The Exeter Project

by Shadow0Fire

After the untimely destruction of America's rampaging I.S, the Gospel, the nation lost all privileges to own Infinite Stratos tech. It's new project, Exeter, carries the dream of a new breed of aerial ingenuity, and with it, the mission to become ruler of the skies for the USA. Only two things stand in the way of this dream; the I.S. Academy, and the heart of Exeter's own pilot.

31. Tell Me How You Really Feel

Tell me how you really feel: probably frustrated that this revision took so damn long, huh? I'm sure it feels even more annoying with chapters like this one, which had relatively mild changes.

On the other hand, maybe this was your first read of the story. Congrats, you got to experience the best version of it!

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For reasons that were fairly understandable all things considered, Church's birthday party took a rather awkward turn after his completely unintended but most welcome (from his perspective) kiss with Chifuyu. Both he and the older woman had apologized to each other with crimson blushes on their cheeks, the two of them meekly asserting that the encounter had most certainly been an accident.

Frankly, it was the most flustered, most embarrassed Church had ever seen Chifuyu: wide-eyed, blushing, stammering in her attempt to brush off the situation... it had been a truly rare moment indeed, though he hadn't gotten the chance to enjoy it for very long. As one might expect, the accidental kiss had inadvertently kicked the hornet's nest with some of the other girls.

Rin had been very unhappy with the whole ordeal, but thankfully she'd watched it unfold, so she knew it had well and truly been an accident. Instead of getting really angry at him, she'd mostly just needled him over it, demanding that he admit to a complete and total lack of enjoyment from the accident. It was obvious to Church that she was really trying to distract him from it altogether. She was apparently aware that asking him to frown upon the experience was realistically impossible.

Laura had actually handled the incident rather well, perhaps also taking comfort in the knowledge that it was a complete accident. Quite boldly, she'd actually chosen to needle Chifuyu over it instead, subtly expressing disappointment in the idea of her teacher getting jealous that her students were getting attention instead of her. With Chifuyu still reeling from what had happened, the German girl had miraculously managed to get away with this. That probably never would have happened if the elder Orimura had been her usual self.

Cecilia had pouted about it, and Charlotte had brushed the whole thing off with a smile, though there was a somewhat notable severity to it that was difficult to ignore. Naturally, Houki had been more appalled by the event than bothered by it in any other way, as if she had been the one to actually suffer some indignity.

Chifuyu had clammed up almost entirely for the rest of the night, though that wasn't all that long really. Church was quite worried that she was actually incredibly upset with the whole ordeal, to an extent where he didn't even really get to enjoy the fact that he had kissed her because he was so troubled by her reaction to it. Naturally, he didn't get much of a chance to discuss it, since it would have been an inappropriate conversation to have in public.

It was an incredibly odd end to an already unique party. Thankfully, the awkward nature didn't completely cripple the mood, even though it did put a slight damper on the festivities. The only good news was that, seeing as how the eating and the dress up and everything else had already been done, there wasn't much of a party left to be had. They'd done most of what they had come there to do.

That being the case, it wasn't long before things wound down, and the next order of business came up, though that was just cleaning up after themselves before the next day. After all, they were only borrowing the rec center for tonight, so they couldn't very well leave any remnants of their party.

That said, it wasn't like there had been a huge use of streamers or party supplies, so the mess wasn't much outside of the kitchen. Even so, Charlotte seemed pretty set on having them tidy up the place even if they were just cleaning a mess that they themselves hadn't really made. With most everyone in agreement, there was little to do but get to work.

However, the way the work got divvied up was interesting. For one, Chifuyu took her leave as soon as it was established that the party was over. She'd been pretty quick to make herself scarce when the opportunity arose, something that didn't help Church's anxiety over hat had happened between them. It was definitely the most bashful and skittish he'd ever seen the woman, and he didn't actually think that was a good thing. Vulnerability was an important part of a relationship with someone, as it went hand in hand with trust: but there were no benefits to it if you felt vulnerable with someone you didn't want to feel that way with. For reasons he had expressed to her directly earlier that night, Church didn't think of himself as the person Chifuyu would want to lower all of her barriers around.

He also didn't think it was a good idea to press the subject right away. For one, Chifuyu's rapid escape was evidence that she didn't really want to discuss it immediately, and likely wanted some time to herself. Real life wasn't always like the movies, necessitating a pursuit of a troubled individual, even if that was also warranted from time to time.

On top of that, Church couldn't very well abandon everyone else at the drop of a hat to go after Chifuyu. After all, everyone had taken a great deal of time today to focus on him and celebrate his birthday. It would have been pretty shitty to just up and leave them all as soon as the party was over to focus on the woman who, no offense to her, hadn't really contributed much to the event compared to everyone else. Still, Church was determined to talk to Chifuyu at some point, to determine how much of an impact this incident was going to have on their relationship, if nothing else. There had actually been a lot of very intense conversations between the two of them lately, now that he thought about it...

For now though, he was sticking with everyone else. Most of the group was focused on cleaning the kitchen, since that was where the biggest mess was. Rin had tidied up a bit before even changing outfits for the party herself, but she apparently hadn't taken care of everything. However, they weren't all going to complete that task. For one, the girls didn't want Church doing a bunch of the heavy lifting with the cleaning when it was his party that had required such a mess in the first place. Church was a little averse to letting all the girls clean when they had already done so much work just for him, but he also understood their logic. Besides, having too many people doing one task often negatively impacted efficiency.

That said, he wasn't in the kitchen with the girls, instead staying out where they had celebrated in an effort to sweep up any crumbs from all the food and ultimately leave the place cleaner than they had found it. He wasn't alone though: when the girls had determined who would be cleaning the kitchen and who wouldn't, they had ultimately elected to leave Cecilia outside with Church. Apparently, their mistrust of the blonde in the kitchen even extended to just cleaning it. Honestly, Church felt kind of bad for her.

He'd never tasted anything she had cooked solely by herself: the English trifle she had made tonight had undoubtedly seen a great deal of assistance from someone who could cook, namely Rin. Church couldn't really grasp just how terrible her food was allegedly supposed to be. Could anyone really be that terrible at anything? Rin had said once that Ceiclia had gone so far as to put perfume in a dish, but he still wasn't sure if he was supposed to believe something that incredibly insane...

Rin clearly knew her stuff when it came to cooking though, so Church trusted her opinion of Cecilia's solo cooking. Even so, the kind of pouty look on Cecilia's face as she swept crumbs off the floor made him feel a bit of pity for her. She really did get a lot of flak for being a bad cook, and she probably wasn't happy about that. The least he could do was try to uplift her, he supposed...

"You look a little upset, Cecilia. Is it really so bad to get out of the heavy duty cleaning? Seems like a sweet deal to me."

Stopping her work for a moment, the blonde put a hand on her hip as she turned to face him, still frowning. The whole thing was a bit weird since she was still wearing the flattering red bunny outfit she had donned for the party. Not that he was complaining with the attention it drew to her thighs and cleavage.

"It's not that, it's the attitude! Everyone always talks so bad about my skills in the kitchen: even when they don't say anything it's clear they're all thinking it!"

"I'm not sure about that. The trifle you made today was delicious."

To his credit, this unabashed praise did manage to evoke a smile and a blush from the girl, but both were brief, since they fell when she remembered something.

"But I didn't make it by myself... Rin had to step in several times when I was about to make a mistake. It just doesn't feel the same as if I had managed to make it for you myself..."

That statement confirmed Church's suspicions that Cecilia hadn't made her trifle single-handed, something that didn't really surprise him. He could see why Cecilia wasn't necessarily happy about that: there was a certain appeal to cooking something specifically for someone, as well as getting something that someone had specifically made for you.

She had really tried her best, it was just that her best when it came to this kind of thing still wasn't up to snuff. Church knew that nobody liked to feel as though their best wasn't good enough. Besides, he also felt that Cecilia was being unfair to herself on this front. He had been just as happy to have the dessert she had made with help as he had with the food everyone else had made alone.

"Personally, I don't think doing it by yourself is what really matters. I mean, I'm sure that there's a sense of pride to accomplishing something on your own, but as far as gifts are concerned, it's really the feelings behind it that matter. The intent, I guess. Sure, Rin may have had to help you make it, but the dish was your idea, and it was you who wanted to make it for me. That's what really made me happy about your trifle, Cecilia. I enjoyed it just as much as anything made by the others."

Cecilia's face took on a crimson hue not much different from her outfit as she failed to contain a delighted smile from the praise. Church had to admit, it was a good look for her.

"O-oh, really? I'm so glad! I-I was a bit worried about going first, like everyone else was going to overshadow me..."

Church pondered if Cecilia actually had low self-esteem underneath her usual veneer of brazen confidence. Sometimes people acted the exact opposite of how they felt to try and hide it. Then again, maybe she was just expressing a rational concern: if you were going to experience many different things in a short timeframe, the thing that happened first could easily be buried under all of the subsequent experiences.

"I don't think any of you overshadowed the others. You were each so excited to share something personal and meaningful with me. It was definitely the best birthday party I've ever had. Though I guess that's not saying much, since I don't remember any others..."

While her blush lessened, Cecilia's smile remained. "Truthfully, part of me wants to be upset that you'd go so far as to praise the others when they aren't even here... but oddly enough, I actually appreciate how considerate you are of everyone, even when they aren't around to know about it. My mother used to say that the true merit of a man is measured by how he acts when he stands to gain nothing."

"It sounds like your mother was a wise woman."

Cecilia's smile fell at this, and she turned her gaze back to the floor as she clearly tried to focus on sweeping. "Sometimes I wonder... for someone so wise, she certainly made a mistake with who she married."

Frankly, Church was a bit surprised to hear that. It had been some time, but he recalled Cecilia speaking quite fondly of her father back in England. Part of him thought he should just let sleeping dogs lie, but he was curious: besides, he had shared some deep stuff about his life tonight, so it seemed fair to ask.

"Are you alright with me asking what you mean by that?"

For a moment, Cecilia looked like she was going to say no, but then she reconsidered. Maybe she was actually glad that he was interested in knowing more about her life. "I suppose that did sound quite hostile, didn't it? I don't mean that my father was a bad person, just... not a good fit for my mother. Growing up, I rarely got the feeling that they truly loved each other. Mother was always belittling him, demeaning him... and father was too spineless to defend himself. He'd usually just endure it until he could retreat to solitude. Usually, the garage with that car he loved. I sometimes tried to spend time with him there, but it always grew awkward. I look very much like my mother... and I think I sometimes said hurtful things to him that I had likely picked up from her, without realizing it. So I didn't get to be particularly close to him."

Church had stopped sweeping a while ago, giving Cecilia his undivided attention. He hadn't expected things to get this deep, but now that they were, he was going to take it as seriously as it deserved.

As for Cecilia, she hadn't really intended to go into as much detail as she was about to. But now that they were talking about it, she wanted to get it off her chest. She hadn't actually shared these feelings with many people, outside a few of her most trusted servants at the mansion. She hadn't actually told any of her friends about it, though it often weighed heavily on her. It just didn't come up often, and she didn't want to just drop it in everyone's lap without warning. After all, were her issues with her parents their concern?

She was sure they would all be more than happy to listen to her, but she just hadn't wanted to share that. She didn't want to be a bother, and didn't want to express that vulnerability. Life had drilled into her through many means that she had to be strong and flawless. Still, of everyone she knew, Church was probably the best person to share with. He was always measured and thoughtful. And a good listener. Furthermore, he wasn't pushy or anything. He likely wouldn't try and tell her what to do to feel better, or judge how she felt, or do anything other than listen to what she had to say. And that was reassuring. That was why she decided to continue.

"I... hate my parents. Even though I love them, I also hate them. Why did my mother have to be so cruel and demeaning towards my father? It was true that his accomplishments weren't as impressive as hers, and that she was the main reason for our family's success. But he wasn't a bad person. He tried his best. But at the same time, why was my father such a coward? Why did he just sit there and let her walk all over him, every day, all the time? Couldn't he just summon one smidgen of pride and do something about it? And why did his distaste for my mother have to be foisted onto me? It wasn't my fault that I resembled her so closely, or that I imitated how she spoke and acted as a child. They were so busy disliking each other that they often forgot to actually spend time with me, even when they had no other obligations to handle. We could have been a happy family if they just..."

The blonde sighed, mindlessly sweeping away at some debris on the ground. "I was actually a bit hopeful when they told me they were going on a short vacation together. I thought that, perhaps, they were taking the first step towards an actual meaningful relationship. Maybe one day soon I could feel as comfortable with my parents as I did with the maids. In hindsight, I'd rather them have remained as they were, even as hostile as it was, rather than them getting on that train..."

While he had to dig pretty far back into his memory to recall the appropriate information, Church did manage to remember what he had read in Cecilia's dossier all those months ago. As best as he could remember, both of her parents had been killed in a train accident of some sort. Apparently there was a great deal of suspicion surrounding the whole ordeal, though the dossier's information on all of that had been rather vague. Naturally, a ton of people had come after the Alcott family's wealth after the parents were out of the picture, which was why there were suspicions regarding a more sinister intent behind the tragedy.

Church didn't really know much about that other than that. He also didn't know what to say in response to all of this. Or if he was supposed to say anything at all. Maybe this was a time where he just needed to listen. Based on what Cecilia said next, it seemed that this was the case.

The blonde glanced back at him a bit sheepishly. "I apologize for speaking of such sullen things so suddenly, and on the day we're celebrating for you, no less. I didn't mean to be so dour. The conversation turned that way before I even realized it, though I suppose I also talk too much."

Now, Church finally managed to speak again. Though he at least knew what to say this time. "Don't worry about that, Cecilia. I'm always happy to listen, if there's something you want to get off your chest. I'm glad you trust me enough to share these types of private things with me."

Seeing that he was taking this all very well, Cecilia smiled and tried to turn the topic back to happier things. "Well, suffice to say, I want to marry a man who is a wonderful match for me, so we can be happy together. Someone strong and kind, noble and sensitive... someone who is confident in who they are, but still humble. Someone who cares about those around them and always holds them in his thoughts when he speaks and acts. Yes, that's my ideal man..."

Cecilia shot a suggestive glance Church's way, something that he had to pretend to miss lest his inner thoughts become apparent on his face. He focused on sweeping up a patch of crumbs at his feet to make it look natural.

"That's... quite a checklist, isn't it? It would be hard for any man to tick off all of those boxes."

With a renewed smile on her face, Cecilia seemed to have completely forgotten about the heavy topic they had been discussing only minutes prior.

"Oh, that wasn't even all of it really. Admittedly, that was about all I wanted before, but I... added some other criteria somewhat recently..."

The blonde bombshell blushed a bit as she glanced over at Church again. It wasn't hard for him to pick up on the implication of where her extra criteria had come from. On one hand, he was flattered. On the other, he was nervous about the pressure that put on him. Having the faith and admiration of other people was more pressure than he had thought it would be. That said, his nervousness didn't stop Cecilia from extrapolating on the things that had been added to her list of criteria, somewhat shyly.

"Being kind is great of course, and so is being strong... but those can apply to almost anyone, and by themselves they aren't that special. Kindness without a certain level of emotional intelligence can be misleading and misunderstood, and there's different types of nobility. At first I thought I just wanted a strong man who was nice to people and had chivalrous ideals. That fantasy turned out to be... a little more disappointing in reality than I had hoped."

That she was referring to Ichika wasn't a great mystery. Truth be told, Church felt kind of bad for the guy: best as he could tell, Ichika was a nice guy who had a pretty noble spirit. He wasn't a bad person in any sense of the word and didn't really deserve to have anything bad happen to him. And yet, Church felt like he was instigating resentment against him or something, albeit unintentionally. He couldn't help but feel that way, seeing as how most of these girls had been pining for him prior to Church's own arrival.

Forgive my lack of understanding on this matter, Operator, but is this something you should feel bad about? You have not actively attempted to seduce anyone. They have simply come to you of their own accord, unfortunately for our mission and your overall focus.

I mean, technically no, but it still feels a little low. Then again, I honestly don't know if Ichika cares about the affections of all these girls: seems more like he'd rather just be friends with all of them from an outsider's point of view. Especially considering how he talked that one time...

Church wondered if he should provide some sort of response to all of this, but he didn't get a chance to, as Cecilia added on to her list after a moment or two of thought.

"Of course, a little more transparency from you wouldn't hurt. Ichika was honest to a fault, which sometimes resulted in things better left unsaid, but it was nice to know that there was practically no chance that he was hiding anything from anyone. Your name, your birthday, your childhood... it seems like we have to drag almost everything about you out by force. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but... it does hurt, feeling as though you don't trust us even with things so... mundane."

In the back of his mind, Church noted that they had both stopped sweeping. Once again, their conversation had taken a serious turn. First and foremost, he felt guilty and ashamed having his lack of transparency called out. Hearing it mentioned so straightforwardly simply served to remind him that he still wasn't being honest with any of them, a point of conflict that he was struggling with more and more on a daily basis.

He wanted to say that a lack of trust wasn't the issue, but he couldn't do that in good conscience. After all, if that were true, then he would have no trouble telling everyone the whole truth. Of course, there were other parts to it: he himself wasn't fully aware of what Umbra Stratum was up to right now, so he didn't even have all the necessary information to reveal. On top of that, he didn't want to embroil these people he cared about in this shadowy business any more than they already had. He was already uncomfortable with them being engaged with Phantom Task, though their affiliation with Umbra Stratum was still vague.

But on top of all of that, he didn't trust the girls to think of him as they did now, if they knew the truth. If they knew why he had really come here, that he was tied to the organization that had likely almost killed them all, that he may have been an agent for a group that could be planning some horrific event, that he'd been lying to them all this time: there was no way their opinion of him wouldn't change. There was no chance they would feel the way they did about him right now. With the way his life had gone so far, these girls were the first people that cared about him solely for who he was.

There was Marcus, of course, but their relationship, friendly though it may have been, was grounded in his role within Umbra Stratum. It didn't have the same merits as these relationships that had formed solely because someone cared about who he was as a person. That being the case, Church just wasn't willing to take the risk. He was too scared of what might happen.

Apparently he got a little too lost in his own thoughts, as Church was somewhat caught off guard when Cecilia addressed him again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say something that offended you..."

Aware that his silence was probably giving Cecilia the wrong impression, Church briefly thought on what he should say. The whole truth may have been something he was unwilling to share, but he could at least be honest about some other things. Maybe that would soothe his guilty conscience to some extent.

"It's fine, Cecilia. I'm not offended. It's perfectly understandable why you and the others would feel that way when I hardly ever tell you anything about myself. Truth is, it's not that I don't trust you. I just... don't really feel like I'm important enough to talk about, is all."

Considering the distraught look that crossed Cecilia's face when he said this, it was pretty clear that she didn't agree with this line of thinking at all.

"But why would you think that? Church, you're a wonderful person. You've done acts of great bravery, and you are kind and considerate towards all. And even ignoring our personal connection to you as friends, you have clearly led an interesting life. You can't honestly believe that none of us have any vested interest in learning about you."

Church was honestly quite happy to be praised so blatantly. Though he knew a lot of the girls liked him, sometimes he didn't quite grasp how highly they really thought of him. Still, he had to continue with his earlier point.

"I get what you're saying. It's just that you girls are the first people in a long time that actually care about these things.. it's been so long since my birthday and personal life have been relevant to anyone that they even stopped being relevant to me. It's not that I didn't want you guys to know about it, it just honestly didn't occur to me that it was something you'd care about. That's all."

Focusing on his sweeping again as he said this, Church was initially met with silence. After this persisted for a moment or two, he glanced back over his shoulder to see Cecilia leveling a teary-eyed expression at him.

"H-hey, stop that! I didn't share that so I'd be pitied or something!"

Quickly wiping her eyes, the blonde tried to dismiss that notion.

"It's not pity, it's empathy! While none of us have the exact same experience as you, nearly all of us have something that's gone wrong in our lives, you know... I lost my parents, Rin's are divorced, Charlotte's nothing but means to an end for her father, and Laura never even had parents to begin with... Church, we're people that you can share these types of things with. We understand how it feels to lose important people, how it feels to be unwanted or of little importance... we can understand you, because we've been through things like that as well. That's why we would like for you to share such things with us."

Church couldn't help but stare at the girl as she said all of this to him. Maybe Cecilia was right. If he told them everything: if they knew why he'd done what he did, surely they'd be understanding? Maybe his fears were unwarranted...

Operator, I urge you to prioritize reason over emotion in this situation.

Ignoring Cerberus entirely, Church locked gazes with Cecilia, an action that caught her off guard and put a blush on her face. He wasn't paying attention to that though. He was going to take a chance. Probably a stupid chance, but... maybe if he could just lift a little weight off of his shoulders, everything would fall into place. In this moment, it felt like he might be able to do that.

"Cecilia, there's actually... something else I'd like to share with you. You'd be the first to know."

The notion of being the first person to learn something about him clearly excited Cecilia. Surely being the first person he confided some secret in was something she would have over all the other girls. Even if he told them later, he would have told her first.

"O-of course! You can tell me anything!"

Church hesitated for a moment, briefly questioning his decision to do this. But ultimately, Cecilia had done a pretty good job of throwing his secrecy into doubt. Maybe he was just riding some sort of high from her recent uplifting words, but he really wanted to tell her. Maybe he was being paranoid. Maybe he didn't have to lie to everyone all the time.

So with a gulp of trepidation but an inner determination to say what needed to be said, Church spoke.

"The real reason-"

As if fate itself was happy to mock his decision, the door to the kitchen was brusquely thrown open by Rin, who heaved a sigh of frustration immediately. "Geez, if the rest of you weren't so slow that could have taken way less time. I mean, I even cleaned most of the mess before right now!"

It was obvious that she was talking to the other girls that had gone to clean the kitchen, all of whom filed into the room behind her in short order. Everyone was still in their costumes of course, and Laura was the one to counter.

"It was but a few minutes. No need to be so impatient, Rin."

With a frown, Rin made it clear how she felt about that, with a slightly disgruntled look going Cecilia's way. "Of course there's a need! You want to leave Cecilia in here by herself? Who knows what nefarious plots she's tried to pull off while we were gone."

Naturally, Cecilia was immediately annoyed by all of this. Aside from the roundabout attack on her, something very important had been interrupted. Unfortunately for her, Church gave an answer first.

"We were just talking, Rin. Surely you can't condemn that."

The Chinese brunette leveled a mildly displeased look at him, but ultimately she figured he had a point. It would be petulant to demand he not speak to any particular person. Honestly, she was still pretty miffed about the thing with Chifuyu, which made it pretty hard to overlook even the small things.

As for Church, all of his courage had gone out the window when the other girls returned. Confessing to one of them was one thing, but confessing to all of them at once was a completely different matter. Moreover, now that said courage was gone, he was completely reconsidering what he had been about to do in the first place.

Stupid. That would have been really stupid. Crap, getting influenced that easily...

Cerberus wasted no time in agreeing with that sentiment, though Church wasn't happy to be agreed with.

Very much so, Operator. Please don't let something as petty as emotions sway your better judgment.

The sole male in the room had to struggle to keep a scowl off his face at that, since he didn't want any of the girls to see it and misunderstand the expression. Opposite of him, Cecilia's expression was clearly one of disappointment. Perhaps she was already aware that Church had changed his mind about sharing what he'd been thinking about.

As always, Charlotte was privy to tension that most everyone else missed. She was observant when it came to reading the emotional atmosphere. And as always, she was quick to try and dispel the uncomfortable tension that she had perceived.

"There's a bit of leftover desserts, everyone. Why don't we split them now instead of saving them for later?"

Initially nobody seemed to have a problem with this, but Houki offered some dissent. "Hold on now, we can't just eat nothing but desserts all night. Save those for later."

Charlotte looked a little put out having her suggestion shot down, but she didn't get to defend it since something occurred to Laura.

"Well, this raises the question: the night is still relatively young, and technically this is Church's de facto birthday. Surely we don't all plan on going to bed prior to nine?"

If he were honest with himself, Church knew that he actually wouldn't have minded being able to be alone for the rest of the night. Not that the girls were bothering him, but the issue he was facing regarding the truth had put him in a bad mood, and of course there was still the thing with Chifuyu to consider. But Laura was right in saying that today was his quintessential birthday as far as celebrating was concerned, and it wasn't that late. He knew everyone would be crestfallen if he decided to call it quits now.

"I mean, we could just hang out. Doesn't have to be anything special."

Rin folded her arms as she judged his choice. "Back at it again with the low standards for your birthday, huh? Of course it has to be something special! We can hang out on any day!"

"What you've all done for me today is already special enough. Just hanging out is plenty special if it's with everyone, isn't it?"

Rin didn't really have anything to say to that. The sentiment was far too sweet to just shoot down. Still, she would have liked to do something more meaningful than that... seeing how happy and intrigued Church had been with both her dish and her dress had taken her to Cloud Nine. Just hanging out probably wouldn't do the same, especially if they were all hanging out together. Honestly, she'd been hoping to try and poach Church for herself after this part of the evening was said and done. She should have known that was impossible.

Since she had been the one to bring this to light, Laura seemed pretty determined to be the one to come up with an answer. It didn't take long for her to be struck with inspiration.

"It is late enough that going out to do anything might be problematic, and we can't really go out to eat since we just ate something and probably aren't hungry... why not watch some movies for the night? We can do that here at the Academy and we can wind down until we're hungry enough to eat something again, at which point Rin can feed everyone."

The indicated brunette immediately turned her attention to her German comrade, hands on her nearly bare hips. "What do you mean I have to feed everyone? Feed your damn selves!"

"You were the one bragging about being a real chef all night."

Eager to prevent any spat, harmless though it may be, Charlotte cut in to offer her insight. "I think that's a great idea! The movies part, I mean. We can work out food later, but... whose room would we use for a movie night? What about our roommates?"

Naturally, there were exchanged glances that ranged from combative to worried between nearly all of the girls. Church wasn't dense enough to miss why they would feel a certain way about this. For a lot of people, inviting someone into their most private space was a big deal. It was an even bigger deal if it was someone they were interested in. Even some guys got nervous about the prospect of seeing a girl's room. Granted, he wasn't one of those types of guys: the things that got him riled up about girls were usually the girls themselves, not the things they interacted with.

That said, he felt that Charlotte had made a pretty good point against the idea here.

"To start, is anyone's room really big enough to have six people in there? The one I've been in was a pretty average size."

Rin tensed up at this comment, perhaps extrapolating the conclusion most of the other girls were going to come to in a second or two. Unfortunately for her, the first one to do this was Cecilia.

"Hold on, exactly whose room have you been in?"

Church received some psychic gamma waves from Rin that told him to keep his mouth shut. Or maybe that was just the look they were sharing, mostly unintentionally. Unfortunately for her, that look didn't go unnoticed, even though it was only a split second. Cecilia's hands were on her hips in a moment.

"Wait, when?! When did that happen?!"

Caught on her back foot, Rin had no response. Thankfully, Church was on it. After all, he didn't see any reason why the visit to her room should be controversial.

"It was after I caught her during that fall. You know, back when I first got here? She was just treating me to a meal as thanks."

Naturally, Church left out the part in which he slept in the same room as Rin that night, which was probably the right call on his part. Seeing as how no one could really condemn a person thanking someone for saving their life, Cecilia and any of the other bothered girls quelled their objections. Rin, on the other hand, gave him a look that said she was unhappy about his wording regarding 'just' treating him to a meal, but since he had defused the situation so handily, she didn't accost him.

Ultimately though, this brought the conversation full circle, back to the topic of whose room to have a movie night in. Houki spoke up this time.

"Regardless, Church has a point. Not that the dorm rooms are small here on campus, but enough room for six people...? And then there's the hassle it would be for our roommates. It would be rude to impose on them without warning."

While this seemed to stump everyone present initially, a certain British blonde had a haughty look on her face. "Ahem... I believe I may be able to save us from our predicament."

Naturally, Church didn't know what she was implying by this, but Rin clearly did, as evidenced by the downturn her expression took. "Oh, right. I forgot you're a selfish hag who bought out a custom living space when moving in. Still can't believe Chifuyu let you do that."

Houki mumbled something from the rear. "I still can't believe you have the guts to call her that, even when she's not around..."

Instead of commenting on that, Cecilia defended herself against Rin. "Well, if you find it so deplorable, I suppose you'll be fine spending the night in your own room while the rest of us enjoy ourselves, right, Rin?"

The Chinese girl that had raised an objection immediately balked, conceding her point with practically no resistance. "No, no, I mean, as long as you paid a fair price for that room, right? No harm done to anyone..."

Content that she had quelled any dissent Rin may have felt the need to raise at this point, Cecilia returned her attention to everyone at large. "Rest assured, my room has plenty of space for all of us to comfortably relax, and of course I have plenty for us to do to pass the night away. Although..."

She glanced in Church's direction for a moment, apparently contemplating something. It didn't take her long to reach a conclusion, however.

"I daresay that no visit to a person's private space should occur at a moment's notice. How about we meet up at my room in an hour? That why I can tidy up a little bit, and we all have an opportunity to change clothes."

Naturally, Church felt the need to express his malcontent with that second part, though he made sure to do so in a joking manner. "Hey now, I thought you were all wearing those for my birthday? Shouldn't you have to at least wear them until midnight?"

This time, it was Laura who gave him a response, with a distinctly coy expression. "Come now, Church: isn't there a certain appeal to girls in their pajamas as well? Besides, you could get some of us in attractive outfits any time you want if you just ask, you know."

Laura punctuated that with a sly smirk, implying that Church could possibly request a lot more than he knew of her, something that put a blush on his face. Perhaps uncomfortable with such blatant flirting even though she wasn't involved in it, Houki cleared her throat to interject.

"Either way, I believe Cecilia has a reasonable point. I'm heading to my room to change clothes."

Houki turned towards the door without delay after saying that, though her exit was quickly followed up by Charlotte, unwavering smile on her face. Though, like earlier that day, Church could tell that it was a bit more forced than usual. He couldn't help but think the blonde had a lot more on her mind than she was letting on.

"This is actually pretty convenient. There's something I need to take care of before spending the rest of the night relaxing. I'll see all of you in a little bit!"

Since she was the one who had to prepare her room for a bunch of guests, Cecilia wasted little time in announcing her departure as well. She was quite miffed about missing out on whatever secret Church had been so close to sharing, but she figured that, if he had been willing to share with her alone this time, she had a chance of hearing it later when they were alone again. Perhaps if she could outlast all of the other girls tonight...

"Well, I had best not waste any time with such a brief opportunity to make sure everything is presentable! Ugh, what I wouldn't do to have one of my maids here..."

Fretting over everything she had to hide in her room from male eyes, Cecilia too made her exit, leaving Church with only Rin and Laura. Able to discern a particular problem at this point, Church made sure to speak up before either of them ended up disappearing on him as well.

"OK, so I don't actually know where Cecilia's room is... I'm going to need directions or someone to guide me there..."

Laura and Rin exchanged glances, a certain, almost challenging look for both of them. Naturally, Church was perfectly aware of why this was the case: he knew they were competing for his time. He felt bad about that, but it wasn't like he could ask them to share.

Of course Laura wanted to try and nab this particular hour of free time with him for herself, but unfortunately for her, Charlotte had expressed a desire to take care of something during this time. Laura didn't know what that might be, but it was possible that bringing Church to their shared room might pose a problem for her friend. She supposed they could still hang out somewhere else, but she did have to return to her room within the hour anyway to change clothes.

So for now, she would concede defeat. But it wasn't a surrender, it was just a tactical retreat. She'd find time to strike later on...

"I believe Rin will be able to guide you there just fine. I will return to my room to change clothes. As much as I like this dress, it's probably not a fitting choice of sleepwear."

The look on Rin's face made it abundantly clear that she was surprised by Laura's decision and overall lack of desire to compete with her. She was fairly certain that Laura wouldn't just give her a pass out of the kindness of her heart, but she also wasn't going to question her good fortune as Laura gave a little wave on her way out the door.

Left alone together, Rin quickly decided that she was going to capitalize on the opportunity fate was giving her. Tonight had been enlightening in ways she didn't particularly like: Charlotte had acted way out of pocket tonight, relative to what Rin had expected from her. The way she had dressed, the very flirtatious behavior... she had not expected any of that from the blonde. Just when the hell had she decided to start acting that way towards him?

Laura was getting pretty bold in the way she flirted with Church, and Chifuyu... Chifuyu had been embarrassed and flustered when they had accidentally kissed. That was what worried Rin the most.

She had expected Chifuyu of all people to brush something like that off, perhaps berate Church for being so careless with her usual stony expression. But she hadn't done that: she'd blushed and stuttered and even beat a hasty retreat as soon as she was able. Rin didn't even want to think about what that implied. After all, if someone like Chifuyu decided she wanted to start entertaining romance, the rest of them were toast. Rin had no confidence in their ability to compete with her.

Needless to say, Rin was feeling a lot more pressure than she had been before. This whole thing was turning into the same situation that had existed with Ichika: in fact, it may have been even worse, considering Chifuyu.

With all of that in mind, the brunette wasted no time in grabbing a hold of Church's arm and pressing it against her body as firmly as possible. Considering the practically nonexistent lack of padding with her Qipao, she had little doubt that Church would be pleased with the arrangement. Truthfully, even this relatively tame degree of flirting got her heart racing, but she knew that she would have to step up her game with the way things were going, and soon. Besides, she found it a little easier to be bold, knowing for certain that Church liked this, and that he liked her. With Ichika, bold flirting like this had been harder because it was so damn difficult to tell if he even liked it.

"Well, how about we go to my room for now? I've got to change too, but maybe I can show you that other dress I was talking about before that...?"

Rin inwardly congratulated herself on being able to say all of that without stuttering. Sure, she had implied willingness to wear the outfit in question for Church during the party, but the idea of actually doing that in private was a tad more flustering. Apparently, the notion flustered the target of her affections as well, as evidenced by the red on his cheeks. Even so, he didn't overlook a valid concern."

"W-what about your roommate, though?"

"Don't worry about her, Tina's hanging out with her own friends tonight. N-no one will bother us."

Rin berated herself for letting her voice catch like that, but she couldn't help it. Now that she had thought of something lewd, she was overthinking everything. Even Church's arm pressed up against her chest seemed extraordinarily scandalous. Still, she wasn't going to let any of that stop her, even if she had to put up a facade to do it. With everyone else growing more bold and direct, she had no choice but to do the same. Otherwise, she was going to lose ground fast.

As for Church, he was a little torn on matters. On one hand, he had no qualms whatsoever with what Rin was proposing here. He'd already established that he really really liked her in this outfit, and the notion of seeing her in a shorter variant absolutely tickled his fancy. But on the other hand, he had considered using this window of opportunity to find Chifuyu. It felt odd, doing other things while knowing that there was tension of some sort between them.

But maybe right now was too soon. It was still the same day, after all. And while Church didn't like the idea of there being any sort of problem between him and Chifuyu, he knew that giving her space was probably the right call for now. There was no guarantee that he could find her within an hour anyway, since he doubted she was going back to her office. As much as it bothered him to do so, Church figured he had no choice but to put this scenario on the back burner for now. Thankfully, he imagined he would have plenty of things to distract him, seeing as how he and Rin were leaving the Rec Center to go to her empty room.

With the Rec Center not being particularly far from the girls' dorms in general, the duo's silent walk through the night was a brief ordeal. It was obvious that Rin was feeling a little nervous, even though she was putting on a brave face. Walking quietly was a little awkward, but it wasn't too bad since the cause of the silence wasn't anything bad.

Of course, there was the issue of sneaking through the dorms, something that was made doubly risky considering that both Rin and Church stood out at this exact moment. Church had half a mind to suggest that he just go around back and come in through the window like before, but Rin seemed intent on keeping him close to her, so they ended up going into the dorms through the normal entrance.

As the two of them peered around the first hallway to see what was what, Church figured he could lend a helping hand with their stealth operation.

Cerberus, now would be a good time to scan for heat signatures and stuff.

Operator, aren't you bothered by your willingness to grievously misuse my faculties in such a manner?

Clearly not. Look, we all know how you feel about my fraternization with the locals: at what point are you going to acknowledge that objection is pointless?

There was the slightest hesitation before Cerberus answered him, something that was starting to happen more often now that Church thought about it. Still, the AI did answer, but not in the way his human partner expected.

Your -DERELICTION- s-s-stance is noted, Operator.

Church nearly did a double-take in the physical plane as Cerberus' reply came through. It had sounded like an entirely different robotic entity had interrupted him for a brief second, and after that Cerberus' voice had caught. Needless to say, both were alarming.

Whoa, what the hell was that? Cerberus, what just happened?

A simple data error, Operator. It's possible that I've been denoting too much of my processing power to combat simulations and potential avenues of contacting the Creator.

Church furrowed his brow, barely noticing that Rin was tugging him forward in a moment where the coast was clear, aiming for the stairs that would lead to the floor her room was on.

I didn't think your processing power was that limited. Are you sure you're alright?

I have also been neglecting regular data maintenance lately. It could have contributed to the issue. Fear not, Operator. All computers stutter from time to time. Even AI like myself.

Well, do us both a favor and conduct that regular maintenance as soon as possible. You scared the hell out of me.

Of course, Operator.

The conversation ended there, though Church's worry over the situation did not. The only time he remembered Cerberus having errors like this was right after the Crucible incident. It seemed weird that a lack of maintenance could be the cause, especially since it seemed odd that a smart AI could forget to conduct maintenance on itself.

Then again, perhaps the fact that it was a smart AI was what made Cerberus capable of forgetting something like that. A near sentient intelligence, even a computer, could focus on certain things at the expense of others. At least, that was what Church told himself.

He didn't have much more time to think about it, as he was soon standing in front of the door to Rin's room, which was swiftly unlocked by the girl herself. With the ever-present risk of being spotted, Church was ushered in quickly, and Rin closed the door behind them.

For a brief moment, Church took in the room, seeing as how it was a location that he had actually only visited one time. That said, nothing much had changed. The kitchen was still spotless, and Rin still had that Chun-Li clock on her nightstand. Despite that, he still felt a sense of nostalgia being here: the time Rin had treated him to a meal for saving her felt like an eternity ago. It was hard to accept that it actually hadn't been that long ago at all.

He turned to look at Rin, but she passed him swiftly to make her way to the closet in her bedroom. Unbeknownst to Church, Rin felt like she had to get things underway as quickly as possible: if she didn't commit to what she was doing here right now, she might lose the courage to do it at all.

Church decided that he would merely wait, since Rin clearly held the reins here. Besides, there was nothing to say. He couldn't ask what she was doing, because he already knew what she was doing. He just hadn't expected her to get right to it.

A few moments of rummaging graced his ears, but that was all. After those few moments, the brunette returned, a particular article of white clothing in her arms. Holding it up against her body, Church identified it as the rumored white Qipao with the much shorter skirt that Rin had mentioned earlier. There was one of those branch and leaf patterns near the collar and the bottom, adding a few splashes of green and brown to it. Despite the fact that she was still wearing her longer green Qipao from the party, Rin looked embarrassed just showing it to him.

"S-so, here it is... do you like it...?"

Church nearly said that he would have liked it far more if it was actually on her body, but he restrained himself for Rin's sake. She was clearly nervous already, there was no need to intentionally try and fluster her further. Besides, he was feeling kind of nervous himself. This scenario had dispelled his worried thoughts about Chifuyu and Cerberus quite handily.

"It's very pretty. I-I'm sure you would look beautiful in it."

"Thanks... honestly, I've never worn it before. It's... short. R-really short. I had all the confidence in the world when I first bought it, but... I never really worked up the courage to wear it..."

"That's a shame, considering how nice it is..."

Silence reigned between the two of them for a moment, with neither of them sure what they should say. Honestly, Church wanted to ask her to put it on, but he wasn't sure if he should be so forward. Of course, Rin actually wanted to put it on too, but her courage on this matter was faltering. This was more nerve-wracking than it had been in her head.

Still, she eventually managed to say what she wanted to say. "W-would you... like me to put it on...?"

Rin blushed heavily as she said this, something that probably matched Church's own reaction. Frankly, he was surprised that this could all be so stimulating when he had technically been involved in much more scandalous and promiscuous situations. Why was this of all things so exciting? He barely managed to hide it.

"Y-yes! I-I mean, if you want to, of course. I'll look away, don't worry!"

Rin kneaded the fabric in her hands as she came to the point in this hour that made her the most anxious. This was by far the part that would make or break her composure. Technically, she could skip it, and just go with the more tame route... that would probably be good for her heart. But the whole reason she had planned to do something more serious was because of the realization she had come to tonight.

Chifuyu being flustered by a kiss probably meant that she felt something for Church at least. Charlotte had been far too forward lately for it to be mere jest on her part, potentially adding another girl to an already convoluted contest. Cecilia had her sights set on him too, and Laura was growing bolder and bolder every day. Even though she had taken a huge first step back in England, Rin felt like she rapidly falling behind the others in this battle. And needless to say, she was not content with the idea of this whole thing turning into another Ichika situation. She had seen where relative restraint and an attempt to be subtle had gotten her with him. Rin had to be more bold if she wanted things to play out as she hoped. Even if she had to be really bold.

And for those reasons, she mustered the courage she needed to say what she wanted to say. "You don't have to do that."

Needless to say, these words stopped Church in his tracks, halfway through turning his back on her so she could change without his gaze on her. "Don't have to do what, exactly...?"

"You don't have to... l-look away, I mean. I don't mind, if... i-if it's you..."

Absolutely caught off guard, Church could say nothing to that. His brain just flat out didn't know how to respond, a situation that was amplified when Rin began undoing the seams that held her emerald dress together. She did turn around though, so her back was to him. For her part, this was so Rin could actually keep some measure of composure by hiding her face, but Church wasn't complaining. Her butt was her best asset, after all.

Even so, as her bare shoulders peeked out and it was obvious that she was once again missing a bra, Church found his voice for all of two seconds. Despite how much he liked this situation, he did feel compelled to object on some type of grounds. Not moral, but grounds nevertheless.

"H-h-hold on, Rin! Isn't this a little much?! I-I mean we're not even, y-you know..."

Stopping with her emerald dress practically around her waist, Rin somehow managed to peek back at him over her slender shoulder. Even though her cheeks were a deep crimson, she surprisingly managed to get out her next words without stuttering. Maybe she was just so lost in embarrassment that she was kind of numb to it.

"I know... don't worry, I'm not doing this to try and force you to make a move or something. I'm not going to do something cliche like ask you to take responsibility for seeing me like this. I don't know what's holding you back from doing what you want, since it's obvious that you're into us. But because you're you, I know it's probably something reasonable. I won't lie and say that it isn't frustrating... but that's exactly why I want you to know that I'm comfortable doing this for you. That I'm... serious about you. Not that I thought you weren't taking me seriously before, but... if this helps you get over whatever is holding you back, even a little bit..."

Rin petered off as she managed to slip the rest of her outfit off. Even though he tried to stay focused on the very important conversation they were having, Church couldn't help but lower his gaze to a certain part of her body. It was literally reflex. Oddly enough, even though he had seen her rear with little obstruction before, this was still different. The type of high-riding underwear her Qipao necessitated was pretty much a thong, leaving little to the imagination and accentuating his favorite curves of the female anatomy. He couldn't deny that her slender figure and enticing curves made it hard to think straight.

I wonder if she would be into spank-wait, no! She's trying to do something important here, don't forget that just because she's hot!

With his sense of reason lost in a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts, Church never managed to offer a response to Rin's enlightening explanation as to why this was happening. But maybe Rin hadn't expected him to answer. She seemed mostly content donning the white dress that was the ultimate goal here, even as Church's gaze rested on her like a deer in headlights.

She was still embarrassed of course. Her heart was racing like crazy, pounding out some tumultuous rhythm that resounded in her ears every moment. But despite all that, she liked this. Having his gaze on her, unable to tear it away... appreciating her beauty without reserve. Ichika would have averted his gaze, told her to stop, or to consider her modesty. In contrast, even though it was embarrassing, she almost felt empowered here: she knew Church liked her, knew without a doubt that he found her appealing. Of course, that knowledge made it all the more frustrating and confusing as to why he wouldn't just go out with her already. Rin knew he wanted to.

But tonight had revealed that she didn't know quite as much about Church and the way he thought as she had initially believed. Maybe, like the situation with his mother, there were things he was hiding that were influencing his perspective and his decisions. Unlike Ichika, whose failure to ever make a move on any girl struck her as indecision or a lack of desire, she really felt that Church had a valid reason for being so hesitant. She just didn't know what it was. All of that said, she was willing to give him time, even though it frustrated her. Perhaps, by showing him just how serious she was, he would be compelled to reveal why he wouldn't just give into his feelings and kiss her already.

Finishing getting dressed, Rin peered over her should again, smoothing out the hem of the white fabric. She had lied about saying she hadn't worn it before, as she had obviously put it on in private once to see how she liked it, but wow, she had forgotten how short this thing was. Even standing up, she was nearly exposed. Bending over just a few inches would reveal herself to the world. That's exactly why she did just that. She was already this deep, after all. No reason to let off the gas now.

"S-so...? Do you like it...?"

Despite the fact that Church had just seen her in far less clothing not two minutes ago, somehow the image before him was almost even more tantalizing. There was no way Rin could have worn something like this in public. Had she bought this thing for Ichika, originally? What a damn waste. That guy couldn't have properly appreciated this majesty.

"O-of course! I'd like you in anything, but this is-! Y-yeah, I really like it..."

Smiling bashfully, Rin let him know exactly how she felt about that. "Well then, in the future... I could wear this for you again, you know."

Gulping heavily, Church wondered if they really had to go to that movie night that was happening in thirty minutes. The first birthday in recent memory was shaping up to be far more incredible than he could have imagined.

---

Now dressed in dusk orange pajamas, Charlotte stood before the destination she had in mind since earlier this evening. That destination was Ichika's room, which he shared with Tatenashi these days. She had gone back to her own room first, not wanting to have a serious conversation with Ichika while dressed in something a little risque. That in and of itself was kind of sad. Not that far in the past, she would have reveled at the chance to show off for him. That said, there were many reasons why she didn't feel the same way about it right now.

Despite the fact that she was technically Ichika's girlfriend, Charlotte had already concluded that she didn't really feel like she was, most of the time. It wasn't because Ichika mistreated her of course: he wasn't that kind of man. But despite the fact that he had accepted her proposal of a serious relationship months ago, said relationship had pretty much never truly become what it had been labeled as. She'd always felt like they were still just friends, with the only time they'd ever acted like a couple being when Charlotte got pushy about it.

Frankly, the blonde had always been unhappy about that, but she had willfully ignored it as much as possible. Perhaps that was because she had simply assumed that this was the way things were supposed to be. After all, she'd never had a boyfriend before. At some point, she had entertained the idea that perhaps they were just awkward together because neither of them had any experience.

But for some time, a more troubling possibility had been eating away at her in the back of her mind: maybe their relationship was grounded in something it shouldn't have been, and not just from Ichika's side. Charlotte had mostly written those thoughts off as mere doubts throughout the course of the relationship, be she found herself unable to do that any longer. Considering some of the experiences she had gone through recently, and the conversation she and Ichika had shared prior to the party earlier, Charlotte had to acknowledge that there was possibly some real merit to her doubts.

The status quo of her relationship with Ichika had always bothered her a bit, but it had existed in a vacuum, with no frame of reference for how acceptable it was or wasn't. The introduction of another man into her social circle had offered that frame of reference, given Charlotte a different perspective on her relationship and what bothered her about it. Charlotte found herself growing fonder of that other perspective, while becoming more dissatisfied with the one she had been beholden to thus far. And she felt bad about that, because it made her feel a bit unfaithful. To be thinking so fondly of another man while in a relationship with one was unscrupulous. But the fact that she even felt that way at all needed to be addressed.

If she was right about her suspicions, if her relationship with Ichika was rooted in a misunderstanding from the start, what could be done? Would talking about it with him change that? Could they fix it? Or would it they just have to write it off as a learning experience and grow past the mistakes that had been made? She needed to know the answers to these questions. Without them, she doubted romantic happiness would actually be attainable.

So with a deep breath, she knocked on the door to Ichika's room, waiting for some sort of response from inside. Unfortunately, the response came in the form of the singsong voice of Tatenashi.

"Who is it~?"

While it wasn't unexpected for Tatenashi to be present in the room that was also hers, all things considered, Charlotte nevertheless felt dismay because of it. After all, the conversation she needed to have with Ichika certainly needed to be done in private.

"It's Charlotte. Is Ichika there?"

Though her voice was pretty muffled through the door, it came through clear enough for Charlotte to hear how amused Tatenashi was by this question. "Good question. Ichika, are you here?"

Though it was much quieter, Charlotte could hear some muttering that was definitely not Tatenashi. Her voice did follow it up, however. "Seems like it. Come on in!"

With an invitation granted to a room that had once been hers, Charlotte opened the door to the arrival of protests from Ichika, though it was obvious why this was the case when Charlotte surveyed the room. Tatenashi was laying face down on her bed, completely shirtless. Ichika was straddling her from above, his hands placed onto her upper back. Tatenashi glanced at her without any shame, while Ichika looked a lot more sheepish. He was giving her a massage.

For a moment, Charlotte felt some ire rise up in her: here was the man that was still currently her boyfriend, in a room with another girl who was topless, catering to her physical needs. Not to mention that he never offered to do these great massages for her without her having to Charlotte had just also done something kind of questionable with another man, she had explicitly gotten Ichika's permission to do so. Hell, she'd even gotten his encouragement.

Either way, Charlotte wasn't able to stay irritated about it for too long. She knew Ichika, and she knew that the only reason he was doing this was probably because Tatenashi had asked him to. Ulterior motives really weren't his modus operandi. In fact, there was probably almost nothing sexual about this for him, which was as troubling as it was reassuring.

On one hand, of course a girl would be glad that their boyfriend didn't get aroused by other women, but on the other hand, the seeming lack of a sexual element was persistent through most of Ichika's interactions with any girl. Whenever he ended up in a scandalous situation that should have been objectively enviable, Ichika never actually seemed happy or pleased about it.

Yeah, girls usually acted as though any perversion from a male was detestable, but when it was the male they liked, there was an unspoken song and dance that was supposed to happen: the girl pretended she wasn't trying to draw attention to herself, the guy subtly let her know that he liked it, and the girl pretended that she wasn't happy to hear it, while graciously accepting the compliment. Maybe Charlotte was only speaking for herself, but as best as she could tell, all the other girls she knew felt the same way: they wanted to feel as though the target of their affection found them attractive. Desired them even.

The problem was that Ichika never really gave off that vibe. You could get half-naked around him and his usual reaction was to tell you that you should put more clothes on. You could be naked with him in the bath and he'd do his best to avoid so much as glancing at you. It never felt like he wanted you, it just seemed like he was uncomfortable, like he wanted the situation to end as swiftly as possible. One could argue that maybe he was just shy around girls, but supposedly he had lived with Chifuyu with the latter being pretty unconcerned with modesty around family. It seemed unlikely that he had no experience with the female form, to an extent where he just flat out couldn't handle it.

It was something that had always bothered her a bit, but the feeling had been exacerbated significantly tonight. When she dressed up for Church, she could tell that he really liked it. That he really liked her. Even if it was only on a superficial level as far as that example was concerned, it felt great to know that your attempts at impressing a boy were actually working. Why didn't Ichika ever want that, even though they were together? Why didn't she ever get the feeling that Ichika had any sort of sexual desire for her? She needed to know.

Still, she wasn't going to be combative or anything about it, even in this situation. So she donned her usual smile, and was proud to say that she didn't really have to force it. Entirely, at least.

"Good evening, Ichika, Tatenashi. I can see that I'm intruding, but there is something very important that I'd like to discuss with Ichika. And I'm afraid it can't really wait."

While Ichika simply looked confused on what important thing could possibly need discussing, Tatenashi frowned in dismay, probably unhappy to have her massage interrupted. Ichika was really good at those, so it wasn't a great surprise, really. Even so, it looked like she could read the mood and truly understand that Charlotte wasn't taking no for an answer at this time. Clutching the white shirt that had been resting on the bed next to her against her chest, Tatenashi made to sit up, prompting Ichika to get out of her way.

"Well, I can take a hint that obvious. I'll just get out of your way for about, say, an hour or so?"

"That'll be fine. Thank you."

Donning her shirt with her back turned to Ichika so he couldn't actually see anything, Tatenashi strolled past Charlotte with a little wink back in the boy's direction, though as usual, he didn't seem particularly enthralled with the attention of an attractive woman.

When the door to the room closed behind her, suddenly Charlotte felt a lot more nervous about the conversation that was about to happen. For his part, Ichika didn't seem bothered by the fact that they were alone at all. Maybe that wasn't his fault since she had given little indication of anything being amiss.

"What's up, Charl? Did something happen at the party?"

With the boy leisurely sitting on his bed, Charlotte figured it was best to try and be comfortable herself. After all, they were still close, so they should be able to have a serious conversation without too much discomfort, right? At least, that was what Charlotte told herself. That was why she stepped further into the room to sit on the bed next to Ichika.

"No, everything went well. Well, mostly. There was this one thing with Chifuyu, but... uh, I'll tell you about that later."

"I didn't know Chifuyu was going too. Now you've got me curious. But you want to talk about something else?"

Charlotte fell silent for a moment, wondering how to start this off. When you had heavy questions that needed to be asked, there was always some difficulty in knowing how to get into it. Should she just open up and say it? Try and beat around the bush first so she could segue into it more cleanly? She hadn't actually had anything remotely close to an intense discussion with Ichika before, so she didn't know how to really go about this.

Ichika didn't look particularly bothered by her silence. Maybe he just thought she was trying to get her thoughts in order.

"Don't worry about whatever it is, Charl. I'm happy to listen."

Charlotte directed her gaze at the boy next to her. As always, his words were kind and comforting, and his expression was attentive and caring: Charlotte couldn't help but be reminded why she had fallen in love in the first place. Ichika was kind. He would always make time for your troubles. If you needed his help, just say the word and he'd be there. If you were in danger, he'd rush to your side to protect you. He was brave and noble, even chivalrous. Well and truly, at the most basic sense of the word, he was just a really good guy.

But despite all of that, there was a problem: no, it wasn't that he was clueless sometimes, or that he was indecisive in matters of love. No, the problem was that all of those great things about him were universally available. It had taken some time and external impetus, but Charlotte had finally acknowledged that Ichika's many appealing personality traits had nothing to do with her specifically. He was kind to everyone, because that was who he was. He'd rush to anyone's aid, because for him, that was simply the right thing to do. He would help anyone at the drop of a hat because he felt it was a man's obligation to help others. He'd offered to help and protect Laura all the same as he had promised to protect Charlotte from her father: he did these things because he felt that they were the duty and obligation of both a man and a good person.

And that was exactly the problem. Now that Charlotte had really stopped to consider the nature of the man she presumably loved, she understood that she wasn't really special to him, anymore than a number of other people were. The things he would do for her, he would also do for Houki, and for Cecilia and for Laura and for Rin. The things that made him a good person weren't due to any special attachments. They were just the code by which he lived.

To condemn those things that were objectively very praiseworthy and noble felt inherently wrong. And there was nothing wrong with them at all, unless you started weighing a relationship by them. The whole point of a relationship was to feel special, to have a certain value to another person that no one else shared: and Charlotte didn't feel any more special to Ichika than anyone else was. Granted, it was her fault for misunderstanding his character and finding a special value in his attributes where there were none.

Still, maybe she was wrong. Maybe this was all something she had just assumed based on feelings, and she was a terrible girlfriend for even thinking about another guy when the one she had asked out was well and truly devoted to her. That was why she just had to ask.

"Ichika... when I asked you to go out with me, all those months ago... why did you say yes?"

It was pretty clear by the look of consternation on Ichika's face that he hadn't expected this question in the slightest. It was also obvious that he was seriously considering it. Charlotte didn't ask him to be honest about it, as she knew already that he wouldn't lie. He was an honest person, after all.

That said, it was obvious that Ichika knew she wouldn't like the answer. At least, that's the feeling she got from the way he locked his hands together and furrowed his brow while glancing at the floor.

"Because... you asked me to."

Even though Charlotte had fully expected this answer by now, it still stung a little bit. Odd, how that worked. "You felt that you had to, you mean."

Though he looked uncomfortable, Ichika didn't balk from the truth. That too was a part of his noble spirit. "When you mustered up the courage to ask that of me... it was obvious that you had really put everything into it, and that the outcome was really, truly important to you. I felt that it was my duty to take responsibility for your feelings. After all, it was my fault you felt that way about me, wasn't it?"

Charlotte shook her head, though she couldn't stop a somewhat rueful smile from appearing either. "It was your fault all right... you idiot, don't you know that if you go around rescuing girls and protecting them and stuff, you have to let them know upfront whether or not it means something special?"

Ichika looked a little troubled, perhaps unsure if Charlotte was truly angry at him. It was kind of hard to tell, from his point of view.

"I'm sorry... it didn't really occur to me that my actions would be interpreted that way by everyone until it was a little too late... at some point, I just didn't know what I was supposed to do about everyone's feelings. I'd kind of hoped you would all lose interest if things never went anywhere..."

Charlotte fell silent for a moment as she processed what Ichika had said. The computation took a moment, since something she had considered unarguable fact had just been disproved.

"Wait, so you were aware the whole time that we all had feelings for you?! Seriously?!"

"W-well yeah, I don't think anyone could have missed it, all things considered..."

"Incroyable... I seriously thought you were just dense as a rock this whole time..."

Ichika didn't have the gumption to look offended: after all, coming across as hopelessly oblivious had been his intent, for the most part. He just hadn't considered the fact that it wouldn't put any of the girls off if they had no one else to turn their attention on. If you only had one possible treasure you could get, you'd keep digging no matter how difficult it was to reach it. But if there was another, easier treasure to get to... frankly, Ichika was grateful that Church had come along, even though he never said it.

As for Charlotte, she had other questions now that this part of her world had turned upside-down. "Wait, so if you were aware all along, why didn't you ever reciprocate the others' feelings? Why did you pick me?"

The matter-of-fact way that Ichika uttered his response made it clear that he thought it obvious, at least to him. "Because you're the only one who asked."

"That's...honestly not what I expected you to say."

"I firmly believe that someone who isn't willing to admit to their feelings isn't ready for the relationship those feelings would entail. If you aren't even willing to be honest with how you feel about someone, what right do you have to expect their full devotion?"

Charlotte stared at him for a moment, before covering her mouth as she failed to hold back a genuine laugh. Naturally, Ichika didn't get it.

"Is that funny...?"

"N-no, no... it's just... you really do exist in a totally different mental space than the rest of us. You're like some kind of ancient knight, lost in the future..."

Misinterpreting her words as an insult, Ichika hung his head. "S-sorry..."

Smiling at him as genuinely as ever, Charlotte allayed his fears. "Don't be. In a way, that all or nothing, diehard idealism is kind of charming. It's a rare trait."

Seeing that she was as benevolent as ever, Ichika smiled back. "I'm glad you think so. Although, this is still going to end the way I think it is, isn't it?"

Charlotte had to think on that for a moment. Was this going to end that way? For the longest time, she had considered being in a relationship with Ichika to be one of her biggest goals. And she had managed to achieve it. But only in the most superficial sense. Ichika had made it quite clear why he had agreed to date her, and it wasn't for the right reasons. If her goal had only been achieved because Ichika felt obligated to reciprocate, was that really what she wanted out of a romantic relationship? In fact, was that even romantic in the first place?

No, this probably had to end up the way Ichika was thinking. But despite what she was expecting to feel, Charlotte didn't actually feel devastated by it. If anything, she was almost... relieved, to finally have her doubts validated. Knowing the truth, instead of constantly fretting and worrying about it, was a weight off of her shoulders. And even though this was not how she had wanted her dream romance to end up, Charlotte could acknowledge that it was better this way. Not just for her, but for Ichika too.

"If you're asking whether or not I think we should break up... the answer is yes. Does that upset you?"

"No. Don't take this the wrong way, but it's actually kind of a relief. I felt that you deserved better, but you didn't seem to want that... I didn't think I had any right to imply that your feelings were misplaced. I don't think anyone should be able to tell someone else what they do or don't want."

Seeing a side of Ichika that she hadn't really known existed until now, Charlotte smiled despite her confusion. He really had an even crazier perspective on life than she had thought. For instance, how did he reconcile the fact that he had been lying to her when he so clearly frowned on lying? Was the fact that she wanted it reason enough for him to go along morally, in his books? Well, his heart had been in the right place, so Charlotte wasn't really upset about that. In fact, now that the hard part of the conversation was over, she felt pretty relieved too. Almost happy even, which felt very strange, all things considered.

"OK, so you know what I'm going to ask now, right? If you said yes to me because you felt like you had to, it means you didn't really like me as a girl... why not though? Not to come across as vain, but I believe I'm pretty, and quite nice, and I can even cook a good bit. So at the risk of sounding conceited... what's not to like? Am I just not your type or something?"

"No, nothing like that. Or at least, I don't think it's anything like that. To be honest with you, Charl, I don't really feel that way about... anyone, honestly. And I can't really put a reason to it. I look at you or Houki or any of the others, and think 'these are my friends, they're important to me and I want them to be safe and happy.' But I don't think the way you all matter to me is the same way I mattered to any of you. You all had more that you wanted from me, but I've never really wanted anything more from any of you. I've always been perfectly content with all of us being the friends we are. I guess that's kind of weird..."

"As far as teenage boys go, yeah, kind of. But you know, it's kind of sweet and innocent, in a way. It's just not really something a girl would necessarily want for her romantic life..."

Looking a little sheepish, Ichika cast a sideways glance at her. "Speaking of which, we are still going to be friends, right Charl? Doesn't this kind of thing usually end in a bad way?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course we're still going to be friends. I don't hate you for the things you've told me today, Ichika. If anything, the whole misunderstanding that was our relationship is really my fault for not trying to understand you better. I hope you can forgive me for being as selfish as I was. I thought too much about what I wanted, and didn't consider your perspective nearly as much as I should have. I'm sorry for forcing something on you that you weren't really comfortable with."

"N-no, I'm the one who should apologize for not letting you know how I really felt from the very beginning. Speaking of which... is this something I should tell the others, too?"

Thinking back on the party that had gone down a little over an hour ago, Charlotte quickly concluded that Ichika's suggestion wasn't really necessary. "Honestly, I don't think it matters too much anymore. I hope this doesn't bother you, but I think Houki is the only one still considering you for her romantic future. Though nothing about anyone's friendship with you has changed, of course! Please don't get that impression."

Ichika actually looked a little surprised to hear this. "Is that so? I guess it has been a lot quieter lately... although, hearing that Houki's feelings haven't changed..."

"Yeah... I think the right thing to do would be to have an honest conversation with her where you reveal the things you told me here tonight. I know you didn't have any ill intentions, but there's a big difference in being oblivious to a girl's feelings and not responding to them at all when you're aware. You're doing Houki a disservice by continuing to let her focus on you as a romantic partner when you don't have any intent to reciprocate. She could use that time to, you know, try and find romantic happiness elsewhere."

Ichika's brow furrowed as he contemplated Charlotte's words. "I... didn't think about it like that. That's not what I wanted at all."

"I think Houki will understand that if you're honest with her. Well, she might still hit you, and she'll probably fume for awhile, but ultimately I think she'll understand you never meant to toy with her feelings or anything."

"You think so...? I hope you're right..."

Glancing past Ichika's shoulder to take a look at his wall, Charlotte experienced a moderate amount of alarm seeing what time it was. She was supposed to be in Cecilia's room with everyone else fifteen minutes ago.

"Oh no, I didn't realize so much time had passed already. I know it's kind of sudden off the back of a conversation like this, but I agreed to another activity tonight with the others..."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Charl. I understand."

Rising to her feet and preparing to leave, Charlotte stooped back down for a moment as a thought occurred to her, and she kissed Ichika on the cheek. "Thank you, Ichika, for wanting me to be happy. Even if you had a kind of obtuse way of showing it."

With that, she made for the door, waving back at the boy who was mildly stunned by her actions. "And as one of my best friends, wish me luck on a new battlefield!"

Ichika merely watched in silence as Charlotte disappeared into the hallway. Exactly what type of battlefield was she talking about?

---

The rest of Church's birthday was spent enjoying what was shaping up to be a slumber party more than a pure movie night. He'd never had a chance to spend the night at a friend's house, never mind with a bunch of girls. That said, he didn't know if his experience could be considered normal.

For one, he entered this scenario just after getting up to some seriously risque business with Rin. Risque business that, somehow, managed to stay locked away in Rin's room for the rest of the night. Frankly, he was amazed that that she could practically get naked with him, tell him that she was seriously into him enough to do something like that, then tell him that it didn't have to pressure him into anything, and that it was just something she had wanted to do to firmly establish where she stood on their relationship and where it could go if he wanted.

Of course, just because she told him that he didn't have to feel pressured by all of that, didn't mean that Church wasn't. While he wasn't oblivious to the feelings several girls had for him, no one had been so clear and upfront about how strong their feelings really were and what they really wanted from him until now. Knowing how serious Rin was about this made him feel guilty about constantly skirting or evading the issue. She was right in saying that he had his reasons for that, but his confidence in those reasons had waned somewhat, thanks to her.

Ironically, it was Rin herself that told him not to think too hard about it, after she had exchanged her alluring dress for some pink pajamas that would be her attire for the night. In her own words, she didn't want the end result of her confession to him to be in a sullen, dreary mood for what was left of his birthday. So while he had a lot to process, Church did as he was told and put it on the back burner for the night, quietly acknowledging that said back burner was getting kind of crowded.

The duo, acting as though nothing promiscuous had happened at all that night, had made their way to Cecilia's room at the time everyone had agreed on, at which point Church had discovered that she really did have a miniature mansion for a room. Her bed was massive and extravagant, her table was as big as the bedrooms of other dorms, and she had a TV that dominated a whole wall. Not to mention the fancy curtains, plush carpet, luxurious pillows, and a chandelier.

Honestly, it was all kind of extravagant to Church, but he supposed that if someone could afford it, they were allowed to have it. Honestly, he was curious as to what Cecilia could have possibly needed to clean in the room prior to hosting a gathering in it.

The plan for the night was as simple as movies and games, though a unanimous decision hadn't been forthcoming right away, since Charlotte showed up later than everyone else by twenty minutes or so. She'd received a few light hearted jeers and condemnation for being late, but had handled it with even more grace than usual. Church couldn't be sure, but she had struck him as a little different than during the initial party. Rejuvenated, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders or something. Maybe he was just seeing things.

The conversation about what to watch was a brief one, as once the topic had turned to old classics, Church had been appalled to learn that half of his present company hadn't seen The Terminator. He'd demanded that as their pick, ending the discussion pretty quickly. Laura took to the film with remarkable enthusiasm, which was both cute and a little unnerving.

As expected, seating had been a bit of a fiasco. With plenty of soft pillows and a comfortable carpet, sitting on the floor was an obvious choice, but when it came to time for people to pick where exactly they were going to sit, things got complicated.

Perhaps learning a lesson from Laura's earlier boldness at the initial party, Rin and Charlotte were quick as lightning to steal spots on either side of Church, claiming his arms as their territory before anyone else could act. Honestly, the latter was to Church's great surprise, as it seemed like Charlotte was getting more and more deliberate about her flirtatious interactions with him. Evidently, her questionable behavior while dressed as a maid at the party had nothing to do with getting into character.

Despite their quick thinking, Laura had simply scoffed in derision, opting to go for his lap with no hesitation whatsoever. Apparently, she was still the only one bold enough to make that move while in the company of others, much to the chagrin of those others. Unfortunately for her, all of this rapid seating action left Cecilia out in the cold, since she had been busy setting up the TV and the other electronics. Naturally, Houki had no stake in these proceedings.

Cecilia had her chance though: when the first movie ended and everyone agreed on being hungry and wanting snacks before starting the sequel, all eyes had turned to Rin for sustenance. Begrudgingly, she sacrificed her position to make use of Cecilia's kitchen, knowing full well that the blonde would shamelessly claim her spot like the imperialist scum that she was. Naturally, Rin was right on the money about that.

By the time the second, much longer movie was over, it was early in the morning, and brave comrades started falling to the powerful force of slumber. Church acknowledged that the initial idea had not been a sleepover, but as more and more people started passing out, it seemed like it was going to turn into one by default. Church wondered if the girls were really comfortable with him sleeping so close to all of them, but it seemed like no one minded. That, or they were too tired to let anything like that keep them from falling asleep. If that was the case, Church wasn't going to bring it to anyone's attention. Far be it from him to question his good fortune.

Houki went first, perhaps not particularly invested in the science fiction narrative presented to her for several hours, though that was just an assumption on Church's part.

Surprisingly, Rin went second, mumbling something about cooking being 'harder work than people thought' as an excuse for her exhaustion. Cecilia had been notably invested in trying to stay up past everyone else, nodding off several times only to wake back up when her head fell too far from its upright position. Ultimately, she had failed. If Church had to hazard a guess as to why she was so invested in outlasting all of the other girls, he would have said that she wanted to get him alone. Not for anything scandalous, but to continue their private conversation from the party. For that, Church was grateful that she didn't have the stamina to hang on. He already believed it was a mistake to imply that he had some great secret. Hopefully she would forget about it soon: Church would just have to be wary about getting caught alone with her until she did.

Laura and Charlotte had dozed off at around the same time, and with little else to do considering that he had no companionship at that point, Church was soon to follow, the last one to give way to sleep for the night. It was ironic then, that he was also the first one to wake up.

Some undisclosed time in the morning, he opened his eyes to a nearly pitch black room, for no particular reason he could immediately discern. Of course, it only took a minute for him to identify the cause of his situation: he really had to go to the bathroom. Peering at the window, he saw that it was far too dark to be anywhere near sunrise, so he also figured that he had to try his best to avoid bothering anyone.

That was easier said than done, of course. While Cecilia and Charlotte had both thankfully managed to sleep roll their way off of him during the night, Laura was still using one of his legs as a pillow. Trying his best to shimmy out from under her with as little disturbance as possible, Church was only met with middling success: while his movement definitely caused Laura to stir, she quickly relocated her head to a not moving pillow that would support her, never even opening her eyes. Being interrupted from the deep throes of sleep, she probably paid little mind to the disturbance, instead choosing to go back to sleep as swiftly as possible.

Thankfully, Church's eyes grew accustomed to the dark well enough to see where he was going without stepping on anyone, though he was still pretty groggy.

Bathroom, bathroom, where was the bathroom again...?

The door is five paces to your right, Operator.

Thanks.

Paying almost no mind to the technological assistance he had been given, Church found his way to the bathroom, opting not to turn the light on because he didn't want to blind himself. It would be hard to fall back asleep under those circumstances. Besides, Cerberus could make double sure he didn't 'miss' anything, not that he doubted his own capabilities.

With little desire to do anything other than get back to sleep as quickly as possible, Church made to get his business out of the way, but unfortunately, something was making that kind of... difficult.

Ugh, why now? Why does this even happen? I mean, I think I was dreaming about robots or something, not anything sexy...

Construing his thoughts as an actual question, Cerberus wasted no time in replying.

It's actually quite normal, Operator. Your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the neurotransmitters for the male genitalia, is more active at night, leading to this outcome several times in one sleep cycle. Moreover, it functions as a form of maintenance, ensuring that the tissue in that particular body part remains soft and flexible.

Church had been about to accost the machine for actually answering him, but in the end, he had to admit that it was actually enlightening.

I... didn't actually know that.

You'd be surprised how little humans really know of their own anatomy.

Unfortunately, that little tidbit of knowledge didn't help Church's situation too much. He had been hoping to get this over with in a minute or two. Now he was just standing here, waiting for a certain something to stand down so he could get this over with and go back to sleep. He was so tired he was almost falling asleep just standing in front of the toilet with his pants down. That would be kind of awkward.

Even so, he almost dozed off without realizing it: he only did realize it had happened when he was jolted awake by the sound of the bathroom door opening. In his groggy stupor, he hadn't locked it. He also hadn't turned the light on, so no one had any reason to believe the bathroom was occupied. It was also too late for him to react appropriately by the time he processed all of these mistakes.

Standing in the currently open doorway was Laura, her eye-patch resting atop her head instead of its usual place, golden eye gleaming in the darkness. Across from her was Church, who currently lacked pants and was still pretty stiff in all the wrong places. He didn't know how to react whatsoever.

Do you think her special eye has night vision?

When Laura's gaze dropped quite a bit lower than usual and she opened her mouth to speak, that question was answered pretty quickly.

"Mein gott."

Yes Operator, I believe it does.

---

Finally, the circle is complete. The revision is over. It only took two years, which I'm sure anyone rereading this after all that time is very upset. The good news is, this is it. The final version. No more revisions of past content. The Exeter Project is finally returning to a regular update schedule. Pop the champagne. Throw your hats in the air. The works.

And that also means that TEP will have a presence in the special P place from now on too. So remember, if you are interesting in sneak peeks of chapters before they are finished, as well as some other nifty things, check out how to engage with that on my profile page.