Chapter 11: Chance

October 15th, 12:38 PM

Another month passed, nothing eventful happened in that time, as Jeremiah was still recovering from his recent excursion, and Villetta was busy researching the photos she'd acquired, that was until today, "Mr. Reid," she greeted the Britannian newsman as he entered the café, and took a seat across from her.

Lord Jeremiah introduced the reporter to her after he got out of the hospital a week ago; she had just informed him about the pictures she'd found, and in response, he redirected her to someone knowledgeable in the…analytical sector. Meanwhile, he secretly did his own investigation on the red haired terrorist.

"Madam Nu, it's a pleasure to meet you once again." Diethard responded, ordering a simple cup of a coffee from an approaching waiter. Clearly, she wasn't going to their table, but that was none of the newsman's concern.

"Have you found anything?"

"Most definitely, you see, this uniform is exclusively worn by the students of Ashford Academy," he said while taking out several pictures, then he pointed to another, "And this confirms it, you see the emblem, right?"

"So you're saying, my investigation should start there?"

"All I'm saying is that's where these photos were taken. If you want to begin an investigation there, that's up to you." the waitress then politely set a cup of coffee before the man, "In any case, my job is done here. And, please do tell Lord Jeremiah that I wish him a swift recovery."

With that, Diethard left the café, not taking a single sip of his coffee, to which the waitress was slightly irked by, "Lord Jeremiah… why do you have me in contact with such a parasite?" she wondered while taking a sip of her own coffee, "And just what kind of deal did you make with him?"

October 25th, 3:27 PM

Meanwhile, in the Ashford Academy Student Council Room…

"Wake up Lelouch!" Milly shouted before striking the boy's head with a rolled up newspaper, "This is a very important meeting that'll decide the fate of our school festival next year!"

"Can't we do this later?" the Prince responded while slumping in his seat.

The entire Student Council had gathered today for an 'urgent meeting', as per ordered by the President. And just as she said earlier, they were discussing what kind of events they should hold for next year's festival.

"The votes are in Lelouch!" the President began while holding a stack of papers, "And from the small amount of surveys that were completed, students said they enjoyed the giant Pizza the most, while the thing they least enjoyed was you and your science club's pink foam experiment."

"I'd say it was pretty good," Nina chimed in, clearly fascinated by the sciency aspect of it all.

"Good for you, Nina, unfortunately, it's not only your opinion I'm taking into account!" Milly stated in a harsh tone. Clearly, something was bothering her. "Now, I say we INCREASE the size of the pizza, and I'm not talkin' just a few meters. I'm talking about attempting a world record!" the council was silent, "Hey! How can you not be excited about this!? How many times in life can you say you attempted a world record, huh?"

Lelouch took one of the surveys, and began looking it over. After every school festival, Milly hands these out to get feedback from the students; with this, her goal was to make each festival better than the last, even if it meant setting up some impossible task. "Where are we gonna get an oven big enough for the pizza, though?" Rivalz questioned while posting a few pictures from the festival onto a board, including a few pictures of Kallen in her turkey costume.

Kallen got up and ripped off the picture, "I'm sure we'll figure it out by the time next year rolls around…"

"This is a serious conversation we're having here, people!" Milly shouted as the blue-haired boy replaced the picture Kallen tore down with an identical one, much to her annoyance.

"I know! We could ask around town!" Shirley suggested

"And ask them what? Hey, do you guys have an oven big enough to fit a world record-breaking pizza?" Kallen mocked while tearing down the photo again, "I don't mean to be harsh here, but we need a starting point."

"I think just asking around would be a good starting point, after all, how do we know if we don't try?" the orange-haired girl added

"See! I love that can-do attitude of yours!" Milly complimented the girl as she began to grope her sides, causing Shirley to giggle while pleading with the President to stop.

"But… who're we supposed to ask?" Lelouch pointed out, causing the blonde to stop groping the swimming club member.

"Well… I think we should start off with some pizzerias!" the President suggested

"Good idea!" Rivalz commented while putting up another picture of Kallen, prompting the red head to get rid of it almost instantly, "And to cover more ground, we should split up into pairs!"

"That's a great idea!" Milly shouted, practically jumping at the prospect, "We could draw straws to decide the pairings!"

"Or… I could look up some nearby pizzerias that might have ovens big enough…" Nina suggested in a whisper that was easily overshadowed by the boisterous President.

"Oh man!" Rivalz shouted in despair while holding a stick that had Nina's name on it

"Jeez, you don't have to be so happy about it," Lelouch muttered sarcastically

That's when his 'buddy' suddenly grabbed his legs, and began begging, "Please man, switch with me!" the Prince had drawn a stick with Milly's name on it, and while it wasn't obvious to him, Rivalz had a huge crush on the President that didn't seem to be going anywhere fast, "be a bro, and help me out here!"

Of course, the girl in question overheard this conversation and proclaimed, "Now, now, Rivalz! The whole point of drawing straws was so we wouldn't know who we're paired up with! So, if we just switch the pairings around just because we didn't get who we wanted, then drawing straws would've been pointless!"

The blue-haired boy looked down in defeat, "Y… you're right…"

"And you owe Nina an apology!" Shirley proclaimed, "What you did wasn't nice!"

Rivalz turned to the green haired girl and said, "I'm sorry…"

Pairings:

Lelouch and Milly

Kallen and Shirley

Rivalz and Nina

October 15th, 2:30 PM

"This is very nice, Villetta," Jeremiah told the dark-skinned Britannian as they met up in his modern apartment, which had two giant windows that overlooked the settlement, "Very nice indeed. I'll send in a request to conduct an investigation of Ashford Academy at once."

"Wait, but we're supposed to be on medical leave," Villetta responded while pointing at the Margraves arm, which was in a sling; his shoulder still had a hole in it from when he was shot, but it looked to be healing rapidly thanks to advanced Britannian medical science.

"Incorrect, I'm supposed to be on medical leave, whereas your leave will end next week thanks to your minimal injuries." Jeremiah corrected while walking over to his kitchen; it was small, but extremely cozy, with all the things he could ever need. Coffee maker, microwave, and even a pressure cooker.

"Once the investigation begins, what should I be looking for?" Villetta asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

"I want you to look for anything suspicious; like students missing school irregularly, perhaps disappearances in the middle of the day, or a dramatic change in behavior. Most importantly, I want you to investigate one specific student," he then took out a picture of a certain red head, "As you know, there were a lot of pictures of her in the camera, so either that Eleven had some sort of sick crush on her, or…"

"She's somehow affiliated with him," the dark-skinned Britannian finished his sentence

"Precisely. We cannot fail here, otherwise, our only lead will be for naught."

"I understand, Lord Jeremiah. I won't fail you."

October 25th, 4:40 PM

Meanwhile, Shirley and Kallen were leaving another pizzeria in the middle of the settlement, who denied them the use of their oven, "And another one bites the dust," the red head muttered while checking the place off her list.

"So the next one on our list is… Weaver's Pizzeria?" Shirley pointed out while walking down the street with her friend on her left. They walked in silence for about half a block before the orange-haired girl asked, "I noticed you were hanging out with Nuna more lately… How is she?"

This question took Kallen by surprise, but she answered nonetheless, "She's been good. Recently, she's had some problems with math, so I've been tutoring her after school."

"Oh… that's good…" Shirley responded while anxiously clenching her fist.

Something was wrong.

But before the red head could make any guesses as to what was wrong, her friend said, "Listen, I've noticed you hanging out a lot more with Lelouch recently… even ditching school together."

"Oh god… it's not what you think!" was what Kallen wished she could say, but from someone like Shirley's perspective, it was definitely suspicious.

The reason her and Lelouch were sneaking out of school, was so they could meet up with Naoto, who had surprisingly dyed his hair black, and wore it in a ponytail. But that wasn't the only change to his appearance, as he also wore green contact lenses; upon questioning, she found out that Jeremiah had recognized Naoto's hair color during their fight, and Lelouch told him to change it. Though, the contact lenses were of his own choice.

"I just wanted to know… what's your relationship with him?"

There it was, the question Kallen had been so desperate to avoid for the past month, and now it's ruthlessly appeared before her in a situation she can't excuse herself from. Perhaps, the best thing to do was be honest? After all, she might hurt Shirley more if she lies, but then again… she's already hurt her by withholding this secret for so long, so what's the harm in holding it for just a bit longer?

"Kallen," Shirley's voice broke through the red heads thoughts, "Please… I won't be mad… just be honest with me… do you… like Lelouch?"

The red head took a deep breath, and resolved herself; this was something she had to do, because if she didn't, she'd only be hurting her friend more, "Yes, I… like Lelouch"

For Kallen, she felt a huge weight taken off her taken, but for Shirley, she felt the opposite, "I see…" she then began to walk away

"Shirley, I-"

"You don't have to explain yourself," the orange-haired girl responded, "If that's how you feel about him, then how can I get mad? Just know this," she looked at Kallen with determination in her eyes, "If you think I'll allow you to have him all to yourself, then you're mistaken, because I won't lose!"

Who was this? Because the Shirley Fenette Kallen knew was a boisterous girl, yet she was very meek when it came to her feelings for Lelouch; so for her to initiate a challenge like this… "Then, no matter who he chooses, there'll be no hard feelings, right?"

A wide smile plastered itself across her friend's face, who responded with, "Of course!"

Kallen returned the smile, "Very well, then I accept your challenge!"

Was this change in her behavior because of Kallen? Or was Shirley always like this? This wasn't something the red head could answer, as she wasn't close enough to the girl to find out. But that didn't matter now; Kallens actions have already drastically affected this timeline, and whether that was for better or worse, was something that would be decided with time.

"This feels so pointless," Lelouch said while taking a spoonful of his ice cream; it was cookies n' cream in a cup.

"Don't be like that, after all, we've got a few leads," Milly responded as she licked her strawberry flavored ice cream on a cone.

"That's not what I'm talking about," the Prince stood up and threw away his empty cup into a nearby trash can, "I'm talking about the places we investigated. Look, half of these are small-time pizzeria's that would've had zero chance of having an oven big enough for us to use, and the ones that do, are big corporations. And those are almost impossible to get into contact with, except for Pizza Hut, but even then, they said they'd contact us in a few days time to 'move forward with our offer'. Which, by the way, I don't believe."

"Oh, come on, Lelouch! Have some faith, not everyone's out here to get you, y'know?" the President pleaded

"Milly, you know-"

"Lelouch, not everyone's your father, or even a part of the Britannian royal family," the blonde interrupted him in a hushed tone, making sure no one was around to hear them, "We're individuals, and I hope you know that."

"Since when did you get so wise?" Lelouch asked while walking away

"Since you started deleting footage." Milly called out just loud enough for the boy to hear her, this caused him to turn around, and stare at her with cold eyes, "I don't know what you're up to… actually, I do have some idea what you're up to… but I don't think you'll stop even if I ask you to."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Madam President," the boy feigned ignorance with a smile.

"The military's currently hounding my grandfather," there it was, the thing that had Milly in such a bad mood this morning, "They want to do an investigation of Ashford. And while they haven't said what they're investigating for, I can't help but think it has something to do with you and that man from before."

There was no point in playing dumb anymore, because now, Lelouch's rebellious activities are affecting the Ashford's, the people who were there for him and Nunally once Japan fell; there's no way he could keep Milly in the dark in good conscience, "How long have they been at it?"

"A week now." silence overcame the duo as they now sat next to each other on a bench, speaking in hushed tones, "Lelouch… have you been trying to get revenge on your father?"

"No…" he lied, "I'm just trying to get revenge for the Japanese people"

Milly clenched the hems of her skirt, and said, "So you're planning on teaming up with terrorists to do it?"

"They're not terrorist, they haven't done anything to warrant that title. They're more like… resistance fighters; keeping the peace within their ghetto by acting as a police of sorts"

"Why don't they get the real police to help them?"

"Because, Britannians very discriminate against numbers, and you know that."

The President now had a downcast look, "Listen, you and I have known each other for a long time, we even played together in the Aries Villa when I visited, so I won't tell anyone about your involvement with… resistance fighters… but I can't say the same for my family. So, if you're going to sneak around, try to be better about it."

Lelouch gave a sigh of relief internally, "Thank you, Milly."

"That's not all," surprisingly, the blonde wasn't done speaking, "Is Kallen in on it as well? You two sneak off together so much, and I originally thought you two were secretly dating, but now that I've got confirmation about your… activities; I can't help but line up the dots between you two."

"Yes, she is."

"Why?"

"I don't feel like it's my place to tell you. If you want an answer, then you should ask Kallen."

Milly sighed, "You know I can't do that."

Lelouch stood up, "Is this what's been bothering you lately?"

"Of course, do you know how stressful it is to visit my grandfather, only to meet face-to-face with several soldiers? They might be dressed well, but they still exude a tense aura… one that scares me."

"I see… you know, I originally thought you were mad about a new potential suitor," Lelouch joked, referring to how Milly's family was constantly trying to marry her off to restore their noble title that was lost after Lady Marianne's death.

"Well… there is another suitor lined up, but I can deal with him the same way I've dealt with the others." the President responded with a devious smile.

Lelouch chuckled lightly, "That's good." he then checked his phone, "If we're done here, shall we continue our search for that giant pizza oven?"

Milly smiled, this time, it was a genuine one, "Oh? So you hear a damsel in distress about to be forcefully whisked away by some brute, and you don't even offer a helping hand? You're too cruel!"

"The last thing I'd describe you as, is in distress." the boy responded, while extending his hand

The blonde took his hand, and pulled herself up, "Oh my~ such a gentleman, but I wonder what Shirley would think if she saw us now? Holding hands?"

"I don't see why Shirley would care, after all, I'm just helping a damsel stand up," Lelouch responded while retracting his hand

However, Milly wasn't letting him off the hook that easy, as she grabbed his hand, and forcefully pulled his ears to her level, "Or perhaps… it's Kallen you're worried about~"

To her surprise, this actually got a blush out of the boy, as he remembered the time Kallen shoved him into the locker in the student council room, after all, how could you just forget such a memory? "Dammit…" he thought while trying to keep a straight face.

He failed.

"Oh my god, you do like her!" Milly accused while pointing at Lelouch's red face, "Aha! I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Let's just keep moving," the Prince responded while pulling himself away from the blonde

"I wonder what she did to make you like that… though, I doubt you'll give me a straight answer… so I'll have to find out myself…"

"And how're you going to do that?"

"Oh trust me, I have my ways~" the President replied

Though, with this development, it also meant Shirley's chances of winning over the Princes heart were cut down dramatically, and Milly knew it.

Meanwhile, in the editorial department of Hi-TV studios, a certain Diethard Reid was talking to someone on the phone…

"Yes, I understand. You don't have to worry, I've got a spectacular scoop being cooked up, you just have to wait," he told the person on the phone, while looking over a folder tilted 'Prince once lost, now found, and seeking revenge'.

Diethard then hung up, and looked over the folder, "Ah, Mr. Gottwald, ever the Royal Family loyalist, and yet you can't even see a Prince when he's standing right in front of you." he thought while looking at the picture of Prince Lelouch as a kid, and Lelouch Lamprouge being hoisted up by a Knightmare hand, "Originally, the Margrave told me he'd give me an interesting story about a Britannian turning traitor, but this… this is too perfect! Honestly, to think I'd find a Prince of Britannia, and one that has turned against the royal family no less!" he then began to salivate mentally, "I need to know… why does he betray his countrymen, and work with some meager Numbers? What secrets does he hold? What stories can he tell? Lelouch Vi Britannia, I must know! NO! I NEED to know!"

He then began to laugh maniacally in his office, drawing the attention of his assistant, who entered his office meekly, "Um… sir, are you okay?"

"Oh, Diana! I'm more than okay! I just came across the story of the decade… no, century… no Millennia!" the insane journalist responded

"Um… my name's not-"

The poor girl was then cut off, "Get me information about Prince Lelouch's departure for Area Eleven! And I mean everything! I don't want a single piece of information to slip from my grasp!"

His door then shut abruptly, and the faint sounds of his assistant rushing to complete her new task could be heard in the background, then he thought, "Lelouch Vi Britannia… I will see this story to the end, even if it kills me!"

The next day, Ashford had an assembly early in the morning, gathering all the students in the auditorium at around second period, "Good Morning students," Reuben Ashford, Milly's grandfather, greeted the students, "Today, we have a special announcement, as I'm happy to announce that we're having three new teachers joining our staff. Please welcome, Lewis Wilson," a man with short white walked out, wearing a black suit, "Casmir Poole," another man with short brown hair walked out, this time, he was wearing an orange Hawaiian shirt with a floral design and dress pants, "And finally, Villetta Nu." a dark-skinned Britannian woman with light steel blue hair walked out on stage, wearing a gym sweater, and gym shorts.

Lelouch's eyes widened in realization, "So, these are the people they're sending to keep an eye on us? Looks like I'm going to have to put my plans with Naoto on hold until I can…"

"To think she'd also be a teacher in this timeline as well," Kallen thought, "This is going to be troublesome; the first chance I get, I should…"

At the same time, the woman in question stared at the red head, who stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of students, "Kallen Stadtfeld, I'll find out your secrets soon enough, and when I do, I'll…"

"Properly deal with you," the trio thought simultaneously

AN: Now that Villetta has arrived at Ashford, both Lelouch and Kallen will have to be on their toes. What this means will be revealed next chapter, but let's just say there'll be plenty of Kalulu moments to come.