk, which she noticed is on her right, Evan is on her left and Zina is right in front of her….this sitting arrangement is oddly nostalgic…
"Yesh. I'm one." the pain in her cheeks finally allowed her to speak normally while flashing a wristband on her right wrist. "Meet ShenLong! The strongest CQC IS ever!"
Evan let out a whistle amazed. "Cool."
The black-haired boy tucked a strand of wavy hair behind his ear revealing the earring he is wearing. "The Cascade Range. the third generation, made by Crest."
Lingyin nodded respectfully before turning around and facing the sunglass-wearing teen. "So what about you?"
Evan snorted and tapped the rim of his sunglass. "Oracle. Third Generation and made by Mirage."
It was Lingyin's turn to be surprised, she knew that IS closed form often appears as accessories like rings, earrings, necklaces, and many others then again there are many kinds of accessories in the world.
"W-what about you Z-zina?"
"Hm? My IS?" The blond-haired girl turned around. And tapped one of her piercings, it was a ring on her lip. "I pilot Fascinator same as bird brain over there it's a third generation made by Crest."
Noa only sighed when called a bird brain. "Don't call me that."
"Whatever you say, class president."
"By the way Rin, now that you are here when is your restaurant doing a reopening?" Zina said expectation gleaming in her steel-colored eyes.
"I…." she cannot say the words. "Maybe in the future."
"Good to know, I can't wait to taste the old man Wong's cooking again."
The blond hair girl nodded in satisfaction, it's no secret she is one of the regulars in her family restaurant but what happened between her parents… and the mention of her father caused her to bite her lips.
"By the way, you missed quite a lot." Noa nonchalantly as he fiddle with his phone, was he typing to someone which caught her attention?
"Really? I heard that Ichika become a class representative after winning a duel?"
"Well, that's half of the story. We still got some time until the homeroom teacher arrive."
"Who is our homeroom teacher?" Lingyin asked to which Noa just smiled, oh that damned smile always spells trouble in her eyes.
"It's a surprise, so-" he pocketed his phone and turned to face her "What do you want to know?"
It was tempting to say everything, like who was that doppelganger? How did Ichika end up dueling the Cadet Representative of England? Does he have any girlfriend? Did he remember her?
"Argh! I-well uh…" she scratches her head trying to answer the question….ah to hell with it! "Everything!"
A pause.
"E-everything?" Noa parroted numbly.
Lingyin, as if finally noticing her mistake, did the only thing she knew to do in such a situation.
And doubled down. Hands slammed down on her table, startling even Noa "EVERYTHING!"
Followed by Zina laughing wolfishly as her hands repeatedly hit her table. "She got you good Noa!"
Evan meanwhile just sighed in defeat as he pinched the bridge of his nose and mumbled something that sounded quite similar to "This gone to hell." before looking back at his childhood friend who is agape like a fish.
"W-well, I'll try my best then." Noa regathers his composture with a cough to his hand and clears his throat. "Well, it all started several months ago-"
-0-
The explanation lasted for quite some time, but by the end, Lingyin is confident she is now fully up to speed with the events that happened in the IS academy.
"Even now no one in the academy knows why Mayotta Sumika looked identical to Ichika, some say they are two separated at birth, others say that one of the other is a clone from some foreign laboratory, and big sis Chifuyu said something about "same face syndrome"
Evan cannot help but snort. "What's this? Fate Grand Order?"
"Wait you still play that game?!" Lingyin asked with a shocked expression.
"Yeah, Noa over there is a certified whale," Zina mentioned with an accusing finger pointed at the wavy-haired teen. "I bet he hasn't finished the Lostbelt yet."
"Finished it yesterday actually."
"What's your team comp?"
"Not telling you."
"Ah fuck you, you must be using Richard I from the Strange Fake collab didn't you?" Zina sneered while giving a middle finger.
Unbeknownst to the quartet the class door just slide open, and in that instant, every other chatter and small talk suddenly vanished as the students turned to face the teacher, and in that moment Lingyin's eyes bulged in shock as she recognize who is the homeroom teacher.
A beautiful woman in her mid-twenties with short blond hair and blue eyes white shirt, wearing a black business overcoat and matching skirt, a grey tie, black stockings, and Mary Jane heels.
She walked to the podium and introduced herself in a firm but kindly tone. "Everyone, my name is Fiona Jarnefeldt. I'll be your new homeroom teacher, I hope that we can cooperate and create a positive learning environment."
There was a pause where the students processed what is happening before suddenly the entire class erupted in shrill happiness.
Lingyin even saw her roommate Tina Hamilton pumps her hands repeatably while joining the cacophony of happiness.
"Kyaa! Fiona! It's really Fiona!"
"I'm a long-time fan of yours!"
Then suddenly one Tina Hamilton, the representative candidate of America raised her hands. "Miss Jarnefeldt! Does that mean White Glint is also in the Academy?"
The teacher reluctantly answered. "Yes."
"Kyaa! I always wanted to see White Glint!"
"I know right? He is such a gallant pilot! The best!"
The Chinese girl closed her eyes in an attempt to drown out the sound, she saw Noa just spacing out, Evan plugging his ears with his fingers and Zina pulled her hood up and closed it shut.
It was an expected reaction really, Fiona Jarnefeldt is one of the great figures in IS history, sure she isn't a pilot or anything but she was responsible for codifying and organizing IS tactics while her partner Aqmar Ali el-Amir is the legendary pilot of White Glint is among the strongest global pilots who made his name as the winner of the second Mondo Grosso.
Suddenly there was a clap and the class was silent once more, the teacher sighed with closed eyes suddenly flashing a smile that promised a fate worse than death as she opened her eyes.
"Let's get down to business, shall we?"
Somehow every student in the room felt a sense of creeping dread.
-0-
It was a long, painful, and certainly interesting homeroom session for classes 1-2 but one thing was made abundantly clear, Aqmar el-Amir was taken by who one would ask? By their new homeroom teacher as she made it clear to everyone that her husband was off limits.
Of course, the announcement was met with protest by some people but after a glare from the teacher some of the girls gave up, but their spirit was reignited by the idea of reaching the same couple goal as the homeroom teacher.
Naturally, she aimed to reach the same goal, like a fierce tiger forcibly climbing a mountain no matter the challenge and the hurdles she will reach the couple goal whose example is set in front of her.
Right after homeroom ended and break started she marched toward class 1-1m intending to stake her claim and announce her presence to whatever rivals and enemies are present within the Academy.
"Odd seeing you this fired up." Noa commend as he walked behind her.
"Rinny going to do something impulsive and stupid isn't she?" Evan commented, with Zina snorting remembering their shared childhood it was either her or Rin who hatched a stupid and impulsive idea.
"Is she always like this?" May Yamada a green-haired girl with matching colored eyes whose hair reached to her back asked as she followed everyone else, to which Noa only shrugged, she is the younger sister of Maya Yamada, and like her older sister, he is quite well developed for someone of her age. Her personal IS: Merrygate closed to form a green hairband borderline invisible due to its matching color.
"Here I expected that our illustrious class representative made better friends." Miel Caspica remarked at the backmost of the parade, an albino boy with short straight snow-white hair and ruby-colored eyes visibly shorter than everyone else. His personal IS: Gleditsia resembles a white rhinoceros beetle brooch perched on the side of his belt attached to a series of chains.
Someone did make a joke if he slides the beetle just right he can transform into a masked hero.
"Why are you even here Miel?" Evan asked turning around. "Aren't you supposed to be with Masaru?"
"He's busy with the student council."
"Sure Velvet didn't kick you out of their love nest?" Zina shot unprovoked which cause Miel to mumble a curse under his breath.
Rin realized that everyone in their little group has personal IS. this raised an eyebrow as she mentally counts the IS units.
ShenLong, Cascade Range, Oracle, Fascinator, Merrygate, and now Gleditsia.
Isn't that one too many personal IS units?
She didn't have the chance to ponder the answer as soon they reached class 1-1, now the easy part for some impulsive idiot like Herself, she looked back and saw people giving her signs of reassurance.
Off she goes then? And are they talking about the interclass tournament? Well, time to break the bad news to them and halt their momentum!
"That intel is outdated!" Lingyin Huang declared as she opened the door while the rest peeked through the hallway windows which caused the chatter from inside the class to end, she even spotted the trio giving Ichika a cheeky wave.
"Class B also has a rep with their personal unit now. You won't have such an easy time winning," she announced standing proudly with arms crossed and her twin tails fluttered in the air. "Not to mention we have six personal IS in total!"
"Rin? Is that you?"
-0-
Man, this chapter sure is extra long, I suppose I have to make up for the shorter chapters from the previous one.
As usual, this chapter is named after an Armored Core OST, this time around it's from Nexus's Red Butterfly.