Leaning back in her comfy office chair, Kaguya stretched her arms with a content noise. It was only a short break between reviews, but she felt she earned it.

Her mind took to wandering once she was no longer busy; there was little time to daydream of late, seeing how she had her own duties and took some time to tutor Nunnally once a week on top. Their daily calls were dialed back to twice a week, now that they were caught up and had little to really talk about.

At the same time, Kaguya felt that something would happen in two days' time. She had no idea what, but for once she was not worried.

The tenth of August loomed. Her fourteenth birthday.

It had been over three months since her chance meeting with Nunnally in Tokyo. A lot changed since then, yet everything remained the same. Looking back down at the paperwork still to be done only reinforced that notion.

Kaguya heaved a sigh and decided to procrastinate some more. She was hungry anyway.

After checking that she was presentable, she left her office. Head held high and shoulders squared, Kaguya made sure never to drop the faint smile on her lips. Workers and guards she passed often brightened somewhat at the sight of her, even though they all bowed their heads respectfully. She gave up trying to talk to them years ago; lifting their spirits was an acceptable second place. Nonetheless, it was also a reminder of how much she missed having a real friend.

Nobody batted an eye at her presence in the cafeteria anymore. Kaguya was more comfortable here than when sitting secluded on one of the terraces. On top of that, her coming to eat here communicated that she did not see herself as beyond the staff. She technically was, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Not that anybody really talked to her here, either.

She barely managed not to sigh. The simple truth of it was that nobody her age was here. No children or teens of any sort beside her. The divide between her and the adults slowly melted as she grew, but Kaguya remained fully aware of it. Even here she was alone in the crowd.

With nothing else to occupy her time as she ate, her thoughts wandered back to Nunnally. Even after they cut back on their chats, the other girl easily remained her most frequent social contact. She worked on catching up in her studies like a woman possessed; Nunnally often read deep into the night and practiced her spelling until her fingers cramped up. The only reason Kaguya even knew was that she pressed her friend on it after an errant comment by Nunnally's maid.

She worried about Nunnally. Yet at the same time, Kaguya knew her friend would be fine. She enjoyed a strict education herself, after all.

She also knew that she clung to Nunnally more than a little. Having her felt different than anyone else; their relationship was not one of convenience or necessity, it just... was. Moreover, it continued to be a reminder of kinder times, when they were just dumb kids who did not have to worry about anything.

Kaguya enjoyed their chats, the tutoring, even the few times they confided in each other over the months. She never celebrated as much as she did when hearing that Nunnally's sight returned, if just within her own mind.

With her meal finished, Kaguya rose wordlessly. The idle thoughts were left behind alongside her dishes, although she decided to make another detour. She still did not feel like working right now.

Her feet carried her to old man Kirihara's office, not too far from her own. The old secretary waved her through with a smile that Kaguya returned gratefully. Her soft knock an the door was answered as usual, with a strong voice.

Entering, Kaguya found her mentor in much the same state as herself earlier: sifting through reports and evaluating business proposals. His robes were light and loose, clearly chosen for comfort where her own displayed elegance.

The papers were put aside the moment he saw her. A rare, honest smile showed as well.

"Ah, Kaguya-chan. Are you procrastinating again?"

"Not at all, grandfather," she lied. "Just had an early lunch and decided to extend my break."

He was not impressed, but calling him 'grandfather' immediately softened the attempt to seem strict. They were not related, but they might as well be with how much time they spent together.

Kirihara ultimately shook his head at her. "You can call it whatever you want, it remains procrastination," he teased. "But we all need a break from time to time."

So saying, he clasped his hands and offered her his full attention. "Is there something on your mind that you want to talk about?"

Kaguya considered the question, well aware of that knowing look on his face. He had it for a while now, yet never demanded she tell whatever it was he suspected.

"There is a lot on my mind, grandfather," she settled on, then flashed him a cheeky grin. "Maybe just as much as on yours. Do we know what is going to happen with Japan now, with Prince Clovis dead?"

At first he graced her with a tired smile, but his expression turned into a frown at the end. Kaguya waited patiently while he sorted his thoughts. If anything, he looked more grave than before when he began to speak: "I received advance warning about that yesterday and meant to bring it up during next weekend's meeting. Apparently, Cornelia herself is coming."

Kaguya's breath stuttered at the news. Her pulse picked up in moments, heart running a mile a minute.

"Princess Cornelia? The Witch of Britannia?"

Kirihara nodded gravely, confirming her fears. "The one. She is to take military command to guard the new viceroy."

"And stamp out rebellion in the country," Kaguya finished for him.

The old man sighed heavily in response. "Indeed. We have a week or two at maximum before she is slated to arrive, so we need to increase our operations before laying low afterward. Zero may have bought us a window of opportunity, but now we have Britannia's full attention."

Now she felt slightly uncomfortable. Although the enigmatic masked man came up every week since his appearance a month ago, Kaguya still kept his identity secret.

"Do we have anything on him?" she asked in a bid to deflect from herself. All it earned her was a searching look, as if Kirihara knew that she knew something.

"No. He did not reappear since that stunt, though some of my contacts insist he must be planning something big."

Kaguya nodded back. She knew Lelouch depleted his small stockpile of Knightmare Frames in Shinjuku; he was currently low on options and waited for opportunities.

"I see. Do you believe Zero may be able to break some of the obstacles in our way?"

"Perhaps," he allowed thoughtfully, only to caution himself and her right after: "It is too early to say. For now we will inform the Japan Liberation Front, to ensure General Katase uses this window of opportunity before laying low. Britannia's complacency protected us thus far, but I worry that these days are about to end."

She nodded once more, though the mere thought of Cornelia's imminent arrival opened a cold pit in her stomach. Her mentor thankfully changed the subject then, perhaps having noticed her discomfort.

"But enough of that. Are you still certain you want to visit that boy?"

It took a moment for her to switch tracks, but she knew her answer well enough. "I am. Knowing he is alive, I do feel he can make a valuable contact within the Britannian system."

"We both know that's a lie, Kaguya-chan," he scolded her lightly in response. There was no actual rebuke, just like he did not call her out on it when she fed the same line to the other houses at the meeting. His expression was unreadable.

"How so?" Kaguya tried, knowing she was caught but trying to deflect anyway.

Kirihara shook his head at her, though that faint smile returned along with the motion. "You know better than most how little sway Honourary Britannians have in their society. That boy will make little of anything, yet you decide to try visit him. On your birthday of all days."

She ducked her head reflexively as he laid out her flimsy logic. Yet even now there was no rebuke. If anything, Kirihara seemed understanding.

"I am not going to stop you for as long as you are careful," he told her gently. "He is your last living relative. I do not begrudge your wanting to see him."

The kind words were unexpected, what with the general dislike of Suzaku over joining the Britannians. Kaguya had to wipe away a tear before it could smudge her makeup.

"Thank you so much, grandfather. I know I must be cautious with my position, but I just can not bear knowing where he is without reaching out."

"As is your right," he assured. Then he squinted at her under some sudden thought, putting his chin in one hand.

"Although I have to ask: do you have any intention to reinstate that betrothal?"

That confused Kaguya a little, even as she shook her head. "None at all. I may not have much choice in terms of who to wed, but my own cousin is quite low on the list of options I would pick from."

She tried her best to be matter-of-fact in her assessment, though acknowledging the lack of choice still hurt a little. Meanwhile, Kirihara huffed in response.

"In a great sense of irony, you may have been the one person to benefit from the way the subjugation came about," he said. No elaboration was given, nor did she get a chance to ask what she missed. "But rest assured, unless there is truly no other choice, you will be free to marry whomever you wish."

Kaguya barely did not cry. She really wanted to believe him, but did not dare get her hopes up.

"The venerable Munakata and Yoshino both made some comments about my being given to prominent members of the JLF as a bride. General Katase and Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh were their respective candidates."

It was a decent counterpoint in her opinion, though her mentor let out a derisive snort. The vulgarity of it surprised Kaguya, not that he cared for it. "And I will block any attempt to marry you off for as long as I live, Kaguya-chan," he told her earnestly. "You are head of Sumeragi and will remain as such until a time comes where you willingly give it up."

There was force behind the words. For just a moment she could see the man her mentor used to be; strong of will and with his head held high, no matter what. Age bent him, but experience shored up his sharp mind while his body continued to decline.

Kaguya did not really think, she just stepped forward and embraced the surprised elder. He held her tenderly, all pretenses of station thrown away for the moment.

"I am grateful to have you, grandfather," she murmured into his chest. Kirihara chuckled ever so softly before petting her head. She allowed it this once.

While she righted her hair, her mentor leaned back in his chair.

"I do think you are too worried about this," he reasoned. "Kubouin and Osakabe stayed neutral on the matter since it was first brought up. I drank with them often enough to know they don't like the prospect of making you a trophy any better than we do. Although they want you independent to maintain equality between the houses."

She arched a brow at that to mask her surprise. "You mean to say the other two aim to get more sway among our council by turning Sumeragi into their subordinate house?"

It was tantamount to betrayal of their goals to seek personal dominion. Kaguya did not even consider this angle yet, another reminder of her youth.

Kirihara gave a moment's pause as if torn on actually saying it. Then he nodded anyway.

"It is the clearest reason we see to even consider engaging you to men several times your age. Be wary, but do not fear. It will not come to pass."

She smiled in response, mood improved yet still clouded by what she learned. "I shall endeavour to follow your advice, grandfather."

By herself, Kaguya thought that she had more allies than her mentor knew. She doubted for only a moment that Nunnally would help; Kaguya wanted to believe that she would. But the type of help she could give related mostly to vanishing.

"I may just have to flee if it ever comes to this." she admitted hesitantly. Her mentor did not seem perturbed for some reason.

"Which would tear the houses apart, though it is your prerogative."

"...How so?"

"Though our number was a coincidence, I found that having six houses is quite the boon to our decisionmaking. As you know, we require a simple majority for most decisions; that means at least four houses must be in agreement at our current size, which vastly reduces the number of bad decisions we make."

He left a short pause and motioned for her as she worked through his reasoning. "If, hypothetically, Sumeragi Zaibatsu left us, then a majority only requires three to agree. Anyone with a harebrained scheme only needs to convince two others to go along with it instead of three."

It sounded so small, but Kaguya knew that a decent number of proposals had failed on that one person. "I see your point," she agreed. "Not to mention that draws are no longer possible."

The sharp discussions following a draw were one of the few things she enjoyed during council meetings.

Unaware of her personal thoughts on the matter, her mentor nodded slowly. "As head of Kirihara Industries, I have to advise you against seceding from Kyoto House," he said. Kaguya nodded sullenly, only to look up when he grasped her hand in his bony one. "But as your guardian, I understand if you do it anyway."

She could only sit there for a moment, another tear threatening to escape and ruin her makeup. She carefully wiped it off and squeezed his hand to convey her gratitude.

"I will keep that in mind. Again, thank you, grandfather."

They exchanged tender smiles between themselves. It was a great relief to know someone here was unquestionably in her corner. She knew it before, but doubt had a habit of creeping through the smallest cracks.

Now that the subject passed by, Kirihara went and asked about her studies instead. He also offered advice about anything she needed it for, company or no.

Another half hour passed before Kaguya left her mentor's office, heart a little lighter.

The next stop should be her own office, but now she felt like being naughty. And like visiting more people, at that. There was one other that she had not spoken to in a while.

Hence why Kaguya's feet carried her to the science department, Kyoto House's most well guarded secret. It took three elevator rides and two separate passwords to reach the hidden facility, quite a ways away from the mines on Mt. Fuji.

As usual, she was noticed the moment she walked in. Some of the scientists offered respectful nods or little waves, all of which Kaguya returned. Her black hair just stood out between the white of their labcoats.

The lady in charge strode out of one lab only seconds later, standing out just as much if not more. Everything about her screamed 'foreigner', from her dusky skin and light blonde hair to her facial features. Of course Kaguya knew she was Indian, and she cared about that as much as Rakshata Chawla cared about politics.

The lead scientist greeted her with a little smirk, absently twirling an unlit smoking pipe through her fingers. "Ah, young miss Sumeragi. Always a pleasure."

Kaguya bowed respectfully in response. "Good afternoon, Doctor. I hope I do not interrupt anything?"

The older woman shook her head. "You do not. I take it this is about our little project?"

"Naturally," she lied. She just liked visiting Rakshata and they both knew it. But pretenses had to be kept up, in case anyone asked. "Do you have something for me?"

She was motioned forward with the pipe and a grin. The two wandered deeper into the labs, now on their own instead of surrounded by a number of people.

"It's been a while," Rakshata mused along the way. "We're still busy refining the technology. So far we managed to remove the upper body portion and installed some of my own systems. The whole thing was based on a prototype to read nerve signal inputs I made in University, quite outdated. The next step is to reduce the weight further and make it less conspicuous."

Kaguya nodded along, well aware the older woman dumbed it down for her. "It sounds like you're making good progress," she offered in commentary as much as inquiry. Rakshata nodded.

"We do, even if it is a side project. As much as I enjoy my work, creating something not meant to kill people is a nice change of pace."

Neither of them laughed at the dry comment. Rakshata's analytical gaze strayed back to Kaguya after she said it. "But to ask for a civilian exoskeleton, specifically for the legs? I am still curious who our mystery sponsor is."

A part of Kaguya wanted to tell her, even though she knew it was a bad idea. They were alone, so now was an opportunity to do so. Still, reason prevailed in this instance; Kaguya met Rakshata's gaze calmly.

"I think you already know the kind of person who would ask for this. You don't want to know any more than that, beyond that I trust them."

The older woman seemed almost coy at that. She clearly considered to try wheedling something out of her. Kaguya drew her phone in response, both to ward her off for a moment and to pass on what she learned about Cornelia earlier. It was only a quick message that she heard a witch would come to Area 11; Rakshata clearly saw the contact named 'N', but that would not tell her much.

Nunnally replied with a number of shocked emojis and a quick thank you.

When Kaguya looked back up, Rakshata wore a knowing grin.

"Could it be you made a friend?"

Kaguya could not help but smile at being asked so bluntly. She coyly put a finger to her lips and said nothing.

Rakshata accepted her response. She led Kaguya along without another word to inspect the various projects. The exoskeleton was not ready for testing yet, but Kaguya still got a glimpse at it. Otherwise, Rakshata mainly prepared a juiced-up Sutherland chassis; not as elegant or powerful as her Guren, the crimson Knightmare still in storage for its fine tuning, but definitely beyond their Burais.

A second team was also improving the power armour designs for military use, mainly easier production. The six houses quickly recognised how pivotal those designs would be for guerilla warfare; being far less resource intensive than Knightmare Frames, they could be produced in greater numbers. They were still superior to any conventional armour, not to mention small enough for urban combat without damaging the infrastructure.

Not once did Rakshata talk down to her during the little tour. She treated Kaguya like a proper adult and always had since they met two years ago. This was the main reason Kaguya liked her. Aside from them getting along, she was also one of the few other women in a leading position.

And going by the fact Rakshata never shooed her away, to the point she wore a faint smile when Kaguya did take her leave, the feeling was mutual.

With her social visit over, Kaguya finally got back to work. It was about as boring as expected.

After whiling away a few hours, she called it a day. It would certainly repeat, although Kaguya eagerly anticipated her birthday for now.

That particular day started sunny, for which she was grateful. Half a load of work in the morning was followed by a drive to Tokyo; dropping in on Nunnally was tempting, but her friend had school. Instead they made their way to the military compound she learned Suzaku was stationed at.

Kaguya made certain to clear this excursion with the acting viceroy weeks in advance. She got a signed and stamped letter with the imperial seal to ensure there would be no funny business. Money changed hands as a matter of course, but that was a small price to pay for this.

Nonetheless, she felt unsafe the moment she stepped out of the car. Many eyes were on her. A decent number of them were Honouraries, but not all. She barely stopped herself from clutching her taser, unwilling to give anyone even a hint of an excuse.

The guards at the entrance sized her up with something close to neutrality. They were all Honouraries, which was a bit of a relief. They did not like her, but Kaguya doubted they would attack her. In fact, they were taken aback a little when offered a polite bow. Kaguya made it a quick one so the Britannians did not suspect any 'Eleven business' or anything like that.

"Good afternoon," she greeted kindly. "I have come to visit Warrant Officer Kururugi. Here is my permit."

She handed the letter to the guard, who scanned it curiously. The motion cut off once he glimpsed the official seal at the bottom. A nod was given.

"This seems to be in order. Your name, miss?"

"Kaguya Sumeragi."

The second soldier at the computer paused alongside his companion. It was almost imperceptible, but she noticed. The slightly wary looks, the mixed feelings, they were the same here as everywhere else. People knew her name and the betrayal it stood for, even if they did not know her face.

Yet despite her worries, the two did their job and let her inside with a little visitor's badge.

"Kururugi is in hangar C, down that way," the first soldier explained. Kaguya nodded her understanding.

"Thank you, sir. Have a good day."

She got no response and moved along. The pair of gazes boring into her back gave her goosebumps, but Kaguya bore it stoically. She was a little surprised to not be escorted, but this could be anything from negligence to a sense of superiority.

Regardless, Kaguya kept her head down and hoped not to encounter any Britannian soldiers along the way. She was lucky enough that the one who did cross her path was busy carrying stuff around; all he did was scoff at her presence.

Surreptive glances were cast around, taking in as much of the layout as possible. Kaguya may be here on private business, but she knew to use the opportunity. Even a partial map of the compound's layout could be valuable for the Japan Liberation Front. Then again, attacking the Britannian army at their bases might be too much for even the JLF.

She put the thought aside with a reminder that she was not going to see anything they did not already have. It only distracted her from finding the way and dodging anyone who could make trouble.

The uncertainty made her minute-long walk feel like hours. Every unexpected sound made the hairs on her neck stand up. Kaguya was used to feeling this way whenever she went out, though; she tried her best not to let it show in remembrance of her lessons. People were more incentivised to push if they sensed weakness or fear.

Then she entered a large hall filled with heavy clanking and other machine noise. Hangar C.

Looking around, Kaguya spotted a number of Knightmare Frames in various states of assembly. All were Sutherlands, with not a single of the older Glasgow models in sight. It appeared like the engineers were exchanging damaged parts. They were so busy that they paid her no mind at all, if they even noticed her.

Kaguya began walking down the vast hangar, hoping to just spot Suzaku. She had little luck at first, but was unwilling to risk asking for directions. That would alert people to her presence after all.

She also knew that she should look at the Knightmares to maybe bring back some insight, but that would draw even more attention.

What she did notice in this place was curious, though. The workers and engineers were predominantly Britannian, with a handful of Japanese mixed in. Yet where one would assume the latter to be exploited mercilessly, they seemed to be quietly accepted. Everyone did their part, the line between their nationalities all but gone.

At the same time, Kaguya figured that if something did go wrong, the Japanese would be the first to be blamed. She quietly wondered how this cooperation came to be.

"Excuse me?" a female voice disrupted her musings. "Are you lost, miss?"

She startled upon being spoken to, head snapping aside. A blunette in uniform stood almost right next to her. Kaguya relaxed slightly upon realising she was confronted by a woman, then a little more upon spotting the friendly smile she bore. There were signs of wariness as well, but she could live with that.

Turning back to acting demure, Kaguya nodded. "O-Oh, yes. I am sorry to waste your time, miss. I was told Warrant Officer Kururugi is stationed around here?"

The older woman blinked owlishly at that. Her clear surprise was replaced by a more honest smile rather quick, though.

"Oh, you're here for Suzaku? I had no idea he had a visitor coming. Right this way!"

She led the way without another word. Kaguya hurried to keep up with her longer stride, once again wondering what they fed these Britannian women. How did they all grow this tall?

What came out of her mouth had nothing to do with that, though. She responded softly to the other woman: "I thought someone would call ahead on it, but I guess this works as well. It makes for a nice surprise."

She hummed in agreement, then glanced back at Kaguya with a more measured look. "It does, this is the first time he gets any visitors. How do you know him, if I may ask? He doesn't really talk much about his life. A girlfriend, perhaps?"

Kaguya was not quite sure where this was going. She decided to repay the kindness of showing her the way regardless and explained a little: "We are cousins. I did not even know he was alive until, well, recently."

The blunette had relaxed somewhat, but the last bit drew a sad sigh from her. "Ah, that. I see now. At least we can be glad that Suzaku was found innocent."

She used his first name again. Kaguya kept having to remind herself that this was just what Britannians did. At the same time she wondered how close this lady was with Suzaku. She did not ask, that would be rude at the moment. Not that she needed to.

"Oh, but where are my manners? I am Cecile, assistant of Dr. Asplund and member of the Camelot Institute. Suzaku was transferred to us a few weeks ago to assist in engineering tasks."

So a coworker, maybe a superior. Probably a superior. Kaguya remained a little wary, but she played along as they entered a separate hall. Only a single machine was here, covered by a large tarp.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Kaguya."

The older woman gave her a kind smile, then bid her to wait a moment.

"Suzaku, there is a visitor for you!" she called ahead.

And an unfamiliar voice answered from a nearby office, clearly surprised: "Really? Who is it?"

It made sense in a way; Kaguya had not heard her cousin's voice since they were children. This was not the squeaky voice of a boy. This was the pleasant baritone of a man.

Cecile smirked, unaware of her musings. "Why," she chirped back, "a sweet young lady came all the way here to see you."

No response came at that. Kaguya stood there awkwardly, only getting a grip once she spotted Suzaku appearing from the office. He was clearly confused at first, then outright dumbfounded upon actually spotting her.

"Err, Kaguya? What are you doing here?"

She quickly clutched both hands behind her back to feign nonchalance. It felt nostalgic strolling up to him like that, she could not help but tease a little.

"My, how rude. We haven't seen each other in years and this is what you say to me?"

Her faux upset had Suzaku almost swallow his tongue in his haste to apologise. It was kind of cute, completely unlike the rude brat he used to be. Cecile snickered in the background, but left them be. So Kaguya dropped the prim and proper act to give Suzaku a quick hug.

"You could have at least let me know you're alright, you know?" she scolded next. "I had to learn you're alive from the news recently."

Suzaku winced in response, as he should. "I'm sorry," he said, not even really defending himself. "I didn't think anyone would want to hear from me."

"Which is why I am not mad at you. I understand," she told him kindly. And she meant it. Kaguya was not fighting for Japan's enemies directly, but she was little better in the public eye.

He seemed pained for some reason however, giving her this subdued look.

"You shouldn't be here."

She knew. Even now Kaguya barely felt any safer than earlier. But at this point she came too far to just turn around; not to mention that this was a great chance to tease, if nothing else. Hence why she cocked her hips and pressed a hand into them, radiating disbelief.

"Are you serious? I come all the way here to see you, on my birthday no less, and you want to tell me to just leave?"

The effect was immediate. Suzaku stumbled over his words again and apologised. Bullying him like this was mean, she knew, but it was also fun. Perhaps too much fun, she realised.

"My, that can not do," Cecile joined in next, sidling up next to them with her hands clasped cheerfully. "You really need to learn how to treat a girl, Suzaku."

But before this could deteriorate, another voice cut them off. A male one, coming from the same office Suzaku was in earlier.

"Finally! Ready up everyone, we can do the next set of tests!"

All three looked that way, where an auburn-haired man in a white labcoat strolled out. Kaguya knew the look well enough to tell the scientist, the spectacles only emphasized it. This was most likely Cecile's superior.

He made a curious noise upon seeing Kaguya in turn, though she spotted not a shred of aggression or the like. "Now who do we have here?" he asked airily, which prompted Suzaku to jump in and make introductions.

"Right! Mr. Lloyd, meet my cousin Kaguya Sumeragi. Kaguya, this is my boss Lloyd. He insists we call him that."

The way he did not seem to care one whit about Suzaku being casual intrigued Kaguya. For his part, Lloyd appeared more and less interested at the same time.

"Oh my. Sumeragi, you say?"

He peered closer at her then. There was something clinical to his gaze, but Kaguya still tensed up on reflex. She expected something bad to happen, only barely not shying away.

That was, until Cecile bapped Lloyd's side and hissed at him: "Stop staring at her already!"

Her admonishment did not faze Lloyd, who tapped his chin in thought. "You are younger than you look, are you not?" he asked Kaguya, completely ignoring his assistant.

She stared back in confusion, wary about what she should tell him. Knowing that Suzaku would tell him at least this much anyway, she nodded slowly. She had been mistaken for an adult a few times before.

"I turned fourteen today, sir."

Lloyd's brow rose for just a moment, but then he clapped his hands with a grin. "My, congratulations! And to be head of a business giant at such a tender age, too!"

Kaguya froze up a little, an action Suzaku mirrored. This man knew, but neither of them told him. The pang of hurt at the reminder of her parents' death did not even compare to the icy fear of Lloyd knowing how valuable she was.

Yet contrary to her expectations, he seemed utterly disinterested in doing anything with that knowledge. In fact, he started walking away, talking to himself as much as her: "Is it not curious how some parts of your society resemble ours, even though those terrorists always claim we are completely separate?"

Suzaku made the confused noise Kaguya did not dare utter, prompting Lloyd to glance back with another grin. "Aren't you just the same as a Britannian noblewoman? Bred to excel and trained to lead from the cradle?"

Kaguya grit her teeth at the comparison. She did not like it, even less so because she could see his point. She tried to find a good counter, but Cecile cut off any potential argument with another bap to Lloyd's side.

"And that's enough of that. Those tests you wanted can wait an hour or two. Let's give those two some space to catch up."

"B-But then we will fall behind schedule! I wanted to-"

"Lloyd."

"...fine."

And then she watched as a pouting adult man was firmly led away. She wordlessly stared at Suzaku, pointing after the pair. He shrugged in resposne.

"They're always like that, kind of," her cousin admitted, then heaved a sigh. "And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. This here just isn't a place you should be and I stand by that."

This time she agreed with a wordless nod. Yet Kaguya braved this place anyway, so she would make the most of that. "So how about you make being here worth my while? Tell me how things are. Is work okay? What do you do in your free time?"

His chuckles were a pleasant sound, she found. Suzaku led her over to a small table in the corner and started fielding her questions once they sat down: "I can't complain, really. Being with Camelot means I'm not in the infantry anymore. It helped my standing with the other troopers, too."

After saying that however, he paused and made a face. Then, after a quick glance to where his superiors vanished, he leaned in closer.

"I was there in Shinjuku, you know?"

She figured from the allegations about Prince Clovis, but having it confirmed made her feel a little weary. Still she nodded, unwilling to let it show.

"How bad was it?"

"Really bad."

He seemed to want to say more, but stopped with another look at Kaguya. Perhaps some of her feelings shone through after all, or maybe he just wanted to spare her the gruesome details. Him holding back peeved Kaguya a little, but she also accepted that she probably did not want to know.

"But Zero brought a stop to it," she said instead.

Suzaku grimaced immediately. "He did, but at what cost?"

It felt like a betrayal, especially when she knew who was under the mask. But at the same time Kaguya could not disagree; not when she knew Cornelia was inbound. So she inclined her head again while Suzaku rubbed his in thought.

"Either way, seeing what happened there rattled something in me. I spent the last few years just... going through the motions, hoping to stumble on an opportunity. After Shinjuku, I started to spend more time with the other troopers. The Honouraries and whatever Britannians don't mind me."

Kaguya's brow arched delicately in response. The way he said it sounded a little familiar, but she could not quite put her finger on why. The last bit was intriguing, too. "There are Britannians like that?"

Suzaku nodded, showing a little smile. "A few. More now than at first. I don't think they see me as an equal yet, but I feel they will come around sooner or later. There's definitely more of them talking to me by now."

"And for what purpose?" she inquired, genuinely curious now. "You mentioned waiting for an opportunity?"

The look she got in response carried a surprising amount of conviction. It was completely unlike anything she saw from him so far. Suzaku's words were just as serious: "I want to rise through the ranks and change Britannia from the inside. Improve relations by tearing down the prejudice and racism internally."

This was a surprising turn of events. For just a moment she thought he was joking, but the severity in his tone told her otherwise. He was too serious to have her on.

Kaguya doubted it was even possible, but did not dare say it. Instead she ventured more carefully: "That does not sound like an easy task."

"It's not, but I have to at least try."

So despite everything, she realised, he went about making things better in his own way. Kaguya still did not see it working. But at the same time, she did not come here to exchange plans. They could argue those things some other time.

"Then I wish you the best of luck. Now please tell me about something less daunting. Any girls in your personal life?"

Her little tease made the poor boy flush a little, so Kaguya decided to keep going in that direction for a while. It certainly drove the more serious subjects from their minds.

Overall, she enjoyed the afternoon a great deal. Suzaku was good company and mellowed out a lot over the years. He even acted the gentleman, escorting her back to the entrance once it became time to leave.

Kaguya then proceeded to cap off her birthday with a visit to Nunnally. Lelouch baked her a cake too, which completely blindsided Kaguya.

She never had a birthday as good as this one.