Kaiser was content with the surprise he had given the unwanted guest when he had appeared next to them in the sky but had quite an earful to receive once he had returned to ship.
The plane was fine albeit a bit lower on fuel, yet the ends didn't justify the means as some would say. Air control was curt with him and as he taxied into the hangar bay, he saw a small gathering of the aircrews and their instructors with crossed arms. Staring holes into the side of his head he kept calm and acted unaffected as he exited the craft.
Stepping out onto the wings, he slowly stepped down onto the ladder nearby with his hands raised at shoulder height. His seeming indifference was the final straw as the group of irate onlookers approached him as he descended.
Lectures, complaints, and anything that constituted informing him of how foolish and irresponsible it was of him to do such a thing was hurled at him by the teachers and senior air cadets.
It was as he began contemplating if his offense and the boiling attitudes of those around him were enough to get him suspended from Senshado and what to do if it came down to it, that an unexpected voice spoke up for him.
"Don't you think it's fine? No harm, no foul. Right?"
All eyes turned to the figure who approached Kaiser's side. A male student around his height with dark auburn hair and wearing a pilot's flight kit strode up and placed an affirming hand on Kaiser's shoulder in support. "I think he did alright. Even returned it without a scratch." His joke garnered no laughs aside from himself.
Kaiser allowed his friendly attitude as any help in the situation was appreciated. Despite his familiarity with the air wing of the ship, he was still considered an outsider by the close-knit communities and elitism found on ship. Especially as this strange fellow seemed to have some clout with the group around him.
One air crewman spoke up. "Jacob, are you sure? He stole your plane for God's sake."
Jacob removed his hand from Kaiser's shoulder and tapped his knuckle against the plane. "And it's here. Isn't it?"
A female student followed up. "He delayed our scheduled flight program!"
Jacob shrugged indifferently. "I'd say that surprise plane that swooped over the airfield did more to disrupt our schedule than he did. Air control put us on hold for an hour anyway and we need to top off the planes that were left idling too. If it wasn't for this arguing we'd probably be set to go now wouldn't we?"
A teacher then set foot with a sigh. "Jacob, you're too carefree about this." The teacher turned to the aircrews and reluctantly agreed. "Everyone get to work so we can make up for the loss in time."
With lingering glances, the students all left except for the auburn-haired boy, Kaiser, and the three supervising instructors.
"As for you" snapped another instructor, pointing at Kaiser who stood firm. "The school will be hearing about this. As well as your parents. Don't think you'll get away with this!"
Kaiser stood at attention and nodded his head. In a monotone voice, he replied coldly. "Understood sir. You will have my compliance and I will even assist in reporting on the situation with the unidentified plane.
The adult seemed annoyed at the lack of worry in Kaiser. As the man glared at him, the female instructor interjected. "You know who was flying that unauthorized plane? Who was it?!"
Kaiser turned to her with the same indifferent look and tone. "You will hear of it within my report to the school. Just as you have informed me that you will be taking this up, I will be retaining all pertinent information until it is duly submitted to proper channels."
Now he had earned an irate look from all three instructors as the senior instructor stepped in. "Listen here- actually, I don't care anymore. Get out of here. We're too busy today and already behind. You're lucky we don't revoke your licenses."
"Kaiser gave another nod. "I thank you for the courtesy of leniency."
The older man snorted at the facade of humility. "Jacob" he called. "Get your new friend out of here."
A happy nod was given by the cheery boy as he and Kaiser walked to the airfield exit. "Gotta say, I've heard rumor but you really have a way with words, dont you?"
Kaiser contemplated silence but did owe a favor to the boy, so he spoke with him briefly. "You learn to speak with others to get things done."
Jacob laughed at the remark and went silent. His capability of understanding Kaiser was of few words brought slight interest from Kaiser. It wasn't every day you met someone your age who could read the room. "No pressing questions? No trying to extort info from me in exchange for your help?"
"Sheesh" groaned the boy. "You're pretty cynical aren't you?"
Kaiser shrugged. "I just want to know why you helped."
"No faith in your fellow man?"
"No."
Jacob laughed at the immediate response. "If I'm being honest, it's half because of your reputation and half because of how well you fly." Kaiser raised an eyebrow as the boy explained himself. "You're an interesting guy with all the Senshado exploits and I've seen you take off a few times. But that immediate take off and pursuit? There was something to it. It'd be a shame if you were to lose your wings after a performance like that."
"Is that so?" asked Kaiser rhetorically.
"Yep," he answered with a satisfied smile.
Feeling indebted, Kaiser revealed the situation to his benefactor. "I 'borrowed' your plane to pursue a spy. I'm busy so I will keep it brief but I've spent the better part of the past few hours tracking down another school's spy who was sleuthing around for info on our team. I finally apprehended her when she was snatched up and away by that plane."
Jacob's eyes seemed to sparkle at the story as he urged Kaiser to continue. "Snagged away?!"
Kaiser explained the Fulton retrieval method and his pursuit, along with the girl's reactions when they saw him with a snicker. Jacob was nearly howling in laughter at the marvel of the story.
Wiping a tear from his eye with his thick leather flight gloves, he let out a whimsical breath. "I hope I have stories like that when our flight teams get to compete next year."
"You all were put on hold from competing in order to train correct? I read the reports from the school stating that they found it more cost-efficient to train for a year rather than send you and shoulder the repair fees for the planes with an inexperienced crew.
Jacob nodded. "Our repairs are a bit steeper than Senshado tanks so we found it prudent. But you know, the flight season is different from Senshado's. Once attitudes simmer down I'm sure the team would love to have a potential ace on our hands."
Kaiser waved away the notion. "I'm far too busy."
"That's why I mentioned the different game seasons!" and they even have individual performer tournaments! Each school submits one combatant or performer in a competition and then there's a free-for-all where-"
Kaiser cut him off. Raising a finger, he pointed at the exit up ahead. "I'll think it over in the future alright?"
Jacob nodded with a satisfied look and extended a brown-gloved hand. "Always welcome here. Even if the others are mildly upset. And next time you want to borrow my plane, just ask alright?"
Kaiser grinned and extended his black-gloved hand. "We'll see."
Despite the pleasant turn of events, Kaiser's work was far from finished. After submitting the report as he said he would, he cross-referenced the flight logs of similar planes and their registrations online. Sure enough, a log was found with the day's timestamps and was registered in St. Gloriana's name.
With his confirmation, he then went about touching base with his peers. Once they were informed of the necessary details, he and the other officers began scouring over footage for any hint of what the spy may have found.
Along with that, the subject was kept quiet for the most part to keep the air of paranoia strictly to themselves and the designated intelligence team, Anna's crew to be precise. With the reluctant assets in tow, each and every destination that their 'guest' had lingered was investigated.
For what precisely? They didn't know but top to bottom, from in to out, every place was stripped bare and checked for anything that may have been "left for further intel gathering" or so they were instructed.
And to their surprise, they found quite a bit, or at least more than they expected some of nothing. A few dead drops of intel which were to be later retrieved showed that some students on the ship had waning loyalties. A peek inside revealed the information within was nothing of value, however, and so it showed that no Cadets were in bed with their foes. Perhaps disgruntled students or those taking Gloriana's intel for a free ride.
The largest concern came from Sokolov who had inadvertently found a wiretap connected to the radio they utilized as an HQ for training sessions on the ship's practice field. Sokolov was then brought into the fold and posed a question. "Why wouldn't they just tap our phones or send a virus to our emails? Something modern?
The obvious question had an obvious answer. It was illegal. No matter how badly someone would want to win unless they were willing to risk crossing federal authorities, it was wise not to break laws. This only went to show how innovative and skilled they were, however. If Sokolov hadn't happened across the small machine wired into theirs and transmitting the signal, their entire tactics, maneuvers, and even simple things like brevity codes and emergency tactics could have been leaked live.
They hadn't found any other suspects which led to another revelation. They had been setting up this spy network for some time.
"And that's when I contacted Maho to ask if they had anything similar occur. Sure enough, she informed me that they hadn't caught the culprits but uprooted their work and redid their entire system from scratch. Seems Gloriana was laying the groundwork before we even faced off against Kuromoromine."
"I still can't believe you got away with practically stealing a plane" stated Virtaenn with a shake of his head.
Kaiser shrugged a shoulder. "I didn't think I'd pull it off either but I did. Pulled some strings and played on my clean record. Amazing what you can do with charisma and being on good terms with the entire school board. Seems I was found 'an invaluable asset for the team' and they let it slide."
"Back on topic now" insisted Kaiser. "Further digging from Anna's team who dug around on Gloriana's social networks and school website led to finding the culprit. They showed me some photos and turns out, our guest was none other than one of their commander's right hands. She goes by the name Assam."
A bit more asking around the other school's commanders led to the revelation that she seems to head their school intel division known as 'GI6' and rumor has it, they have expanded this year. Used to be a one-girl show but now they're employing a dozen or so. This is prime intel from Saunders, of course, courtesy of Kay who is upset at their loss to Gloriana and rooting for us."
A brief silence arose as Kaiser quickly sighed and carried the conversation again. "If their attempts pick up or go under our radar, I'm thinking of beginning diversionary measures and enrolling some assistance."
"That's fine to hear and all but, why are you telling me this here?" asked Virtanen, nudging his head to Kaiser's side.
On the opposite side of Kaiser, stood a poised Natalya but with a slightly irate aura and occasionally directed it at the two boys. "Yes, why is he here?" asked Natalya for clarity.
Unfettered, Kaiser explained matter of factly. "You two are the closest I can trust in regards to sensitive information such as this. To run a successful counter-op, I'll need your cooperation."
"I'm flattered and all but that didn't answer my question. Why are we at a gelato stand in the park?"
Kaiser glanced at Natalya who upon seeing his eyes, glared at him with knowing narrowed pupils. Ignoring her pointed glare, Kaiser explained. "Seems Valerya heard of its recent opening and told Natalya here. It was insisted that I come try it out with her."
Silence drifted among the three as they stood in line. Virtanen was caught off guard by the reasoning and stared dumbfounded at Kaiser who maintained his focus on the stand ahead. Daring to take a look, Virtanen came to instantly regret it as his breath hitched when he glanced at Natalya who was staring daggers at him. "Well, thanks for letting me know all of this, you know where to reach me but I think I'll take my leave now."
Kaiser placed a firm grip on his shoulder, stopping him from departing. "Why the rush? It's more efficient if I brief you both while I have you here. Besides, you've never said no to a free meal."
Panic was slightly rising in Virtanen as he looked past Kaiser to see Natalya staring again. "You're really desperate if you're offering to buy for me" he muttered.
"Don't let her cow you" responded Kaiser in an even quieter voice.
Natalya leaned her head over Kaiser's shoulder and spoke softly into his ear. "I don't think he's the one scared of me." In his surprise, Kaiser snapped his head to the side, seeing Natalya's face nearly nose to nose with his. As their impromptu staring contest happened, Virtanen cried internally at the fact, that Kaiser still hadn't released him.
The strange stalemate was broken when a voice called cheerily "Next!"
The three relented to not draw any more attention in public and stepped forward. Once they had made their orders, Kaiser shooed the other two away as he waited for the orders to finish.
Virtanen and Natalya relented and complied as they took nearby seats and waited. As they sat, notably avoiding eye contact, the two realized they had never spoken to each other outside of a third party before.
Virtanen attempted to speak, learning his throat but as Natalya's attention snapped to him, her still lingering glare silenced him quickly. Natalya herself wasn't fairing better as she fought for a topic.
It wasn't as if they knew each other and both were up to date on the one similarity they knew, Senshado. "So…" she began. Has he always been such a smartass?"
Kaiser dared to raise an eyebrow as she hiked her thumb over in Kaiser's direction. With such a familiar topic, he immediately relaxed and sighed as he began to slightly vent. "That's one way to put it. Sharp with words and twists others to his suit. Can't hate the guy but find it hard to love him. He somehow has an endearing charm that keeps others around."
Natalya snickered as she drummed a finger against her bicep with both arms crossed. Leaning back, she looked at the subject matter standing afar with his usual expression. "I guess you're right there."
"You would know as well as I, huh?"
Nat's head snapped to Virtanen who smiled wryly. Raising his hands defenselessly, he explained. "He keeps his secrets close but I'm not blind. He's started acting differently since the 'Kuro' match. It's small, almost unnoticeable to be honest but I've known him for years. He's always looked at girls the same as any other guy-"
The statement grew a small frown from Natalya, something that widened Kaiser's grin even more. "But now he's a little more reserved around the girls on campus. Keeps his distance but looks a little longer."
"I think you might just be an imaginative pervert" taunted Natalya as she leaned her face onto a hand. "Especially with Ms. Cartier."
Virtanen nervously coughed as he wagged a finger in dismissal. "I know what I'm talking about here and trust me, you'll like this next part." Placing an elbow on the table, he leaned forward. "He's really different around you."
"Oh? How so?"
Natalya hid it well, keeping her voice steady and expression calm but Virtanen could see her subtly trying to repress the smile beneath. "Guess I was right" Natalya shot a glare which Virtanen masterfully ignored as he rolled his eyes, pretending to recall his evidence. "He doesn't go out of his way to supervise you and your sister anymore. Hardly speaks about you and seems to be trying to meet you as little as possible."
Natalya's inner expectations seemed dashed at the obvious description of avoidance. To her annoyance, Virtanen wagged his finger again. "Don't misunderstand."
"What's there to misunderstand?" she asked.
You're only thinking about the surface not what's beneath, Kaiser's not such an obvious guy, right? Think about how he must be thinking." Natalya cocked her head in confusion as he explained. "He might be cryptic but he's a simple guy. Behind his tactics and strategies, he still prefers violence and direct methods. Emotions aren't his go-to."
"And that means?"
"It means I think that you did something to cause this change in him. Somehow made him really conscious about girls and now he's embarrassed around you. Maybe even nervous if he's willing to drag me here."
"I'm more willing to bury you at sea if you're so inclined" grit a voice to the side.
Virtanen's lips pursed as his eyes dilated and slowly shifted. Standing beside him was the contradictory sight of Kaiser with a frighteningly stern expression, holding a tray of three brightly colored gelato servings.
"Hey~ buddy. H-how long you been there?" asked Virtanen.
"Just arrived. Although from what I heard, I shouldn't have left someone with such an imagination be left to their own devices."
Virtanen's eyes seemed to plead for divine help as Natalya pulled Kaiser by his sleeve to sit. The two boys turned to see her with a fresh smile on her face as she held a firm grip on his sleeve. "Don't be so uptight. He was just engaging in some conversation. Besides, he helped me learn about an interesting topic."
Kaiser was now shooting a glare at Virtanen as Natalya took her serving off the tray. Virtanen slowly took his and began to eat as he cried internally at his poor decisions leading him to this consistent pressure.
Eventually, the mood began to lighten as the three enjoyed their frozen treats while Kaiser presented some possible deterrents and options for their counter-intel measures. Eventually with empty bowls and and peace between the three with the relaxing atmosphere of the park, a few rambunctious voices drew their attention.
"I'm telling ya this stuff is delicious! We should sell some back home!"
Their eyes drifted over to a table nearby where three girls their age sat. A blonde, black-haired, and strangely light-green-haired girl sat, enamored with their servings of gelato.
"I agree but let's calm ourselves," said the blonde, placing a hand on the black-haired girl's arm. "Isn't that right Ann?"
The two girls turned to the green-haired girl who was too absorbed in the spoonful of sweets in her mouth before realizing they were focused on her. Adjusting her glasses she gave a firm look. "Cara's right. Peppa, let's not bother the others. But I do agree with your idea."
Peppa cheered. "I can't wait, Sis! You think they'll share their recipe?"
Virtanen and Natalya, not keen on eavesdropping further turned back to their table. The two quickly noticed that Kaiser wasn't just done yet. He was even blatantly staring at the group of girls.
He soon resumed speaking with his acquaintances as normal yet kept an ear out for the table of girls. As they spoke he seemed to drift more and more of his attention to their conversation rather than his peers.
"I gotta say though, you sure do look different Sis. I always thought your hair was extensions."
The blonde girl nodded in agreement with a hand politely hiding her smile. "I agree, I didn't think it was real either but it looks wonderful in this style Ann."
"Car- Cara! Not you too! My hair has always been real! And I take great care of it! And what's with you being surprised at me being stylish?!"
As the girls continued their playful bickering, Kaiser pulled out his phone and searched for something. As he thumbed through the device, he glanced over at the table of girls, letting his gaze linger a little too long.
Natalya watched him stare at the girls with a displeased expression. A glance at the barely visible screen of his phone showed a few images of girls from what she could tell and as she looked back up he was still gawking at the girls.
Virtanen was keen to play ignorant of the two and their divided attention until he nearly choked as Natalya reached for Kaiser. With a swift motion, she grasped his chin and wrenched his head the other way to face her. "Don't you know staring is rude, Sir?"
The slight hiss on her final word caught the two boys by surprise. Virtanen leaned back in his seat hoping to remain unnoticed this time but watching with timid interest. Kaiser stared at Nat with surprised eyes as he glanced down at her hand. With a slight snicker, he grinned in her palm.
"You're right, let me correct that. Placing a hand on her wrist he removed her strong grip on his jaw and stood as she watched him with a leer. Scooting his chair inwards, Kaiser cast a taunting look at the two still seated as he approached the table of girls. His peers watched with sudden shock at the realization of what he was doing.
"Hello there" he called to the table as the the three girls looked at him in surprise. The girls named Cara and Ann stiffened before giving him inquisitive looks as the third with black hair greeted him in a friendly manner.
Rolling with the warm reception, Kaiser looked back at a dumbfounded Virtanen and vengeful-looking Nat before continuing the conversation. "I couldn't help but overhear your talk and came over to give my opinion. I think your hair also looks nice Miss."
The sudden compliment left the girls surprised as he continued. "I just wanted to say that before continuing to my main point."
The black-haired girl leaned over to her green-haired friend and muttered to her. "I think He's hitting on us, Sis."
The green-haired girl did a violent doubletake between her friend and Kaiser before fumbling the beginning of a sentence out of her mouth. "W-w-wha- what."
"What may that be?" asked the blonde with a nervous smile.
Kaiser smiled kindly at the girls while his peers watched from behind. Virtanen was prepared to bail. The irate expression Natalya held was incomparable to those before. She seemed as ready to stand up and nab Kaiser as he was to run the other way of her warpath. Before the final fuse was lit, however, Kaiser's next words silenced everyone.
"I am the vice commander of The Senshado program aboard this ship. So it is within my right to know why you're here without any official notice Miss Anchovy, Carpaccio, and Pepperoni of Anzio." Accentuating his point, he raised his phone showing an online article and the attached image of the three girls earlier in the season.
The girls froze in place as they stared at the phone and slowly looked at him. Their disguises doing little now other than making them feel even more vulnerable as they could not excuse themselves.
Pepperoni slowly scooted her chair back as Kaiser pocketed his voice and dissuaded her. "I wouldn't run. The last person who did, had me chasing them back to their ship in a plane. Don't think I won't chase you out to sea."
Pepperoni promptly scooted her chair back in and looked down at her hands. Her friends mimicked the nervous stance as Kaiser smiled down at them with ominous pressure. "Let's assume this is a friendly visit and not espionage. That your notice was misplaced. Why don't you follow me and my associates here to the campus?"
The girls glanced over to the sound of Virtanen and a freshly embarrassed Nat standing up. Seeing his backup in two taller students, the girls quietly nodded. As they made their way, Kaiser gave a mirthful smirk at Nat who averted her face immediately. The embarrassment was unbearable, especially because he teased her precisely because of her misunderstanding.
The walk was notably tense as the three suspects walked ahead of Kaiser and his peers. Virtanen engaged Pepperoni as the girl eased into being captive relatively well as opposed to her peers who remained silent. A bit of prodding and some good cop, as in Natalya empathizing with the girls, and bad cop, as expected Kaiser, led to Anchovy and Carpaccio explaining their presence.
Even though they were out of the running for this year's season, they wanted to prepare for next year and see if Transcendence had a secret to their unexpected performance. They even informed how they had tried the same with Oarai last year to no avail, garnering little result but not being outright captured like this.
With their confessions drawn, Kaiser relented pressuring them as Natalya engaged in conversation, taking a more amiable attitude. As they proceeded back to campus, a petite figure approached and nearly bumped into Anchovy as they walked along the road. Apologies were quickly exchanged before the platinum blonde-haired girl immediately switched gears and pulled out her phone with a map on it.
With innocent green eyes, she stared through wire-framed glasses at her phone as she looked over it and explained her dilemma. "Can you help me please? I seem to be a little lost. I got separated from my friends and I'm looking for this cake shop."
Anchovy and her entourage seemed to stiffen, casting a nervous glance at their escorts. Assuming it was because they weren't students here, Natalya stepped forward to assist. The girl's eyes and hair reminded her of her sister, minus the attitude, sharp tongue, and other 'assets' This girl's presence felt more palatable.
"Are your friends at the cake shop?" asked Nat, standing beside her and looking at the device.
"No."
Suddenly confused, Nat asked, "Then why are you trying to find it?"
"I'm sure they'll find me eventually so I'd like somewhere to wait for them" she answered.
Stunned at her confidence and some pity for the unknown friends, Natalya continued to help.
Virtanen meanwhile kept an eye on the Anzio girls. Kaiser, however, was watching the strange girl intently. A strike of disbelief seemed to cross his face as the word "Impossible" prevailed in his mind.
To confirm his suspicions, Kaiser took a step to the unknown girl when two voices suddenly shouted from behind him. Like a whirlwind, one pale and one tan girl raced past either side of him and scooped up the strange girl by either arm.
Catching everyone off guard they scooped her up and talked in unison. "Ahhh! Thanks for helping her out, we'll be going now!"
Before the two could scoot off with their friend, Kaiser acted just as quickly placing a hand on the back of their shirts and stopping them in place. The two girls, as if mirrors of one another looked over their shoulders and shot him a violent glare as if they were expecting a fight.
The girls were cowed as Kaiser shot an overbearing look in response. Seeing their surprise he took a condescending expression as he retained them in place. "Why the rush? Miss Marie here was just asking for a local cake shop."
The two girls looked at their petite friend who cocked her head in confusion. "How do you know my name?"
Gesturing to the side with a nod of his head, Kaiser turned the girl's attention to the Anzio girls. "We were just about to have a chat, why don't you all join us? What do you say, Miss Oshida, Miss Andou?
The two girls were left with mouths agape and wide eyes at their revealed identities as Marie waved to Anchovy whom she finally noticed with an aloof smile. "Hi Anchovy~"
The group of nine then found themselves at the cake shop Marie had inquired about. Pepperoni and Marie gladly ate into the slices before them without care as Carpaccio, Anchovy, Oshida, and Andou nervously sat, staring at the food that increased their guilt.
On the other side of the table, Virtanen, Natalya, and Kaiser watched the uninvited guests. Eventually, the silence was broken by Kaiser with a sigh.
"I'll be honest. None of you pose immediate threats and haven't even acquired any intel from us. I, nor my colleagues here, have time for this. With that, I am going to ransom you back to your schools."
"Huh?!" snapped Oshida in indignation as Andou slammed a hand against the table, rattling the silverware.
Anchovy gave a nervous look to Carpaccio who spoke for her. "That doesn't sound very, well, legal" she added hesitantly.
Not trying to cause a scene for the staff, Kaiser leaned forward and kept a steady voice as he addressed the girls. His tone however took a more threatening manner. "I am willing to treat this as a formal meeting but that does not mean you will have the luxury of bargaining. You will have a choice. Singular, as in one choice. Compliance."
This time Andou spoke as Oshida nodded in agreement. "Who do you think you are, trying to give us orders?!"
"The man who helps run the ship you snuck aboard" he bluntly replied.
Having stunted their argument, Carpaccio stepped in, attempting to reason with Virtanen. "Aren't you the commander? Just as we have our Duce, shouldn't your word be final?"
"That's right! Your subordinate shouldn't be the one speaking here!" nodded Anchovy, unaware of the irony.
Virtanen stopped with a bite of cake and his fork in his mouth. Slowly he looked over to Kaiser who shot a sharp glare back. Swallowing his bite, he shook his head with a chuckle. "I'm sorry but he's the go-to professional for these matters. I trust him, therefore I delegate the decision-making so long as it's agreeable."
The Anzio girls now wilted as Kaiser resumed his point. "If you are so inclined to have another option, then I can throw you overboard on a raft with a short-range transponder and the bare minimum in food and water.
The threat of abandonment for their schools to find them did little to scare but the threat of food scared the Anzio girls and Marie quiet.
"Ha!" taunted Andou.
"That's a bluff if I ever heard one!" finished Oshida.
Virtanen winced at their choice of words. Natalya raised a hand and interjected. "That, that would be unwise, to say the least" she advised.
The two in-sync girls looked at Natalya in surprise then at Kaiser who stood firm, with an unwavering expression.
"H-hey you guys" interrupted Pepperoni. "Maybe we should hear his first option before saying anymore?"
"I agree," said Marie finishing her third slice of cake. Pulling attention to herself, Kaiser made eye contact with her firm and intelligent green eyes. They certainly did remind him of Vaelrya as well. She wasn't all she seemed at first.
Kaiser cracked a small smirk. "I'm glad you made such a wise decision."
The conversation wouldn't last much longer before the girls were allowed to leave on their own, being given instructions for their safe transportation back to their ships as well as a pass to wander around until they left. So long as they stayed within allotted areas that is.
The six girls left, feeling years older and weary as the three Transcendence students finally were allowed to relax. Out of sight of their competitors, Virtanen laughed quietly. "You drove a hard bargain. I don't think I've ever seen someone extort friendship out of others."
Kaiser slumped in his seat, throwing his head back. "They should be just as glad as we are that I stopped with that and some other concessions."
Picking at her plate, Natalya snickered. "Opening channels for future cooperation and friendly ties between our two schools and Senshado programs. I was nearly as surprised as them when you said that. What was with the addition of electronic parts?"
"I'm making some purchases in regards to our counter-espionage with Gloriana. In doing so, I'm having to shave off funds where I can. With the new replacement parts and electronics we'll get from them I can either sell or utilize them to save our program further money.
Virtanen whistled quietly, impressed at his friend's foresight. "Found spies and ended with begrudging friends huh? I have to say though. You may have just set an unfortunate new precedent for espionage between schools with this and your plane stunt."
"Pfft. Fine by me. Maybe some deterrence like what Pravda or Kuromoromine do will benefit us." A small buzzing drew both boy's attention as they turned to their phones.
"Left out, Natalya grew curious. "What is it?"
The two boys exchanged a glance as Kaiser answered "It's from Anna's intel team. Seems we've received a request."
"Oh? What for?"
"A formal meeting with Gloriana aboard their ship."
-Chapter End-
