The day began innocuously enough. A week's worth of study and restricted privileges for those who failed to maintain grades led to quick improvements and few stragglers. That's why Kaiser and his peers filed paperwork and formatted emails in response to the school staff and cadet's parents despite such pristine weather.

Then Kaiser received a call from Anna unexpectedly. Virtanen and Knight watched as he one-sidedly spoke into his phone. A tone of concern beginning to rise out of him.

"Hello."

"What?"

"Are you sure?"

"Since when?"

"You're certain?"

Kaiser turned in his seat away from the paperwork before him and dubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright fine. Record any information you can and secure it. Keep tracking it and stay on call in case I need you. Rotate your team. This may be an all-day operation."

As his peers watched him with growing concern, Kaiser finally hung up his phone and explained the call with little enthusiasm.

"We have a spy on ship," he said matter of factly.

"What?!" demanded Virtanen, the revelation a threat to the security his leadership was supposed to provide.

"To be more precise we have one on ship and a few waiting out on a boat a couple of kilometers out." Clarified Kaiser.

"How do you know?" asked Knight.

"Anna just got off the phone with me. She and her team were working on possible encryption between the radios for the vehicles. They had a few mobile sets they were messing with when they caught a transmission. Then half an hour later they caught another. And ten minutes ago they caught a third."

Knight and Virtanen exchanged an unsure glance. "Well that leaves little to go on and just as little to ignore. What are we going to do?"

Kaiser grabbed his jacket and stood. "We're going to gather a few trustworthy cadets who can spare the time. If habits are maintained, they will send another message out to their recon boat in twenty minutes. From there we'll try to apprehend the suspect."

"And if they don't?" asked Virtanen.

"Then we turn this ship inside out. Starting with all loading docks and the top deck then working our way through the internals. I'll get the entire school on board if need be. But for now, we use secrecy to try and catch them."

"What about the transmissions? Anything we can go off of there? Are you even sure that it's not a mistake?" asked Knight.

"Anna couldn't decipher them. And why would there be encrypted messages periodically leaving our ship to another vessel?" The obvious answer left little room for rebuttal. "Get up. You two are a part of this now as well" ordered Kaiser as his peers grabbed their things and followed.

Ensuring no vital documents were left unattended or easily accessible, Kaiser locked the office. The three hurriedly stormed out as they began hatching a plan against their invisible foe. "Virtanen, Knight, you two call up some close companions. We'll stay in touch via text and scour the most vulnerable areas of intel. The hangar, training grounds, mechanic shop, the dorms, etc. Start messaging them now, explain to them once they show up."

His two companions pulled out their phones and began making calls, with urgency and lack of information, pleas of "Can you meet me at the school gate in ten minutes?" were all that was asked before a yes or no was given and they moved on. Between calls, the two asked questions.

"Piper's on board" confirmed Virtanen as he looked at Kaiser who was checking a map on his phone rather than calling others. "What about you? Not going to invite anyone for the search?"

Kaiser inspected the map further, typing in specific search routes he intended to give his peers as he explained himself. "I'll move faster on my own and there'd be less chance of being caught by the suspect."

Virtanen gave a disbelieving hum. "I think you roaming the ship alone is enough to catch eyes. What about the Prokov sisters? It wouldn't be the first time you were seen with them."

Kaiser quickly dismissed the notion. "No. That's, that would just waste my time. I'd have an easier time searching alone."

Virtanen rang up another number before clicking his tongue at no response. Leering at his comrade he felt obligated to speak of his suspicions. "You know… you've been around those two as much as usual but somehow you seem off whenever they're brought up"

"Diana and Damian are coming as well!" interrupted Knight.

Taking the opportunity, Kaiser sought to move past Virtanen's strangely astute observation. "There are a few measures the enemy may have taken or utilized to gather information aside from what primitive tactics I have used in the reports you've seen. So far I've been able to exchange fledgling information with each school that we've interacted with this year and some of their intel department students."

A ring came from both Virtanen and Knights phones as they received a message from Kaiser and an attached PDF. Within were highlighted areas for each to inspect and what to prioritize. Who to speak with and just what they should look for.

"Strangely prepared for this aren't you?" asked Virtanen.

Precisely because you aren't prepared at all" replied Kaiser.

"Note taken" nodded Virtanen, casually taking the barb.

The three quickly exited the school proper and were out on the grounds nearing the gate. "I've been given bits of information from each, naturally none would tell me of their own school's efforts but a bit of work, pieces it all together. I've been able to conjure up some contingencies."

"Saunders seems to utilize more tech than field agents to get their dirt. Arisa has been apprehended a few times so they switch around their agents but usually rely on data interception. Kay has little to do with any intel measures and instead funnels funds and her complete trust to Arisa and her cohorts. With a prioritization on personal freedom, they utilize trust among Saunder's students for any intel on suspicious persons as well as a loyal security unit."

"Pravda's the opposite. Be it interrogation, bribery, or plain threats, it seems that they incorporate more physical and simplistic means. From what I've learned there has been an influx of successful info gathering with Clara performing field work. She hasn't been apprehended at all with little footage to prove she was ever undercover at other schools. Nonna meanwhile compiles and organizes the authenticity of the received info. In order to apprehend spies, the two seem to be at the head of apprehending anyone who is turned in via anonymous tips and their large security network."

"Kuromoromine seems to be similar to us with varying differences. Their priority seems to lie in cross-referencing any intel to confirm its legitimacy and then creating contingencies off of it. Anything slightly scrupulous meanwhile is set to the back burner. Maho herself told me that she knows her strengths and therefore leaves the delegation of assignments and tasks to her peers for such jobs. She never revealed who for obvious reasons but I'm led to believe Koume Akaboshi may have a hand. Along with their fearsome reputation and strict demeanor being a large deterrent to many, they seem to utilize mind games and other nonphysical matters to trick spies into outing themselves."

"Then, there's Oarai. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so much, they seem to have no manner of security defense for espionage. I've heard from not only Kay, but Nonna, and even Miho herself, that they've allowed spies to sneak around their ship. They reason that they have nothing to hide or so they say."

"Reminds me of what Anzu told us when we first met them" interrupted Virtanen.

Kaiser nodded. "Along with that, It seems Ms. Akiyama is their sole spy. While adept at gathering intel and sneaking around ships, she has loose lips when flattered. I was able to get her to speak about how she was training two proteges before her team silenced her with some sweets."

"I'd never expected Ms. Yukari to be so easily swayed" added Knight, recalling her easy-going yet focused disposition.

"Maybe another time and I'll teach you how to flatter others" dismissed Kaiser focusing back on his debrief. "I also have minimal info on schools such as Maginot, Bonple, Jatkisota, Blue Division, and Chi-ha-tan but that can wait." Kaiser pointed at the front gate where the Frost siblings and Piper stood. "Take those you contacted

"Wait, why has no one tried to even attempt spying on us before? Asked Knight.

Kaiser rolled his eyes. "Time is short so I'll explain briefly. Most considered there was nothing to gain. At the season's start, we didn't even have any solidified tactics let alone valuable intel. They considered it smarter to spend time and resources on training than prying what little info they believed we might yield. However, at this point with us in the finals, it seems that a few schools have changed their minds."

"A few?" asked Virtanen and Knight simultaneously.

"I thought it was just one?" asked Virtanen.

"Not now" answered Kaiser. We have work to do, explanations later. Go and check the areas I designated!" Taking off in a run, Kaiser left no room for argument. Virtanen and Knight shared a glance before following his lead and taking off themselves with their friends in tow.

The first area to be cleared of suspicion was the school proper. With Piper at his side, Virtanen was assigned the campus in order to use his rank and pull some strings to assist in the search. It took the better part of an hour while the two perused the hallways and questioned faculty before Piper reminded him of his position.

With the sudden epiphany, an embarrassed Virtanen requested assistance from the student council. Danny was naturally antagonistic to Virtanen due to their personal feud but with the combined factors of Piper's mediation and Danny's assistant's reminding him of the more "violent" means Kasier could employ, they relented.

With the student council's help, Danny dispersed some of his assistants to further question around the school and receive permission from the principal to view the day's security footage. As the two sat, viewing the day's multiple angles of camera footage, they reported their findings to their search group via text.

"The suspect or suspects are not currently within the school building. However, we have help currently asking around and have found some figures lingering around the school grounds after hours. We'll check to see who's still present before moving on."

The message was read by Knight and the Frost siblings as they were nearing the conclusion of their own initial search. Assigned the Hangars adjacent to the airfield, they were given a large area, albeit one where unauthorized personnel would stand out easily.

With the aid of some off-duty air-wing students and staff, Knight merely had to present himself and his rank before being allowed access with his entourage. Diana and Damian did most of the talking as Knight pondered over where to search and what questions to specifically ask.

The obvious was given, "Have you seen anyone strange? Unfamiliar? Has anyone asked any unusual questions or persistently asked around?"

A few gave light-hearted replies such as they were the only ones to do so, leaving the three with little to show for their effort. Knight lamented over the fact that none of the aircrews recognized him as they did Virtanen or Kaiser when he had a sudden thought.

How had the spy infiltrated? They hadn't been at dock for some time now meaning there were only two ways. By sea or by air. With no hard evidence or sighting of the mysterious figure they were tailing, Knight requested to speak with the flight control.

Naturally, permission had to be acquired beforehand so with some reasoning, insistence, persuasion, and usage of rank once more, they were able to obtain dossiers on the flights coming and going for the day with accounts of passenger numbers and cargo. The only condition was that it was to be delivered to a higher rank than Knight himself despite being the third in charge.

With acceptance, he had used Kaiser's name and the information was sent without hesitation to his senior. The three's findings and suspicions were reported by Knight through the chat and surprisingly, he received praise from Kaiser on his personal line. Seeing his bewildered and happy expression, Diana and Damian teased him as they pushed to their next search area.

Kaiser meanwhile had scoured the training grounds. It was one of the less likely locations to apprehend their suspect but was something he deemed better to ensure than not. The lack of individuals and absence of training meant that he simply had to scour it by vehicle without having to waste time questioning others.

Although the training fields took a vast portion of the ship's surface area and held a variety of terrain, Kaiser knew it like the back of his hand. Riding his BMW R75, he made short work of the search and neglected to inform the others. There had been after all nothing of note and he needed to scour the email Knight had provided him.

Sure enough, he found a disparity in the amount of individuals on a specific flight. There was one too many aboard a plane that had arrived delivering postage today. The culprit had even arrived on a particularly busy day for air traffic on the ship but it wasn't hard to deduce which specific flights they could have utilized. Finished, Kaiser took off with his motorcycle to continue the search for the elusive individual.

Virtanen's second search area was none other than the mechanic's shop. A small building designated for students undergoing maintenance and manufacturing courses and where the team's mechanics spent most of their time aside from repairing the tanks.

Kaiser's reasoning for the assignment was obvious as Piper took the lead and began inquiring. Well acquainted and known by all within the department, the stragglers who remained in the building for the day were happy to tell her whatever she wanted to know as Virtanen followed along at a loss for what to do.

Eventually, they snagged a lead. One of Piper's acquaintances had spoken with a strange girl earlier. "She was blonde and still in the school's uniform but was asking peculiar questions. Such as how many maintenance students were on the Senshado team and how fast they could repair the vehicles." She had felt suspicious that the girl hadn't known of Piper but brushed it aside and answered vaguely.

Virtanen immediately asked how long ago this occurred and where she went after. The girl racked her brain to recall a precise time and hesitantly said "Forty minutes ago and towards the town, maybe the dorms?" Virtanen profusely thanked Piper's acquaintance before dragging Piper by the hand and hurriedly messaging the group. The excitement of a fresh trail had the two enthralled as they followed their lead.

Unfortunately for them, Knight had already begun his search of the student dorms. The infamous "Barracks" as many students called them, were of rather high standards. That isn't to suggest that the inhabitants, a motley collection of teenagers who lived and spent their free time there, didn't get into shenanigans from time to time.

So long as it didn't interfere or upset any residents or hardliners such as the student council members of Kaiser who resided there as well, there was a surprising amount of freedom. And so with the school day over, Knight and the Frost siblings found themselves staring at the multiple apartments and near hundreds of students meandering about. A daunting task of asking around and keeping each conversation succinct enough to not be entrapped all day.

What was expected to be time-consuming soon turned easy as more of the students enjoying their free time, approached willingly and asked their own questions of the trio. Namely as to why they were all together and Knight in uniform. The unexpected attention of so many knowing of him had Knight instinctively return to his shy tendencies as Diana and Damian handled the questioning.

Eventually, they caught a lead. There had been one girl asking about the dorm situation and any notable students who lived within before being snubbed and told to ask the school faculty for specifics. No one had thought twice about the girl until Knight demanded to know where she had left. With a vague guess of the ship's Market area.

The three took flight as they relayed the info. Urgency was needed as the ship's markets were located adjacent to the cargo loading area. Virtanen and Kaiser seemed to realize this too as the former began heading there himself and Kaiser demanded he inspect the area and standby as he finished his search.

An exciting pressure lay on the cadets as they felt they were nearing the end of their rousing pursuit. Kaiser himself however was standing before their office. Where their chase had begun.

Checking his phone he opened the door and received a small notification. Glancing to his side he stared at the motion sensor nearby. It still functioned and had sent him a notice only a few minutes ago. Someone had lockpicked their way in. He did a brief look over the room and its contents. Nothing was disturbed or opened. He had arrived on his bike and left little time for them to peruse the room.

Once satisfied nothing vital had been stolen, He walked to the large window and stared out. The view of the training fields and the large airstrip encompassed the sight along with the school's courtyard. Staring out he noticed a solitary figure leaving the building and heading to the hangar.

Blond hair tied up and still in the school's grey uniform. A poised manner of walking as the female figure walked along an empty path. Notably, it was longer than the direct pact. The exact path with plenty of other people and she just happened to match Virtanen's description.

Kaiser glanced over to Virtanen's large wooden desk. Pulling open one of the drawers he found Virtanen's emergency escape rope, the same he had already used to try and flee before. Throwing the window open and tying the rope down, Kaiser made note to explain to the school faculty later as to why they were persistently rappelling out this window. For now, he was chasing down their uninvited guest.

With his target in sight, Kaiser followed at a distance, extra careful to remain looking natural lest any onlooker happened to draw unscrupulous conclusions. Whoever the girl was, however, she had played her cards expertly. Her infiltration was unknown until a couple of hours ago. Whether informed or gut instinct, she seemed to have caught onto the fact she had overstayed her welcome and led Kaiser and his compatriots on a wild goose chase around the school.

Thankfully they were able to able to counter her plan and track her down. Now with his comrades at the docking bay and him pursuing her to the airfield, all it would take was advisement for searches aboard the planes and she would be apprehended no matter which manner she attempted for escape.

As he thought over any possibility she may have had for escape, Kaiser noticed her glance back. He hadn't time to hide and so acted like any other student. He looked down and hunched his shoulders, drawing his phone to bury his nose in its screen. He felt the intruder's eyes burning a curious hole into him from ahead as he slowly walked. Soon he passed her and only when he was further down the road, did she finally move again.

Turning on his phone's rear-facing camera, he saw staring at his back before taking off. Running in a somehow dainty manner to the second air hangar. Kaiser pocketed his phone and sprinted as fast as he could. He knew his school best and attempted to reach the airfield before her. If he could reach the outskirts, then he could see which hangar she specifically entered or if the direction was just a ploy and then inform his teammates. If she did try to leave ship then he would have justification in inquiring as to her school identification and papers for approved leave, finally exposing her.

Breathing heavily and at the side entrance of the hangar with only a single security guard, Kaiser watched from a distance as the older gentleman sat calmly in his booth. Then a head of blonde hair in a gray uniform walked up. She had indeed tried to escape here. She flashed a small badge with a crest and her photo. Perhaps an exquisite forgery of their school I.D. but the older gentlemanly didn't look twice.

Seeing just another student with no more than a small bag in hand, she was waved through with a smile as she politely nodded her thanks. As soon as she stepped past the gate, Kaiser ran up to the gate himself, flashing his I.D. as a courtesy while the man recognized him instantly.

"What's the rush youngin?"

"No time, urgent business" answered Kaiser with an apologetic wave.

"Helping the aircrews again on practice runs? Busy as ever aren't ya Mr. Kaiser." laughed the man as he sat back in his seat with a groan.

Blood pounding in his ears, as his body heated from the thick uniform he wore, Kaiser chased after the fleeting glance of the girl. Finally, he tracked her down to a small hangar left out of use for the day.

The metallic door slammed open as he entered from the back. Inside were a couple of small private planes stored away along with boundless parts and tools. Above a large banner of the school flag hung while the large hangar door was opened halfway. And in the middle with a large trunk opened and some strange contraption consisting of two poles and some wire with wheels, knelt the culprit with surprise on her face.

Kaiser let a small grin slip as he looked down at her. "Got somewhere to be?"

Speechless, The thin girl simply stared back at him with her lavender eyes behind her glasses. He briefly glossed over her appearance. A perfect match of their school's female uniform down to the emblem. Even the material for the jacket and skirt seemed to match. She wore black stockings on her long legs, her hair was worn in an immaculate bun on the back of her head with a black bow, bangs covering her forehead, and her sharp eyes were framed by black squared glasses.

"Why, what brings the vice commander of our school's Senshado here?" she asked politely, the same tried and true fake smile on her face Kaiser was familiar with.

"Let's cut the acting" he snipped, squaring his shoulders and ready for a fight. "I know you're a spy aboard my ship. And before you get any ideas, don't try to escape or fight. All your exits are blocked by my colleagues and I've fought against larger and tougher than you.

Kaiser noticed her jaw clench slightly as she unexpectedly continued to feign innocence. A gasp arose as she clutched at her grey jacket. "I'm sorry? I'm not sure what you mean. You, you aren't threatening me, are you? She gave a nervous glance around. "Is this a joke? We, we aren't alone are we?"

Her acting was superb, she truly seemed like a cornered student, scared for her safety. But Kaiser wouldn't be swayed. The evidence lined up and she was trying to dissuade him, make him worry for his reputation. He wouldn't be hasty either. With an equally false smile, He politely extended a hand. Then you wouldn't mind me seeing your student I.D., would you? I'm quite adept at finding fakes. Also your little bag. The security guard is supposed to inspect all baggage.

There was no hesitation as the girl complied, another impressive feat, considering the circumstances. But he had noticed her bristle slightly at his persistence. He deduced whatever information she had, was on her person. Otherwise, she wouldn't have handed over her items so easily. The girl took on an embarrassed disposition as he searched.

A brief look in the bag showed a notebook, empty for the most part. Pens, a binder, a small book, and at the bottom, a swimsuit. Kaiser raised a brow and glanced at the girl who continued playing coy. Grabbing the bag from the outside, he shifted the contents within and finished his search as he tossed the bag back.

"A-are we done here?" she asked.

"Are you?" replied Kaiser. He flicked her I.D. around in his hand, presenting the front with her image. This card is a clear fake. The serial number on it starts with the wrong digits. I imagine you hadn't looked into how we number students and just went off a guess due to limitations?"

Silence filled the air before the sound of sputtering engines from distant hangar bays sounded. Kaiser strode over to her confidently. "Raise your hands, I'm going to inspect you for stolen property and espionage-related items. Let's make this short and quick."

The girl raised her hands, a small frown was all that remained of her acting. Her back straightened as she fearlessly complied, her eyes of fright turning to a piercing glare. Kaiser did a professional check, quickly and with minimal contact. Her pockets turned empty except for a personal phone, nothing he could do about that with violating a few laws. He soon felt a stiff object inside the inner pocket of her jacket however and requested she pull it out.

The girl resisted until he said he'd get it himself. With narrowed eyes, she produced a small notebook no larger than her palm. A small faded leather binding with no title and a small strap to protect the contents within. Kaiser opened it and was amazed. Inside were details sketches of their vehicles, listings of cadets, and their tactics. Some of this information was confidential. Had she actually been able to steal some info in the brief time within his office?

Kaiser checked her watch, a small memory card taped to the back. He checked her black bow, in the lining he found a near-flat electronic device for voice recordings. Kaiser glanced at her as she averted her eyes. He clicked a small button.

"Log 1. Infiltration completed. Method will be in report. Continuing to-"

Kaiser clicked the skip button a few times.

"Log 8. Team comprised of equal distribution of heavy, medium, lights, and destroyers. Of note is lack of spares. Sixteen in total. No new additions expected for foreseeable future."

Kaiser slowly turned to the girl. She was professional, to say the least, she had omitted any information that would give insight to preventing another infiltration in the same manner. "Anything to say?"

Unshaken she stared into his eyes. "Leave or I'll scream."

Kaiser snickered. "Pfft. Be my guest."

"Do you really think your reputation is so infallible? You could even be expelled regardless of guilt."

He nearly admired her audacity. "Do it" he goaded. "Any loss to my reputation will be mourned by me and as for my school, well as soon as they dispose of me then it's not my worry is it? But what about you? The victim can't just disappear. You'd be stuck for the investigation. Who you are and where you're from will be revealed. I can only assume you're important to your school based on your skills. What about your rep? What about your school? I can only imagine your prestige is more valued than our new school. Or am I mistaken about St. Gloriana?"

The girl's eyes narrowed despite the revelation being obvious. "Congratulations on beating Saunders by the way. Kay was really upset at that." Kaiser snickered at her clear distaste with his small talk.

"Come with me. I may as well be a proper host and arrange a flight for such an esteemed woman.

"Don't patronize me."

Kaiser gave a charming laugh as he began walking to the door. "You've earned it though." With no response, and the sound of the plane engines outside growing louder, he heard a small consistent beeping. Glancing over his shoulder, Kaiser saw the girl running out onto the airfield, wheeling the strange contraption along.

Kaiser ran after her onto the airstrip, watching as she stopped in the middle and threw on a strange harness, and hooked herself onto the wire of the strange contraption before laying down with her arms crossed.

As he sprinted to her the sound of two propeller engines deafened his ears. Looking to his left he saw a Douglas C47 flying so low over the tarmac that he could see the pilots within. They were school girls with red leather jackets, the plane itself holding no markings and a strange system of wires on its nose connected to the wings. The plane screamed overhead before snagging the wire on the contraption and pulling upwards with a roar of engines. The spy gave one last look at a bewildered Kaiser before smirking and zipping up into the sky.

Kaiser watched as the plane took off into the distance with the girl who was slowly being hoisted up. He was baffled at what he had just witnessed. He had just seen the Fulton Retrieval system in practice. A sudden indignation took hold of him as he sprinted to a nearby hangar, a single plane stopped outside from the unexpected plane dropping by and the sound of multiple engines within.

He was far from finished. With little explanation and no permission, he boarded one of the prepped planes. Kaiser gave little in reasoning to the ground crew as they watched him jump into the Cockpit of a BF 110 whose engines were already warmed up.

As he closed the canopy and the plane began to propel itself onto the tarmac, he gave an apologetic salute to the student pilot who watched him with a look of mirthful intrigue. Passing the lead plane that was stalled due to the confusion, Kaiser aligned himself with the runway and increased the throttle. Soon he was airborne and climbing, the twin engines roaring at his sides as he toyed with the systems on board.

He was licensed to fly the school's heavy fighters but not operate the primitive radar system found upon this particular model of the BF-110. Thankfully it seemed rather foolproof as this student-friendly model had simple controls. He flicked the few switches and watched as a small screen flashed to life, the limited-range radar picking up a single blip in the distance and Kaiser pursued, as fast as the plane would go.

It wasn't long before he had a visual of the Douglas C47, cruising comfortably and unaware of his presence. Having the faster craft, Kaiser soon came up from their rear and crossed over to their left side, eye level with the cockpit and glaring in.

Twenty minutes prior when the St. Gloriana's agent had made her daring escape and was hoisted within the C47, a crew of three girls within the plane pulled her in and sealed the door. Ensuring she was safe, they stepped back and bowed their heads, handing her a headset to communicate with the pilot.

"Welcome back Ms. Assam."

The girl in question removed her fake glasses and smiled politely at the girls before her. "It's always a pleasure to work with our Gloriana's royal airwing ladies. Thank you for having me."

The girls reacted bashfully to their senior and went about their assignments. Navigation, radio, and the third took the time to brew a cup of tea for Assam. Receiving the fresh brew and a warming leather jacket, Assam undid her braided hair and let it fall back into its usual free-hanging style. Picking through her locks, she retrieved a small electronic device that contained copies of all the information that she had led her ungracious hosts to believe had been seized. Satisfied with herself and the cup in her hands, Assam took a seat next to the pilot.

As she unwound, she rehearsed mentally for the debriefing back at Gloriana. There was much to do as always but for this, she would need the Royal Air Wing to submit their reports and logistical requirements for this operation as well. Turning to her pilot, Assam was caught off guard to see the senior girl staring in awe at her. No, it was past her.

Assam turned in her seat, prepared for anything except what was staring back at her. There sat nearly wing to wing, was the man who not even half an hour ago had cornered her. The pilot hurriedly spoke to her radio operator asking if there was any communication from the unknown plane as Assam held his gaze. Unwavering yet feeling the immense pressure from his intensity behind the cockpit.

Unsure of how much time passed, he eventually shook his head slowly from side to side once. As if saying that this was not over. The heavy fighter and its pilot then pulled off suddenly and returned from whence it came, leaving the C47 crew stunned.

Assam seemed to sink into her seat slightly in surprise, further surprising the senior pilot who commented under her breath. "I'm sure glad I didn't sign up for Senshado. You ladies seem to have it rough" followed by a nervous chuckle.

The cargo plane returned to St. Gloriana without any further trouble as Kaiser began to cool his head in the heights above the ocean. Had this been an aerial match he'd have been delighted to paint the side of their plane with sport-grade paint ammunitions. But instead, he would be content with the knowledge that he had sent a message.

He was sure the girl had some information still on her otherwise she wouldn't have undertaken such an escape. But as they would ponder over his intimidation tactic, he would have to ponder over how he would explain this theatric to the school and aircrews. Perhaps Virtanen was right. Maybe he did get himself into these situations more often than not.

-Chapter End-