This part of the revision is another of the biggest for the story overall. It's practically the addition of an entirely new chapter with content that didn't exist before. But it's necessary because this revision is aiming to give more characterization and relationship development to certain characters earlier on in the story. That's why we're here! It's work, but it'll be a good addition overall.

Sleeping was one of Church's favorite things to do, but ironically, he rarely if ever had much time to do as much of that as he wanted. It seemed like there was always a reason for him to get up early, and those reasons were mostly forced on him by other people. The morning after he had been invited to sleep in Rin's room was no exception.

"Hey."

While he could acknowledge somewhere in his subconscious that a voice was speaking to him, Church tried to ignore it as best he could. He just wanted the chance to actually sleep in one of these days. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen today, as his sleep was ruined a bit more thoroughly by a wad of some fabric hitting him in the face.

"Hey, wake up!"

Church cracked his eyes open reluctantly, acknowledging that he had been hit in the face with a sock. Across from him, Rin was sitting up in her bed, stifling a yawn. She was in the same clothes she had been wearing the night before, and she had neglected to untie her hair, so she looked as she always did. Church held back a yawn of his own as he addressed her.

"Ugh... what is it?"

"It's almost eight in the morning, so I kinda need you to get out of here."

Trying to wipe the grogginess out of his eyes, Church sat up in bed himself. "Well that's sudden. What's important about eight in the morning?"

"It's when Tina said she was going to be coming back. I'll admit I didn't really care too much about letting you use her bed for the night, but at the same time, I don't really want her to come back to this scene, you know? She might get a little mad if she finds out I let a stranger sleep in her bed and I need to take some measures to make sure she never finds out."

Taking that theoretical situation into consideration, Church couldn't say he disagreed with Rin's sentiment. "OK, I guess that's pretty fair. I suppose it was already generous enough letting me sleep here. Though you know, the bed in my storage closet is just about as comfy..."

Rin frowned at his statement. "Wait, really? I only offered to let you sleep in here because I figured you had iffy amenities. Why didn't you say anything?!"

"And skip a perfectly good opportunity to spend the night with a cute girl? Why would I do that?"

The brunette blushed slightly, but still managed to put up an irritable front. "Awfully underhanded of you... maybe I misjudged you?"

Church frowned at the insinuation. "Would you prefer if I didn't think anything special of your favors? Wouldn't that be insulting?"

Rin's frown took on more of a confused air as she considered that. "I... guess it would be, in a way... whatever! Point is, the favor's over. You got a good meal and a sleepover, so the least you could do is make sure I don't have to put up with anything awkward between Tina and myself. I need to make up her bed to avoid suspicion and all that."

"OK, that's fair... I suppose I have to check in with Chifuyu soon anyway. It's the weekend, but I don't think she said at any point that we wouldn't be doing tests on these days..."

The American agent paused for a minute to consider his next words. Aside from those tests he had just mentioned, weekends were actually going to be unique days of opportunity for him, precisely because the student body didn't have classes. That meant that Houki Shinonono had more free time and was presumably more accessible to him, a non-student that didn't share her schedule. These days would be a good time to try and get access to Akatsubaki in some regard.

Of course, that was a bit of a problem since Houki was the one girl in her social circle Church had scarcely been introduced to so far. He still had no believable reason to approach her right now. He supposed he could try and fabricate some sort of encounter with her, but that seemed like a pretty risky course of action. Then again, he was getting relatively friendly with many of Houki's friends, and it was a weekend where they didn't have to focus entirely on schoolwork...

"You plan on doing anything with your friends today, Rin?"

Getting up from her bed and stretching, Rin smirked. "Just can't get enough of me, can ya? I don't blame you, just don't get your hopes up. I didn't have any particular plans today, but I might ask Ichika if he wants to go into town..."

Naturally, this wasn't exactly what Church wanted to hear. Rin getting Ichika to herself didn't exactly help him since it would exclude both himself and Houki from any sort of interaction. That said, Rin wasn't quite done speaking.

"Although, I doubt I'd actually be able to get him alone, considering how this crap usually goes down... tell you what, if things go south and the whole gang comes along, I suppose I can invite you. But you have to be my wingman and try to distract the others, alright?"

Honestly, Church felt like he should be insulted by the notion of being invited on the condition of serving as a distraction to the other girls on Rin's behalf, but he supposed it was better than nothing. Since this outcome was desirable for his mission, he wasn't going to complain about it even if it wasn't very flattering.

"I'm sure my charm can distract at least one of your rivals."

"Well Cecilia's a bimbo, so you can probably get her out of the way at least. You've got a phone right? We should probably exchange numbers so we don't have to rely on a chance encounter if we want to talk. But-"

The girl raised a finger. "Bathroom first."

With that, she walked past Church and towards the bathroom on the other side of the bedroom, disappearing into it swiftly enough. This left Church to grab his phone off of the nightstand next to Tina's bed. Frankly, he didn't actually use it for much, since he didn't have too many people to talk to via such means. He'd had a few friends back in Bethesda, but joining Umbra Stratum had required him to cut ties. It was a shame, since Church had never found anyone else to play Triple Triad with.

But it wasn't like he didn't have anyone to talk to over the phone, made evident by the fact that it rang in his hands a few minutes after he grabbed hold of it. Church's first reaction as he looked at the familiar number was to frown. Not only did he recognize this number, but he knew they were the only people that would call him at this time of day. He supposed they may have had good news, but he was far too much of a realist to assume that.

Answering the call, Church raised the phone to his ear. "Morning, Doctor Warner."

On the other side of the bathroom door, Rin had just been about to come back out into the bedroom when she heard the beginning of Church's conversation. She knew that eavesdropping was rude and that Church probably deserved some privacy, but thinking about it, she didn't actually know that much about him. Her interested was piqued. And besides, she had let him stay in her room just a few days after meeting her, so encroaching on his privacy like this was quid pro quo, right?

With that in mind, she leaned up against the door and softly pressed her ear to it in hopes of increasing her odds of hearing the conversation. That said, she naturally couldn't hear whoever was on the other end of the phone, but she could hear what Church was saying.

"...nothing so far, huh? Is there any chance of something changing if we continue with these? Maybe they just haven't had enough time to work yet."

With only one half of a conversation to operate off of, Rin naturally had trouble figuring out what was being discussed. She supposed the only option she had was to keep listening as Church responded to something else that was said over the phone.

"No, I get it. They were experimental for a reason, I suppose. Does this mean we're going for the alternative treatment option now?"

There was a pause as the person on the other end spoke again, after which Church responded. "Yes, I get that it's expensive. I can cover it, just bill me the same way you always do. Thanks, Doctor Warner. Keep me posted."

After that, Rin heard a heavy sigh from him, which she took to mean that his conversation was over and that he had ended the call. Now was seemingly a good time to come back out, though she'd have to pretend she hadn't heard anything, of course. Opening the door that separated the two rooms, the girl took immediate note of a downtrodden expression on Church's face, though he plastered on a notably strained smile when he noticed that Rin had returned.

Not that Rin had doubted before that Church had problems of his own, but this moment really cemented the idea that he probably had some shitty things in his own life that a relatively new friend like Rin just wasn't privy to. Things that he hid from others in order to present a more friendly, amicable personality to them. Suddenly, Rin felt kind of bad about considering him as a means to an end as far as taking heat off of Ichika was concerned. That wasn't exactly fair to the guy who had saved her life and been overall quite kind to her.

Maybe she'd invite him out today regardless of what happened, though she couldn't deny a guilty feeling may have been the primary motivation for that.

"Alright, ready to exchange numbers?"

Perhaps thinking that Rin was none the wiser to his unpleasant exchange, Church wasted no time in pulling up his number so he could show it to Rin. Ordinarily he may have been flustered by this turn of events, but it really struck him as practical more than anything else. After all, it was probably safe to say that he and Rin would hang out from time to time at this point, and it wouldn't be very efficient to rely on a chance encounter if they wanted to communicate.

Rin figured it would be best if she kept up her usual behavior as she gave Church her number as well. "As they say, don't call me, I'll call you."

Church cocked an eyebrow at her. "That makes it sound like you're doing this reluctantly."

The brunette offered him a cheeky grin. "Nah, I just can't have people know that another boy is calling me, is all. Plus on normal days you have no idea if I'm in the middle of class or something. I mean, if you were like, dying or something you could call, just don't be one of those people that rings everyone up just because you're bored, you know?"

"No need to worry about that, Rin. I'm not the pushy type."

"Says the guy who was begging me to feed him."

Putting his shoes on so he could prepare to leave, Church let her know how he felt about that. "Oh, come on: I was very polite about that and was willing to accept a refusal if you were uncomfortable with it."

With a slight smile to herself, Rin conceded that point. "Yeah, I guess you were. I suppose you aren't a totally lost cause. Seriously though, I need you to get out of here so I can tidy up before Tina gets back."

Activating Exeter since he was obviously going to need it to avoid a broken leg, Church made his way to the window at the back of the room, opening it so he could have access to the outside world. He couldn't quite sneak out if people were out there.

That said, it was pretty early in the morning and it wasn't like there was much of a reason for anyone to be hanging out behind the dorms at this time of day, so the coast was clear. With that determined, Church turned back to face Rin one last time.

"Alright, I'm off. Thank you for hosting me, Rin. Would it be weird if I said I'm glad we met so soon after I got here?"

Rin folded her good arm over her cast and gave him a quizzical look. "Well that makes it sound like you're glad I fell out of a window and almost died, so yeah, a little weird. But I get what you mean: don't let it go to your head, but, uh... I guess I'm glad too. I actually haven't met too many guys I could stand over the years, so it's kind of nice to have a friend who isn't a girl... it gets kind of tiresome sometimes."

Church planted a foot on the windowsill as he prepared to leave. "I'll take that as a compliment. See you later, Rin."

The brunette gave him a little wave with her one good arm as Church hopped out of the window. Part of Rin was still extremely curious about his phone conversation earlier, but that was just her being nosy more than anything else. The two of them definitely weren't at a point where they'd be sharing stuff like that, so it wasn't like she could ask. Besides, right now she had to make it look like no one besides her had been in the room. The last thing she needed was for Tina to go around spreading weird rumors.

Not long after leaving from Rin's room, Church was heading back towards his own room in the main tower. He knew he probably needed to check in with Chifuyu and see if he was expected to run tests on the weekend like this, but he wasn't too keen on showing up in the shorts and t-shirt he had worn to sleep in last night. Maybe it was stupid, but he just felt uncomfortable presenting himself to Chifuyu of all people like that. Heck, she probably didn't care at all, but it was really more about his own comfort.

That was why he was heading towards his own room, just so he could change into somewhat more presentable clothes before reporting in. Speaking of reporting in, Cerberus apparently had some sentiment to share about that as Church slid open the door to his storage room turned living space.

Operator, might I suggest we report in to our actual superiors? It would be prudent to keep them up-to-date on our mission.

It's only been a few days. Do they really need a report already? It's not like we've actually accomplished much.

It would still be better to let them know the situation. We could receive valuable advice or new directives based on the situation you report.

Church offered the mental equivalent of a shrug as he took stock of the folded pile of clothes he had procured from town the other day. Technically, he really just needed to change into some jeans, though he would probably don his red jacket again. It was a personal favorite.

Fine, try to patch me through. Who knows what time it is over there...

A few moments after Church requested a connection, Cerberus alerted him to its success.

Connection with Umbra Stratum HQ successful. You may speak aloud to communicate, Operator.

Church said nothing to that since he was apparently connected to someone back in Nevada right now. Besides, he had to say something first since he didn't even know who he was talking to right this second.

"Operative A2, reporting in."

There was a drawn out yawn on the other side of the comms, which played in Church's mind just as if Cerberus was speaking to him. But soon after, he recognized the voice of Marcus.

"Oh, hey, Church. Was wondering when we'd hear from you again. Just didn't think it would be this time of day..."

"Sorry, Marcus. The Commander didn't actually give me explicit instructions to report in at any time. Cerberus just figured I should do so anyway. Not that I have a whole lot to report so far."

Since it wasn't like anyone could see him, Church went about the business of dressing himself as Marcus replied. "It's fine, I'm sure the Commander would have demanded an update at some point. So what do you have thus far?"

"Just some combat data. Most of it second hand observation data, some of it first hand against Byakushiki. Unfortunately, I don't have anything too valuable on Akatsubaki yet. Needless to say, getting my hands on Akatsubaki's specs is a lot more complicated than the Commander made it sound."

Church heard some sort of grunt that was probably acknowledgment from Marcus' end. "Well, send the data over anyway. It's all worth something. Plus it'll give me something to do now that you're gone and Strelka's found something better to do than annoy me."

Even though he couldn't be seen, Church cocked an eyebrow at that. "What could possibly entertain Strelka more than harassing you?"

"Beats me... it was business as usual until a day or two ago. Since then she's barely even touched her ADUs. I want to say I enjoy the peace, but I can't help but wonder what's demanded her attention these past few days... the few times I have seen her around she's looked unusually sullen, too."

"Marcus, are you actually concerned for Strelka? Never thought I'd see the day."

His friend in Nevada scoffed at that. "Yeah, right. I'm just worried she's cooking up a way to be even more of a pain. Forget about her. What about Cerberus? Impressed yet?"

"I suppose. I haven't actually had a chance to really test its limits yet since all I've done is spar. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to talk about it right now. I have an appointment with the locals, if you catch my drift."

Church was certain he could sense disappointment from Marcus as he responded to that. "That's a shame, but I get it. Just have Cerberus send his operational logs over every once in awhile, alright? You could also ask him to write up reports and send those so you don't have to call if that's convenient. Though I wouldn't mind a phone call every once in awhile, it does get kind of quiet out here..."

Done dressing himself, Church made his way back to the door of his room, bringing the conversation to an end. "I hear you, Marcus. I'll keep that in mind. Signing off."

With that, the communication was brought to an end, as acknowledged by Cerberus.

Ending communication, Operator. I must say, you were quick to shut down conversation about yours truly. But you had plenty of time to discuss Ms. Volkov?

Stepping out into the hall again, Church defended that exact notion.

Look, we really do have somewhere to be right now and it's not like I can just-

However Church planned on finishing his sentence, he was unable to do so, since the presence of a certain someone on the opposite side of his door startled him out of his thoughts.

"Whoa! Dammit, Tatenashi, why are you just standing there?!"

The cyan-haired girl was literally standing on the other side of his door, clearly waiting for him to exit from the room. She had that typical smile of hers on her face, but something about it seemed even more off-putting than usual today. Said smile didn't falter as she answered his justified query.

"Because I was waiting for you to come out, obviously. You're kind of late for your scheduled testing, aren't you? And where did you just come from that you weren't in your room earlier?"

Church did his best to keep a look of suspicion off of his face, though he naturally had to worry about Tatenashi right now. How did she know that he had been in the room just now? Had she overheard anything? And if so, what was Church going to do about it?

"What makes you think I wasn't in my room prior to now? Maybe I just didn't hear you knocking earlier. I can sleep pretty deeply, you know."

The smile still didn't fall from her face. "Because, I just saw you walk into the room a few minutes ago after stepping off of the elevator. Obviously you went somewhere."

"Am I not allowed to? And what, were you just standing at the end of the hall and spying on my door?"

Tatenashi's eyes gained a dangerous gleam as she leaned forward a bit. "Well, it's not so much that, it's just that I'm worried about the safety of the other students. Because you see, I heard something awfully interesting from Kanzashi last night..."

Recalling exactly what fiasco had occurred the previous day, Church immediately tried to defend himself. "H-hey, that was an accident! And I didn't see Kanzashi at all, it was just Charlotte!"

"Just Charlotte, huh?"

Realizing that it did sound a little odd to word it like that, Church nevertheless saw this as a good thing. It was preferable for Tatenashi to be focused on this. Maybe she was just acting this way because of the issue with her sister, which was better than her actually being suspicious of his real motivations. Not that it would be beneficial for her to think of him as a pervert, but it was better than her thinking of him as a spy.

"I'm just saying, Kanzashi isn't my type. And I'm not stupid enough to walk right into a room with naked girls and practically announce my presence if I was trying to be a voyeur or something. I just wasn't paying attention, alright? And I had trouble sleeping so I took a walk earlier this morning."

Tatenashi's expression was stern for a moment, prompting Church to wonder if she was convinced. But after a moment, she returned to that usual teasing look she most often sported.

"Oh, I see. So my darling sister isn't good enough for you, is that it? Are you saying she isn't worth peeping on?"

"Are you saying that I'm insulting her by not wanting to perv on her?"

"I'm just saying, you didn't say Charlotte wasn't your type. And hey, Kanzashi looks a lot like me! What are you saying about me?!"

Frankly speaking, Church did find Tatenashi more appealing than her little sister, though that probably just came down to the energy she gave off. But he was hardly going to say that, since he found the whole situation ridiculous at this point anyway.

"I thought you were interested in Ichika? What do you care if I like you or not?"

Tatenashi offered him a mocking pout as she crossed her arms. "It's the principle of the thing. Whether or not I like you, of course you should like me. What's not to like, after all?"

Church merely sighed, wondering if he had Tatenashi all wrong. Sometimes she seemed dangerous, but most of the time, she just came across as an airhead. Then again, it wasn't like acting was beyond the scope of someone talented like her. It would still be best to just play it safe.

"I take it I need to get to the RD room and talk to Chifuyu?"

"If she doesn't outright bite your head off, that is. Guess you won't go very long without her yelling at you after all, huh?"

Stepping away from Tatenashi so he could actually exit the conversation and potentially go about his business, Church remembered that he had said something to that effect when he had first spoken to the girl.

"Don't underestimate me. I don't think anyone could bear to yell at a face this charming."

Tatenashi didn't seem convinced of this, but she didn't say anything in response, which allowed Church to finally extricate himself from the situation and head towards the elevator. As soon as he turned his back on the girl, he frowned.

So, Cerberus: theoretically, what would you recommend doing if our operation was exposed?

The speed at which Cerberus responded to this question was a little alarming, frankly.

Termination, of course. We can't allow our operation to be exposed, especially this early on. Needless to say, a mysterious death would be the most efficient option out of all the ones we would have available. Why do you ask, Operator? Are you truly so concerned about Tatenashi Sarashiki?

Are you not?

Cerberus was silent for a moment, perhaps calculating some hidden factors Church himself was not aware of.

It is extremely unlikely that she overheard anything you said during your call. My calculations of the volume of your speech and the soundproofing of your surroundings, as well as her proximity to the door, all indicate that she likely did not know you were speaking at all within the confines of your room. While the possibility is not zero, it would be most unwise to act on that tiny possibility, which would bear a higher risk of compromising our mission. It is statistically safer to operate on the most likely possibility.

Taking all of that in, Church glanced over his shoulder at where Tatenashi had been standing, but by now, she was already gone. How she moved about so quickly or why she felt the need to do so, Church had no idea.

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense... still, something about her puts me on guard. Guess the best I can do is be careful around her...

With nothing else to consider on that front, Church put his concerns to the back of his mind and focused on his immediate future. While he had blown it off when Tatenashi mentioned it, he was actually a bit concerned regarding Chifuyu. She struck him as someone who was very punctual and expected everyone else to be so as well. Hopefully, the fact that he wasn't a student would offer him some protection from any potential ire.

By the time Church reached the RD room he had come to associate with his testing here at the I.S. Academy, there was only fifteen minutes until nine in the morning, making him not too far off from being a whole hour later than he was supposed to be. At this point, he considered whether or not it would be a better idea to just skip town this particular morning, but then again, that might be pressing his luck even further.

Ultimately, he figured it was just better to bite the bullet. What could Chifuyu really do to him, anyway? He was an envoy from a foreign country. On top of that, while he had been told consistently that Chifuyu was a terrifying person, he had yet to actually see anything like that.

Keeping those ideas in mind for his own comfort if nothing else, Church opened the door to the RD room and stepped inside to see what was what. The room was situated as usual, though he couldn't see Kanzashi in the booth she usually operated. That was probably for the best, all things considered. On the other hand, Chifuyu was sitting at the desk she usually occupied during these proceedings, though she was focusing on some textbook at the moment.

Of course, a sharp woman like her tended to notice when she was no longer alone, so she was looking over her shoulder at him soon enough. The words that came out of her mouth weren't particularly stern in tone, but even so, Church got the feeling she may have been a little irritable.

"You're late."

Church wondered whether or not it would be more beneficial to lie or tell the truth, but ultimately he settled on just being vague instead. He could extrapolate on an excuse if it turned out he needed one.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if we were still doing this even on the weekend."

Chifuyu sighed, but it didn't seem particularly directed at him. "Ordinarily one would assume the weekend to be a better time for this kind of thing, since I don't have classes to teach. Unfortunately, most of my spare time on the weekend has to be used to prepare for next week, so my schedule is mostly the same."

Figuring that he could ride the coattails of Chifuyu's exasperation to safety, Church quickly took on a sympathetic tone, not that he wasn't being genuine about it to begin with.

"Isn't there some sort of dumb AI or computer program that could take some of the workload off of you? I imagine that some of your work is just the number crunching type that could be passed off like that, right?"

Turning her attention back to the textbook she had before her, Chifuyu managed to sound a bit more irritable with her response. "Some bureaucratic nonsense prevents me from doing that. My superiors don't want me using things like that for the 'crucial teaching and training of the next generation of I.S. pilots.' Guess they just want to milk me for as much work as possible. The Academy has a dumb administrative AI, but log reports would show that I was 'misusing its capabilities.' Unfortunately, all I can do about it is be frustrated."

Figuring he would eventually be expected to do so anyway, Church came and sat down in his usual spot not too far away from Chifuyu. "I have to say, you don't actually seem to enjoy your job that much. And someone of your repertoire could probably get whatever type of job she wanted. Why do you work here?"

Even though she didn't take her eyes off of the book she was reading, Chifuyu cocked an eyebrow. "Has anyone ever told you that you're unusually chatty with strangers?"

He wasn't sure if this was supposed to be evasion or a legitimate complaint, but either way Church didn't think it was a good implication. "Sorry..."

"Well, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Believe it or not, it's actually somewhat nice to speak to someone who isn't a student or a faculty member. I can't actually remember the last time I did that. The Academy is very self-contained. Working here limits your social options."

Church refrained from saying that he didn't view Chifuyu as a particularly social person in the first place, though he could admit that such a thing would be a bit unfair of him considering that he didn't actually know her all that well.

"I like to think I'm a somewhat interesting person to talk to. So far, you don't seem to disagree."

Chifuyu turned another page in the textbook. "Perhaps, but I must admit that my judgment may be clouded: as I said, I mostly interact with students and faculty, so by merit of you falling outside of those circles, you may strike me as more interesting than you actually are. Though admittedly, you have struck me as an objectively interesting person thus far. You don't see many people your age thinking so deeply about global socioeconomic issues, after all."

Recalling their conversation the other day about how Infinite Stratos had affected the balance of power between genders, Church figured he was supposed to take that as a compliment. He didn't consider himself a deep thinker so much as he considered himself a curious person. But there was no need to say anything like that to Chifuyu.

"I guess so. But, uh... about today's tests: if you'd rather focus on something else today, it's not like it has to be rushed. I have a pretty generous window of time to do all of this."

The woman he was talking to actually looked up from the textbook at this, looking at him directly. "Is that really acceptable? Surely you don't wish to have your job here needlessly extended to fit my schedule."

For the life of him, Church thought it was funny that Chifuyu believed him to feel that way. What, did she think this was a big hassle for him? Well, she obviously didn't know why he was really here, but even if he was here to do what was advertised to her, why would she think this situation was tedious for him?

"I'm not exactly in a rush to leave, Ms. Orimura. It's a rare day that a male such as myself gets to be in this position."

"And what exactly is 'this position' of yours?"

Church saw this trap for what it was, so he neglected to mention anything about being surrounded by so many girls. He got the feeling that wasn't the answer Chifuyu was looking for.

"You know, visiting one of the world's most prestigious institutions, getting to fight against Infinite Stratos in a controlled environment, holding discussions with one of the most illustrious women in the world... these types of chances don't come often. I might be inclined to get an autograph from you before I leave, it could do wonders for my social life."

The raven-haired woman beside him shook her head, seemingly amused by his answer. Maybe she thought it was silly. Or maybe she just saw right through it. Though it wasn't like he was being entirely dishonest here. He did consider himself quite lucky to be in this situation from a purely intellectual standpoint. Men rarely got this involved in the affairs of Infinite Stratos or its pilots. That said, of course he was also quite happy to be present around a bunch of beautiful girls, even if he didn't get to do much with them besides look and talk. He wasn't going to admit that to a woman like Chifuyu even if she was aware of it.

"Well, whatever your reasons, if it's no trouble for you to delay, we needn't do anything today. In fact, you may find it appropriate to set up a schedule of sorts to avoid any confusion in the future. I wasn't given any specific directions to speed this process along as much as possible, so we can take it at your leisure."

While he may have been jumping to a relatively bold assumption, Church couldn't help but comment on this. "You know, that kind of makes it sound like you don't actually mind having me around. You'd want to send me packing as quickly as possible otherwise, right?"

The woman scoffed at this, which was a little wounding. "You've simply succeeded in not annoying me thus far, or directly causing some hassle that could have been avoided. That's subject to change, so don't get comfortable."

Church's desire to say anything shrunk a bit at that. It wasn't necessarily offensive or anything, but it was still a pretty harsh sentiment. Then again, he supposed it was a bit presumptuous of him to assume anything about this professional relationship when he had known Chifuyu for all of a few days.

Operator, if our presence will not be required here today, might I suggest we focus our attention on the mission?

Having expected Cerberus to stay quiet during this time since it had been thus far, Church took a moment to formulate a response, as well as how he even wanted to answer.

Rin told us already what her plans are for the day. We might as well wait and see if that bears any fruit. If Houki and her friends end up going into town, our time would be wasted strolling about the Academy.

We could attempt to infiltrate more computer systems, Operator.

Do you really think there's a chance of us finding anything useful about Akatsubaki in any network we could access around here?

Cerberus did not respond to that immediately. After all, Church had a point. It was likely that there was valuable data on Akatsubaki stored somewhere in the Academy, but it was probably in a normally inaccessible location, and protected by many electronic warfare suites. Akatsubaki was by far the most valuable asset the Japanese government owned right now. They weren't just going to leave its specs lying around.

Technically, that didn't make this theoretical data inaccessible: if the network it was stored on could be located, Cerberus could probably infiltrate it successfully. But it was definitely a very risky option. Right now, it was still a safer bet to approach the actual Akatsubaki unit directly. That said, there was no telling what electronic warfare defenses the I.S. itself would have once that happened...

Frankly, Church couldn't help but wonder if there had ever been any intention for him to pull this mission off without Cerberus. Without his AI assistant, how would he have possibly hacked all of these computer systems? Then again, maybe the intention had always been for Cerberus to come along.

Either way, he didn't have the necessary means to really pursue the objective right this moment, so Church decided that there was no harm in staying where he was. Chifuyu had crushed his spirits a little bit, but technically she hadn't said anything bad about him. It wasn't even that he was on thin ice or anything. Besides, even though Chifuyu had said otherwise, he got the feeling that she did think well of him in some regard.

"What do you do to lower your stress levels, Ms. Orimura? With how much work you do, surely there's something."

The expression Chifuyu donned made it obvious that she considered Church's question to be ridiculous. "Bold of you to assume that I have enough time to dedicate solely to a stress relieving exercise on any given day."

"Well, what about things you could do while you work? Like listening to relaxing music, or something?"

Chifuyu flipped another page in the textbook. Church had no idea what it was she was looking for within it. "I don't know much about music. I don't even know where to begin to look for music of any sort."

Church found this response surprising, but he supposed it made some sense. Chifuyu didn't strike him as someone who had a lot of investment in the entertainment world.

"I have some recommendations that you might appreciate. I could send them to you if you'd like?"

For a moment, the older woman glanced at him, perhaps questioning his own investment in the matter. Ultimately, she didn't comment on whatever inner thoughts she may have been having.

"I won't stop you if you'd like to do so. Though it's hardly like I have headphones on me right now."

"I'll save it for the next time we meet for testing, then."

Thankfully for Church since he felt that the conversation might get awkward after this point, it was interrupted by a buzzing from his pocket. With no reason to expect a call from anyone else since he had already talked to Doctor Warner that morning, he assumed the caller was Rin, much to his pleasure. Well, he had to answer first to find out, so he wasted no time in withdrawing the device from his pocket and raising it to his ear.

"Hello?"

While it was slightly distorted, the voice that came from the other end of the line was definitely Rin's. "Hey, it's me. Like I figured, my plan to get Ichika alone for a date was a total bust, so... you wanna come with us to town?"

Part of Church admitted that he felt a little offended to only be considered as company under these circumstances, but he supposed it was only fair to expect. If someone could get the person they liked alone, why would they want to bring other people along? He just hoped that Rin didn't really expect him to try and take any heat off of her situation with the other girls. He couldn't imagine that any of them would care to pay much attention to him anyway.

And speaking of the other girls, Church only now considered that an outing such as this one might be pretty unpleasant for him. After all, he had just last night experienced a pretty awkward moment with Charlotte, and surely that would still be on her mind too. Cecilia didn't seem to like him at all, he had never spoken to Houki, and Laura... well, Church wasn't sure where she stood now. Even though she had come across as hostile before, the two of them had seemingly gotten along well enough last night.

All of that said, he felt the need to ask Rin a question. "I don't mind, but did you run this by everyone else? They won't be upset that I'm tagging along?"

He heard Rin scoff on the other end of the line. "What is this, a school field trip? I don't have to ask any of them for permission to invite who I want along. Besides, I'll probably need the company, all things considered..."

Church wasn't sure what to make of that last comment. He would have thought that, even with all of her other friends present, Rin would have preferred to have her focus completely on Ichika. This comment made it sound like she didn't think she was going to have much of a chance to even talk to him.

"Well, if you say so. When are we leaving and where should I meet you?"

"You know the tram station that connects the Academy island to the city, right? Just meet us there in thirty minutes."

"Sounds good."

Rin wasted little time in ending the call after his confirmation, leaving Church to pocket his phone and take note of a mildly questioning look from Chifuyu.

"What?"

"It sounds as though you have plans for an outing. I'm merely surprised that you've gotten close enough to anyone to warrant such an excursion with them in your brief time here."

"To be fair, I think I'm owed a little bit of friendliness from Rin, all things considered. Not that I'm lording our first meeting over her or anything, I'm just saying that saving her life was probably a good springboard for a friendly relationship..."

It wasn't clear what Chifuyu thought about that assessment, what with that expression that was always pretty difficult to read. Her words sounded accepting enough, however.

"Well, however you choose to spend your free time is your prerogative. Though I'm surprised anyone would willingly get involved in such a circus..."

Church didn't comment on that as he rose from his chair. He supposed Chifuyu knew better than he did when it came to judging those girls. "Well, it seems like we're going into town. Should I grab you anything while we're out?"

This question prompted another curious look from the elder Orimura. Maybe she was just too unused to socializing, but it still struck her as odd to be this friendly with a relative stranger. Maybe some people didn't find such consideration awkward. Or maybe Church was trying to express gratitude of some sort, though that was a little silly since Chifuyu had only done things that were expected of her job for him.

Either way, she wasn't going to stop him from doing what he wanted. The faculty lounge was running out of coffee anyway, and it would be at least a week before another shipment came in. If she ran out of coffee, Chifuyu wasn't sure she would be able to function properly...

"If you're willing, I could use more black coffee."

Frankly, Church was not surprised that Chifuyu was a black coffee kind of person. "Alright, I can do that. I'll bring it next time we have testing."

Nodding her confirmation of his words, Chifuyu said nothing else as she returned her attention to the textbook that she'd had since Church got here. Naturally, this left the young man with little alternative besides making his exit. Once he was outside, Cerberus wasted no time in questioning his behavior.

Operator, I fail to see any valid reason for wasting valuable funds on procuring resources for Chifuyu Orimura. She is, as it is said, 'out of your league.'

Church donned an unhappy frown at the assessment, partly because he was offended that his intentions were being chalked up to impressing a woman, but mostly because he didn't like the fact that Cerberus was probably right.

For your information, I'm doing this to further ingratiate myself with the people I'll be dealing with regularly. It's pretty obvious that I'm going to be spending a lot of time around Chifuyu while carrying out this mission. Anything I can do to minimize her suspicion or even distaste for me is worthwhile. After all, of all the people present at the Academy, I think I'd want to avoid her bad side the most.

Cerberus was quiet for a moment, almost like it was shocked that Church had actually provided a solid explanation.

I see. My apologies, Operator. It's just that your motivation is often so questionable when it comes to women, I simply didn't believe you might actually have the mission's interests in mind.

You know, I'm starting to wonder if you actually have any faith in me at all, Cerberus.

Much to Church's chagrin, the AI did not answer this question, simply leaving him to wonder as he headed for the tram station Rin had mentioned earlier.

The I.S. Academy was not all that far away from civilization. It was situated on a small island, but if you stood on the shore of that island, you could easily see the coastline of mainland Japan, which was only a few miles away. But the Academy was a private boarding school, and the most important one in the world, at that. For that reason, it was not connected to the mainland via something like a bridge: the government wasn't interested in letting random people walk or drive right onto the premises.

For students and faculty who wanted to move between the Academy and the coastline city it was next to, the only means of doing so was a tram system that connected the two areas. I.S. pilots could have technically just flown between them of course, but flippant use of military grade technology was heavily frowned upon, so anyone who had a sponsor was very unlikely to whip out their I.S. for minor reasons, especially in full view of the public.

Personally, Church couldn't see why the designers of this area hadn't just built a bridge then locked it down with a security checkpoint, which probably would have been easier. Looking at the tram station before him, which included dozens of support struts buried deep in the water between the island and the mainland, it seemed like this whole setup was the more expensive of the available options.

Because it was the weekend, there were a lot more students milling around here than there would have been otherwise: without classes to fully command the schedules of the student body, many of them liked to go into the neighboring city to spend their free time. That probably explained the decent line leading up to the tram station, chock full of girls engrossed in their own conversations. Many were dressed in casual clothing for their outing, though a few simply kept to their uniforms. Apparently they were comfortable and stylish enough to wear even in such a scenarios, though the ability of the students to customize their uniforms as they wished probably helped a great deal.

Glancing through the crowd, Church did not immediately see the people he was supposed to be meeting, though that wasn't exactly a surprise considering the number of girls he had to scan through. On the other hand, he did notice an alarming number of students checking him out, with expressions that ranged from mere curiosity to outright predatory. A few even began to make their way towards him, no doubt to try and elicit his company for some nefarious purpose or another. Maybe they figured he was vulnerable right now since they weren't in the main building and Tatenashi was nowhere to be seen.

Church wondered how he would escape this veritable den of lions, but he was saved before having to take any action himself, thanks to Rin's familiar voice calling out to him.

"Hey! Church, over here!"

Glancing off to the side, Church identified Rin waving to him with her good hand. Decked out in jean shorts and a tank top, she was standing near some trees that were separated from the walkways via railing. Church could see the rest of her social circle around her, though most of them weren't paying any attention to him.

Eager to escape the slowly encroaching horde of girls he didn't know, Church made his way towards Rin and her friends, identifying the types of clothing they chose to wear on casual outings such as this one. For the most part, the clothing choices seemed to line up with everyone's personality: a blouse from Charlotte, a sundress from Cecilia, cargo pants from Laura... some part of everyone was seemingly reflected in how they dressed for this kind of thing. Church couldn't help but wonder what his own basic attire may have implied about him, but it wasn't like he thought he looked bad.

Putting those thoughts aside, Church waved back at Rin as he got closer. "Hey. You weren't all waiting on me, were you?"

Before the girl could even respond to him, Cecilia's irritable voice cut in from behind. "As a matter of fact, we were. No idea why, of course..."

The interruption prompted an annoyed glance from Rin in Cecilia's direction. "Oh, shut up. You wanna talk about unwanted guests? I didn't invite any of you to this outing, you all invited yourselves!"

"This and that are entirely separate! Of course I wouldn't just let you pull off an underhanded scheme such as this one!"

Church assumed that the blonde was referring to the notion of Rin getting a day out alone with Ichika, but he didn't make any comment on that. He didn't get a chance to anyway, since Ichika was walking towards him with a smile on his face.

"Well I'm glad you came! The girls are so antisocial, they always want to do things alone... but I say, the more the merrier! Plus, it's always nice to have another guy around."

Church felt a palpable increase in heat around his position, but a quick perusal of his surroundings revealed that it was just Ichika getting glared at by pretty much everyone, and Church was just close enough to be collateral damage. It wasn't particularly hard to imagine why Ichika's statements may have annoyed the girls.

I honestly can't tell if this guy is truly so oblivious or he's the world's ultimate troll.

There is equal potential for both answers, Operator.

Figuring that it was now a good idea to metaphorically extricate himself from Ichika's ignorance in the eyes of his companions, Church took note of the girls around him. Most still bore annoyed expressions, being focused on Ichika and all, but a few of them did notice his observation. Charlotte was one of them, the girl quick to avert her gaze in embarrassment, though it was no mystery as to why. Church imagined the air would be a little awkward between the two of them for some time.

The other person to notice his assessment was Laura, who likewise turned away from him when their eyes met. Surprisingly enough, the reaction didn't seem nearly as cold or hostile as it had before. If anything, it almost looked a little bashful.

I wonder if I'm actually growing on her after last night?

Cerberus didn't share his optimism.

Operator, please: don't be so naïve. Bodewig is a hardened soldier, surely a few kind words aren't going to sway her negative opinion about you.

Hey, you'd be surprised how much of a difference a few genuine compliments can make.

Continuing his purveyance, Church noted that Houki appeared particularly irate at Ichika, but more importantly was the fact that she was present at all. Other than their very brief encounter in the cafeteria a while ago, this was the first time Church had actually been close to the girl that possessed his mission objective. That being said, it would hardly do to let the opportunity that was today go to waste.

"Hi: I don't think we've actually been introduced yet. Ms. Shinonono, right?"

Initially taken aback by his query, Houki quickly donned the air of politeness that was expected of her in such a scenario. Her first instinct was to bow, but seeing as how Church was a foreigner, and from the West at that, she offered a hand to shake instead.

"Y-yes, it's nice to meet you. I must apologize for not making your acquaintance sooner, considering how you saved one of my idiot friends. Please forgive me."

There was an indignant cry from Rin at being identified as an 'idiot friend' but Church ignored it as he shook Houki's hand. Though he had seen her before, now that he was staring right at her in close proximity, Church really was taken aback by how unique she really was. It wasn't every day you had a Japanese girl with blue eyes and a figure like hers. Church could imagine her being immensely popular in a co-ed environment: tall, pretty, long silken hair, impressive physique... she ticked all the boxes for what was typically considered attractive.

Of course, Church personally felt that all of the girls in Ichika's social circle were immensely good-looking, so this didn't really make Houki an outlier. Maybe good genes were a prerequisite for I.S. pilots as well?

Before he could extrapolate on that thought further, Church's musings were interrupted by Ichika. "Just so you know, no need to be too formal. I'm sure Houki won't mind if you call her that."

Naturally, the girl in question didn't seem as onboard with the notion as Ichika made it seem. "Excuse you, don't go around telling people what they can or can't call me!"

"But Houki, he's a foreigner: it'll probably be weird for him to call you Shinonono all the time, right? Plus it's a mouthful..."

Houki snapped something back at him, but Church missed it as he focused in on a conversation with Cerberus.

I know it's blindly optimistic, but I don't suppose that brief contact with her allowed us to make any headway?

I'm afraid it's not going to be as simple as shaking hands for a few moments, Operator. We're already attempting a wireless connection, which isn't the most efficient option. On top of that, it was but a moment of close contact. We'll need more than that.

If it's wireless, how close do we really have to be?

Close enough that it would arouse suspicion at this time. It's the most advanced piece of technology in the world, Operator. You should be glad we can attempt a wireless infiltration at all, regardless of stipulations.

While he hadn't been expecting any less, Church was still a little disappointed. It would have been nice if everything was easy, but when was it ever? Then again, if it had been as easy as all that, his mission would have been over very quickly, and then he'd have to leave this unique situation right away, and where was the fun in that?

Cerberus may have said something to condemn that notion, but before that could happen, Rin was ushering everyone towards the tram station. "Alright, alright, we can do the usual song and dance on the move! It's not like we have all day, people!"

Considering that it was barely even noon yet, Church found the sense of urgency a little unwarranted, but then again, he didn't actually know what other plans any of the girls may have had. Maybe they all had something to do in just a few hours? Either way, no one dissented with Rin's proclamation, so the group was soon moving towards the line at the tram station. Being the most out of place for obvious reasons, Church brought up the rear so as not to be in the midst of the group that mostly consisted of acquaintances at best, one of which he was still having trouble looking at since he kept seeing her naked in his mind.

In an effort to curb that problem, the American agent took note of something that had only just now occurred to him while they were standing in line.

"Where are Tatenashi and Kanzashi? Did they not get invited?"

From in front of him, Rin turned back and made a face of clear disdain. Outright disgust, almost. "I'd rather die before inviting that witch anywhere."

With the brunette refusing to elaborate further, Church was left in confusion. Surprisingly, it was Laura who glanced back to enlighten him. Apparently, she wasn't against initiating a conversation with him any longer.

"There was an incident between Rin and Tatenashi at Ichika's birthday party last year. As for Kanzashi... well, to be honest, we aren't particularly close with her or her sister overall. I suppose no one felt obligated to invite her."

Church felt a little bad for the bespectacled girl in question, since she struck him as the shy and quiet type that probably needed to hang out with people more often, but it wasn't like it was his place to question the relationships of these people he was only recently acquainted with. On another note, he acknowledged that there was still no actual explanation regarding Rin's distaste for Tatenashi. What exactly was this 'incident' that had happened between them?

Even though the tram station was pretty busy around this time of day on the weekends, it operated with pretty solid efficiency, so the line they were all waiting in moved forward fairly quickly. Up at the station itself, there was an adult woman standing guard, checking passes of some sort that all the students seemed to have. Apparently, you couldn't just come and go without any sort of verification.

This left Church in a bit of a bind for a moment, but when Rin got up to the woman to show her pass, she gestured back at him. "That guy in the red jacket is with me."

Apparently, that was more than enough. The woman checking everyone's pass made no move to stop him or investigate him in any way when Church walked by her. Frankly, he was kind of surprised.

Is the word of a student really all it takes to let someone walk in and out of this place?

Perhaps interpreting this as a legitimate question, Cerberus offered a response.

To be fair, Operator, the student who vouched for you is a Representative Candidate. It is likely that her word carries a bit more weight and veracity, considering that she would be unlikely to do anything nefarious that would compromise her position. Most I.S. pilots in her position wouldn't dare run the risk of losing their candidacy over something like this.

While Church agreed that the logic held up to some extent, he still found it a little questionable. He just thought that one of the world's most important institutions would have a bit more security to its name. Maybe they were just complacent: it wasn't like anyone had the gall or even the motivation to attack the place. Though obviously there was plenty of reason to infiltrate it...

Figuring that it was best to just accept his good fortune, Church turned his attention to finding somewhere to sit on the tram, which was naturally quite crowded. The girls and Ichika had managed to take a number of seats that were relatively close to each other, though it didn't look like the arrangement was to everyone's liking: the two spaces next to Ichika had been claimed by Charlotte and Houki, leaving a disgruntled Rin a space further away, and Cecilia and Laura opposite of them.

What wasn't present was an actual opening for Church himself, and he couldn't help but wonder how all of the girls had actually found somewhere to sit. Maybe their near celebrity status in the school did them a few favors? Well, there were handholds on the ceiling too, so it wasn't like he was totally screwed. He elected to grab onto one of those in the rough midst of his companions.

Surprisingly, he didn't stand there for very long before getting an unexpected comment from Laura, who was sitting about two feet away from him. "If you wish, I could likely convince another passenger to trade places with you."

Frankly, Church was surprised at the offer, mostly because he wasn't expecting it to come from Laura of all people. Evidently, she really was feeling somewhat more positive about him, even if it was just to the extent of general politeness. Even so, Church certainly wasn't going to steal a seat from some stranger on the tram, though he was fairly certain he could probably convince one of these girls to scoot over for him if he really wanted to.

"I appreciate the offer, but it's only a short ride, right? I don't think it's necessary to evict someone else for my sake."

Laura didn't seem put off by his refusal, merely shrugging. "If you say so."

Mere moments after their exchange, the tram lurched into motion, forcing Church to grip his support just a little tighter lest he get thrown around. Ultimately, he was not mistaken in regards to the brief trip: it was probably less than five minutes to get across the water and to the city, overall. As everyone was disembarking, the American operative questioned what exactly he was going to try and achieve on this outing. Naturally, this was the first time he had even been presented an opportunity to get close to Houki, so that was pretty important. But if everyone stuck together, it would be difficult to make much of an impression. He was a stranger, after all, and everyone else was someone that Houki actually cared about.

Then again, perhaps it would be enough to merely be present. Worming your way into one's social circle without seeming overly direct could be challenging. But if he could just establish himself as someone that no one in Houki's social circle minded having around, it provided him with a foothold to carry out his mission more effectively.

It was very weird, considering relationships in a nearly tactical light such as this.

Once everyone was actually off of the tram, Church figured it would be a good idea to question whether or not the group had actual goals today. "So, are we doing any sort of particular shopping, or are we just window shopping?"

Rin, being the most familiar with him by far at this point, elected to answer. That said, she was a little hesitant, likely because her answer hid certain implications.

"I don't know. I didn't exactly have plans before everyone tagged along..."

It wasn't hard for Church to pick up on what the brunette was saying. Obviously, her only real goal had been to get Ichika out here alone. There had been no objective related to the outing other than that, so she didn't have anywhere in particular to shop.

A lack of specification from any of the other girls mostly confirmed that their reasoning was the same. None of them had come out here with an actual focus on shopping: it was just about blocking any one girl from getting their heart throb alone. Something about that notion was kind of sad.

Ultimately, Charlotte came through with a pretty decent idea. "I believe there is a shopping arcade in town, oui? If we have no particular destination in mind, that seems like a good place to visit. That way we have many options."

Ichika commented on the idea swiftly. "Great idea, Charl! That's a good idea for all of us to do together."

It was clear, perhaps to everyone except Ichika, that the girls were not particularly enthused with the idea of doing something together. Likely not because they didn't like each other, but seemingly just because they had all hoped for something else. Being arrayed against your friends in a manner such as this seemed tiresome.

Even so, nobody voiced any dissent with the idea, as it was a pretty solid course of action and no one could come up with a good reason to deny it. That being the case, the group was heading towards this mentioned shopping arcade in short order, though Church once again took up the rear as they walked through the city. It was a bit awkward, but it did make sense: Rin was the only person he knew beyond what he would consider an acquaintance, and even that was being generous. So in a group of people he otherwise didn't know very well, he naturally would have gravitated towards the Chinese girl. However, she was busy trying, and mostly failing, to get Ichika's attention on her instead of on any of the other girls.

So at the moment, she wasn't interested in providing him with a comfort zone. It was a little uncomfortable, but Church may have even seen it as a boon, since it meant he may have had an opportunity to try and speak to Houki. Unfortunately, being with this entire group of friends at once for the first time, Church realized that he faced a certain obstacle: when Ichika was present, all eyes were on him. Being the target of their affections to the best of Church's knowledge, it made sense that they were all much more interested in Ichika than they were with a tag-along like him. Even Rin, who had been very friendly and forward with him since arriving at the Academy, seemed to forget that he was there as she waged an invisible battle with the other present girls.

Needless to say, it was obvious that Church would have better luck advancing his status with any of them when Ichika wasn't around, though that too was an issue considering that they were always looking for ways to be near him. How he was going to solve this problem, Church had no idea. For now, he figured the best course of action he could take would be to observe the situation from his position as a shadow that no one was paying attention to. That sounded kind of insulting, but it was the best type of position for surveillance.

Being in the rear meant he had eyes on everyone, and they didn't really know he was paying such close attention, which meant nobody was really altering their behavior to account for him. It was ideal.

Naturally, the entire course of the group's behavior centered around Ichika. That much was obvious. Someone was always vying for his attention, though in different ways. Houki and Charlotte often tried to subtly garner his notice, saying something with a specific implication that Ichika was supposed to pick up on, though he often failed to. When that happened, Charlotte always smiled, though it was the kind that hid minor annoyance. Houki usually huffed and folded her arms and pretended to put Ichika from her mind and focus on something else. Naturally, that was a front, as she was always peeking at the boy to see if he would try and proactively fix his mistake.

Rin and Cecilia were much more overt. It was obvious that when they were feeling neglected, they would try and speak over someone else or outright cling to Ichika's arm in an attempt to force his attention on them. Results were middling: obviously, Ichika would turn his attention to them when they demanded it, but it was always brief. Almost dismissive, even, though it didn't seem intentional from Church's third-party perspective. Maybe they just weren't saying anything that interested him, or maybe he secretly disliked girls that were pushy. Even Cerberus picked up on it, in his own odd way.

The average amount of time that Ichika Orimura focuses on Lingyin Huang or Cecilia Alcott when they garner his attention is seven seconds less on average in comparison to Charlotte Dunois or Houki Shinonono. One could extrapolate that they are of less import to him from this data, but this simple observation is insufficient to prove that hypothesis, especially without a control.

Hearing all of this in his head, Church had to wonder just what kinds of things Cerberus thought about without his input. Though admittedly, this was pretty interesting data, even if it was a technically insignificant data point in this line of thinking.

It could just be that they aren't saying or doing anything he finds interesting. I mean, Cecilia tried to get his attention with talk of a dress she was interested in. Not exactly something that seems up his alley. But you know, there is someone we aren't factoring into this at all...

With a particular girl on his mind, Church turned his focus to her, only to find that Laura was actually glancing over her shoulder back at him. How long she had been doing that was a mystery, since Church had been engrossed in his own thoughts and observations. Hopefully, she hadn't noticed how astutely he was focusing on all of her friends. That might be a little awkward.

If she did notice that, she didn't comment on it, instead speaking on something else entirely. "Do you always walk behind the people you are with?"

Church supposed it may have struck someone as weird that he was doing such a thing. "Well, not really, but I don't want to get in anyone's way and all. Rin's the only one I'm particularly close with, relatively speaking..."

Laura glanced towards the brunette in question, who was currently fuming over Ichika paying attention to something Houki had said. Seeing this, the German girl actually slowed her pace a little so that Church would come abreast of her.

"Indeed. She's not being a very good host, considering that she was the one who invited you. I can understand why this situation might make you uncomfortable as it is. Fear not, I will keep you company in her stead."

Glancing down at the girl nearly a foot shorter than him, Church wondered if she had some ulterior motive or if she had actually warmed up to him. He would have preferred the latter, but he hadn't initially considered Laura to be the type of person whose opinion could be swayed by some kind words.

"I appreciate the thought, Laura, but you don't have to bother yourself on my behalf. I know you'd rather talk to Ichika."

Laura cocked an eyebrow at him. "Know that, do you? Don't be so sure: I know from personal experience that it would be difficult to get a word in edgewise in this situation, never mind actually have any sort of meaningful interaction with him. Such is the way of things when we're all present. Besides, at this exact moment, you're... mildly higher in my good graces than Ichika is."

"You're upset with him?"

"He said something to me last night that I very much did not like. Naturally, he still hasn't apologized either. Though I doubt he even realizes that he offended me or that I expect an apology. I suppose I have little room to talk as far as social etiquette is concerned, but I cannot understand how one can be so oblivious..."

Honestly, Church was surprised that she was telling him any of this. Sure, maybe she was thinking of him in a more friendly manner now, but it still wasn't like they knew each other very well. Maybe he just struck her as the type of person one could speak of such things with. One of Church's old friends from Bethesda had always said that he had a 'therapist' type of vibe to him.

"Well, I don't know him that well, but maybe Ichika is just... I don't know, swamped? With so many girls around him, he probably has a hard time keeping track of all his mistakes and all. I mean, he can barely even hold a conversation with one of you for more than a few seconds before someone else interjects. Must be a little confusing for him, don't you think?"

Laura focused her crimson gaze on the group ahead of them, watching as everyone vied for Ichika's attention in some way or another. Admittedly, the look on the boy's face did seem a little overwhelmed. Maybe Church had a point.

"I suppose you may be right... but what else can one do? We are all seeking the same prize, we cannot afford to show restraint, lest someone make a foothold that secures their lead. It's a war of escalation, as it were."

While it was just speculation on his part, Church remembered getting the feeling that Ichika and Charlotte were displaying behavior that was a little suspicious. Apparently, Laura at least had not picked up on the possibility that Charlotte may have already had this metaphorical foothold that she was talking about.

"No offense, but I don't think viewing this whole thing as a competition is really fair to Ichika... or even to any of you, honestly. It doesn't seem like anyone is even asking what Ichika wants, and it kind of feels like you girls are more focused on trying to outdo each other as a matter of pride than you are with trying to establish a genuine emotional connection with him."

The silver-haired German leveled a sharp, but not altogether hostile look at Church as he said all of this, but he didn't notice. He was staring at the backs of the people in front of him as he continued to muse.

"I'm just saying, love is supposed to be about wanting happiness for the person you care about, right? I mean, of course you want them to be happy with you, preferably, but if you only care about what you want and don't even consider their own desires, can you really say you love them? It's just a little-"

Finally glancing at the girl beside him since he was actually talking to her, Church noticed the expression she was giving him. It was hard to tell what emotion she was really feeling, but the look on her face was stern, so Church assumed it wasn't a particularly positive feeling.

"S-sorry, I guess it's not my place to make comments on that about the relationships of people I barely know. Don't listen to me, I just talk too much..."

The girl was silent for a few moments, though ultimately she shifted her contemplative gaze back to her friends in front of her. "...perhaps..."

After that, the two of them walked in silence, though it didn't seem to be a result of awkward air: more that Laura had just become lost in thought. Church hadn't actually expected her to take anything that he had said seriously, but apparently something he said had gotten her attention. Either way, he didn't get to talk to her much more, but it didn't matter anyway since it was only a few more minutes of walking before the group arrived at the shopping arcade Charlotte had mentioned before.

It was a large building with a ton or arches in its construction, which was actually what defined an arcade to the best of Church's knowledge. There were signs for all sorts of stores that he could see, though notably, none of them were big chain stores. This was the kind of place with niche offerings from unique vendors, he supposed. Naturally, the place was decently crowded, with even a a good number of other Academy students around.

Naturally, the first order of business was for everyone to figure out where they wanted to go. Unfortunately, this was doomed to fail from the start, for a number of reasons. First of all, everyone didn't want to go to the same place. Cecilia wanted to go shopping for clothes, while Charlotte wanted to check out a bakery. Rin was interested in a store that sold cookware.

And of course, they all wanted Ichika to come with them. No surprise there. The whole thing was kind of tiring, and Church wasn't even the one in the center of it. Figuring that this could go on for some time, and knowing that he had next to no chance of getting Houki alone anyway, Church decided that he may as well achieve the one other thing he was out here for, so he interrupted the verbal war between the girls for just a brief moment, though the only person he got the attention of was Rin, with a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey, Rin. Is there a place that sells coffee around here? I told Chifuyu I would get her some."

While she had only partially taken her attention away from Ichika and the other girls at first, Rin gave him her full attention after he said this. "What the hell man, are you running errands for her already? I didn't think she could whip a foreign delegate like that..."

"It's called being nice, Rin. I'm already out here, and she's busy and can't afford to come out and buy it herself. Plus, she was pretty lenient about smashing a big hole in an Academy building, so it's the least I could do."

Rin was still looking at him like he had grown another head or something, but ultimately she pointed to a store that was in a corner of the arcade. "Uh-huh, sure... I think that place sells coffee, if you want to check it out."

"Thanks, I'll check it out. Promise you'll at least answer your phone in case I get lost and can't find any of you, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry."

With that settled, Church gave a little wave that went mostly unnoticed since most of the girls were still bickering, then walked off towards the store that Rin had indicated. Once inside, it didn't take long to discern that it was a store that sold coffee, tea, and the like, and locating the section with the coffee was easy.

One good thing he would admit about Cerberus was the fact that all of the Japanese text he was faced with was easily translated, though naturally, there was plenty of English present anyway. Unfortunately, Church was faced with a different problem in the form of a little vagueness: Chifuyu had specified that she wanted black coffee, but she hadn't given any more direction than that. Did she want a certain brand? Would she be upset if he picked something cheap? Should he just buy the most expensive one?

Operator, it behooves me to remind you that the funds you spend are Umbra Stratum assets. It's not very professional to spend them on coffee as a gift.

Church furrowed his brow as he continued perusing the beans before him.

And it behooves me to remind you that this could be beneficial in establishing a friendly relationship with someone of great influence in the Academy. Besides, if Umbra Stratum can't even afford good coffee, we have much bigger things to worry about.

If Cerberus was going to comment on that, he didn't get a chance to, since they were interrupted unexpectedly. From behind him, Church heard a familiar huff, followed by condemnation.

"Why are you here?"

A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that the woman accosting him was Cecilia, though that was hardly a surprise. She had that same condescending look on her face that she always did when looking at him. At this point, Church had no idea what she had against him, or if she had anything against him personally at all. Maybe it was something else. Either way, he figured it was best to just answer honestly.

"I told Chifuyu I would get some black coffee for her while I was out today. I was just debating which one is the best choice. Why are you here?"

Cecilia folded her arms, perhaps trying to cement her haughty look. "Well, that harlot Houki managed to lure Ichika to the store she wanted, so I'm here to get some tea while I wait for that travesty to be over."

Honestly, Church was surprised that Cecilia wouldn't just follow Ichika and Houki to whatever store they went to. But peering past the blonde, he did see that the other side of this aisle had various teas on display. Apparently, there was an option good enough to cater to Cecilia's tastes, which was also surprising in and of itself.

While he was thinking about this, Cecilia apparently realized that she was divulging her thoughts to Church, which prompted her to whirl away from him and focus on the shelves on her side of the aisle. Church refrained from sighing only because he knew it might upset her if she heard it. Seriously, what did she have against him? He couldn't actually think of anything he had done thus far to possibly grate on her nerves like this.

He had half a mind to just ignore the situation, since it was kind of insulting, but on the other hand, if he was going to be around this group of friends, he was probably going to be around Cecilia a lot too. It was probably in the best interest of his sanity to try and rectify this situation if he could. Unfortunately, the only way he could do that was to simply jump right in.

"So, did I do something that really rubbed you the wrong way? Not that I believe myself to be infallible, but I can't think of anything I've done that would deserve all this disdain from you."

Cecilia didn't even look back at him. "You haven't done anything. But neither have you done anything particularly exceptional, so why should I force myself to be amicable with you?"

"Wait, I have to impress you just to get a minimum level of politeness? And I did save Rin, is that not exceptional?"

This time, she did glance back at him, but it wasn't a look that expressed agreement. "Saving the life of someone in peril when it is within your power to do so is expected of a good man, not exceptional. I suppose you think you should be praised for having common decency?"

On one hand, Church supposed that she had a point of sorts. One should expect a good person to help others in need. But at the same time, didn't people still deserve praise for actually following those expectations? It was like not being grateful to doctors for saving your life, just because it was their job to do so.

"If your standards are that high, doesn't that mean no one is exceptional? If great things are expected of normal people, then they aren't great things anymore, they're just... things."

"There are still things out there that are exceptional even to my high standards. You just have to be amazing enough to achieve them."

At this point, Church wasn't actually focusing on the coffee anymore. "Yeah? What exactly did Ichika do to earn your respect?"

Cecilia's body stiffened at this question. "He, uh... well, h-he... almost defeated me in battle..."

There was silence between the two of them for a brief moment, but it didn't last long under the rising incredulity in Church's heart. "Wait, so saving someone's life is just a normal thing that deserves no recognition, but almost beating you in a fight is more amazing than that?! This value system makes no sense!"

The British blonde did actually turn to face him completely this time, though her stoic and haughty demeanor had been completely replaced by that of a flustered girl trying to defend something even she knew was ridiculous. She leveled an accusatory finger at Church like it was some kind of defense.

"Well of course it sounds silly out of context like that! T-there's more to it! It's about... his determined and unyielding spirit! A-and his unwillingness to accept condescension from others!"

Church's expression was deadpan. Had he completely misjudged this girl's true character. "Got it, so I just have to beat you in a fight and tell you off for having an attitude. Then you'll be head over heels for me too, right?"

The redness on Cecilia's face grew more severe at this. "N-no! I'm not that simple of a woman! Don't make my feelings for Ichika sound so petty!"

"I'm not judging your feelings, I'm just trying to understand them. I'd prefer to get along with beautiful women than to be on their bad side, and obviously, knowing what matters to them is a big part of making that happen."

Cecilia was obviously taken aback for a moment, but she promptly turned away from Church with her arms crossed again. She didn't offer any response immediately, though she wasn't silent for long.

"The brand of black coffee on the bottom shelf of the right side is quite good. You should consider that one."

After saying that, she spun on her heel and left with one of those signature huffs of hers. Church just barely had time to say anything back.

"You, uh, forgot your tea..."

Clearly, Cecilia didn't hear him, as she was out of his sight in another moment, leaving Church standing alone in the aisle.

Was that... good? It's kind of hard to tell.

Cerberus wasted no time in chiming in.

According to various sources on the internet, if this were a visual novel, this would have likely been considered a positive event flag.

Shaking his head, Church wondered if his superiors would be upset to learn that their cutting edge AI was doing research on visual novels instead of literally anything else. It was hard to imagine that they had intended for Cerberus to carry out such decisions.

Dismissing the thought from his mind, Church grabbed a bag of the black coffee brand Cecilia had specified. Maybe it was a bit of a stereotype to assume she even knew what she was talking about with tea just because she was British, and knowing anything about tea didn't mean you knew anything about coffee, but he figured he could just cast all the blame on her if Chifuyu hated it.

He would only feel mildly bad about it.

I've had people ask where the aesthetic inspiration from Exeter came from.

That would be Mewtwo's kickass armor in The First Pokemon Movie. Totally Bitchin'.