I didn't really think Infinite Stratos was a super popular anime or anything, but I was apparently wrong: that, or it just earned a much larger fanbase than I had expected. The Exeter Project sure does get a lot of readers, far more than I ever expected it would. With that in mind, I'll aim ever higher, doing what I can to create something we can all enjoy. Thanks for reading!
It didn't take long for Cecilia to cement her plans and make all of the necessary arrangements to secure transport to the United Kingdom with her friends. She managed it all so quickly, that is was literally the day after Church's communication with Umbra Stratum. Rin had texted him during the evening, telling him that he only had until tomorrow morning to pack whatever he needed. Naturally, that process had been rather short, considering the overall lack of things that Church possessed at the time.
It now was the morning in question, far earlier than Church would have liked: it was only six AM, but it made sense why it had to be this way. A flight from Japan to the UK would take approximately 12 hours, so an early flight was the name of the game. Such a trip would have been much quicker with supersonic mobile suits, but not only would it be illegal to operate I.S. across global airspace without permission like that, but Church was without Exeter at the moment, so he would have been in a tough spot.
As he sat on a bench on the grounds in front of the Academy at the asscrack of dawn, Church admitted that he didn't really like that aspect of his situation. With Exeter still too heavily damaged to be stored in the Hyperspace Arsenal, he had no choice but to leave it here at the Academy even as he flew halfway across the world. Chifuyu was explaining this situation to him right now, as she stood next to him, looking as unhappy about the time of day as he did. She either wanted to see everyone off or just didn't trust Ichika to make it out of here on his own, as her little brother was leaning against a tree, practically sleeping while standing.
Church supposed that maybe she just wanted to share some important information with him before he left, but she could have easily texted it all to him, so that probably wasn't the case. Church didn't want to make assumptions, but it was hard not to. Either way, the slightly older woman was appraising him of the current situation.
"Frankly, I'm not sure if Tabane is really giving her all with repairing Exeter. She probably could have had it done by now if she wasn't fooling around. But she is working on it, at some pace. I'll do my best to whip her into shape while you're away, and keep you posted about any progress. Please accept my apology on her behalf."
While Church was admittedly displeased with the situation, he didn't turn any ire against Chifuyu. He knew well enough that she was on his side. In fact, she often seemed to take his side of things, something that brought him no small amount of pleasure.
"Thank you, Chifuyu. It's no big deal or anything. After all, I shouldn't need Exeter at all with where I'm going, and air-headed though she may be, I at least trust that Tabane will fix the suit up perfectly, when she feels like it."
I actually have some concerns about that, Operator. I do not share your confidence in Tabane Shinonono.
After the repairs had progressed far enough thanks to the nanobots that Kanzashi had programmed for him yesterday, Cerberus' core had finally been able to be stored in the Hyperspace Arsenal once again. Church hated to admit it, but he honestly felt kind of glad to have the AI back in his head with him. Maybe it had something to do with the shared life or death experience. Still, he was talking to Chifuyu, who was now comfortable with him calling her by first name, so he didn't actually have room to respond to Cerberus. He would miss what she was saying.
"So you say, but I'm not actually sure how long the hiatus is going to last. Of course, even if it lasted months, I would hope that you wouldn't need your suit for any dangerous reason. But you'll have all of the girls protecting you, so if you still managed to get hurt on their watch, I would have some words for them."
"I'm touched. You're very open about caring for my well-being, aren't you?"
Seeing his cheeky smile, Chifuyu frowned slightly, though it was more disgruntlement with being teased than actual displeasure. "It's more of not trusting them to be fully competent."
The older woman glanced back at Ichika, who was still dozing off. Seeing that he probably wouldn't hear her, she continued. "Considering how often said girls have either directly hurt or taken action that led to someone they care about getting hurt, I can't help but wonder if you'll really be safe in their care. Though I suppose they always come through when it really matters. Just be careful not to be on the receiving end of some silly tirade or tantrum."
Church glanced over at Ichika just to make sure the young man didn't know he was being talked about. "Well, so far I get the feeling that the girls just don't like punching me as much as Ichika there... must have something to do with being more invested in him."
"Or maybe it's something to do with the fact that you probably don't irritate them as much. That's usually a pretty good way to stay on a girl's good side."
It was kind of funny that Tatenashi had said something similar the day before. Church had to wonder if maybe everyone else was picking up on something that he was missing. Of course, it wasn't like he was a completely oblivious moron: he could tell that some of the girls were at least partial to him. After all, rarely did a girl cook for someone or invite them to her room if she disliked them. But he hadn't really taken that for signs of affection beyond the platonic. Rin had possessed plenty of reason to do those things, considering their unique situation.
Then again, there was no reason to assume that any of these friendly actions had to mean anything romantic. It was possible for girls and guys to be friends just because they wanted to be friends, and not because there was some hidden desire there. Church didn't want to jump to any conclusions about his relationship with anyone based on a few polite and friendly encounters. That would just be bad form, and open him up to all sorts of problems if he was wrong. On top of all of that, just because he didn't get on a girl's nerves as much as the guy she liked didn't mean he was slated to get her attention.
Ultimately, Church figured he would just have to wait and see how things panned out. As it stood right now, he was actually more than content with what was being afforded to him already. Just getting to hang out with a bunch of pretty girls was more than he had been able to do in a very long time.
"I wish you could come with us, Chifuyu. Or at least take a break of some sort. I imagine you're going to be busy the whole time the rest of us are gone."
There was an extremely disgruntled sigh before the elder Orimura answered. "That is unfortunately the case. Trust me, I'd be happy to have some time to relax, even if I'm not very good at doing that. I hardly get an excuse to break out anything other than my business attire most of the time. Reminds me of how much money I wasted on a bikini I wore for one lousy field trip to the beach last year..."
Instead of mustering any sort of response, Church was preoccupied with thoughts of disappointment. He had missed Chifuyu in a bikini by one year? Damn, why couldn't fate have lined all of this up better? Now he was left only with his imagination. What type of bathing suit would a woman like Chifuyu wear? Bold? Subdued? Downright scandalous? Whatever the case, Church was certain it would be black. That just felt right on her.
The conversation didn't get to continue much longer, as the duo (plus a conked out Ichika) was soon joined by one of the girls they were waiting for, namely, Cecilia. Church found it ironic that he had gotten here first, out of concern for causing trouble for everyone else. Oh well.
The British blonde seemed unusually exuberant, or maybe that was actually normal for her and Church just couldn't fathom feeling such a way so early in the morning. Either way, she wasted no time in greeting them all with enough volume to startle Ichika awake.
"Good morning, everyone! I'm so excited! It's been quite a time since I visited home, and I've never had guests over... oh, I hope Dudley has kept everything in check..."
Seeing that she had somehow gone from joy to fretting, Ichika commented on an observation he had made while rubbing some sleep out of his eyes.
"Is that all you're bringing, Cecilia? Seems a little sparse for what could be a really long trip."
Now paying closer attention himself, Church noticed that the blonde only had one travel bag. That did seem odd, as even he had a duffel bag, and all he even had to bring were some clothes. However, Cecilia made one of those smirks that revealed a bit of smugness: she considered this to be a silly question.
"Au contraire, Ichika. This is my home we're going to. Rest assured, there is nothing I have in my possession here in Japan that I do not have available to me back home. It would be a waste of time and effort to pack things I will have in spades when we arrive, don't you think?"
Ichika put a hand to his chin, as though he were contemplating something difficult. "I guess so, I just didn't figure you for the type to do that."
With expression growing a little more sour, Cecilia made it clear that this comment didn't sound like praise to her. "What type do you figure me for, exactly?"
Church could see on Ichika's face what kind of comment he wanted to make. Probably something along the lines of 'rich people usually don't care for efficiency or frugality,' or something to that effect. Being at an angle where Ichika could see him but Cecilia couldn't, the American operative made eye contact and slowly shook his head. Hopefully Ichika would know better than to say something like that.
Fortunately for the younger Orimura, he didn't have to say anything at all, since a new arrival interrupted the discussion. This time, it was a pair that included Houki and Rin, with the latter doing nothing to hide her yawning and stretching. She didn't appear to be a morning person either.
"Mornin', guys."
The girl didn't say much besides this, probably due to the fact that she hardly seemed to be awake in the first place. Houki greeted everyone else as well, though focused on the fact that Chifuyu was present right afterwards.
"Sensei, what are you doing out here?"
Since her presence was mildly unusual, Chifuyu answered straightaway. "Just seeing everyone off. I don't think anyone could blame me considering how things have been recently."
The implication that Chifuyu actually worried about her students, even if she didn't openly show it very often, was not lost on anyone. She was strict, but she did have a gentle side buried down there somewhere. After the arrival of those two, it didn't take long for the last members of the group to show up. Oddly enough, Charlotte and Laura showed up as a pair as well, though they seemed to do so intentionally, as opposed to Houki and Rin. Then again, Church was fairly certain that Laura and Charlotte were roommates, so that kind of made sense.
Unlike Rin, neither of the girls seemed particularly bothered by the early hour. Charlotte was all smiles and friendliness, though Church wasn't sure if she was even capable of anything else. And Laura was probably more than used to waking up at this time of day, considering her background. Speaking of the German, Church was surprised to see her head right for him after general greetings to the entire group.
She stopped right before him, gazing right at him with great scrutiny. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh, fine? Sleepy, but fine."
"Is that so? You are not the type to lie about your status just to put on appearances, I hope?"
Wondering where this was coming from, Church folded his arms and leveled an amused look at the girl. "Nah, I'm all for complaining to people if something is really bothering me. What are you so worried about?"
"You only recently recovered from a grave injury. Concern seems warranted, does it not? Besides, you told me to spend more time with you. You didn't say how I should go about it."
"Well, I won't complain..."
Seeing that everyone was gathered, Cecilia cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Well, everyone is here, no? I see no reason to delay our departure. We have time until our flight, but you know how airports are. Being early is the best practice."
Naturally, there wasn't any outright disagreement from anyone present, since Cecilia's recommendation only made sense. However, there was some dissent from outside of the group, yelled at them from a distance.
"Excuse you, but isn't that kind of rude?! You girls really are underhanded..."
Recognizing the voice immediately, Church took note of how many grimaces took shape on the faces of his friends as Tatenashi approached them, with Kanzashi in tow. Rin looked the most disgruntled, but everyone looked a little irate, with the exception of Charlotte and Chifuyu. Honestly, Church felt kind of bad for Tatenashi and her sister: they really did seem to be considered some sort of outside eyesore to the girls that surrounded Ichika.
Cecilia spoke up since she was the one who had been interrupted. "Not to be antagonistic, but I don't exactly recall inviting you..."
With a cheeky smile, Tatenashi entered the group dynamic, throwing an arm over Ichika's shoulder without hesitation, with the young man clearly taking note of her breasts pressed up against him. Even so, Church couldn't tell if it was because he found it awkward or arousing. Kanzashi was not nearly as bold, coming to stand behind her sister, looking somewhat nervous. Tatenashi didn't seem fazed by Cecilia's statement.
"Yeah, we know that. But still, trying to bail before we even get a chance to say goodbye to Ichika? That's pretty sneaky. Show some class, would you?"
Church noted a twitch of the brow from Cecilia, and admitted that Tatenashi was kind of antagonistic to the girls too, so maybe they had a mutual distaste for each other. Either way, the older Sarashiki twin turned her attention to Ichika in short order.
"I just know you're going to miss us dearly, Ichika. You'll text us every day you're away, right? If you do, maybe I'll send you something spicy as a reward."
Church was certain that he developed a spicy image of Tatenashi faster than Ichika did. After all, while she wasn't really his type, she was certainly still very attractive. She was a little outmatched in the bust department by some of the other girls, but she had a very well-rounded figure. Besides, size wasn't everything.
He would have thought that Chifuyu or one of the other girls would have said something to admonish Tatenashi first, but surprisingly, it was actually Kanzashi who grew annoyed with her sister.
"Tatenashi, d-don't you have any sense of tact? It's not like Ichika would want that, which is why I, um... brought you this! Please take it!"
With that, the younger twin offered a black bento with a nice little bow on it. Ichika looked far more excited about this than he had with the lewd implication that Tatenashi had made but a few moments earlier.
"Wow, a bento? Awesome! Thanks, Kanzashi. It's a long flight, so I'll definitely be able to enjoy this! You're the best!"
As usual, Church glanced around to gauge the reactions of the other girls as Ichika offered this praise and gratitude for Kanzashi. It was just a habit for him now. Besides, he enjoyed being aware of the situation around him, even in interpersonal relationships. Houki by far looked the most irate, though Charlotte seemed a little dismayed too. Surprisingly though, that was about the extent of things. Cecilia looked a little irritated still, but that could have been a result of the Sarashiki twins interrupting them at all. Laura didn't seem bothered by the exchange at all.
Rin, on the other hand, did look a little disgruntled, but she swiftly revealed an entirely different reason for it. "Damn, that's a good idea. Why didn't I do that? Now we're going to have to settle for crappy airline food..."
Having experienced her cooking firsthand and totally forgetting that most airlines did let you bring your own food if it was within reason, Church chimed in on her sentiment.
"Oh, that would have been awesome. I think almost any airline experience could be improved with a lunch that good."
A little surprised by the statement, Rin cocked an eyebrow at him. "You freeloader, do you expect me to cook for you at every opportunity now? The one time was a special occasion, you know!"
Feeling a little sheepish, Church wondered how exactly he should word his response. "Well, no... but I'd be terribly sad if I never got to eat your cooking again. It's amazing, for one, and I haven't been able to appreciate someone's passion for cooking in years..."
The short brunette instantly took on a blush, likely not expecting to be praised so openly and fervently. "Y-yeah, well... I mean, maybe if we throw a big party or do a potluck, I might cook something. And come on, 'years?' I bet a guy like you was having his mom cook for him until the day he left to come here."
Though his smile dropped a bit, Rin didn't seem to notice. Probably because she was looking bashfully away. "Yeah... I was never really taught how to cook. Maybe you could teach me one of these days?"
Surprisingly, the girl didn't seem immediately displeased with this suggestion, though that was just judging by the expression on her face. She didn't get to say anything, since Cecilia cut in.
"Need I remind everyone that we have a plane to catch? We shouldn't dilly-dally so leisurely!"
Church honestly hadn't pegged Cecilia as the type to be such a stickler about schedules, though he was also willing to entertain the notion that perhaps she just wanted to interrupt the Sarashiki sisters and their focus on Ichika. From her perspective, she was just sitting here, letting her enemies gain ground. Man, being at war over a desired relationship sounded tiring.
Ultimately, Chifuyu backed up Cecilia's statement. "Ms. Alcott is correct. It would be prudent for you to get underway. Besides, I have to get to work soon."
Supported by their teacher, Cecilia lifted the one small bag she had brought triumphantly. Naturally, most everyone else had bigger bags to carry, since they weren't going to a location that was a second home to them. Ichika was quick to offer his superior strength to carry Houki's suitcase, which prompted Charlotte to ask him for the same. Naturally, he agreed to that too, which filled his arms with luggage. Church couldn't help but wonder if Charlotte had only asked as a means of opposition to Houki, though.
While he wasn't one to act based purely on societal conceptions of masculinity, Church had to admit he felt a little awkward now that Ichika had set this bar. He glanced over at Laura, something that didn't go unnoticed by the girl. She only had a duffel bag, but regardless, she almost instantly perceived what was on his mind.
"I appreciate your concern, but there is no need. There is no justification for me to burden you with my belongings."
"If you say so..."
Sidling up to his side, Cecilia offered the one small bag she had brought. "I wouldn't mind if you carried my luggage, Church. I trust you with my belongings."
Church accepted the small bag just because he didn't know how else he should respond. He didn't see how Rin rolled her eyes from behind him. "Uh, OK..."
With luggage doled out to the two men in vastly different quantities, the group was ready to get underway. Cecilia was eager to lead to the charge off of the island. When she was certain no one was looking, Chifuyu offered a swift hug goodbye for her brother, who seemed to know well enough to keep the exchange on the down-low. Following that, he had to endure another grapple from Tatenashi, accompanied by fervent apologies from her sister. Church took the opportunity that was everyone being busy or leaving to speak to Chifuyu one more time.
"It's a bit of a hike to the airport, and who knows how long we'll be sitting around once we get there. Are you still good on music to help you work?"
"I certainly wouldn't complain if you had more recommendations. It's a small mercy, but I have found all of the tedium a little more bearable with something to listen to."
"I think I still have a few other things you might like. I'll send them to you when I have a moment."
Chifuyu nodded, not quite smiling, but managing to look pleased nonetheless. "I appreciate that. Try not to let these girls cause you problems, alright?"
Knowing that was equivalent to Chifuyu outright worrying about him, Church smiled. "I don't know if it's really in my power to stop them, but I'll try my best. Be sure to take care of yourself, too. Coffee is not a substitute for sleep."
Now smiling a little more bemusedly, Chifuyu folded her arms. "I'll consider it. You should get going. You're going to get lost if you get separated from the others."
"Fair enough. Goodbye for now, Chifuyu."
With a wave that was reciprocated, Church hurried after his friends, excited about the prospect of a unique opportunity, and actively ignoring the implications of his mission as best he could.
"So, what kind of cuisine do you actually like? I mean, you liked what I made the one time, but if I was going to cook something else for you, what would you want? T-theoretically, I mean."
Church smiled at Rin as he pocketed his new phone, having just sent a few music files to Chifuyu that would hopefully ease her tedium for the day. Since the presence of the Academy made the city around it one of the most important in Japan, it had its own airport. A quick train ride was all that had been needed to get there, at which point the process of getting ready for their flight got underway. Church and Rin had finished their security checks a little faster than everyone else, meaning they were alone together for the moment. Right now, the Chinese brunette was asking after the comment he had made before they left that morning.
"I'm not sure... I mean, I didn't get to eat around too much most of my life, so I don't think I'm picky enough to have favorites. What do you usually make for someone else besides the sweet and sour pork?"
Rin scoffed almost immediately. "You're assuming anyone else ever asks me to cook for them..."
"What, really? Ichika has to know you'd cook for him if he asked."
"I wonder about that..."
Church shook his head. "That guy... I'm not sure I've ever met someone so remarkably unexcited about how great he has it. Or is he really so oblivious that he legitimately isn't aware?"
Having said this out loud, Rin folded her arms and leveled a somewhat nonplussed look at him. "Hey, are you trying to call Ichika stupid?"
While he didn't truly believe Ichika was outright stupid, Church figured it would be more amusing to simply cock an eyebrow at her, saying nothing, which was answer enough in itself.
Surprisingly, Rin just sighed and glanced over at Ichika, who was still at the security checkpoint with Charlotte and Houki. Laura and Cecilia must have finished already, as neither of them was visible in the line for the checkpoint themselves. Church was surprised that neither of them had immediately come to join the conversation.
"OK, fine. He is kind of an idiot. But don't go thinking you're much better, what with all of your holding onto missiles so they can explode in your face and stuff."
Church was about to defend himself, likely with a statement about how he hadn't really possessed a choice in how to handle Crucible, but the refined voice of his benefactor for this trip cut in before he could make an effort to do so. Apparently Cecilia had gone from the security checkpoint to the next order of business already, and was now returning to their side.
"I've finished procuring our tickets, you two. Here you are."
The two of them took the offered tickets out of each of Cecilia's hands, and Rin commented on the regular seating she was getting. "Y'know, Cecilia, I'm kind of surprised that you don't have a private jet or something. Don't all rich people have private jets?"
"I'm not completely spoiled, Rin."
Rin scoffed at this revelation. "Says the girl with the mansion...hey, wait a minute! Why is your ticket different from mine? And Church's is too!?"
Sidling a little closer to Church, Cecilia allowed a victorious smirk to dominate her face. "It's called first-class, Rin. Surely you've heard of it?"
"Yes, I've heard of it! My question is why you two have first-class when I don't!"
Cecilia seemed far too pleased about this entire situation. For someone who surprisingly came across as not being a complete blowhard about money, she did seem to have a streak of the behavior in there somewhere.
"I said I would buy everyone's tickets, not that they would all be first class. I have a first class ticket because I refuse to ride in a lower class."
The British girl then wrapped her arms around one of Church's own, squeezing him against her own well-endowed body. "And Church here gets first class because he's earned it. I think it's fair to say he has earned top-quality treatment after his achievements on our behalf. Don't you agree?"
Rin resisted the urge to rip her ticket in half as she ground her teeth in frustration. Cecilia was cunning, she would give her that. What a low strategy to get Church all to herself...
Cecilia took note of Rin's reaction, finding it most interesting. "Why so peeved, Rin? You'll be with Ichika for the whole flight, won't you? I'd think you'd be grateful."
A startled look crossed Rin's features for a moment, almost like she was surprised to recognize what she was irritable about. Cecilia was totally right: being in separate classes meant the blonde was one less competitor for Rin to deal with, and it shouldn't have mattered to her unless Cecilia was whisking Ichika away to first-class while leaving everyone else behind. At least, that's what logic said should have been the case.
And yet, Rin found that the situation didn't make her as happy as it seemingly should have. Ichika, especially with Charlotte and Houki by his side, felt like an unfair trade for Church. At least the latter regularly paid attention to her without requiring Rin to remind him that she was present just like everyone else. Still, this didn't seem like the kind of sentiment she should have about the guy she liked, right?
Suddenly unsure of her own thoughts and feelings, Rin didn't have a snarky retort ready for Cecilia. "Y-yeah, I guess you're right..."
The blone in question nodded in satisfaction. "Of course I am. Now, if you don't mind, I need to go find the others and give them their tickets as well."
Cecilia gave Church one last squeeze, something that he couldn't completely ignore, before moving off to find the others. For reasons that were strange to her, Rin found this action incredibly irritating. She knew she shouldn't have cared, but she did. What exactly did that mean?
Being someone who wasn't totally oblivious, Church took note of Rin's agitation and leaned in to whisper to her. "Don't worry, Rin, it's just one flight. We have plenty of free time coming up, I promise I'll spend plenty of it with you."
The promise of spending time together caused Rin to blush. Men rarely understood just how much a simple promise like that could mean to a girl. It was a lesson Ichika had failed to pick up on, for some reason.
"W-well, not like I need that... but if you're o-offering, then you'd better keep your word! You're a man to be trusted, right?"
While he had been speaking casually and happily half a moment ago, Church found himself fighting to hold back a pained expression. Of all the ways Rin could have worded it, why like that? Why the one way that reminded him of his blatant lies to her face? Eager to turn the conversation away from this topic as quickly as possible, Church figured he might as well try and fluster Rin so he could distract her. Even if lying to her again didn't make him feel any better about things.
"Of course I am. I could never let down a girl as cute as you, right?"
Rin's blush intensified further at this. Something about a man who could hold a halfway smooth conversation was very appealing. "R-r-right! You can't let down a girl as c-cute as me..."
The downright adorable visage of a furiously blushing Rin did almost make Church smile again. It was hard not to. Too bad he couldn't just save the image, like photographic memory or something.
You know, Operator, I can actually do that. Would you like me to save this image to my memory banks? I could save it to a porn folder.
Church suppressed a grimace, surprised that this was the first thing Cerberus had to say to him in the past hour or so.
Are you sure you're back at 100%? Suggestions like these make me think otherwise.
I was severely damaged, and repairs only began recently, Operator. Don't get too optimistic. Besides, it is possible that the effect on my behavior could be permanent.
I hope that's a joke...
Cerberus offered no answer, so Church refocused on Rin, who had by now calmed herself and gone back to her usual look of a feisty puppy. "Church, don't let Cecilia fool you while you're in first class. She might seem altruistic on the surface, but her ulterior motive is just to get you alone..."
Genuinely confused by this, Church cocked an eyebrow at her. "And that's... bad?"
The Chinese girl glared at him with ferocious intensity, her voice coming out as a low growl. "Yes, Church, it is."
"OK, but why?"
Rin's irritable countenance quickly transformed into one of embarrassed uncertainty. "Well, uh... it just is, alright?! It's the principle of the thing!"
Church was naturally able to come up with some explanations as to why Rin would even care, but he wasn't presumptuous enough to jump to any conclusions. Maybe this was just natural spillover from her rivalry with Cecilia? Or maybe she actually was jealous, but in the sense of 'back off my friend, we were friends first.'
Cerberus, on the other hand, seemed to have no qualms assuming things about this exchange.
Oh, she's getting possessive. Operator, that is usually a sign of things ordinarily unseen, is it not?
Hey, stop distracting me in the middle of conversations.
Turning his attention back to Rin, Church sought to placate her. "You know, Rin, there's no guarantee we even have adjacent seats..."
At that moment, Cecilia seemingly materialized at his shoulder. "The flight is departing soon, Church. We should go together: since we're right next to each other, it'd be easier to take our seats simultaneously."
Without a word of assent or agreement from him, Cecilia grabbed Church by the arm and began dragging him to the departure area, leaving Rin to fume angrily. More importantly though, she was bewildered. Even though it made no sense, she knew this burning feeling in her gut was jealousy.
The plane was away within an hour, and Church soon found that Rin had been right about Cecilia wanting to be close to him throughout the whole flight. First class was much more spacious than any other section of the plane, meaning there was pretty much no reason anyone had to be arm to arm. And yet, Cecilia was right up against him the moment they had gotten situated. Well, she was up against his arm, at least, which meant Church was still getting a pretty hefty portion of boob squish from the girl.
Not that he was displeased with the situation. She wasn't as well-endowed as Houki, but she definitely still put your average woman to shame in this regard. Still, it was a little awkward, all things considered. In an effort to avoid making things weird, Church commented on the nature of first class, which was something he had never experienced before. Then again, he hadn't actually been on an airplane before. Funny, how that worked.
"It's kind of crazy to think that my very first airline experience ends up being in first class. All of the stories I heard about the other cabins made air travel seem like a nightmare. Nothing like all of this space and comfort... you really didn't have to pay for all of this, Cecilia. You're already being very generous just letting everyone stay at your home, so I would have appreciated it all the same."
Cecilia, all too happy with not only her current situation, but also the chance to present herself as a humble hostess, smiled widely. "Oh, it's no problem at all. You deserve this for everything you've done. This is the least I could do to thank you."
Do you think she is referring to the first class flight or her boobs pressed against your body?
Honestly, it's probably a little bit of both.
"The fact that everyone survived is reward enough for me, though. Almost feels greedy to ask for anything else after that."
Cecilia laughed lightly as she leaned into Church just a little more. Man, their dynamic had really turned around from when they had first met. "It's a rarity for someone to be so noble yet so humble at the same time. It's a shame there aren't more men like you around..."
"Well, Ichika's around too, and considering the Gospel incident, I think he fits the bill. Though I guess that is still only two men."
Cecilia's grip loosened just a bit at these words, with a slightly perturbed look crossing her face. "I suppose that is true... Ichika is indeed quite noble, and he is usually humble as well, though he does let his pride get the best of him from time to time. Not that I have room to speak ill of that. Still, he... well, sometimes I wonder where his mind is, that's all."
Church wasn't exactly sure what Cecilia meant by that. He supposed it could have been referring to how dense he appeared to be at times, though it could have been something else entirely. Still, now that he had been around for a while, the once seemingly impenetrable fortress of affection Ichika was the target of had quite a few more cracks than Church had realized. The more he spoke to everyone and observed them interacting with one another, the more obvious it became that this group dynamic between Ichika and the girls that liked him included a lot more frustration and dissatisfaction than it seemed on the surface.
Of course, that only made sense. Even if Ichika was the greatest man in the world, how long could you pine after him without any reciprocation before you grew unhappy with it all? Even the most ardently obsessed girl in the world had limits to her patience and willingness to forego other romantic opportunities for no actual gratification. Whether Ichika was ignoring them or just truly clueless, eventually these girls that liked him were going to get fed up with things going nowhere.
That said, if it was the latter and Ichika really just didn't notice, it would have been the girls' fault for not throwing subtlety to the wind and just stating their intentions and desires to him outright.
Either way, from a purely objective point of view, Church could understand why a girl he only sort of knew would take a liking to him after meeting her baseline requirements in a man. A second option looked very enticing when the first option you had been pursuing for so long was consistently out of reach.
Taking advantage of the momentary lapse in conversation that had occurred, Cerberus brought forth a good suggestion.
Operator? It could prove useful to ask this buxom Brit about Shinonono's Generation 4 I.S. You'd even have a catalyst to ask, seeing as how the Gospel incident has already been brought up.
That's the best idea you've had in a long, long time, Cerberus.
But you have not been around me for a long time, Operator.
There's an implication there if you look hard enough.
Tuning out whatever response Cerberus may have had, Church turned his focus to Cecilia again, this time leaning a little more into her intentionally. Reciprocating her affectionate gesture was a good way to keep her happy and significantly lower any suspicion she may have had about his questions, though it wasn't like he was asking anything out of the ordinary in the first place. Besides, this was actually his very first boob squish experience, so he wasn't against milking it if he could.
Church wasn't wrong about Cecilia being happy with his willing proximity. Whatever had been bothering her a moment ago disappeared in a heartbeat. Naturally, Church took this as an opportunity to pry.
"Well, at the very least, Ichika seems to know when to keep his pride in check. I mean, considering the incident with the Silver Gospel, and all. Not that he did it alone, of course. Everyone played a part, right?"
Cecilia frowned a little as she recalled the incident. "Well, though I hate to admit it, it was Ichika and Houki who did most of the work. The I.S. Houki's sister made for her was incredible..."
Church inwardly celebrated how easy Cecilia was making this for him. He didn't even have to broach the subject himself. "Really? I haven't seen Houki's I.S. in action yet. Surely it wasn't that great?"
"Well, it was much faster than any I.S. I have ever witnessed. Its melee capabilities were outstanding as well. Not to mention that it could shift into different combat types in an instant, without the use of an equalizer. Houki and Ichika made short work of the Gospel together. The rest of us had middling contributions at best. Oh, that irks me to admit!"
Church found the info about the equalizer interesting. He didn't know that Houki's Gen 4 could shift combat types so quickly. He knew that Exeter was slated to receive such an upgrade itself sometime down the line, but Marcus had never been very clear on when exactly it would come to fruition. It had still been in the developmental stages when he left for the mission, and since Marcus hadn't brought it up again, Church just assumed it wasn't ready to use and wouldn't be anytime soon.
Unfortunately, he didn't think there would be much more information to glean from Cecilia on this matter. In hindsight, it wasn't like she would be able to tell him anything that wasn't already known from the combat footage that the Silver Gospel had recorded before its destruction. That being the case, he turned the topic elsewhere.
"Well, I prefer older I.S. models anyway. If I could pilot one, I'd rather take a trusty Gen 3 than an experimental Gen 4."
"Frankly, most Gen 3 I.S. are themselves experimental... but I do like a man who knows his preferences. And speaking of which... surely you have preferences in some other areas as well, correct?"
While she didn't come right out and say it, it wasn't hard to get Cecilia's implied question. The expectant look on her face made it obvious that she was asking after his taste in women. She was probably hoping that his answer would include 'well-endowed blondes.' Of course, Church wasn't exactly sure how to answer this question. His thoughts on the matter weren't as simple as many people took such a question to be.
Operator, based on your biological reactions to the different women you've met since being here, I can answer this question for you. Would you like a list of the individuals that arouse you, from most to least?
Honestly, the notion that you know that much about my body is disconcerting. But, uh... who's at the top?
Currently, Chifuyu Orimura. Though the margin of difference between her and a few of the others is negligible, statistically speaking.
Honestly, Church was not surprised to hear this information. Chifuyu was kind of a complete package in both looks and attitude, and she got special bonus points for being more mature than most of the competition. Not that being slightly more immature was a bad thing in and of itself. After all, he imagined that Rin was probably one of the girls within the 'negligible margin of difference' Cerberus had mentioned, and it would be a stretch to really call her mature.
Thinking on this, Church formulated as honest of an answer as he could to Cecilia's question. "Well, assuming that you're talking about romantic attraction, I don't really have a unique preference. I mean, there's so much variety in one's looks, I believe there's something beautiful about almost every girl to be appreciated.
His answer enticed Cecilia to squeeze Church's arm even tighter. "Oh, such a gentlemanly answer, with such consideration for a girl's heart and feelings! And people say that chivalry is dead!"
Caught off guard by her exuberance, Church simply nodded his assent to her praise. After all, he could hardly say that he felt unworthy of them to her face. Maybe the hardest part of being a spy was knowing that you weren't as great as the people you were deceiving thought you were. If that was so, then unfortunately, the long flight ahead of him was undoubtedly going to be a difficult one. For all of the joys of being in first class with a beautiful girl at his side, Church didn't think he'd be able to enjoy it fully with the reality of the situation on his mind.
Even with good company, the flight to the UK was a long one. Both Cecilia and Church ended up taking naps at some point, though that activity only put a dent in the total runtime. Other than that, the time was whittled down by talking, eating meals, and watching movies, where Church discovered that Cecilia's cinema taste included some old romantic classics. They weren't quite his cup of tea, but he couldn't say he was surprised by the knowledge.
Thankfully, even though it felt like forever, the flight did eventually come to an end. Admittedly, even though first class had been great, Church couldn't wait to get off. He couldn't imagine how much more potent the sentiment must have been for all of the others. Naturally, the process of disembarking the plane took twenty to thirty minutes, what with going through customs and all. Having been able to disembark earlier than everyone else due to being in first class, Church and Cecilia ended up waiting in the terminal proper for the others, though it was only for a few minutes. Soon enough, the gang was back together again.
Seeing how ardently most of the others were stretching kinks out their bodies, Church felt a little guilty for having few bodily pains to speak of. Even the stalwart Laura was exhausted, looking as though she could sleep even while standing. Still, it was Rin who spoke up as everyone joined back up.
"God, I thought that was never going to end. I'm going to bed as soon as we get where we're going."
There were nods and mutterings of agreement from everyone present, though Cecilia's next words shut that down fairly quickly. "About that... I'm afraid that my home is still about two hours of driving away."
"What?! I cannot sit cooped up again for two more hours right now! My knees are killing me!"
While no one else was as openly disgruntled about it as Rin, it was obvious that most everyone in the group agreed with her. After flying for about twelve hours, no one wanted to go on a fairly long car ride. The idea sounded tortuous. Thankfully, Cecilia seemed to pick up on the sentiment.
"Alright, how about we stay at a nearby hotel tonight instead? Then we can head for home tomorrow morning."
Ever the one to think of others, Charlotte spoke up. "But won't that be an extra expense? You're paying for so much already..."
Cecilia waved off the concern. "Hogwash, it's hardly anything to fret over. Believe me when I say the price of a few hotel rooms is absolutely negligible to me."
With that, the blonde excused herself so she could call up a nearby hotel without interruption. Since there was nothing to do but wait for her to return, the rest of the group settled down to do so, noticeably in subgroups of a sort. Ichika and Houki paired off almost immediately, with Charlotte to their side. Laura leaned against a wall and closed her eyes for a moment, while Rin sat down in a huff of annoyance. She didn't look particularly happy, which prompted Church to approach her.
"So, how was your flight?"
With a furrowed glare at nothing in particular, Rin spat out her flight experience. "I watched all four Ip Man movies, plus the one spin-off, ate mediocre food, and tried to take nap."
"Five movies, huh? That would take up most of the flight. You didn't spend any time with riveting conversation?"
Church heard a giggle from Houki in the direction Ichika was in, which prompted Rin to scowl. "Take a guess."
The implication was pretty hard to miss, and suddenly Church wasn't particularly surprised that Rin looked so unhappy. Presumably, Ichika had spent most of the flight with his attention on Houki or Charlotte, or both. With nearly twelve hours of them being in close proximity, Church could understand why Rin would be bitter about that.
Instead of calling further attention to it, Church decided to try and placate the brunette somewhat. "The Ip Man movies are martial arts films, right? I love films with great fight choreography. Obviously we wouldn't have to do it right away since you just watched them, but if you wanted to do a re-watch of the series again I'd love to see them with you."
Rin spared him a still sharp glance, and for a moment, Church thought his efforts were going to be entirely in vain. But ultimately, the girl's expression did soften a bit, and she even offered the tiniest of smiles.
"Yeah, they're pretty good. Not at all like those corny old kung fu movies. I wouldn't mind watching them again at some point."
Since she said nothing to oppose the notion of watching said movies together with him, Church assumed that she was alright with it. At any rate, her next words proved that she was already thinking of something else.
"So, how was your flight?"
Church drew a blank under the pointed gaze of his Chinese companion, knowing full well that no matter how he worded it, the truth about his mostly pleasurable first class experience would irritate her. Even if he wasn't trying to gloat about it, she'd probably interpret it as such.
"O-oh, you know... I kind of spent most of the time watching movies too. But I, uh, kind of just put stuff on at random."
The look on Rin's face made it quite obvious that she didn't believe him, but she didn't get to question him further, since Cecilia made her return to the group, announcing her successful acquisition of hotel rooms for the night. With that out of the way, everyone grabbed their luggage and headed outside of the airport, where they had to flag down two taxis to transport them to their destination. It wasn't far, but it still beat walking. The short ride mostly went by in silence, since everyone was exhausted.
Within ten minutes, they had arrived at their destination, a hotel that looked fairly nice judging by its exterior and its lobby. It definitely wasn't five stars, but even for someone wealthy like Cecilia, it wasn't like you could book rooms for places like that at the drop of a hat. Naturally, it fell to Cecilia to check them in, being the one who had paid and all. While she was doing that, both Church and Ichika took to some seats in the corner of the lobby, seeing an opportunity to doze off a bit even if it was only for a moment. Frankly, Church was surprised that they weren't immediately followed by the girls, but somehow the two men did manage to put some distance between them.
That meant they missed the discussion that started when Cecilia returned to the rest of the girls with a particular bit of news.
"So, I may have neglected to mention this earlier, but, well... we only have two rooms for the night."
While there was a stunned and somewhat befuddled silence for a moment from all of the gathered girls, Houki quickly expressed her disbelief. "What do you mean you only got two rooms? There's seven of us!"
Cecilia countered Houki's argument without any delay. "Need I remind you that I had to come up with hotel rooms in a very busy city at the drop of a hat, late into the evening? There was little in the way of options, and this place only had two rooms available. It was quite literally the best I could do!"
Charlotte tried her best to mediate the situation. "It's only one night, Houki. We could split the group up by girls and boys if it bothers you so much."
Naturally, that wasn't actually the outcome that Houki desired. However, she had a good excuse to cover that up. "That would mean there would be five of us to a single room. Are the accommodations that large?"
She asked this with a glance in Cecilia's direction, but the only response she received was a shake of the head. Seeing this, Rin merely crossed her arms with a sigh.
"Then it looks like we're splitting up a little more evenly. I'm tired, so let's hurry this up. Who is going where?"
With a smug look on her face, Cecilia started to raise her suggestion. "Well, seeing as how I'm paying for things, I think it's only fair if-"
Already well aware of what Cecilia was going to say, Rin cut her off. "Don't even think about it. You had him to yourself all day. You at least have to switch."
Cecilia was not happy with this demand. "I don't see why I should have to do that. And besides, why would you care? Are you saying you want to be in a different room than Ichika, hm?"
While she couldn't help but grit her teeth, Rin didn't actually have an answer for the blonde. The implication she had made was quite pointed: what did it say about Rin if she willingly chose to go to a different room than Ichika? Unfortunately, Rin herself wasn't quite sure what it said about her. All she knew was that the notion of spending more time around Ichika right this moment didn't appeal to her. But that didn't mean anything special: she was just irritated from being ignored for most of the flight here, that was all.
She didn't know how to verbalize any of this to Cecilia, however. She didn't get a chance to anyway, since Laura was tired enough to try and push this debate to a conclusion.
"Regardless of who goes where, it's going to be three in one room and four in the other. It's a single night and everyone is exhausted, there's no need to make an issue of this."
Charlotte glanced back at the boys, ensuring that they were still oblivious to this conversation in their corner of the lobby. "But then, who wants to go with who? Should we just do it randomly?"
Not happy with the idea of a random selection and still feeling quite irate overall, Rin figured she would just be upfront about things. "I don't care how the rest of you figure it out. I'm going with Church, the rest of you can do whatever."
Surprised to hear such a vehement decision from Rin, Charlotte cast a genuinely surprised look her way. Of course she was glad that one of her rivals didn't want to hound Ichika at night, but as her friend she couldn't help but question why Rin would opt to spend the night with another boy entirely.
"Really, Rin? I mean, you really don't want to be in the same room as Ichika?"
Now that she had committed to her decision out loud with everyone, even though she was still questioning her own motivations, Rin folded her arms and cemented her stance.
"I spent twelve hours with him today and he spoke to me twice of his own free will. I'm perfectly fine with a break for one night!"
Charlotte couldn't help but grimace at that, feeling a little guilty since she and Houki had commanded most of Ichika's attention during the flight. Not to say it was her fault or anything, but she was able to acknowledge herself as part of the reason for Rin's irritation. She supposed it was pretty understandable for the brunette to feel this way at this point in time.
Either sensing a bit of awkward air or just feeling the need to drive the situation to a close, Laura spoke up. "Well then, since I'm sure Charlotte and Houki would rather stay with Ichika, and since Church must be long tired of Cecilia's presence by now-"
"Excuse me!?"
"-I think it best that you three should stay with Ichika. I'll go with Rin and Church. Either way, no matter how we divide it up, I stand by my earlier sentiment: I'm sure we'll all be too tired to do anything unscrupulous, if that's anyone's concern."
Cecilia looked like she wanted to object, but since neither Charlotte nor Houki was displeased with the arrangement, they took it upon themselves to drag the disgruntled blonde away while they still had the chance. Houki took it upon herself to summon Ichika to follow them, which thankfully settled the matter.
With that out of the way, Rin and Laura turned to head back towards Church, who was rubbing some sleep out of his eyes after Ichika had been called, so they could round him up and head to the room. But while it was only a few moments of opportunity, Laura took it upon herself to ask a question of Rin.
"I'm honestly surprised you chose Church over Ichika, Rin. I thought for sure you would have fought tooth and nail to spend the night with the latter."
The small Chinese girl shrugged, trying to play off the entire incident as being unworthy of mentioning. "It's not like we're making a life decision here. It's late, and we're all tired, so does it even matter who sleeps where? Like you said, everyone is too exhausted to try anything funny anyway."
"I think we both know such sentiments have little to do with your decision."
A little annoyed since she didn't want to talk about something that even she was struggling to understand, Rin frowned at her compatriot. "Yeah, well what about you, Laura? You were pretty eager to pair up with me. You even pushed the others onto Ichika pretty readily. What's the deal with that, huh?"
Laura fell silent for a moment, though seemingly only because she was contemplating a response. Unlike Rin, she had a better grip on her feelings. "I wanted to stay with Church instead of Ichika. There is no ulterior motive, nor is there some hidden agenda. I would simply prefer to go with one as opposed to the other. It's quite simple."
Caught off guard by this admittance, Rin leveled a confused look at her German friend. "You're kidding, right? What happened to all that 'I'll make you my bride, no objections' stuff? Just like that you don't like Ichika anymore?"
Since she was being put on the spot, Laura stopped moving towards the boy in question so she would have enough time to say her piece without risking it being overheard.
"First off, that bride business was because Clarissa gave me severely mistaken information. As for Ichika, implying that I no longer 'like' him at all is melodramatic. Ichika is a good man: he is brave, noble, and kind. I hope that I will always be able to call him my friend. However... since the day I declared my love for him, I have rarely, if ever, felt as though those feelings were reciprocated. Try as I might, I have no doubt today that he does not, and likely never did, have any interest in pursuing me romantically."
Honestly, Rin had not expected this sudden outpouring of honesty. But she didn't get a chance to comment on it, since Laura continued.
"At this point, I can choose to doggedly pursue someone who will likely never reciprocate my feelings... or, I can turn my attention to someone else who may. Does it not make sense?"
Rin's brow furrowed as she turned the question over in her mind. "So what, Church is just some backup option? That's not fair to him at all."
This time it was Laura who cocked an eyebrow at her. "I didn't say that. It is not as though I am turning to the next available male in my life regardless of his quality. It just so happens that the next available male in my life at this time bears some qualities I find very attractive. He bears many of the same traits that Ichika does... but more importantly, he also possesses many desirable qualities that Ichika does not. Besides, Rin, do you honestly mean to tell me that you don't understand where I'm coming from? It seems to me that you've thought on this exact situation lately as well."
Being called out on her not so subtle behavior caused Rin to falter a little. Was it really so obvious? For some reason, she felt the need to deny it, even though it wasn't entirely untrue.
"Ichika is the man I love. But spending twelve hours straight with that knucklehead is enough to warrant a break from him, don't you think? That's the only reason I chose to stay with Church tonight."
Laura smiled to herself, for once understanding how her teacher Chifuyu felt when she saw right through denial, delusion, or a lie. She didn't say what she was thinking, that it was not a good sign if you 'needed a break' from someone you wanted to spend your entire life with.
"If you say so, Rin. Who am I to tell you how you feel?"
Rin was too tired to pick up on Laura's slightly sarcastic tone of voice, instead choosing to approach Church so they could finally all go to bed. She kicked the side of the chair he was sitting in to wake him up from his light dozing.
"Hey, we're going to the room. C'mon."
Too tired to bother with anything more than a nod of assent, Church followed the girls up to the room their key card specified on the third floor. The walk was devoid of conversation, filled only with yawns and groans as someone stretched their sore muscles. It wasn't until they reached the room and opened the door that Church broke the silence, since he made a startling discovery upon entering.
"Hey, so... there's only one bed in here."
Unwilling to believe that at first glance, Rin checked every corner of the room, seemingly flustered by the situation. "T-that can't be right... is this the right room?"
Laura, seemingly unperturbed by this new discovery, pushed past both of her companions to peruse the accommodations herself. "The door wouldn't have opened if it wasn't the right room, Rin."
"Shut up, Laura, I know that! Dammit, Cecilia, why can't you even book hotel rooms right?!"
Ignoring her complaints completely, Laura tossed her luggage down and grabbed some clothes from it. "I'm heading to the bathroom to change into some nightclothes. Figure out our sleeping arrangement by the time I'm back."
Rin shook a fist at the girl as she retreated into the bathroom. "What's there to figure out!? There's only one bed!"
Church put his bag down as well, knowing why Rin was bothered but feeling too tired to really get flustered about it himself. "That makes it easy then, doesn't it?"
The brunette beside him shot Church a seething glare. "Yeah, it is easy. You get to sleep on that lounge chair over there!"
"Whoa, dozing off on one of those things is one thing, but spending the whole night in one, after a twelve hour flight? That's a little much..."
Rin's hands went to her hips. "Well what do you want me to do about it? We can't share the bed!"
Laura came back out from the bathroom in a large white t-shirt that went down below her waist. It didn't look like she was wearing any kind of pants, which seemed incredibly bold, though Church considered that maybe the long shirt was just hiding shorts. She had also slipped off her eye-patch, but much to Church's dismay, kept the eye it normally covered closed. Based on what she had to say, the girl had overheard the conversation, but misconstrued the issue.
"If the two of you don't want three to a bed, I am willing to take the chair."
Church crossed his arms in an X shape, not satisfied at all with that suggestion. He didn't think he could sleep peacefully knowing he was forcing Laura to take an uncomfortable chair for the night.
"No way, I'm not letting you sleep on the chair, Laura. Look, you two can take the bed..."
Surprisingly, it was Laura who got defiant at this suggestion. "I won't allow that. Comrades must share their resources. And besides... you deserve a bed, all things considered. Are you even fully recovered from the incident yet?"
Church was about to make a retort assuring Laura that he bore no lingering pains from the Crucible incident, but Rin came between the two of them before the conversation could develop further. She was either fed up with the debacle, or she was so exhausted that she didn't actually have the energy to remain troubled by this development for very long.
"Alright, fine! We can share the bed, whatever! It's a matter of necessity, and all that. Doesn't mean anything special at all!"
For some reason, the girl glared pointedly at Church as she said this, as though she needed to ensure that he knew these things. Church had seen enough anime to know that this kind of behavior could traditionally be described as 'tsundere,' but he wasn't sure if it was wise to actually assume that about Rin. It was more likely that she was actually disgruntled with the situation and didn't want Church getting any funny ideas about it.
Clearly not as bothered by any of this, Laura turned her attention to the practical almost immediately as she laid down on the edge of the bed. "Church should take the middle, since he's the largest. Rin can sleep on the left."
Church smiled to himself as he thought of a surprisingly good joke. If he had been a little more lucid, he probably would have thought better of saying it. "I'm surprised I didn't even have to ask for the two of you to make-"
Rin silenced Church with a glare as she snatched some pajamas out of her own suitcase. "If you say one word about us making you a sandwich, you're going to regret it."
Church raised his hands in defense, still smiling to himself as Rin stalked off to the bathroom to change.
I'm impressed, Operator. That joke was almost on a level of humor equal to my own.
Yeah, yeah, just write it down somewhere or something.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Church waited for Rin to exit the bathroom so he could put on some shorts to sleep in. Laura's eyes were already closed, so Church took advantage of the moment to look at her now more exposed body. Her modified Academy uniform covered an unfortunate amount of skin (practically everything, really). This was the most he had actually been able to see of her body, so even though he felt a little like a sleaze, he couldn't help himself.
With only a t-shirt and Schrodinger's Bottoms to cover her now, Church could appreciate the fact that Laura was very attractive even without a stereotypical womanly figure. She was small in the chest, there was no denying that, but her small breasts were cute in their own way. Furthermore, with the lip of her over-sized t-shirt barely extending past her butt, Church could appreciate what were definitely sleek and shapely thighs. Yes, Laura was definitely beautiful in her own right...
"I hope you're not staring at me right now..."
Church's ogling was broken by Laura's somewhat timid voice, scaring him out of his wits. What, was she psychic? But fortunately, her eyes were still closed, so he could look away now and say that he hadn't been. Honestly though, this was a good opportunity to ask a question that had been bugging him for some time now. It was just a win-win, since it would also cover his ass.
"Well I was, but I was just wondering why you wear that eye-patch all of the time. I mean, I know about the cybernetics deal... but I don't see any reason to cover it so much."
For this, Laura cracked open her one crimson eye, alluring in its shade, to glance curiously at the man sitting on the bed next to her. "I cannot turn the implant off, so anytime I see anything out of that eye, it operates as intended. This results in a significant amount of physical and mental strain. Keeping one eye closed every moment of every day would be a pain, so it is easier to cover it when I am awake. And besides..."
While she had seemed perfectly normal just a moment ago, Laura suddenly grew bashful, averting her gaze from Church entirely. "My mismatched eyes would look terribly foolish, don't you think...?"
Church frowned, not at all pleased to find out that Laura had this kind of burden placed on her. Had she even had a say in the matter? Unfortunately, he didn't think he was in any position to pry on such sensitive matters. But as for this sudden deprecation of hers, all he had to do was be honest.
"Well, those other things aside, I don't think you'd look foolish or anything. Eyes with different colors are really unique and stunning. You'd look fine. Great even."
Laura blushed as she stumbled to find a response, having been unprepared for Church to contradict her so readily. Admittedly, this was something Ichika had said to her in the past as well, so it wasn't like she had never been praised in this light, but it still felt nice. It was really the fact that he had answered so swiftly, and as though it was nothing special to say at all. She couldn't help but blush.
Fortunately for Laura and her dignity, Rin chose that moment to return to the main room, flopping down on the far left side of the bed with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. She was apparently still a little sour about sleeping in the same bed as someone that wasn't Ichika.
Laura felt that Rin was just being stubborn, and that she just couldn't admit that she was secretly happy to be so close to someone she no doubt liked to some extent at this point, but she made no move to get Rin to admit it. Maybe the Chinese girl wasn't even able to admit it to herself? She had loved Ichika for so long that she probably found the prospect of liking someone else confusing. Of course, it was also possible that Laura was completely wrong about this and Rin had nothing even resembling attraction to Church at all. But thus far, the signs had certainly indicated otherwise. Rin was not exactly good at hiding her thoughts and feelings, even when she was trying to.
But Church couldn't discern any of this at the moment, as tired as he was, so he merely grabbed a pair of gym shorts and a clean shirt and headed to the bathroom to change. Cerberus found this to be a great time to unleash all of his stored comments on the situation.
You have no idea how many jokes could be made about this situation, Operator.
I think I do. Try to restrain yourself.
I think I should be the one saying that to you, Operator. All alone at night, sharing a bed with two young women? I fear for their purity.
Just what exactly do you think of me, huh?
Cerberus stayed quiet instead of answering, perhaps intending that to be a humorous answer in and of itself. Church decided against reigniting the conversation, instead choosing to accept the peace that he had been granted. Leaving the bathroom after getting dressed, he found that both Rin and Laura were still awake, likely in an effort to make sure Church would have enough room to be comfortable. Feeling awkward as all hell, he laid down carefully in-between the two girls, at which point Rin huffed and turned on her side to avoid facing him. Laura simply laid on her back and faced the ceiling, seemingly too tired to care about the fact that she was arm-to-arm with a man in the same bed as her.
So now Church was wedged between two cute girls, and though he normally would have been a bit happy about that, he was too tired to enjoy the situation as much as he usually would. Besides, with Laura in such a neutral position and Rin outright ignoring his presence, the situation wasn't ideal for happy thoughts. So instead, Church turned his focus to his future until he could fall asleep.
Unable to think of anything lewd, his thoughts turned instead to that SU-60 that he had discussed with Marcus. He was absolutely sure it had been a drone, but more importantly than that, its maneuvers had reminded him of Strelka's ADU-1's. That being said, the possibility of a stolen plane and a rogue pilot was incredibly unlikely. It well and truly could have been hacked, but after the Gospel incident, it seemed unlikely that would happen again. That was of course, if the Gospel incident had really been an incident at all, as opposed to an operation.
Still, Church didn't even know where he was really going with this line of thought. Was he assuming that Umbra Stratum had pulled the strings on the Crucible incident? That wouldn't make any sense at all. It was possible that a rogue element within the organization had done it, but to what end? What would the point be? Church couldn't think of anything that really made sense from a practical point of view. Then again, extremism was a thing, and it often cared little for practicality and sense.
As much as he hated to admit it, at this point Church wasn't even sure if he could really trust Marcus. He didn't really know that much about the engineer, at the end of the day. He had been working for Umbra Stratum for years before Church had shown up. His motives were unknown, as were his goals in life, other than focusing on the creation of smart A.I. But that being the case, Church couldn't imagine that the man had any reason to destroy his pride and joy. Based purely on potential motives, Church was willing to trust Marcus for now.
Either way, there wasn't much he could do about this mystery right now. All he could do currently was continue with the mission. If he went AWOL now, before anything was confirmed, no good would come of it. For now he had to settle for weaving an even more complex lie to deceive all of the friends that had put their faith in him.
Breathing a heavy sigh, Chifuyu pinched the bridge of her nose to try and stave off some of her exhaustion. She had been awake since Ichika and the others had left more than twelve hours ago, dealing with all sorts of issues brought about by the near catastrophe that had been averted not long in the past. She had filed plenty of reports with the government about the incident, and had been going over the Academy's defenses with a fine-tooth comb to try and figure out how a conventional fighter had gotten so close to it in the first place.
Aside from that, she had done some digging of her own into potential perpetrators, namely a particular organization called Phantom Task, which she knew had gone after her and her brother before during the Mondo Grosso. However, her private investigations had turned up no evidence to suggest they had been behind it. Infuriatingly enough, Chifuyu had no idea who was behind the attack or why. She had come up completely empty.
Frustrated and exhausted, the elder Orimura sibling scrolled through some of the music files Church had sent to her before boarding the plane. She had listened to them all over the past twelve hours of course, but they were new enough to not feel stale so early in her relationship with them. Church had good taste in relaxing music, though oddly enough, nearly everything he had sent her had come from one video game or another. Well, she admitted now that games were just as much an art form as anything else. "The Archylte Steppe" was her favorite right now. Very peaceful.
Unfortunately, her peace was ruthlessly destroyed when the door to her office was flung open by a certain Tabane Shinonono. Even though she had been awake just as long as Chifuyu today, she didn't seem tired in the slightest. If anything, she looked pretty excited.
"Helloooo~ Chi-chan! Wanna hear what I found out today?"
With a strong glare, Chifuyu made her feelings very clear. "Not really, Tabane."
While Chifuyu's ire would have been enough to cow pretty much anyone else on the planet, Tabane was not bothered in the slightest. "Well, that's OK. I was only asking to be polite, y'know? Anyway, I was fiddling around with that American's suit, and a lot of it was what I expected: mostly reverse engineered stuff from Infinite Stratos, with minor adjustments. Cold hard plagiarism, you know? But the power system is actually different. Not only is it different, it's actually pretty darn clever! I'm surprised someone implemented it before I did."
Much to her own dismay, Chifuyu was actually interested in this. She hated to egg Tabane on, but the raven-haired beauty actually wanted to know. "Well, just tell me about it then."
"So, you know how ultra high frequency vibration creates energy? There's a whole lot of cells in the suit that generate energy off of the process. Of course, you can't just generate kinetic energy out of nowhere, so there's still a fusion core providing the base power supply, but the core feeds into the vibration cells, which then allows them to generate power on their own for a time. It's kind of like a perpetual motion machine, except with a generator to actually keep it going. Not unlimited energy, but very efficient."
Now Chifuyu was no expert on all of this like Tabane was, but she still understood why this was objectively impressive. "Makes a lot of sense. Use a little bit of power to generate a lot at no extra expense. You never thought to do that for Infinite Stratos?"
Tabane scoffed, clearly offended by the notion. "Come on, Chifuyu, of course the overall concept occurred to me during development. The thing is, this kind of power system wouldn't be very efficient for a machine as large and advanced as Infinite Stratos. Size exponentially increases power draw for nearly every system, you know. You need shields with more coverage, greater engine power, more capable inertial cancelers, yada yada yada. At the end of the day, the power generation provided by hyper vibration cells just wouldn't be enough to get the job done, and we'd be relying on the fusion core for most of the heavy lifting anyway."
Admittedly, this was all plenty interesting. But ultimately, Chifuyu realized that she didn't really have any particular reason to be invested in it. "Well, that's great and all... can I assume this means that you're actually getting real work done on the Exeter suit? I told Church you'd have it back to him in relatively good time."
Instead of answering that at all, Tabane donned a dubious expression. "You sure do waste a lot of consideration on that boy. Kind of feels like you've got a soft spot for him, Chi-chan."
Not sure where this was going but pretty sure she would dislike it regardless, Chifuyu's brow furrowed. "And what exactly is your point? Aside from the fact that you're being awfully presumptuous, I don't see your issue with that if it were true, theoretically speaking."
After a moment of silence, Tabane's expression cleared up entirely. "Now now, Chi-chan, I didn't say I had any problem with it. It's just curious, is all. This is the first guy I've seen you take an interest in. Is it just that you prefer younger guys?"
Now realizing that she was the target of teasing, Chifuyu scowled, though she couldn't deny that she felt a little flustered for some reason. "It's not like that, you teenager. Men and women can have a purely platonic relationship. It's not like friendship is impossible between genders."
"I'd buy that argument if only you hadn't gone out of your way to avoid making friends in the past ten years or so, Chi-chan. You've always treated friendship like something you didn't have time for."
Chifuyu folded her arms indignantly. "I didn't have time for it back then. Between working with the German military, the Mondo Grosso, becoming the world's first I.S. pilot, and... well, what came before that, I was pretty damn busy. You of all people should know this."
Tabane's smile fell for a moment. "Ah, right... that. I still can't help but feel a little guilty about it. I mean, it wasn't my fault really, but you know, indirectly and all that."
Now reminded of a time in her life she wasn't particularly fond of, Chifuyu was out of patience for this conversation. "Is there something you actually need?"
Her smile returning almost instantly, Tabane shook her head. "Nope, I don't need anything. Just wanted to bother you for a bit, but I can see you aren't happy about it. I'll see you later, Chi-chan!"
With that, the elder Shinonono left the office, leaving Chifuyu alone once again. Heaving another heavy sigh, she turned on the music she had selected before, glad that it was somewhat relaxing. Just one more form to fill out, then she could go to bed.
Who is the best girl? Most fans seem to think it's Charlotte. But what if I told you... it's nameless senior #1 from the first episode or 2? Her backstory is riveting, I promise. It's just that no one has ever heard about it, because it's too intense.
Anyway, there are many ways to further engage with both me and other fans if you want to. Just pop on by my profile page to see what's available. You can even get sneak peek excerpts of upcoming chapters before their final release.