Chapter 7

Madoka was in her room as she looked at a picture of her little brother standing next to Chifuyu for his new year of High school, which made Madoka smile in joy as she was glad that her brother was away from the Infinite Stratos and that Issei took over his fate.

"I was honestly scared when I saw that other world where I saw you sacrifice yourself for a meaningless death that resulted in the world entering a world of destruction and death," Madoka said, looking back on the world she saw when she first met Nobunaga, who showed her the world that would've become had Ichika Orimura unlocked his talent.

Flashback.

Ten Years Ago.

"So this device will let me see alternate timelines?" Madoka asked as Nobunaga nodded. A certain rabbit was knocked out, and a bit of blood left her head.

"Yes. I'm sending you to the original timeline should Ichika have awakened his talent, and let me tell you that the future of that world didn't have such a happy ending." Nobunaga said, and six-year-old Madoka nodded. She then felt her body and mind become transferred to a strange place.

As the copycat of Chifuyu opened her eyes, Madoka was frightened by the scene due to the chaos and destruction that lay right in front of her. Japan was reduced to destroyed buildings, bodies littered the streets, and weapons were thrown on the ground as swords or their weapons skewered Infinite Stratos pilots.

"W-What happened here?" Madoka asked herself as she walked through the streets and rubble to see the IS Academy in utter terror as the massive building that was a symbol of unity and trust between the countries, only to see it be reduced to nothing.

Madoka held back her bile as she continued to head towards the academy. There, she saw a massive stone littered with the names of many people, but two names stood out among them.

"Ichika Orimura?" Madoka muttered as she then looked at the next one that stood out. "Chifuyu Orimura?"

It was shocking to see that the ultimate weapon for humanity, Chifuyu Orimura, was killed in battle. At the same time, Ichika Orimura sacrificed himself to destroy Phantom Task. Still, after the war, many secrets were revealed as some terrorists of governments around the world have been assisting Phantom Task with their efforts to eliminate the Infinite Stratos.

Eventually, the terrorists rebelled against the world by creating a virus that was so powerful that it corrupted not just the war machines but also the pilots, resulting in the terrorists being able to manipulate the IS and control the pilots.

This resulted in the Infinite Stratos, who weren't affected by the virus, being the protectors of the world and clashing in civilian areas, resulting in famine, war, disease, and work conditions becoming more demanding for the war. Sadly, the war between the terrorists escalated into a World War.

"I never wanted this to happen, you know. All I wanted was to give mankind a chance to touch the stars and see them with their own eyes," a voice said as Madoka turned around to see an older and weaker version of Tabane Shinono, who was stuck in a wheelchair with a taller and older version of Madoka stepping out from behind the rock.

"Tch. You just wanted to bring the stars down and label them with your little gadgets. You're as far from the stars as you get, and your little toys took away not just my little brother but destroyed the world." the older Madoka said as she extended her arms to the area around them, with Tabane looking at said area with her eyes before looking at Madoka.

"If I had known this is what my babies would've done, then I would've stopped Ichika from becoming an IS user and made sure that this future would never come to pass," Tabane said as Madoka looked in the distance with Tabane before nodding in agreement with the scientist.

"You're not wrong. If I had the chance to go back in time, I would've done so many things differently," the older Madoka said as Tabane smiled and gave her a small pistol.

"Please kill me. Kill me before the bomb does it." Tabane said as she closed her eyes, accepting her fate as the older Madoka nodded before pointing the gun at her head and killing her, leaving Tabane with a content smile on her face despite the blood leaving her body. The older Madoka then turned around as if she saw her younger past self and spoke to her.

"Stop this. Stop the world from a future like this." The older Madoka said as she pointed the gun to her head before pulling the trigger, scaring Madoka so much that when she returned to her own time, Nobunaga spoke to her as the girl was covered in a cold sweat.

"Are you okay, Madoka? Nobunaga asked as Madoka slowly walked out of the machine before looking at Nobunaga with a stern expression.

"We don't have much time. There are many things that we have to change before the future is ruined."

End Flashback

"And we are so close to our goal, brother. I only wish you and Chifuyu understood why I am doing what I must to ensure that our future is secured. The Infinite Stratos must be erased, and Tabane Shinono must fall to make sure that the future I saw never comes to pass," Madoka said as she then walked out of her personal shower and began to dry herself off so she could get ready for the day.

Ever since she saw the fate of the original world after Ichika Orimura became the only Male IS user, Madoka worked hard to ensure that Ichika would never be able to become the IS user. Still, during her search, she found something odd. When investigating a cure for the genetic code that would prevent Ichika from using the IS, the outcast was able to identify another strand of the Orimura code inside another person at his school.

A boy named Issei Hyoudou was the third child to be born from a Miki Hyoudou, who had two miscarriages before trying one last time. After hearing there may be a way for their third child to be ensured that the child would be strong and healthy, the mother gladly accepted it, and the process was completed. Still, to Madoka's surprise, the genetic code was similar to the Orimura Project that was used to create Madoka and her older siblings.

However, the strand made sure that Issei wasn't bred to be a supersoldier but rather a healthy child who was given a better healing factor. Madoka knew that Issei seemed to have an interesting ability to control lesser IS and nonpersonnel ones, which made her curious about his DNA and whether he possibly had one more powerful than the one from the Orimura Project when CHifuy, herself, and Ichika were created in the project before it was shut down.

As Madoka dried herself off and prepared for the day ahead, her thoughts turned to her recent discoveries regarding Issei Hyoudou. She couldn't shake the feeling that his genetic makeup held the key to altering the course of history.

Venturing out of her room, Madoka made her way to the hospital, where Issei met Cao Cao, her mind abuzz with plans and strategies. She needed to approach Issei discreetly, gather more information about his abilities, and uncover the truth behind his unique genetic code.

" I need to get some answers on this and see if Issei is perhaps the key to changing our timeline fate from the original one," Madoka muttered to herself as she put on a disguise of a school uniform that made her look like a random student and not a genetic clone of Chifuyu, though given the fact that her disguise was a very beautiful girl with a curvy figure. She has long black hair that reaches her knees and dark brown eyes. She is usually seen wearing the academy's uniform, which consists of a cropped blue blazer, an off-white button-up dress shirt, and a skirt that is the same blue as the blazer. She wears a red tie with a dress shirt and wears stockings with black boots.

She has an outfit she wears casually for disguise purposes, which consists of a purple short-sleeved shirt with a purple belt and a long white skirt that reaches just slightly above her knees. She also chose to wear stockings with this outfit before she headed to the hospital.

As Madoka made her way through the hospital courtyard, her eyes fell upon Issei Hyoudou before she approached him with a friendly smile, her demeanor warm and welcoming.

"Hey there, Issei," Madoka greeted him, her voice cheerful as she drew near.

Issei looked up, his expression curious yet guarded. He recognized Amou from afar, aware of her reputation as someone who had clashed with Cao Cao, one of the neighborhood's prominent figures, and was one of the ladies who made Cao Cao smile in battle who didn't rely on the Infinite Stratos. Despite his apprehension, he returned her smile politely.

"Hey Amou, are you here to see your rival?" Issei replied, his tone cautious but polite, as he was worried that Amou would try something with Cao Cao.

Amou nodded, her smile widening. "Indeed. I heard about him being hurt by Phantom Task, so I wanted to check on my rival so she didn't die from a foolish death. It's nice to see you in person after you left the mainland."

"Yeah, it's been a while. Still, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you again," Issei said. Charlotte then approached Issei with a smile and hugged his left arm before greeting Madoka in her disguise.

"Hello there. Who might you be?" Charlotte asked. Issei chuckled and responded.

"Oh, this is Amou. She was in my middle school class with Ichika and Cao Cao before she challenged Cao Cao to control his little group, which resulted in a tie. The two have been rivals since then, and Amou hates the IS with a passion. She says they're a disgrace to real strength." Issei explained, and Amou nodded in response.

"Damn straight."

"That's warrior talk," Issei said. Amou chuckled at Issei's personality. She had been able to get some info on his style and really enjoyed talking to him before recognizing Charlotte Dunois and asking Issei.

"So, Issei, do you have a hot date with you?" Amou asked, making Issei blush as he rubbed the back of his head before nodding, causing Amou to smirk at the flustered teenager.

"Ah, don't look so embarrassed. I know your type of woman, especially since you loved to talk about your 'Harem Plan' during the break."

"I was thirteen at the time and just watched an anime! It wasn't my real dream." Issei grumbled as Charlotte giggled, watching the two, and recalled what Jeanne said to her about Issei's expressions. Both Amou and Issei began to bicker as if they were friends who hadn't seen each other in years.

"At least I don't 'pretend' to get beaten so I could use my thighs to squeeze Cao Cao." Issei insinuated, making Amou blush at the comment before she stuttered her reply.

"W-Well, I also know you had a crush on that one girl that turned out to be a dude!"

"Oh, you did not just go there, Yaoi Lover!"

"Takes a pervert to know one, you Yuri Heartthrob!"

Issei and Amou shouted at each other as they began to wrestle in front of the hospital; Charlotte was not sure what to do before Jeanne stopped her.

"Let them have their spat. The two fight as if they were siblings, and it's always amusing," Jeanne said as she sipped some of her drink. After fifteen minutes, the two stopped and laughed as if they weren't trying to kill each other.

"Good to see you again, Amou."

"And to you as well, Issei," Madoka said, keeping her persona up while glad to associate with her friends again, even though it's under her disguise.

But still, Madoka was able to obtain what she needed as she looked down at her knuckles and saw some of Issei's blood on it, making her smile in relief as Madoka got her hands on her target before going in to meet Cao Cao and see how he's doing after Madoka put him in the bed, gently of course since she didn't want to kill him.

Eventually, her secret will be leaked, but for now, she is content with being in the presence of her old friends again.

Scene!

I know this is shorter, but I wanted to show the side of Madoka that changed after seeing the future of the original timeline and how she has also changed a bit personality-wise.