I really wish that I could write something else than the time it took me. But well, that is largely due to my job. We all get busy but one can't say that I didn't leave you without nothing. Two chapters in January. I hope that you all enjoyed them.
This was normally meant for Mayn, but with all the crazy stuff that I had to go through and the fact that this chapter is going to be a big one, I decided to postpone it until June so this could receive my undivided attention.
And with the chapter of "Issei's Adventure" done, I can fully focus on this fic.
This was done the Tuesday when I was home from Rock Am Ring and the week before I went to Graspop, which equates to being home for a bit more than a week.
I did take my laptop along when I went to Rock Werchter and wrote on the train ride to the place. I also stayed over in a hotel. The biggest reason to finish this chapter and the other one that I normally had planned for June
But well, bad weather and all, are throwing issues around. Some planning to do and things to go around. I don't think that I'll be taking my laptop along for that matter, just for the bad weather and all.
Started on 11/06/2024
Ended on 04/07/2024
Openings song. Five Finger Death Punch. When the seasons change
"Talking"
'Thinking'
[Telepathic conversation]
[Phone call]
Sitting behind his computers, Aiden was enjoying his time off on his pipe. The ideas that he had been working out since the disaster in Kyoto were now ready to implement.
Creeping into the servers, all in quiet, and seeing all that the ISA had to offer, it was a goldmine. But he had his orders.
Throw the ISA in a loop, get some extra damage, and allow other troops to take over.
'Why the fuck do I bother? I can do so much more.' The information that he had access to, could cripple the entire Infinite Stratos world. But then again, it wasn't his call. He only was to do what he was told.
When his smirk turned wicked, he began to muse.
'Either way, this mission ends. It's going to make Chifuyu answer some inconvenient truths. If this works, we are masters of the world. If it fails, I'm rid of quite a few fucking rejects.'
His head turned to see them dormant.
'Then again. I wished that we left it buried. Nothing good came from that fucking project.' A shiver crawled up his spine.
'I really wonder where you came from. And why we never found more of you.'
Then he pulled a mic down, attached to his headset.
[Squall, you ready to send the lambs in?]
There was a scoff from the other side.
[The what?] The only sane person in his team asked, with a hint of anger.
[What else are they? Lambs for the slaughter.] Squall couldn't fault him.
[You don't seem to be upbeat about this mission. Never mind. Let's hit them and show the ISA who they messed with.]
Aiden sighed as he was happy enough that he could stay behind on his computer to work on the mess. When a creepy giggle escaped behind him, his muscles tensed and his eyebrows twitched.
[Well, it won't start for thirty minutes. I got something to take care of.]
Hansel and Gretel gulped as he got up. Cracking his knuckles, the tech wizard was about to leave a bloody impression. They were better to shut up.
[Long as you are back when I need you. We are getting in closer.]
Aiden could sit back. The only thing they needed was to cover the tracks of three people. The rest of them were disposable trash. Frankly, it was better for everyone, including himself, if those rejects died.
Scene skip
Ichika and Madoka were making their way to the Kuramochi Research Laboratory. The directions had been a bit tricky but it wasn't without an issue.
If it hadn't come from their beloved sister, they would have refused this entire mission at all. Madoka had been fiercely protective of Dan, ever since the incident happened.
Did the upcoming technical wizard need his super cute girlfriend to support him everywhere he went?
It wasn't needed anymore since Itsuka declared him healthy.
Did that stop the two from doing that? Not exactly. Madoka loved taking care of Dan and supporting him whenever he walked, was a way for public affection without getting scolded.
Chifuyu would be making remarks but she had found little to no problems with the way how they acted.
Until it came to getting their units checked.
Chifuyu had mentioned it wasn't even her own idea. The orders came from higher above hers.
The Brunhilde didn't like it one bit either but there was nothing that could be done.
"Let's hope that this works out." Madoka just watched her brother put the phone away which they used to find the lab.
"You feel it as well, don't you?" Ichika asked his little sister to which she nodded. The look she gave him, was one of apprehension and fear.
"Something is going to happen today. And we won't be there to help them." Madoka wasn't hiding the fear.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, the Knight pulled the Sniper close.
"I'm here. And the others have each other. They're strong. They'll pull through." Together, they walked through the place. Their eyes were flickering around the place as they were looking for threats.
It was darker than outside so they didn't move until their eyes were accustomed to the darkness. The place was clearly well fit out, with many contraptions. Both of them were reminded of the year in Tabane's lab.
There was a spot where they could store their units and cables connected to the PC. Walking through the place, Ichika was the first as Madoka guarded his back.
"Anyone here?" Ichika called out as a shadow came on his right flank. Madoka spotted it first which caused Ichika to obey the order and pull to the right.
The twins were greeted by a beautiful woman, around the age of Mattheus. Her curly hair was turquoise, and her eyes were hidden beneath a few swimming goggles. The navy IS suit was not hiding the fact that she had a killer body beneath that outfit. The stockings were in the same color as her suit.
Her breasts were around the size of Tabane or even bigger.
The smile made Ichika's skin crawl before she disappeared between the machines, making Ichika's head swivel around.
"Hey there, pretty boy! Want to go to my room and have some fun?!" The question came right from behind him. Before she could do something, she had to dodge a kick of Madoka who growled and stood protectively between her older brother and the new woman.
"Strong kick, good moves, young lady!" Madoka glared back at her, which made Ichika crack his knuckles.
"Want to test out my form?" The question left a lingering threat, which paused the woman.
She had seen that look one too many times.
"I don't have to ask. You are the only set of twins around these parts. You are the Orimura siblings, right?" The scientist went to remove her goggles, revealing a pair of heavenly blue eyes.
"I'm Kagaribi Hikaruno. I'm the head of Kuramochi's second lab."
Madoka felt something off about her as she continued to glare at her.
[Wonder who she fucked to get to that position?]
Ichika sent his answer back to his sister.
[I really wouldn't like to answer that question.]
The twins relaxed for a bit as the woman found that they were already hostile.
"You two can let your guard down. I am here to check on your machines. From what I heard from your sister, it is going to be a doozy."
[Second note. Ask Chifuyu-nee how she knows this chick.]
Scene skip
The day was peaceful and quiet. Mattheus and Natasha were seated in the cafeteria, with the Hunter on his lover's lap as they enjoyed each other's presence.
"I really think you should grow your hair out."
The Hunter shrugged at the suggestion, a disarming grin spreading across his face. "Been trying that for years. Can't. It grows upwards." Before anything else could be said, the lights flickered.
Mattheus looked up, confused. "Did you see that?"
Natasha nodded, her brow furrowing. "Yeah, weird."
Suddenly, the shutters began to close, and the lights dimmed to darkness. "Not good." Mattheus veered up from his seat. He wanted to say something else before the building shook violently, knocking him to the ground.
"What the?" The male pilot fell as the building quaked. A notification flashed on his device: [The ISA is under attack. We have been hacked and forces are invading. I need a few people gathered around to fight back and defend against our invaders.]
The voice of Chifuyu spoke through the device.
Mattheus cursed, rising to his feet. This was not looking good. Their units were now out for a longer time. That couldn't be a coincidence. 'I should have killed her when I had the chance,' the Hunter thought before they started to run.
It hadn't taken long for every Pilot with Personal Units to gather in the underground special block. Inside the facility, the pilots gathered around a few pods. Houki, Rin, Cecilia, Charlotte, Laura, Djbril, and Airis were on the inside of the machines.
"Allow me to explain the situation." The girls had assumed Chifuyu would be in charge but found Itsuka in her stead.
"Yukimura-sensei? What are you doing here? Where is Orimura-sensei?" Cecilia asked, echoing everyone's thoughts.
Itsuka oversaw the operation with Joel and Kanzashi behind the computer, with Dan and Chelsea on a separate desk, with the apprentice engineer with a headset on. His eyes were focused on moving dots on a screen.
"We are under attack, in more ways than one. Besides the downed systems, we are also dealing with an invasion. Hostile forces have infiltrated the ISA. We can't afford to wait for orders. Don't worry about the ones fighting. Let us worry about them."
Mattheus and Natasha came barreling through the place. "Right on track, Fairs-sensei. There is one assignment for you. We need you here to stay safe and keep watch over our younger pilots. You won't be alone on that."
Natasha cursed inwardly as she found Chelsea in the same room. The maid didn't acknowledge her presence but just waved over to Mattheus. The attempts were in vain as the Hunter had his focus on the doctor.
"Adjzof, I assume you've felt the force. Countermeasures are deployed against hostile forces. Orimura-sensei and the elder Sarashiki are part of that. You are going to be another fighter. You are also going to be getting a spotter for this."
Chelsea veered up as she joined the two. Mattheus raised an eyebrow on the SIG 716. Why was she carrying that around?
"Looking forward to working with you, Mattheus." The Hunter cursed in his mind and his head turned to find Natasha glowering. She wanted nothing more than to fight with Mattheus or be the one assigned to him to fight.
"I am running comms between the fighters. Joel managed to restore local communication but the rest is out." Dan shoved his headset down and offered the Hunter and the maid a pair of their own.
There was gratefulness as it sat nicely around the ears and from the talking, it would be a perfect way for them all to be in contact with a main base.
The male pilot found himself with an issue.
"With all due respect, Yukimura-sensei, to fight, I'll need a rifle for that." Joel turned around from his seat, his ten-watt grin visible to all. Mattheus had always liked it when Joel grinned like that. It meant he had something special cooked up.
"I got you covered, Mattheus. See that big suitcase over there?"
Mattheus knelt down and quickly unlocked the case. His mouth dropped open as he beheld the behemoth of a rifle.
"Snipex Alligator. I've been thinking of something more high-tech. I had hoped I could have matched this bad boy. You like it?"
Lifting the rifle, the Hunter felt something new and special in its design. "Papa likes. Where do we need to go, Yukimura-sensei?" As if he had a new toy for Christmas, which he was dying to test out.
"There are hallways covered by Orimura-sensei. You can go in other directions. Blackett, I believe that you have also been trained as a sniper."
Chelsea nodded to the question.
"As Pilot, yes. But I believe that this weapon is for Mattheus-sama." The doctor's chuckle was of a high-class gentleman, which caused Mattheus's eyes to narrow and for Itsuka to rethink the fact that the guy who had an anti-anything rifle was not the guy you wanted to piss off.
"He'll need a spotter for this. Among other things." There was something undeniably sexy about a maid who brandished a rifle.
Natasha couldn't deny that she rocked that look and she vowed that she would take Mattheus along for a nice shooting match.
"Rules of engagement?" Mattheus asked, bringing the subject back to the fighting.
"You have permission to kill. That's another reason why you were chosen as a countermeasure." Mattheus didn't bother fighting those claims. He was ready to put his new weapon to good use.
"Aight, I'll be off. Send me the locations, would you please?"
The Hunter got the weapon strapped to his back as he hoisted an ammo vest on his shoulders. The bullets weighed on him.
14,5 x 114 mm bullets, a whopping 57 caliber bullet. It was one of the most used bullets in Infinite Stratos weapons.
Firing one from a "conventional" weapon would be a thrill for the Hunter, especially in such a high-tech weapon as a Snipex Alligator.
Despite the weight of the weapon, he ran off to his fighting location. Chelsea trailed off right behind him as her heels clanged behind him.
Cecilia couldn't bear to be worried about her maid. She could only hope that Mattheus would bring her back, intact and alive.
"Now, for you, young ladies. We have our own mission. Due to our own countermeasures, the armored shutters set in and hallways have been closed off. Our invaders have gone through from the basement which is where our fighters are to hold them off. But I am getting off track."
The doctor took a deep breath. He didn't have to think about the absurdity of the situation. He just had to lay out the mission for the girls.
"Shinonono, Huang, Alcott, Bodewig, Dunois, Highness, Emulail. You're to enter the access room and execute a cyber-dive into the ISA core network. Sarashiki, Pearce, and myself are here to back you up."
That took them for a loop as they began to think back on what they had heard before.
"Cyber Dive?" The girls all spoke out in shock as they heard that news. It made them shudder when they thought about that.
Itsuka picked up from that.
"Yes. You should know by now that it was theoretically possible for an IS pilot to virtually enter cyberspace by means of their neural bypass. That wasn't just a theory. Doing so is banned under the terms of the Alaska Treaty, but the current situation falls under the exceptions laid out in Article 4."
Even hearing that information from Itsuka didn't stop the girls from the fear.
"Dive into the system?" Cecilia felt a bit faint from hearing that news.
"That is going to be dangerous," Rin added as she shared a look with the Brit.
Laura followed up, her arms crossed and her mind already set.
"So we'll have to bypass the IS's pilot nervous system protection and infiltrate the network as our virtual selves?"
Charlotte clenched her hands together and looked at her best friend. Just like the other girls, she was getting worried.
"I know it's theoretically possible but…"
Before any could react to that, Djbril was ready to fire off on the doctor.
"Have you lost your mind? You can't possibly suggest that the princess would partake in such a risky endeavor?"
Joel spoke for Itsuka and for once, the older man was happy that he did. It made things easier and less of a problem on his end.
"Orders came from Orimura-sensei. Not the best idea to go against her. Frankly, this idea is moronic in its conception but it's the fastest way to get the system on track. Sides, this place is the safest place to be in the entire academy. We are locked behind walls and Mattheus is the closest to us."
For the adults, it was reassuring to know that the Hunter would be out there. Itsuka had found that the right man in the right place was completely evident now.
"The mission will commence. There are locker rooms for you to change in your suits. Then get ready. Pearce, you and Sarashiki are meant to protect them. Gotanda, Blackett, you are meant for additional support and try to get communications going between here and those in the field."
"Yes, sir!"
Dan really had his work cut out for him as his eyes were shifting around. Joel had been a relentless teacher and now, it was paying off dividends.
Although, he wished that Madoka was around. Having her, watch his back, would have been much more reassuring.
Scene skip
Chifuyu had never hoped she would have to put her hair up in a ponytail. It had been a long time since she ever had to do that.
The black body suit was that of a ninja and on her body hung six sheathed IS blades, each filed down to the narrow profile of a katana.
Strangely, she resembled a modern samurai. The braided cord was used to tie off the ponytail.
'You'll be wearing this suit one day, Madoka. I can't hold that off forever.'
Then the doors opened and Chifuyu stood ready to march out. The countermeasures had been trying to hold back the invaders but whatever was coming through had a death wish.
Scene skip
Tatenashi had found another corridor where she waited. The orders she received, were on the fly as she was in the Student Council room.
The second year could only wait until their unwanted visitors would come around. It would be a hell of a party.
When her own notifications went off, she just had a vicious smile.
"About time they would show up." Smoke came through which made just her smirk. She could pick up where her foe was coming from.
She hadn't forgotten about the order that she received. Lethal force would be the standard procedure.
Only later, would Tatenashi Sarashiki ask why Chifuyu had given her such a drastic order.
Scene skip
"You two really got banged up units. Even with the repairs you have received, it is closer to band-aids being slapped on." They couldn't fault Hikaruno for her comments as it was the truth.
"We have been using them as fighting machines. But the last few weeks have been rocky." Madoka admitted as she and Ichika looked over at the scientist.
"It'll be faster if I can do the maintenance here." That was news they really didn't like but so far, they couldn't protest the request.
"How long are our unit going to be out?" Madoka asked, hoping that it would be anything else than just a few minutes. Unfortunately, fate decided to play a cruel hand at them.
"Of course, it will! There is quite a lot of data to shift through from both of you. It'll take at least an entire night. You can stay here to take it easy." The twins felt even more faint with that news.
Spending a night away and they hadn't heard from their friends.
[That can't be good.] Ichika spoke to his sister as he was getting worried.
[Unless we are absolutely certain that there is bad news, we can't refuse that.] Madoka shot back which made the girl of the two nod.
"If you are adamant, fine, we can wait."
Hikaruno went back and grabbed a rod for Ichika.
"You can go fishing in the meantime. There are loads of fish in the river nearby." Madoka didn't ask why she didn't get a rod. Ichika had tried to get to fish when he grew up but she didn't have anywhere near the patience for it.
An ironic fact now both had time to realize it as she had been fighting as a sniper, where patience was just the name of the game.
"You can dig up some bait yourself." The woman's smile gave both of them shivers.
"Alright. We'll be off." The twins walked out the door as Ichika kept it open for his sister.
[What is the chance she wanted to bang me?] Ichika mentally sent that message to his sister. It wasn't something to be affronted. It was nice to know that you were sexy.
[I wonder what stopped her from trying. Something tells me that she isn't exactly picky on what she drags to her bed.] Madoka sent her answer back to her brother.
Sitting outside, they tried to ignore the funny feeling in their bodies as they watched the bobbing on the water. The worries from the school were getting further away as they enjoyed the scent of the water and the sound of the wind, coming through.
It allowed the twins to take some time off. Madoka wasn't interested in watching the rod. It would only drive her brother insane if she did. A tick that both had gotten when they were children. So instead, she sat around and pressed her back against Ichika's.
Leaning in the warmth, the twins felt like the last ten years hadn't happened. Reverting back when they were children.
Madoka just looked around the place as she listened to the songs of the birds and the buzzing of the bugs.
Ichika was now focused on the rod but in his mind, he was just elsewhere.
"Can't believe how much I missed this." Madoka was the first to say what was on their mind.
"When things are normal, you and I are going out somewhere. Just the two of us." Ichika had always liked to spend time with others but it had been too long since he and Madoka were somewhere else.
"That would give enough grounds to rumors." The Sniper chuckled which made the Knight bristle.
"And ask me if I care. I missed this as well." Ichika shot back which gave Madoka a laugh. She was joined by a laugh.
It took a few moments before both were done chuckling.
"Ichi-nii." His silence was a confirmation that she could continue. Nuzzling in closer, she spoke words that were all too true.
"I love you."
"Love you too, little sis."
Scene skip
Changing when under stress, wasn't a comfortable experience but it hadn't taken long before all stood ready to enter the Virtual Cores. They had to sit down on the chairs that were placed.
"To gain access to the core network, I'll need you to set them to software priority. Me and Sarashiki are going to guide you through that."
The girls nodded as they heard the voice of Pearce. Itsuka felt that it was best to let him take charge of that.
The doctor turned his attention to Dan
"Any luck to?" The young man gave a thumbs-up.
"So far, none of our fighters have run into anything dangerous yet. But it's not going to stay like that."
It caused Itsuka to shut up and the girls to focus on their mission.
"Lay down on the beds. Things should work out to send you there."
It was like they were loaded in the system as they saw the timer hit zero.
They had tried to close their eyes as they were transported through the light and their bodies found themselves in a void. Stars were shining and there was no telling what was up or down. Gravity proved to be a concept that still existed though.
"What is this?" Houki asked as they all saw doors in them.
"Are we supposed to go in?" Rin followed up with her.
They were beyond grateful that communication still seemed to be running. Somewhere, they could go back to.
"Most likely, yes. I am not too sure about the signal when you go ahead. Be careful. I'll try to go on each of you but with seven to worry about, that is not going to make things easy on my end."
Houki had chosen a role that suited them well.
"Roger."
The doors opened as they walked through them. Immediately, they closed behind them. Like a snare that struck the rabbit, there was a voice.
"Let the world Purge Commence." A male voice echoed over the place as Aiden looked in.µ
Scene skip
Tatenashi had been slipping through the cracks, looking for her prey. An active predator, who had smelled blood in the water.
Out on the prowl, she found that there were hostiles entering her peripheral. Those stealth suites were a cute touch but nothing that could hide from Tatenashi.
"Already entering our house? Wondering how you are doing this."
The group that came through, was not what she had expected. Instead of grown men, trained by the toughest environments in the world, she found herself, looking at youngsters, who were armed with fully automatic assault rifles.
The fan opened up with the words of welcome written in. Although, that smile promised no warm welcome but an iron fist.
"Either you are watching us or you work well with the one responsible for this lockdown?"
Normally, a girl in a bathing suit would be outmatched by those armed with fully automatic assault rifles.
But for Tatenashi, that was the furthest thing from the truth.
The bullets were stopped in front of her, like an invisible shield, cut them off.
"Well, too bad for you. That is my Active Inertial Canceler." The caliber of the weapons wouldn't be enough to harm her.
Then she clicked her fingers as her grin turned even more feral.
"And boom goes the dynamite." The explosion tore through the hall, shaking the building.
The fire that clung to the suits, was undoing the extremely expensive and high-tech cloaks, leaving just behind the young assailants. Tatenashi really wondered who they could have been as they tried to recover from those attacks.
"So, how did you like my Clear Passion?" The woman began to grin at her foes, showing off as if she was the villain of this story.
"I just love things like this."
Scene skip
Mattheus and Chelsea had found their way to their location. It appeared that they hadn't forgotten to deliver them suits either. That would be on their location.
Dark blue, which was too fitting for the situation they were in. As the ninjas from eons ago. It helped to hide in the shadows.
Being unnoticed would be the best course of action if they wanted to keep their position hidden.
The Hunter set out his big fucking rifle while Chelsea made sure that the scope attached to her own rifle was ready and able to fire.
When that task was done, the redheaded Brit had a pair of binoculars out as she scanned the environment.
Mattheus had to admit. The Sniper Alligator was a thing of beauty.
Setting the bipod down, Mattheus found that the barrel and the giant suppressor were just adding to the length.
But they couldn't do without it.
A 14,5 by 114 mm bullet was by no doubt an incredibly loud bang, deafening enough so that suppressor was no unnecessary luxury.
Mattheus laid down next to the rifle as the butt rested on his right shoulder, with a piece even on the ground.
"See anything?" Mattheus' question hung in the air for a bit until Chelsea answered.
"I can't see any foes, yet." The assault rifle lay next to her, although, with the ranges that Mattheus could use the rifle, it was more a last measure and not the logical conclusion.
"Switch to heat vision. Joel should have that built in. There should be a button on."
It was funny that Chelsea had found that out, faster than he could say that and she was all the more grateful for the invention.
"Remind me to kiss that boy when we get back. He really is one genius of a child."
Mattheus chuckled when he heard that promise.
"Don't try. It won't end well. And don't call him a genius." Switching his scope to thermal vision as well, Mattheus began to see movement.
"It looks like we have guests. You see em as well?"
Chelsea had her binoculars out and she found herself seeing the same.
"Advanced cloaking device. Whoever they are, they won't cut corners." The Hunter kept his comments to himself. No one would send forces to the ISA unless they were on a suicide mission.
Joel had given him crash courses on sniping and now, Mattheus believed that Chelsea would do the same.
There was no doubt she had seen some training.
"Distance?"
"At this point, they are 1,8 clicks from our location. Moving in fast."
"You think they see us?"
"Negative. If they did, they would have moved. Place is dark. Works better for us."
"You see what weapons they have."
"Negative. Most likely, assault rifles. Their range can't match yours." Mattheus knew that squads like these would have some designated marksmen. They formed parts of the support that was required from modern armies.
"We are not testing that out. How many do you see?"
"At this point, over a dozen." Mattheus cursed inwardly. They were only five rounds before he had to reload.
"Let's hope that we can get more than one down before they are close. I'm shit in a firefight." Chelsea hoped that she didn't have to use her own rifle. But he was right.
"They are in close formation. With the bullets you have, you can get two for one. Prepare for your first shot."
Mattheus zoned in on their foes and aimed for the ribcage.
"Ready to fire" his finger gently pushed on the trigger.
"Fire at will." Snipers usually had to keep their emotions hidden behind a stoic front but for Mattheus, there was excitement as he fired the first round.
Even with 25 kilos on the rifle, the kickback was considerate. Firing this from anything else but lying down, would blow this rifle out of anyone's hands.
The shoulder pad hit Mattheus's shoulder as he knew that with just a wooden or iron butt, your shoulder would be more sore than it already was.
No doubt that he would feel that in the next few days.
As Chelsea had suggested and he had hoped, that 57-caliber bullet tore through the first guy and the one behind them.
The shock of that caused the group to halt a moment before they made a change of plan.
Cycling the bolt, Mattheus had to ignore his shoulder and fire the next round.
This time, only one guy fell down.
"Sniper! Get down!" Not exactly easy when the hallway didn't have anything to cover. They scattered around the place which gave Mattheus the chance of shooting another round. This time, it hit between the legs of a fourth assailant.
The screams echoed over the hallway, even to the point that the sniper team could hear it. It came down on Mattheus and Chelsea to keep their stoic front as Mattheus made the mental count.
It was cruel to use these tactics and fire at those who came to help their friend. But there were orders that had to be followed.
Everything was serious business. No time for fantasies.
So when a second round tore through two more, Mattheus cycled the bolt for the last round.
There was one guy who stayed on the ground.
"Reloading."
Chelsea had her own rifle equipped with a telescopic sight for longer-range fights, ready to fire when that was necessary. It didn't have the range or punch of Mattheus Snipex Alligator but at least, it was better suited in more versatile fighting.
But it was meant as covering Mattheus, not as to actively fire. She knew damn well, that the ranges that Mattheus fired, couldn't be used for her.
Opening the bolt, Mattheus took out the large magazine. Joel would want these back so he put them down next to him.
The Hunter wouldn't usually comment on the fact that women could do two things at the same time but with Chelsea, her ability to hand him a magazine while still looking through the scope, it was worth considering that.
"I deserve a reward from you when we are done."
Mattheus didn't comment until the magazine was properly fed in and the bolt pulled straight for another round chambered.
"How many left?" His focus was on the mission. Chelsea knew he'd address it later.
"You took down six. I can see ten more." The male Pilot let his face contort into an ugly scowl. This wasn't looking too good.
"Time to half that number." At this point, they had the range to their side and the fact they didn't know where they were.
Mattheus hoped that by the time they were in range, he would only have five more to contend with.
Scene skip
Rin found herself waking up, her head on the table. The orange haze of the sunset had begun to set for her as clouds appeared in the sky.
The environment was incredibly familiar to her. A classroom, like you found back in so many other schools. But not just any classroom. It was a classroom where she had spent so many hours before.
When her eyes began to flutter, she looked down at the uniform that she was wearing.
"This is my middle school uniform!" Pulling down her sleeve, revealed that she wasn't wearing Shenlong. There were sounds that sounded so familiar to her. The baseball team practicing. The only thing that she could hear, was the silence in the classroom.
For Rin, it was something that brought back memories, pleasant and unpleasant. It felt so real. The heat and humidity of the summer. The smell was even the same.
"There is no way this isn't a trap."
The door slid open and her thoughts went out of the window.
"Hello, Rin." A familiar face, with friendlier eyes than she had ever seen, walked through the door.
"Madoka?"
On the blackboard, there was a heart drawn with the two names on it.
Orimura and Huang.
Sitting down next to her, Madoka just slid down.
"Do you mind if I come over to your place? Chifuyu-nee is still out and Ichika went home with Dan." The girl was fidgeting and memories came back. It was around this time that her parents were both out. She would have to cook as well.
"Since you know, we are going out and all." The mind of Rin was flushed by the thoughts of that but she couldn't contain a certain giddiness in her voice.
Her blush got even wider as it covered more of her face.
"Well, sure. If you are fine with that."
Unfortunately, the clouds had opened up and a downpour began, drowning the streets with water.
Those streets, the places, the bikes, the shops. They were all so familiar and so loving to Rin. They made her reminiscence those days, even if they weren't that long ago.
Together, they ran through the city. Their stint had left them soaked to the bone as both teens found themselves inside the empty restaurant.
"I'm soaked to the bone!" Rin complained as she began to try to change out of her clothes. A fluffy towel landed on her head as Madoka began to dry her off.
"Allow me." The gentle hands of Madoka began to play over Rin's head as the youngest Orimura just enjoyed herself with her cute girlfriend.
It was just smiling on Madoka's end as Rin got even more flustered. For a few gentle moments, there was nothing.
"Oh, ah. Thank you." Rin muttered as she didn't say much else.
"Hey, Rin." The green eyes began to grow wide as she heard the lines from Madoka.
"I'll get the rest of your body." Rin felt an influx of energy as there was a fluster in her body. It all proved too much. Madoka was way too aggressive for her.
"Idiot!" She shouted as she raced out of the room but not before, she threw the towel at Madoka's head.
Before she could even recover, the shout of Madoka ran over to the empty restaurant.
"We can always shower together. It'll be fine!" Rin felt even more embarrassed by that.
"Perv! There is no way that is fine!"
A second line of thinking got through. 'I need to find the right clothes if there is something we are going to do.'
When she finally felt that her cheeks were no longer functioning as a stress signal, Rin began to change. Her hands slid down on the underwear as she pulled her panties down.
Good manners dictated to knock but Madoka had forgotten those. Clad in nothing but a shirt that was way too big for her (a shirt of Rin's father no doubt), she walked in, just as Rin's body was bent over while her but stuck out and her panties got around her knees.
"Rin, I'm done showering."
The suaveness returned as she watched her adorable girlfriend lose herself. That shout wouldn't be done so Madoka wrapped her into a gentle embrace.
Hugging her from behind, the words tickled Rin's ear as Madoka was not letting her go.
"I want you. You are the only one that I ever wanted."
"Ah…ahh." There was a kissing on her neck as Madoka began to enjoy that feeling of her.
"Madoka, please. I don't know."
There was another kiss, on the cheek. Rin could see the smirk, even with her head turned.
"Don't worry. I do." The sweet whisper made the Chinese girl swoon and gently, Madoka lowered her on the bed.
There was no focus on Rin's end. She felt like she was on fire. The only thing she was focused on was Madoka.
Still, with her panties around her knees, Rin looked up to her lover.
Her fingers began to play around with the petite girl's body.
Before long, the fingers undid the blouse and Madoka just leaned in closer as she whispered.
"Just relax, baby. Leave everything to me." Rin nodded as she allowed herself to come undone.
Scene skip
"You're catching any, Ichi-nii," Madoka asked her brother as she just enjoyed herself in the warm sun.
"Check the bucket," her brother just retorted as he kept watching the rod. There was just silence between them.
"Relaxing, for sure," Ichika remarked as he rarely had time to take it this easy. His younger sister giggled along with that.
"Can't deny that the academy never shuts up." There was a laugh from the river as they watched Hikaruno in the water.
"What's the matter, stud? You can't keep up with the energy of teenage girls." The twins looked over at Hikaruno as she had been catching fish with a harpoon.
Climbing out of the water, there was no hiding the fact that she was dead sexy.
"Don't you need to watch our units?" Madoka asked as she glared at the older woman. Her breasts were huge as she watched the woman as she made herself at home next to Ichika. The Knight did the polite thing and looked away.
"Well, it's running a program. I'll be fine with taking a break. I can grill you for some questions."
Madoka sighed as she was the one who looked at the scientist.
"How much do you two know about Infinite Stratos Core Network?"
"It's based on the communication protocol that they used for space missions." Ichika tried to focus on the rod while Hikaruno dumped her catch in the bucket.
"Isn't it a virtual reality where every Infinite Stratos is connected, right?" Her goggles had gone back to the forehead as her eyes shined at Ichika.
"More or less, yes. Throughout the years, it also got a backup capability over the core network?"
The twins found themselves interested in that news.
"Let's talk over that during lunch. I'm getting hungry." Madoka had borrowed a light from Mattheus. He always had a few in his vests. It helped to start a conversation on festivals.
Before long, the fish were getting roasted over a fire as the twins listened to the scientist.
"Your Byakushiki and Kuroshiki have inherited that one-off ability of your sister's Infinite Stratos, Kurazakura as well as some of the capabilities of the first Infinite Stratos, Shiroshiki."
The twins were relieved that it was that backstory instead of the truth that Tabane Shinonono had made their units.
"Well, that is nice for us to know," Ichika replied as they heard the scientist speak. They couldn't deny they were intrigued by the class.
"My job is to augment IS units that gain new abilities and such."
[Want to bet that is not all she does?] Madoka asked as she bit into the grilled fish. It was delicious and not only because she was hungry.
[Not our circus, not our monkeys.] Ichika replied to his sister. There followed a bite on the fish. They were done, extremely well.
Scene skip
Cecilia Alcott had found a long day of work behind her. She was the young master of the Alcott and Company, England's largest trading firm. The meeting with officials had finally come to an end.
She could finally sit back in her seat as there was so much to do and not enough time to take it easy. The office where she was seated was as luxurious and statuesque as the house it was built in.
Ringing a platinum bell, the tone was delicate and there was an excitement in her eyes and a blush on those rosy cheeks. She could hardly wait until she saw the door open.
A handsome, young man walked through the door.
"You called, Representative?" With a deep bow, her personal butler had come through. The formal greeting would have been appropriate but now, it only made her pout.
"You know what to call me when we are alone, don't you?" That did the trick as the young man relaxed as he put his hands on his hips while he made a laugh at her.1
"I'm sorry, Cecilia."
Her mind began to think back on the young man.
'The Orimura family has been the servants of the Alcotts for generations. He's been by my side ever since.' Somewhere, the beautiful Brit began to think about her previous times.
'Since.. forever.'
A shift, unnoticeable spread through the room as Cecilia began to think back on her time.
'Yes, since forever. It's been so perfect. A world that is so different. A world that I want to last. A dream that I want to sleep in.'
It was her special day. The relief in her heart made it jump as she knew what was to come.
The bath on the ground floor was now filled with warm water and rose leaves. The door behind her closed as she undressed, surrounded by handmade luxuries. To make it easy for her butler, she just put her clothes in the basket.
She was now naked as she placed her large bra on the clothes. The reflection in the mirror shared her excitement.
Soaking in the hot water, she enjoyed herself, the fatigue of the day sweeping away.
The voice came from behind the door as she heard Ichika.
"Ichika, can I come in?" It only made her more excited when she heard him. For a moment, she took a deep breath.
"At your leisure." She could see the butler through ribbed glass as he undressed himself. It only took a moment before he got undressed. Underneath those clothes, he was wearing an old-fashioned bathing suit.
Cecilia just kept on staring at the glass.
'The day that he gets to wash my body.' Before long, he entered as his hands were covered by foam.
Getting up from the water, Cecilia had a right to be proud of her amazing body. It was only right that Ichika got to touch her in such an indecent and private matter.
Those strong and warm hands felt sublime on her body. Ichika knelt down to her rear as his hands began to wash her lower cheeks.
"Cecilia, did your bottom get bigger?"
"It very much has not!" Her heart rate took up a notch as his hands continued on the cheeks;
"Ah, but you're feeling out so nicely." His fingertips cupped around that delightful rear. She hadn't even realized that he had gotten up as her meat spilled out of his hands.
"Your body has become so lewd." The warm breath of his voice was on the ear.
"My lewd Cecilia." He whispered as he gently bit down on the ear which made the young maiden swoon.
Falling in his arms, a coy grin spread over his face.
"Would you like me to wash your front?" There was only a nod as she no longer trusted her voice.
Scene skip
From the sounds that were going around, Chifuyu had a fleeting suspicion that the fights had already begun. From different sides but she had to rely on Tatenashi and Mattheus. She had her own corridor to take care of.
There was a smirk on her face as she watched the hallway and got her way through. It appeared empty.
Appeared was the key phrase.
Her instincts hadn't dulled over the years, much as some would have hoped. Her eyes narrowed as she made her way through.
"Come out of hiding. You think that would do you any good?"
She didn't expect that the silence would continue to reign. It remained as eerily quiet as before. So she walked through the place, her eyes flashing around. Keeping all her senses open, there was no way that someone could hide in here.
But if they could, well, they would have been just as good as Chifuyu herself.
High heels wouldn't be suited yet Chifuyu had found herself confident enough to make her way through the place.
Baiting someone could be a horrible job but it worked well for Chifuyu. The slightest change in air, betrayed her foe as her assailant jumped from the roof.
The Brunhilde had to admit. If she didn't have her katana ready, she would not have been able to fend off her attacker.
Raising her sword to protect her back, her foe only met cold steel instead of warm flesh and blood.
Chifuyu threw her assassin from her sword and turned back around as she glared back at the foe.
"Well, well. One would have taken an Infinite Stratos to fight me. Are you that confident to take me on?"
Her foe was masked, which wasn't surprising.
What was surprising was the fact that she threw away the short tanto and pulled out a Nodachi from the back.
"You think that will be enough to defeat me? It does make my job a lot easier." Chifuyu raised her sword to which the assailant jumped at her.
The Brunhilde just blocked her first attack. Things just got a lot more interesting.
Scene skip
Charlotte Dunois had never considered herself to be a lucky woman. Throughout her life, misery had remained a constant and misery was an unfortunate companion.
Yet, she had persisted. Never losing her cheery viewpoint in life. There was so much that could be achieved when one kept on going.
Her shackles had been thrown off years ago as she had found her own happiness.
Ichika was right that she had to rely on her friends. While the blonde owed a lot to him and his sister, they were not the only ones who she was grateful for.
"Are you alright, Dunois-sensei? You seem to be spacing off." The voice of a fellow colleague made her snap out of her dream.
The ISA has accepted a lot more foreign teachers in the last few years. Something that made Charlotte happy as it made her stand out less.
"I'm fine, Hansenberg-sensei. I have been reminiscing."
Cherry Hansenberg was two years younger than Charlotte but it hadn't stopped them from becoming good friends. The girl had been a junior for most of her life and that hadn't changed.
Not even when they had turned into teachers.
The American girl had short, brunette hair that was tied up in a ponytail. Her white skin was much like Charlotte but the younger girl had always dressed better.
"You are too young for that sort of thing, Dunois-sensei. It makes the students take you for an easy girl."
Charlotte had her own methods to keep her class under control. Many things have been learned throughout the last few years.
"Well, they can think and see where that lands them." Cherry just rolled her eyes as she knew better than to push buttons.
"In detention, most likely." Then the door opened and Charlotte's smile could be used to light up the entire academy.
"Is Charlotte Dunois-sensei here?" Veering up from her seat, Charlotte forgot proper decorum and manners. Running up to her wife, the blonde was beyond relieved and joy to see Laura Bodewig again.
"Laura!" The shout could be heard throughout the school as Laura could see her wife again, after nearly five months.
One would say that she was missed but a kiss on the lips did more than just that.
Scene skip
Laura Bodewig had to admit. She hadn't expected that life would have been that easy ever since she left the ISA.
But yet, she had found that her time in Japan hadn't been wasted. The experience that she had learned had catapulted her as leader of the 'Schwarze Hase' where she had been promoted to officer.
She hadn't lived alone in the last few years. The house that they had managed to buy, proved to be enough to make a love nest although more additions wouldn't be unwelcome.
"Hmm." The paper in her hands made her worry. It wouldn't take long before she had to deploy again.
"Laura. You promised me that you wouldn't read at the table." Her wife called from the other side of the kitchen.
Setting it away, there was an apology.
"Apologies." There was a gratefulness when the German girl took a mug of hot cocoa and she drank it. Before long, a fluffy omelet was placed on the table.
"Enjoy." A delicate hand retracted as Laura looked up.
"Thank you, Charlotte."
It had been two years since they had tied the knot. It had taken a considerable effort on Laura's part to convince Charlotte to come with her to Germany. It was the safest place away from her father.
But it had proved to be for the better.
Especially with how Charlotte and Laura seemed to fulfill and complement each other.
"You're welcome. Today, you're free, right?" From her pocket, she got a small card out. Those were small cards that Laura had made for him. They could be used for a favor. Charlotte always seemed to get a rise out of dressing Laura up.
"I'd like to use one of these."
Laura tried to hide her embarrassment by gulping down the mug.
"What do you plan on asking me to do?" One could call it impressive that she managed to say that without choking on the cacao.
"Let's see." Before long, Charlotte had found the right answer for that.
"Well, naked apron is what I feel like."
The effect of her coughing out the hot drink didn't stop her from making an incredibly quick recovery.
"Fool. Who in their right mind would do anything like-" She was cut off by a forehead kiss which made her blush.
"Please, Laura." Those big eyes. She could never say no to them.
Her head went down and she muttered a quiet "Fine". Before long, she came back out of the bedroom.
"Happy now?" Charlotte had been seated on the couch and she was elated by the embarrassed look that she got from Laura.
She was wearing nothing but an apron and eyepatch. It did little to hide the body beneath those adorable clothes.
"Laura, you're so cute." That proved to be the breaking point for the normally collected officer of the German army.
"Oh, shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
Scene skip
Djbril had found herself in an arena as she awaited her worthy prize. It had been years since she had left the service of the house of Luxembourg. But her years of service hadn't been without a reward.
No, she had received the greatest reward that an Infinite Stratos pilot could receive in their entire life. A reward that many pilots could only dream of.
A reward that she was now worthy of.
Fighting in the Mondo Grosso Championship. Earning the title of Brunhilde.
It was the third competition. She hoped that this time it would not end in a forfeited match. It proved where the priorities of Chifuyu Orimura lay but that did not stop for her foe, Alicia, it was a letdown.
But now, here she was. In her unit, ready to fight the fan favorite. A familiar face that she had been wanting to see again.
Her Imperial Knight was ready to fight and her anticipation was building up. The speakers shared the same excitement.
[Good day everyone! The day we all have waited for is, is finally upon us! The finale of the Third Mondo Grosso Championship. Both our champions have proven themselves worthy of being here. They are undoubtedly the best Pilots of this generation. In the arena, already present. Djbril Emulail. Candidate of the country of Luxembourg and her unit. A Fourth generation wonder of a unit, the Imperial Knight.]
It felt nice to get some recognition after so long.
[But let's not count our other candidate. This young woman had big shoes to fill but she wore them like they were made for her. There is no denying the fact that she is the First Brunhilde's Younger Sister. Ladies and gentlemen, may I ask a big applause for Madoka Orimura!]
As soon as the speaker was done talking, a shining, black unit flew into the arena. For many, it was like Chifuyu Orimura herself had flown in. Madoka had grown up during her days. No longer, was a short, scrawny girl.
Now, she was much more closer to Chifuyu than she was to Ichika to the point that many mistook her for her older sister.
Unlike her high school days, where she kept her hair short, she had decided to make it long and wear it with pride.
She was no longer hiding the fact that she was Chifuyu's little sister.
[The Kuroshiki, a Unit that Madoka has used for years, is still one of the pinnacles of the Infinite Stratos development. As many have seen, her prowess with sword and rifle is incredible, amongst pilots. Now, this last fight will reveal who will end up with the elusive title. Brunhilde. Pilots, make yourself ready.]
Landing in front of Djbril, Madoka had a small smile on her face, unnoticeable by anyone else but her foe. The smile that promised her an honest match and an incredible thrill.
"Madoka. I have missed you." The Black Knight stood face to face with her foe. A woman that she hadn't seen in close to five years.
"Likewise, Djbril. I hadn't expected you to be my foe in this match."
As good, sporting fighters, they gave a curt and good handshake.
"Let's say that I have something to work for. Let us see who wins, Madoka."
"Yes, let's."
[Fighters, ready!]
Making some distance, both of them stood ready.
The tension in the arena was palpable as the announcement echoed through the stands. Both Djibril and Madoka readied themselves, their IS units humming with energy.
Djibril's Imperial Knight gleamed under the stadium lights, the energy rifle in her hands charged and ready. Madoka's Kuroshiki stood in stark contrast, a sleek black marvel of engineering, the Yukihira, and the Star Breaker rifle, ready to break out when it was needed.
[Begin!]
At the signal, both pilots sprang into action. Djibril took to the air, her wings flaring out as she unleashed a barrage of energy blasts from her rifle. Madoka swiftly activated her energy shield, the blasts dissipating harmlessly against it as she closed the distance between them with remarkable speed.
With a swift motion, Madoka drew her Yukihira and swung it towards Djibril. The blade's energy trail left a bright arc in its wake. Djibril parried with a quick thrust of her own energy sword, the clash sending sparks flying.
"Impressive as always, Madoka!" Djibril called out over the comms, her voice filled with genuine admiration.
"You're not bad yourself, Djibril," Madoka replied with a grin, her eyes narrowing with focus.
Djibril switched tactics, using her wings to create a gust of wind, pushing Madoka back just enough to give her room to maneuver. She then aimed her rifle and fired a concentrated beam of energy. Madoka dodged to the side, the beam narrowly missing her and scorching the ground where she had stood.
Madoka retaliated with a series of precise slashes, her Yukihira humming with power. Djibril blocked and countered with rapid strikes, each move executed with precision. The two danced around each other, their movements a blur of speed and skill.
Seeing an opening, Madoka quickly switched to her Star Breaker rifle and fired a powerful shot. Djibril barely managed to erect her energy shield in time, the impact pushing her back and cracking the shield.
"You've improved, Madoka," Djibril said, breathing heavily as she steadied herself.
"So have you, Djibril. This is just getting started," Madoka responded, her smile widening.
Both pilots knew that the next few moments would be crucial. With a renewed burst of energy, they charged at each other once more, determined to claim the title of Brunhilde.
The air crackled with the intensity of their battle. Djibril's wings flared out, propelling her upwards in a swift arc. She fired a rapid succession of energy blasts, aiming to overwhelm Madoka with sheer force. Madoka weaved through the barrage, her Kuroshiki's agility on full display as she closed the distance between them.
Madoka's Yukihira swung with deadly precision, each strike aimed to exploit any opening in Djibril's defense. Djibril countered with her own energy sword, their blades clashing in a spectacular display of sparks and energy.
Djibril shifted tactics, suddenly diving towards the ground and then banking sharply to the left, trying to outmaneuver Madoka. She fired another concentrated beam from her rifle, but Madoka anticipated the move, sidestepping and returning fire with her Star Breaker. The powerful blast forced Djibril to erect her shield again, the impact sending her skidding back.
The crowd was on the edge of their seats, the energy of the battle electrifying the atmosphere. The commentators' voices buzzed with excitement as they described the action unfolding before them.
[Both pilots are displaying incredible skill and tenacity! This is a fight for the age] the announcer's voice boomed through the arena.
Djibril knew she had to change the tide. Summoning her energy, she activated Yuriel's special ability – a radiant halo of energy that amplified her attacks and defense. Her movements became faster, her strikes more powerful. She charged at Madoka with renewed vigor, their blades clashing in a flurry of sparks.
Madoka was pushed back, but she was far from beaten. With a fierce determination, she activated her own special ability. The Kuroshiki's power output increased, the Yukihira Nigata glowing brighter than ever. She met Djibril's charge head-on, their weapons creating shockwaves with each collision.
"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" Djibril shouted over the din, her expression fierce but respectful.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Madoka replied, her voice filled with resolve.
They broke apart, both breathing heavily, their eyes locked in a silent acknowledgment of each other's strength. The final exchange was upon them, and both pilots knew it.
Djibril soared into the air, gathering energy for one final, decisive attack. Madoka, grounded and steady, prepared her Yukihira for a powerful strike, her Star Breaker at the ready for a simultaneous shot.
Time seemed to slow as Djibril descended with blinding speed, her energy sword aimed directly at Madoka. In a split second, Madoka unleashed the full power of her Star Breaker, the blast merging with the slash of her Yukihira. The combined force met Djibril's attack head-on, resulting in an explosion of light and energy that shook the entire arena.
When the dust settled, both pilots stood, their units battered but still functional. The arena fell silent, the outcome hanging in the balance.
The announcer's voice broke the tension. "Ladies and gentlemen, what a spectacular display of skill and determination! The judges are deliberating the final outcome…"
A moment later, the results flashed across the screens around the arena. A cheer erupted from the crowd as Djibril Emulail was declared the winner, her face lighting up with a mix of relief and triumph. She had done it. She had won the Mondo Grosso Championship. She was now the next Brunhilde.
But why didn't it feel like Djbril thought it would?
Scene skip
If there was one that Airis loved, it was to return home after a long time. When she returned home, there would be dozens of fans waiting for her, hoping to catch a glimpse of the youngest princess.
And now, she even had a better reason. She had brought home, the most exquisite of prices. She had won the match over the entire world.
"Are you alright, princess?" The voice of her newest attendant stopped her musing. She looked at him, adoring his black hair, his handsome face, and his kind eyes.
Yes, Ichika Orimura was hers. Her alone. Hers forever.
"Oh, just enjoying the moment." Airis breathed. Her plan had worked to make the man her attendant. Now, he and Djbril saved her faithfully. Her Personal Knight had seen no issue and worked together in a wonderful fashion with the young man.
But it was time that she showed Ichika his new life. In Luxembourg.
"Now, I'll have to inform you, Ichika, that life here is going to be very different from your life in Japan. I know that it hasn't been easy for you. But trust me, I'll make sure that you are well taken care of."
Bowing his head, Ichika was elated by those words.
"I'm humbled by your words, mistress. I'll continue to serve you and the Kingdom of Luxembourg." Laughing his words away, Airis had only expected those words.
"That is all I can ask of you. Now, let's go outside."
Security employees were wonderful creatures as they kept the journalists away. It was all too easy to protect the images that were taken from Ichika and Airis. Wearing a mask would prove little effect now so they walked, proudly through the airport into the limousine, waiting for her.
It was fortunate that they could land in Charleroi and travel from there to her home. Belgium had been involved in keeping the protection. It was beneficial that the princess arrived home, safely. Relations wouldn't be mended either if something happened.
Morphing in the cushions of the luxury car, Airis enjoyed how Ichika's capable hands were taking care of her stiff shoulders.
Djbril was sitting next to the driver. There was no sort of jealousy in her eyes as she just continued to look around the place, vigilant for any threats.
That was her job as well as Ichika who was using more than his eyes.
Instincts were useful factors and his were honed by the sharpest tools in the world.
Yes, Chifuyu Orimura had raised her brother in a wonderful fashion. Fit to serve a woman, like Airis.
What higher honor could there be for a man to serve the princess of a Kingdom?
For his service, Airis found that Ichika deserved a great honor.
Closing the windows would give her much-needed privacy.
"Highness?" the voice of Djbril came through the intercom.
"Don't worry, Djbril. It was by my doing. Just keep focused on the road." Her head tilted to Ichika who was now also surprised by her actions.
"Airis-sama?"
The young girl couldn't keep that coy, little grin from her face.
"I think it is high time that I show my servant how I would like his duties to be fulfilled. Kneel."
Scene skip
Kanzashi hadn't imagined that things could go this wrong, this fast as she watched how alarms were now going off.
"What is going on?" Natasha asked as Joel began to find himself locked out of the program.
"Not good. Whatever is going on in there, it is causing our machines to go haywire. We can't pull them out now. It would only bring bigger risks."
The youngest engineer began to explain as they found themselves unable to help them.
"There are many things to take care of. We need them."
Dan let out a laugh as he moved his headset in.
"I have gotten some chatter from the fighters. It appears they got themselves already started. Also, good news. I can send out a signal. We call Ichika and Madoka back?" It was always better to ask for permission in these circumstances instead of doing something stupid.
"Tell them to cut it short. We need them here now!"
Itsuka had taken over the course as his mind was already made up. It would fall on his head but that was something he could deal with.
Dan had already started to call out to Ichika. The male twin would be the best bet. He loved his girl dearly but stereotypes existed for a reason.
[Ichika, Madoka. Do you copy? Hello, can you hear me?]
The twins were seated in the lab. Madoka was just examining the machines while Ichika simply sat back as he was enjoying a cup of coffee.
Then his phone began to go off as he sat it back down.
"Hello, Dan. What is?"
[Ichika, oh, a relief to hear you. We need you back here ASAP. Get your sister and yourself in your units. We need you here in the school now. I'll send you the coordinates.]
Whatever was going on, it wasn't good for either of them.
"Madoka, get your unit. Dan just called. They're in trouble." For Madoka, when she heard the words "Dan" and "Trouble", nothing else mattered to her.
In cases of emergencies, shame was an unrequired emotion. They threw their uniforms out and were thankful enough that they had their suits on underneath.
"Apologies, but we have just been called back. We don't have time for a door." Ichika untangled his unit as Madoka did the same.
"The honors to you, sis." Her Star Breaker aimed at the wall, which caused it to crumble down. Before long, both of them raced back to the school.
[Dan, coordinates. Now!] Ichika barked into his mic.
[Good thing that I am connected to Byakushiki. Ichika, Madoka. Sending the info now.] It was for the best. In case they had lost this connection, the twins would still be able to find their designated location.
[What's going on? Is everyone alright?]
It was Itsuka who took over comms as he spoke to the twins.
[No, we are not alright. The school went into lockdown after a Hacker got in our systems. We are fighting back against that and an army that invaded our school. Don't bother with the assailants. Your sister and others have that covered. We need you in the Underground lab. Now!]
They got their orders so they sped up a good bit more as they raced back to the school.
"Kids these days" Hikaruno mused as she watched them leave as stars in a sunlit sky.
"Well, I got the data I needed so I didn't have to keep them around here." There was a grin on her face.
"We can start with the next generation of mass-produced units."
Scene skip
Tatenashi danced through the bullets of the fully automatic rifles. For her, the dance of the dead was one where she was required to be agile and swift. It didn't prove to be an issue.
With the warnings from Chifuyu, she remained fully focused and didn't even think of letting her guard down.
She had to make sure that her foes were down and stayed down. Her legs and feet were deadlier weapons than the fully automatic weapons that the foes were using.
Not just her lower limbs. Her arms were also doing real damage with punches and she found herself enjoying this.
"You know, I expected more from these fighters." It had been a surprise with the fact they had sent in women, yet Tatenashi couldn't find herself enjoying the fights.
Instead of even acknowledging her power or fighting style, they just kept on fighting as they were unconcerned about their fallen allies.
They just kept on fighting. Yet, Tatenashi didn't appear to have any trouble with dispatching them.
'Whatever they are, I can't understand. Why sent in this lot?'
Either way, with another nice boot to the skull, one wasn't getting up again.
Scene skip
Mattheus was all too happy that he got one more magazine ready to go. Five bullets, ten more targets to take down. This was going to be rocky.
"Chelsea, drop the binoculars. In case, things go south, I'll need you to help me with suppressive fire." At this point, they weren't in range yet.
Mattheus didn't hesitate when he found one bastard in his crosshairs. Blown away, that was one less foe to worry about.
"Roger that. But so far, that seems not needed."
Firing a bolt action rifle took some time in between, which allowed Mattheus's poor shoulder to have some rest as another round was chambered in.
The Hunter saw as they tried to use whatever cover was there to hide behind. Or they tried to use the same tactic as Mattheus and Chelsea, relying on their camouflage.
Unfortunately for them, that was useless as Mattheus relied on the scope to take care of them.
A second bullet rang through, piercing through the sky. He got lucky this time and caused a soldier to explode as Mattheus hit his ammo pack.
It took two more with him.
"Chelsea, you counted ten right? That makes now six?"
Chelsea's rifle didn't come equipped with her own heat vision. It was onto her own counting.
"I can see at least five more. How many rounds left?"
Mattheus pulled his bolt straight. He did have to admit, it was a work of art. Every piece of this rifle.
"Three more left."
The Hunter had really hoped that there would be something else that he could have done. Unfortunately, it appeared that there was more.
Patience and stoicism were the name of the game. Freaking out wouldn't do him any good with a bolt-action rifle.
His scope shifted a bit as their foes had shifted to running. Even with trying to change their running, instead of a straight line, they were taking turns and halts but Mattheus knew better than to fall for those.
With a pull of his trigger, the kick moved again but it recovered before the bolt was cycled. Slamming it down, there was the mental note that there was a round in the chamber.
If he reloaded now, he had six bullets instead of five. A more preferable option. Grabbing out the magazine, Mattheus didn't want Chelsea to lose focus of the targets. Grabbing around, his hands got around another magazine.
"Mattheus." There was no denying the fact that Chelsea had her breath hitched.
"One in the chamber, five in the hole. That makes six. Should be doable to get the other bastards down."
Gently, Mattheus wrapped his finger on the trigger. Zoned in, he was all too happy that he had this rifle to do this job.
'Beauties to get the work done. Both of them.'
Another fighter had half of his body shot away from the bullet.
"Excellent job. Although, I wouldn't mind taking over a shot either."
Pulling the giant bolt up, Mattheus let another empty casing fall out. He could feel the heat of her body, right next to his.
"If that happens, let me know. But I prefer that a woman doesn't fight out my battles."
Scene skip
Chifuyu's eyes locked on her target, watching her every move. There was a reason why she had pulled that nodachi along instead of using a katana.
Calmy waiting for the attack, the assassin was the first to strike as the nodachi flung towards her with deadly precision.
The Brunhilde didn't have a problem deflecting the strike, clashing of steel running through the empty hallway. There was a certain strength that Chifuyu experienced. There was a certain relaxation that she was now certain that training her little siblings paid off.
Throwing her attacker off, it didn't deter her foe. Chifuyu had hoped that she would talk. It would make things so much easier to goading her. Yet, she found herself quiet as the fighter was pushing.
There was an aggression beyond what Chifuyu usually experienced. But by playing of defensive, she would never be able to defeat her foe. When an opening presented itself, Chifuyu struck, her right katana moving in a blur.
Her foe barely had the moment to deflect the blow but the force behind it, forced her back. It took a moment before Chifuyu got in closer. The advancement was accompanied by a series of precise slashes, each aimed to disarm or incapacitate.
The whirling of defensive strikes of the Assassin managed to keep Chifuyu off but the assault began to break through her guard.
When a sudden, unexpected maneuver from her foe, Chifuyu stepped back to avoid her legs being cut off. The brief moment was all that her foe needed to spin around, attempting to unleash a downward strike. Raising two katana, her swords entered a deadlock with her foe.
Chifuyu was damn sure that she had experienced those techniques elsewhere. It was impossible to think back on where she had faced such a dangerous foe.
"You really make me wonder what you are."
With a quick, fluid motion, the assassin drew a hidden dagger from her belt and aimed for Chifuyu's side. Anticipating the move, Chifuyu twisted, the dagger slicing harmlessly past her.
It was the opening that Chifuyu needed to give one powerful kick to the assassin's midsection. Rolling to her feet, the woman stood back up as she used the nodachi to stop her momentum. The sword was buried in the concrete.
If this was anyone else, they would gulp. It required significant effort to jam a sword in reinforced concrete and cause that sort of damage.
Chifuyu then watched how her foe took a sidestep as she got in closer. Jumping from wall to wall, the Brunhilde couldn't deny that she was impressed as she watched her foe come from above.
Then she recognized something. The familiarity began to make sense as Chifuyu simply dodged her foe.
Her eyes narrowed and Chifuyu let a small part of her War Goddess Mode run through her veins.
"How? How do you know these techniques?"
When the assassin made a small, soft chuckle, it felt so eerily similar.
Chifuyu swore that she would get her answers. One way or another.
Scene skip
Ichika and Madoka found their way into the Underground facility, they were greeted by Dan, Joel, Kanzashi, Natasha, and Itsuka.
"Good that you are here. I suppose that you have picked up what is going on." Itsuka asked as the twins deactivated their machines.
"There is a fight going on but we have to let." Both twins felt a hint of worry. Who was fighting out there?
"Let other takes care of that. Madoka, Ichika. The academy is powerless as the girls are trying to restore power via their virtual selves. But they have found themselves being attacked. Look, at this point, I need you two to go in and save them."
There were orders to be followed and friends to save.
"Alright. Points us where we need to go, sensei." Deactivating their machines, they made their way to where their friends lay asleep.
"I don't really get it but we have orders."
"Let's go, Ichi-nii. I'll be right there with you."
It only took a moment before they were sent through the doors where their friends were being held hostage.
"Listen up, you two. I have managed to do some digging." Joel spoke up as he began to dictate.
"Some of the girls have stronger pulls. Ichika, your focus to save is Cecilia, Airis, and Houki. Madoka, for you, that will be Rin and Djbril. Charlotte and Laura are fair game if you ask me. Good luck out there."
It helped that the punk had managed to get the doors for them.
"As nii-chan always says, I make my own luck." The chuckle in their bodies caused the stress to be relieved. Something they all could do with.
"I'll take care of Cecilia. Madoka, I can leave Rin to you." The male twin nodded to his younger sister.
"Hold on, Ichika. Got something you might need." Joel got a box that landed at Ichika's feet and Madoka got a feeling they would see more of that stuff.
"Madoka, the door of Rin is still open. I suggest you move through." Madoka found herself smiling at that.
"Roger that. Good luck, Ichi-nii." Lifting up the clothes, Ichika admired them while Joel cringed.
"I do not have good memories from that. Do me a favor and get the crazy Brit out before I kill myself."
Ichika didn't ask what Joel meant by that but he was grateful that the punk and his surrogate older brother gave him training.
He was Madoka's nii-chan so that made Mattheus his nii-chan as well.
Scene skip
Rin was still on her back as 'Madoka' began to undress her even more.
Pulling the hands aside, 'Madoka' made Rin buck underneath her, the slender body coming up.
"Please, wait." The Chinese girl was finding that 'Madoka' was moving too fast on this.
Rin looked up as she felt strong and capable hands, her mind just focused on Madoka.
"I can't. You're going to have the time of your life, baby." Her lips went up as she waited for the kiss.
But before that fated kiss could happen, the closet door swung open. Both of them were spooked by that sound but even more from the voice that spoke
"What the fuck? What are you doing to Rin?"
The mind of Rin was switching between the two girls. The two Madoka's in her room made Rin doubt it all.
For Rin, it was even more confusing but then her green eyes went wide as she looked at the uniform.
'Wait, she's wearing the Infinite Stratos Academy Uniform. Then the Madoka in front of me. Like how I always wanted Madoka to be.'
A cold and gruff male voice spoke over it.
[World Purge Anomaly. Intrusion detected. Commence removal.]
Then the eyes of 'Madoka' glowed and her body began to move towards the real girl. But there was even more. Like a glitch in a video game, the world began to shift.
For Rin, that experience was incredibly painful.
"It hurts. This hurts! It hurts!" Rin began to convulse while Madoka watched as her doppelganger began to move in closer. Despite the best moves, Madoka was the fastest as she managed to break the nose of her foe.
In particles, their foe disappeared and for a few breathless moments, Rin lay in her bed while Madoka stood in her room.
"It's fine now, Rin. Come on, let's go home."
Looking back at the real Madoka, Rin trusted her gut feeling as the world around them disappeared.
'Yeah, this is the real Madoka.' The Chinese cadette thought as she felt her body, enveloped in lighting.
They ended up at the same doors as where they ended up before. Rin was still in her school uniform while Madoka looked at her in a surprised fashion.
She couldn't help but look at one of her oldest friends.
"Perv, look away! You did this!" Instead of being embarrassed, Madoka just smirked at her.
"Like that was something I hadn't seen already! Kanzashi, Joel. What the fuck is this?" It was the million-dollar question on everyone's lips.
The first voice to speak was Natasha who answered in Joel's stead.
"I'm protecting the innocence of my future stepson, you should ask Kanzashi about this. Huang, do us all a favor and cover yourself. Sarashiki, you're up."
Kanzashi adjusted her glasses as she watched the two women.
"Eh, yes. Rin, you should return for now. We don't know how the attacks might have affected you. And it seems that one part of the puzzle has been solved. Madoka, I suggest you wait until your brother."
Before the words could leave her mouth, they watched how Ichika carried a completely naked and utterly nude Cecilia Alcott through the door.
The girl had her head buried in the nook of Ichika's vest, unwilling to look at anyone as the embarrassment was far greater than she ever had received.
"What the fuck, Ichi-nii?"
Even from the mask, she could feel the glare as Cecilia got her clothes replaced by some quick work from Kanzashi who was beet red.
The only sound was a relieved laugh from Natasha.
"I'll be keeping your eyes, closed just a bit longer, Joel. Sarashiki. Take Alcott along as well."
It took a few moments before Kanzashi registered.
"Ah, yes. Of course."
Scene skip, a bit before that.
In the hot bath, 'Ichika' sat down right behind Cecilia as his hands began to lift the heavy chest of the sexy blonde.
"You have grown here as well." His fingers were not intending of leaving those incredible tits alone as it was a gentle touch.
The moan from Cecilia was one of pure lust. Despite of what 'Ichika' was wearing, she could feel a pressure on her ass.
"I'll have to take measurements for your new underwear." He cupped her breasts which drew an even higher moan.
Before the situation could escalate, a zipline came from the ceiling as a black-suited man came down with an MP5 in his hands as he blasted at 'Ichika'.
Luckily, that proved all that he needed to do as the imposter fell on the floor.
"Cecilia, what the hell is going on here?" Then the girl heard the voice behind the helmet. It was a young and rough voice, but she could place it.
"How could you? That was my Ichika. My."
The guy cut her off as he glared back at her and removed his helmet.
The black mop was visible as she watched the young man in front of her.
"Ichika, how did you? But you were. What is?"
Taking charge, the young Knight walked up to the black ooze which previously entailed his doppelganger.
Raising his submachine to the head, Cecilia grabbed onto his hand.
"What are you doing? How can you?"
The Knight looked up to her and he had to ask her one question.
"Who did you fight in our school in the first trimester?" Cecilia had her mouth drop open as that was something that happened so long ago. The imposter was gurgling on his blood. The sounds were closer to the growls of a lion.
"Did you fight me? Or did you fight my sister?" Ichika asked as the imposter lay bleeding on the floor.
"She didn't fight. Not at all." The Knight pulled the trigger and made a mess out of the corpse.
"You fought my sister, Madoka. She whipped the floor with you." Grabbing her in a bridal carry, Ichika waited until the light set in and they dissolved in particles.
He hoped that his sister would be done as well.
Scene skip
Tatenashi had just taken down the last of her foes as she had enjoyed herself for a good bit. For the president of the ISA, the fighters had been dispatched. Frankly, she had enjoyed herself during the later parts of this match.
With her orders, she had carried them out to the letter. No survivors.
It was just something that she rarely could do. Stretching her legs while she racked up a body count. When she was sure with all the foes that were down, she lifted her arms and took a look around.
"Who are you, galls? Normally, you would think that you would be so good too." Pulling away a helmet, she wanted to take a good look at the fallen foes.
The shock washed over her as she had been horrified to a level that she hadn't reached for years.
Not since she saw her mother return home furious home, only to find out that her eldest daughter had managed to destroy half the house as she had been chasing after a wild cat.
Breaths rapidly left her mouth as she couldn't believe her eyes while she stared at the foes.
There were others in these halls. Her mind began to rapidly fire on guesses who was there.
'Kanzashi-chan, no, she is. Ichika-kun, Madoka-chan, they are not. Fuck, who else? Orimura-sensei, no, can't call her. Can I call? I have to call. Who can I?" by the end, she was rambling and breathing in as she was getting more and more afraid. When the moan came through, Tatenashi raised one shapely leg.
The merciless heel came down, crashing the skull.
Tatenashi didn't care if she had actually killed someone. There was no doubt blood was spilled.
But she'd be damned if she was the one who got killed.
"Mattheus. I have to call him. He would be around."
Little did she know that Mattheus was cleaning up the remaining fighters. Six rounds in his gun. There were six left. That would be easily done.
Unfortunately for the Hunter and his partner, they had started to get under fire from their foes. Six assault rifles that fired continuously, would make many sweat. Not Mattheus. He relied on his cover fire while he relied on Chelsea as well.
The maid had fired a few bullets as well and managed to cripple two of their foes. Mattheus would worry about those later.
"Lucky shot," Chelsea commented as one bullet pierced through one guy and made the leg of a fourth fighter explode.
"I make my own luck." The Hutner simply commented as he pulled the bolt straight. There was another round that took away the torso of a gunman.
Chelsea could see what a 57 caliber bullet did to a human body and the shock made her gulp. It was closer and the smell began to fill the room.
Not that Mattheus wasn't affected by it. He just hid it better.
The last foe standing had the decent idea that retreating wasn't such a bad idea. After all, there were enough dead and there was no reason to join them.
Leaving behind their fallen foes, she ran away. Yet, she had forgotten they were fighting a guy with a rifle that could cover two thousand meters.
There was one bullet that took her out. The body collapsed on the floor bleeding out while Mattheus pulled his bolt straight.
There were a few deep breaths from him now as he watched the foes. Sixteen had entered and only three were breathing. And still breathing as they were crippled. There was a good chance they wouldn't stay alive.
He had reached his limit. The breaths continued as he wanted to think about what just happened. Chelsea watched his body stay there. It appeared that he had reached some limits. The breaths.
Pecking him on the cheek, he didn't even react.
"You did great, Mattheus-sama. Let me take care of this." Her voice was clear, loud, and precise.
"As you might have experienced, you have been defeated. I think it would be advisable that you surrender. It is going to make things."
Before she could continue to talk, she got a call.
[Hello, Blackett. Are you there?]
It took five seconds before she realized who called her.
[Sarashiki. I am here. What is?] The Maid had been cut off and there was an evident panic in her voice.
[I need you here. You and Adjzof. Come to my location. Pronto!]
Looking at Mattheus, the Hunter began to sit up. He had left his sniper spot. His knees made a triangle while he rocked his body.
[I'll be there as soon as we are able to.]
There was no point in arguing so she cut the communication or her.
Tatenashi opted to go alone. There would be others. Chelsea on the other hand, worked with Mattheus and right now, her partner appeared to be suffering from side effects.
It came down to her to make the calls now.
"I suggest you surrender. The teachers will be here soon enough." If Tatenashi was able to call them, comms were back open.
[Yamada-sensei. We are finished at our end. Would you and a few teachers be able to pick up our remaining foes? We have three breathing left. I would advise you to bring some suits for that. It's messy.]
Chelsea knew that she could rely on the teachers.
[Roger. We'll be there in a few minutes. Comms are coming back online.]
The few minutes were more than enough for Chelsea. Looking down on Mattheus, she still owned a reward. Plus, it appears that her idea of a reward would also be helpful to the Hunter.
Crawling in his lap, she pushed his legs down as she made herself at home. Cupping his chin, the Hunter looked up at her.
There wasn't horror in those eyes.
There wasn't sadness in his eyes.
Nor heroism.
Nor even accomplishment.
Just emptiness.
Even the glee that Mattheus had when he got his rifle to test, had been sapped away.
And the desperate need to fill the emptiness.
His cool nature which had been placed as a warrior, was now flooding out.
"You need to feel something good. I suppose we can hide it from someone else."
Chelsea supposed that he wouldn't protest. And well, with how fucked he felt, it was nice to have a set of lips on his.
The kiss was soft, warm and he couldn't deny that a warm body was better than a cold rifle.
He wouldn't know what he'd tell but something told him that the storm would pass over, quietly.
With all the shit that they had gone through, Mattheus figured he and Chelsea were allowed to feel something good.
"We keep this a secret?"
Mattheus didn't have an answer to her about that question.
There was something else on his mind.
"I was wondering how long it would take you. Longer than I imagined."
There was another kiss on his lips as he just wrapped his hands around her waist.
The tight hug followed up.
His eyes wouldn't cry tears but he did need something to get his mind out of the fallback of the fight.
Scene skip
"With Rin and Cecilia out, I opt you two go for someone else. I suggest Charlotte and Laura. Both appear to have an easier way to settle."
Joel had been filled in by Kanzashi and Natasha on what transpired when his eyesight was hindered. He was thankful that Natasha took care of him as he began to think.
"Joel, how is that looking? They got some crazy ideas about us." The punk began to sigh as he worked things over on the computer.
"Can't track that much. Been keeping track of the others. Kanzashi, fill em in." The younger Sarashiki sighed as she found more information.
"The World Purge is making what they believe to be their perfect world. As you two might have seen. It's why they had such images of you. I can't say for sure where Laura and Charlotte fall but it might not be like the others."
The twins shared an uncomfortable look as they began to realize what the implications might be. The perfect world.
For them.
"I got some clothes for you. You'll need to change again as well. Both of you."
"I call dibs on Charlotte, that leaves your bride for you." Madoka glowered as Ichika raced through the door he grabbed those clothes and put them on in record time.
"We really need to show her and the rest of the school that you are mine. One of these days." Dan's voice had a playful tone but none had missed the edge in that.
"Noted on that, I'll keep you on that," Madoka said back. Joel despaired when he heard those comments. It would be one hell of a cleanup when they had to take care of that.
The youngest Orimura ran through the door as she was ready to confront her latest enemy.
Following the example of her brother, she also was putting on the clothes. Hers were a bit bigger than before though.
An armor or something like that as she left through the portal.
Scene skip
Charlotte had been ecstatic. No, that wasn't even close enough. Delighted, enthralled even. Laying in her bed, she had been kissing her girlfriend as they were pressed as close to each other as they possibly could.
'Laura' had been just as happy to see Charlotte again.
The two had spent the entire day, catching up. It appeared that the Bundeswehr was intending more joint operations with the JSDF.
For Charlotte, that meant her girlfriend would be around more in Japan.
"So Charlotte, anything special in mind?" The teacher began to wonder what she would mean by that until her brain caught up on the hidden implications.
A lecherous grin spread over her face as she began to think about her latest purchase. She had been using it on herself and found that it had an excellent grind. Plus, now, she could enjoy it with Laura.
"There's something I would like to try on you. Would you be interested?" Before 'Laura' could reply to that, sitting up allowed Charlotte to admire that beautiful, naked, and cute body.
"Really? I'd love to." The rest of the sentence was cut off as the window was smashed. The person that stood in front of the lovely couple, appeared to be dressed in clothes that would be better suited in a theater piece instead of a battlefield.
[Eh, Kanzashi. I did choose Charlotte, right?] The man mumbled in a mask as he spoke into a microphone.
[That would be correct. Tell me, Ichika. What do you see?] The morbid curiosity confirmed for the young Knight that he made the right call on who he would wed one day.
[Classified]
Ichika jumped up from his spot as he raced to the imposter. It was better that it was someone else instead of himself.
"Charlotte, get in cover, I will protect you." Her heart fluttered as she heard the words from 'Laura.' But then the gentleman thief pulled off his mask.
"Ichika? What are you doing here?!" Then she watched the young man.
'Wait a second. This Ichika is younger. Like he was a student. Student. I was a student as well. In the ISA.'
The Knight spoke up again as his eyes zoned in on his target.
There was something that Chifuyu told him.
'If you want to protect those around you, be willing to put yourself through something harsh. If I do this right, you'll never have blood on your hands. But if it doesn't, you make the choice.'
The previous time, he was using a submachine gun instead of a sword. This time, it was closer. But also what he was more comfortable in using.
It was a weird thing to think of it like that.
"Charl, this is a dream. A dream that I'll save you from now." The girl wondered what was real and what wasn't but there she heard that nickname.
A nickname that was given to her by the twins.
'Twins. That is right. Ichika has a twin. Madoka. Madoka Orimura.' So there was a question she could ask 'Laura'. To see who was telling the truth.
"Laura, Ichika has a sister. What is her name?" That took the imposter for a second.
"His sister. I must have forgotten. Does he have a?" Charlotte's eyes narrowed on the remarks. Laura would have never forgotten a woman like Laura.
"Ichika, do it."
Hardening his resolve, Ichika moved in for Laura. This was different but his actions were quick and clean but also ruthless, and precise.
With a scream, 'Laura' fell on the floor. There were no words left from her but just the scream. Quickly grabbing the blanket, Ichika lifted Charlotte up from that as he got her out of the mess.
The world around them dissolved again, just like he had seen with Cecilia.
[World Purge ended].
When the light dissipated, the two ended up in front of the forest as they were still there. Ichika thanked his lucky stars, his quick thinking, and his reflexes that he grabbed a blanket along.
Nuzzling in his crook, Charlotte filled her lungs with his scent.
"Are you alright, Char? That was quite a trip." The blonde looked up at him, with admiration and happiness.
"Thank you, Ichika. For saving me." The Knight just calmly grinned back at her as he put her feet down on the ground.
"Kanzashi, can you give her something else to wear? I doubt that blanket would do her any good." Clothes went around the sexy girl as she was dressed once again in her custom ISA uniform.
"Thank you, Kanzashi." Gratitude was easy to give and good to receive.
Looking up at Ichika, Charlotte found herself wondering about swirling questions in her mind.
"I think you should think about this." Like he read her mind, Charlotte found herself looking at the Knight. The one who saved her.
"I think I should, Ichika." He wasn't sure what had transpired but the hug around his arms was one that he could deal with.
Hugging her back, he ignored how nice she smelled and the warmth of her body.
"And if you need someone to talk to, I'll be free to help you out." Nodding back to him, her body got enveloped by lights and she left.
"I'll wait until Madoka gets back. That's fine, right?" He didn't receive an answer so he just waited. He would ask his little sister later on what she saw. If his instincts were right (and they were good), it would solve some troubles.
Scene skip
Before long, Laura found herself in the kitchen, while 'Charlotte' was waiting there for her with a whip.
"Now, you're dressed up like that. Let's start some cooking, shall we? I mean, I have dressed you up like that."
The German Soldier glared back at her partner as she stomped in.
"Fine but I won't forgive you if you do anything weird." The smile on 'Charlotte's' face made her skin crawl but it was butterflies in her stomach.
"Anything weird? Like what?" She hadn't even heard Charlotte move in the kitchen as her bottom felt a playful spank.
Turning around, she was ready with the fist but Laura had forgotten how long 'Charlotte' and she had been together. Her fist was easily caught as 'Charlotte' spun her around as Laura was pressed against the cupboard.
"C'mon! Stop it, Charlotte".
The hands began to play around on the body and the mouth of the blonde began to suck on the neck, leaving a nasty hickey.
"Do you want to spend the entire day, making love?"
Laura's head began to swivel as she began to think back on it.
"I, I, I can't. I don't know if I."
A thundering crack pierced through the sky and Laura was right in time to see 'Charlotte' collapse on the floor with half the skull missing.
"Sniper! Get down!" Her military training began to kick in, shutting down the sheer pain in her heart as she knew there was nothing she could do to save the life of her lover.
"Shit! Charlotte! Damn you, I will." The world around Laura began to swirl away. Her house, Charlotte, the kitchen, everything. It all went away while Madoka smirked behind the scope of the PSG1.
"Damn, you can say what you want about the Germans but they sure as shit know how to make a weapon."
It was a lot easier behind the scope of a rifle.
And just like that, the world on Laura fell away as Madoka let herself be swept away by it.
The two girls had landed in the hallway where the remaining doors stood.
The youngest Orimura turned to her brother who was there, silently waiting on her.
Silent for everyone, except for Madoka.
[Did Laura see a Charlotte in her dream?]
She didn't know why she didn't expect this question but Madoka found that it would be right to answer truthfully.
[Let me guess. Charlotte saw a Laura in hers.] That sort of thinking made both of them happy for the two girls.
[Correct. I suppose you also confirm my question.] Ichika relaxed when he heard those words.
"I'll transport Laura back now. Saw what you did, Madoka. Brutal. But clean. There are three more rooms left. I highly recommend you two to prepare yourself. Djbril and Airis will be tougher but Houki, that is going to be a rollercoaster for you, Ichika."
The words of Joel sounded ominous and grim. They could only do what he asked.
There were two more boxes of clothes sent to them, which indicated what they had to prepare for.
Scene skip
Chifuyu had been hard-pressed to find out the truth of her mysterious foe. The chuckle and fighting style only seemed to infuriate her further.
Katana were sprung around the place but it simply ended with one more pulled from Chifuyu's waist. There were quite a few left and she could afford to lose a blade.
For better or for worse, her foe did allow her so she could arm herself.
There were some chips missing on the Nodachi already but nothing that would break this weapon yet. Nor the will of her foe.
That was something that Chifuyu and her newest foe shared. Frankly, whoever this was, Chifuyu found that she could keep up with the Brunhilde.
'I really hope. For once, that I am wrong.'
Chifuyu's mind raced as she continued to clash swords with the mysterious assassin. Each strike, each parry, brought her closer to the truth she desperately tried to ignore. The similarities in their fighting styles, and the eerie familiarity of her opponent's moves, all pointed to a reality she wasn't ready to face.
The assassin's nodachi met Chifuyu's katana in a flurry of sparks, the force of their blows reverberating through the corridor. Despite the chips and cracks forming on the nodachi, her foe showed no signs of slowing down. The assassin's determination matched Chifuyu's own, making every exchange a test of willpower as much as skill.
With a swift, fluid motion, Chifuyu threw one of her katanas to the side, freeing up her hand to draw another from her waist. Her movements were a blur, the clash of steel echoing through the empty hallway. Her eyes never left the assassin, studying every movement, every technique.
"I really hope," Chifuyu thought to herself as she blocked another powerful strike, "for once, that I am wrong."
Yet, that nagging feeling in the back of her mind wasn't letting go. Like a mole making its tunnel, it was pressuring her to believe what was going on.
She pushed forward, launching a series of precise attacks aimed at disarming or incapacitating her opponent. The assassin countered with equal skill, their blades dancing in a deadly ballet. But Chifuyu's relentless assault began to take its toll.
The assassin's guard weakened the cracks on the nodachi widening with each clash.
Seizing the moment, Chifuyu spun around, delivering a powerful kick to the assassin's midsection. The force of the blow sent her opponent stumbling back, the nodachi slipping from her grasp and embedding itself into the concrete floor.
Chifuyu didn't hesitate. She advanced with her katanas raised, prepared to end the fight.
The assassin, desperate, pulled a hidden dagger and lunged at Chifuyu. Anticipating the move, Chifuyu twisted, the dagger slicing harmlessly past her. She countered with a swift slash of her katana, cutting deep into the assassin's side. The masked foe gasped, clutching the wound as she fell to her knees.
Breathing heavily, Chifuyu stood over her fallen opponent, her katana poised for the final blow. But something made her hesitate. She needed to know.
With a swift motion, she reached down and ripped away the mask. The sight that greeted her confirmed her worst fears. She stared into a face that mirrored her own, a perfect reflection of herself twisted by the machinations of Phantom Task.
Her breath caught in her throat, a mixture of anger and sorrow flooding her mind. "No... it can't be..."
The clone, now unmasked, met Chifuyu's gaze with defiance. Blood trickled from the wound in her side, but she held her head high. "You believed that they had stopped. With you gone, yet, they haven't."
Chifuyu's grip tightened on her katana, her emotions a tempest within her. She knew what she had to do, but the weight of it bore down on her like never before. The clone's life was fading fast, and Chifuyu needed answers.
"Why?" Chifuyu demanded, her voice shaking. "Why did they do this?"
The clone coughed, blood staining her lips. "They wanted… An army to fight… this was just.." a cough as blood came out of her lungs, making Chifuyu glare even colder.
Chifuyu's heart ached with a mix of rage and pity. "You'll never be me," she said softly, her voice filled with finality.
The clone nodded weakly, her strength waning. "Maybe so… But this just proves… You haven't changed. Big sister… You are a monster. Plain and simple. We might be clones… But you, you are the original… We can't be changed from you… We are monsters… Because you are a monster."
Her eyes narrowed on that but yet, Chifuyu kept quiet as she heard the clone continue to rattle.
"You can pretend you are not one… cough, lover, teacher, sister… He was right, you know." Jamming a katana into the ground, she grabbed the collar of the foe.
"He."
There was another cough from the clone as she glared defiantly.
"You don't know him…" After a few more coughs, the Phantom Task agent smiled at her.
"You can't change your truth… Your true nature. You will always be a monster." Chifuyu knew that she wouldn't much more out of her foe. So standing up from her spot, Chifuyu raised a katana.
"I know. But I will be damned if I let them become monsters."
Blood was creeping down from her lips as there was that damned, fucking smile.
"They already are. After all, they are yours. And what would you be able to change?"
Chifuyu smashed the sword down on the neck, ending the life of her foe.
'You couldn't leave well enough. It was never enough.'
Chifuyu mused about the horrors that she had witnessed, partook and fled from.
But then a call came through. it appeared that the communications had been back online.
'You picked a good one, Madoka.'
[Orimura-sensei. Do you copy?] That must be Itsuka.
Hearing the voice of her own lover, made her relax. He was the stillness and rock in the ocean of emotions that she had felt herself going through.
[Yukimura-sensei. Yes, I hear you. What's your stat?]
The doctor started with a heavy sigh, indicating how relieved he was to hear her.
[Adjzof, Blackett have found the elder Sarashiki. They transported her to the infirmary. They all completed their missions.]
That was good news but she could feel a horrible thing in the pit of her stomach.
[Casualties?] Chifuyu asked. It was an irrelevant question as she knew who she had sent in but hearing the names didn't register yet.
Itsuka didn't let it show.
[None on our side. There were no survivors from the attacks. It appeared that they had carried out the orders. Adjzof and Blackett left some alive but they died from shock before the teachers reached them. I will let you know, sensei, that Adjzof wants to see you as soon as you are able.]
If what Chifuyu faced was one clone that was rejected, there was no doubt who the other foes wore.
[I understand. Please hold the fort. I'll be right back at the underground lab.]
Itsuka gave her a simple [Roger] and closed the call.
Sliding down against the wall, Chifuyu pressed her hands against her head as she felt alien tears streaming down her face.
She knew exactly what Adjzof wanted to talk about.
'I guess that I can run as far as I want to. The past will always catch up.'
The Brunhilde took a deep breath as she began to think.
'Whatever happens. I have those two. They know the truth. No matter what happens, I'll always have my siblings.'
The little, traitorous voice couldn't get through.
Ichika and Madoka knew the truth and they had accepted it.
Now, it was time that a few others found out about it. More than she had ever wanted to.
"Goddammit."
Scene skip
In the limousine, Airis felt herself growing increasingly hotter by the minute. Whatever she was making Ichika do, it really showed what sort of beast she had unleashed.
On her knees, she felt that it was time to let her hair down.
"Take off my shoes. And my socks." From her position, Airis found herself immensely powerful.
'Ichika' was unsure as his eyes flickered back at her. He wouldn't know where to look.
"Airis-sama?" He was unsure what this princess had just asked of him.
"Did I stutter, my lovely servant? Obey." The tone that she was using, had been one that he had never heard before.
But those words did compel him to follow her orders. His strong hands went over the delicate feet of Airis. A deep sigh of relief was heard all over the car as she felt the pressure go away as she enjoyed that interaction.
"Airis-sama." He calmly asked as she watched with fervent interest on her newest servant.
"Let's see what else we can do."
Before 'Ichika' could even ask what she meant by that, the car found themselves stopped by an overwhelming force. 'Ichika' was thrown away by that collision while Airis found herself to be completely pressured into the seats of the car.
"What in the world? Djbril, what just happened?" There was only silence before a mechanical claw tore away the door.
Airis recognized that design anywhere. What was Byakushiki doing there? But what could he be doing there? 'Ichika' was now thrown back.
"Good thing that worked," Ichika said as he watched the princess in her seat, with her bare feet as she was trying to recover from what she saw.
For evidence, the imposter had those socks in his hands.
"Anomaly discovered. Removing threat." Ichika was not in the mood for a long, drawn-out fight.
Summoning Izanagi, Ichika unleashed a hail of bullets from the handgun, tearing the servant to pieces.
"How could you? That was my servant. My Ichika. The one that I."
The Knight turned back to her with a vicious glare that made her shrink back.
"That wasn't me. Airis, you are in a machine. You're in Japan. Have you forgotten what happened when you came to Japan? What happened when you got the ISA?"
The heiress began to think back on what transpired.
"I went in the second semester. I made you my servant. With Orimura Chifuyu's blessing." The Knight shook his head.
"You didn't. You know my younger sister? Madoka. She made clear that wouldn't happen." The memories began to flood in.
"She stopped me." Ichika showed his open palm to her.
"Come with me. Let's go back to the world of the living."
Airis looked back at him and nodded. Gratefully, she took his hand and was pulled back in. The world around them dissolved.
She would have loved to live in this but found that reality had to be the one place where she would be better suited.
Scene skip
Madoka found herself flattered by this image. Fighting a match as Brunhilde and being able to win against the little sister of Chifuyu Orimura. That would be the dream of many Pilots, inspired by that title.
Unfortunately for many, Madoka would be the one who would that title one day.
Practicing patience as a virtue, Madoka watched how her counterpart hung around Djbril. For the cameras, she was smiling and congratulating Djbril on her victory.
But the imposter had been copied to Madoka one to one.
The youngest Orimura could see the darkness behind those eyes. The hatred that burned. The anger that poisoned her smile.
Madoka waited for many hours, moving around the world. It was weird as this was set years in the future as the one who made this World did its best to replicate it.
'Impressive for sure.'
Eventually, the party was over. Djbril made her way to her room. Madoka made sure that she kept eyes on her and on the doppelganger. Luckily for her, 'Madoka' was also making her way to the room of Djbril.
The imposter was just as good as Madoka for avoiding detection. Like a ninja or an assassin, they navigated through the hotel.
Djbril had found her way to the room. Madoka waited behind the wall as the imposter began to break the lock.
The Kuroshiki Pilot waited until the door was open and she heard the scream from Djbril.
"Madoka? What are you? Please, no!" It didn't take long before Madoka came into the room and watched how the imposter was above Djbril, ready to shove a blade in her throat.
The youngest Orimura threw her off Djbril. Shoving down the mask, Djbril watched how there were two Madoka's in the room.
"Gotta admit, your fantasies weren't as bad as some others," Madoka said as she summoned her own Yukihira. The imposter sneered at her as that sword would be peanuts compared to the sword.
Madoka moved in closer as the imposter tried to fight back.
"But unfortunately for you, it's the end of the dream. Time to wake up." With a cold way of easiness, Madoka moved as she avoided the edge and moved in faster. With a knock, she touched down and tore through her foe as she fell on the floor.
Djbril looked at her in wonder and amazement.
Turning back to Djbril, Madoka extended a hand to Djbril who was obviously shocked by the actions.
"Stop pretending you won't get a happy ending. You'll wake up from this life in fantasy." Those words made Djbril blink as she took the hand as the world around them dissolved.
Nothing needed to be said between the two. They knew that they would get an answer later.
Scene skip
Mattheus and Chelsea didn't have a problem locating Chelsea as the eldest Sarashiki had pressed herself against the wall. She was as white as a sheet.
"Sarashiki-san, are you hurt? Did some of them get to you?" Mattheus was all too happy Chelsea was the one who could question Tatenashi while he went to check on the others. The one closest to Tatenashi had been unmasked.
Rolling over the corpse, the Hunter felt his eyes bulge out of his skull and the air in his lungs was halted.
His head went over to Tatenashi as she had a moment of clarity.
"They, they, they look like… like… like." Mattheus knew exactly what she meant by that.
"They look like them." Stepping aside, Chelsea could see what had Mattheus and Tatenashi so spooked.
The Hunter knew that whatever was going on, it had to wait.
Kneeling down, next to Tatenashi, his eyes went over her body. This place wasn't well suited to take care of a girl in shock. Frankly, Mattheus felt like he was barely holding himself together.
"Tatenashi, we can't stay here. We need to get you to the infirmary. Can you walk?"
The girl shook her head as she felt tears rolling down her face. For all that was going on, she was still a high school girl.
"I'll carry you. Chelsea, you coming?" The maid nodded and with that began a track back to the infirmary.
"We'll need to talk to Orimura-sensei about this. We'll call her over to the infirmary but I suggest that we listen to her on what we do next."
Neither of the two women had a problem with that. What they had seen, would cause an incredible shock to all involved.
Knowing what Phantom Task had done in Kyoto and now at their home, it would only make things more dangerous.
They had to give the truth but the question was, how they had to let the others know of that.
Besides, something told him that many had gone through enough for this day.
Scene skip
Airis and Djbril had found their way out of the Virtual World, leaving just the twins behind the doors.
[We need to have a talk, later.] Madoka spoke in her link to her older brother.
[Bout all of them. Airis was really messed up] Ichika wasn't even joking.
"There is one more left. That'd be Houki. Ichika, I suggest you go after her." Kanzashi interrupted the twins while they promised they would do this conversation later.
"Madoka, I suggest you stay here in case your brother needs help." The girl nodded while she trusted her brother. He could handle himself in a fight and she would be there, waiting until he got out.
"Get Houki back." Ichika nodded to his younger sister as he opened the box.
This was going to be a doozy.
Scene skip
In a traditional house, a dojo, there were two combatants, ready to strike on this match.
Dressed in the armor, both were waiting on the first to make the move.
The woman in the picture couldn't get one read on the guy as she halted herself and decided to push on.
But the male had been faster and avoided the first attack and managed to get a hit on the mask.
"You got me," Houki admitted as she found herself, impressed by Ichika's fighting.
"Thank you very much!" There was a bow. Putting the shinai away, they knelt to the side and removed their masks.
Houki looked up in admiration to the man.
It had been some time since she and Ichika had been married. Their time together showed how strong he had become.
The ideas were that of a simple life. An easy life.
Dreams of children, Ichika marrying into the shrine.
It was what she had always wanted.
The woman was about to take a shower but found herself looking up to a man, dressed in a white hakama. It was after closing hours so Houki wondered what this stranger would be doing here.
"I'm here for a challenge. I heard that Ichika Orimura is here."
The face of Houki got into a smirk as she watched the challenger.
'He doesn't stand a chance against Ichika. But fine, we could humor him.'
Turning her head, she found that her own Ichika was also just as ready.
Ichika had seen Houki make that face a few times. Prideful and confident. So it was up to him to defeat her.
"If you insist."
Before long, Ichika was ready to face his counterpart.
Houki watched from the side, her expression a mix of confidence and curiosity. She believed in her husband's strength, but the appearance of this challenger piqued her interest.
Ichika bowed to his counterpart, who mirrored the gesture. The room fell silent, the only sound was the steady breathing of the two combatants. They waited, each gauging the other, looking for the slightest hint of an opening.
The silence was broken by the swift movement of the imposter, who lunged forward with a powerful strike aimed at Ichika's head. Ichika parried the blow, the shinai clashing with a resounding snap. He responded with a quick counter-attack, aiming for his opponent's torso, but the counterpart sidestepped gracefully, avoiding the hit.
Houki's eyes widened slightly. The challenger was good, very good. But she had seen 'Ichika' overcome greater odds before.
The two fighters moved in a flurry of strikes and parries, each testing the other's defenses. Ichika could feel the intensity of his counterpart's attacks, the precision and power behind each strike.
This version of himself was supposed to be the strongest, a manifestation of the ideal Ichika within the World Purge. But the real Ichika had spent countless hours training under Chifuyu's tutelage, honing his skills and developing his own techniques.
He would thank his sister when this was over for the training he received.
Houki watched closely, recognizing some of Chifuyu's signature moves in the real Ichika's fighting style. He had inherited her bloodlust, a fierce determination that shone through in every strike.
The counterpart was relentless, but Ichika matched him blow for blow, their shinai creating a symphony of clashing wood.
The room was filled with the rhythmic sound of their combat, each strike resonating like a drumbeat. 'Ichika' shifted his stance, launching a series of rapid thrusts.
Ichika deftly deflected each one, his movements fluid and precise. He could see the frustration growing in his opponent's eyes, a mirror of his own past struggles.
With a sudden burst of speed, Ichika switched tactics. He feinted to the left, drawing his counterpart's defense, then spun to the right, delivering a precise strike to the side of his headgear.
The counterpart staggered, momentarily disoriented, and Ichika pressed the advantage. He launched a series of rapid attacks, each one forcing his opponent back, but his counterpart recovered quickly, parrying the blows and countering with a fierce strike aimed at Ichika's shoulder.
Ichika barely managed to block, the force of the impact reverberating through his arms. He gritted his teeth, pushing back against the relentless assault. He could see Houki's face in his mind, her confidence in him fueling his determination. He couldn't afford to lose.
Drawing on every ounce of strength and skill, Ichika launched a final, desperate attack. His shinai blurred through the air, striking with a speed and power that took his counterpart by surprise.
The blow landed squarely on his opponent's headgear, the force of it knocking the shinai from his hands and sending him sprawling to the floor.
Breathing heavily, Ichika stood over his defeated foe. The dojo was silent, the echoes of their battle still reverberating in the air. Houki's heart swelled with pride and admiration. She had always known Ichika was strong, but seeing him defeat this version of himself reaffirmed her belief in him.
The counterpart lay on the ground, panting heavily, the mask slightly askew.
"World Purge. Anomaly defeated."
Houki could only look as the real Ichika removed his helmet while the imposter disappeared in particles.
"Hey." Her mouth fell open as she watched the real Ichika in front of her.
"Ichika. How did you? What just?"
The man smiled at her and closed the distance. Wrapping his arms around her, the embrace was the one that she remembered him to have.
Returning the hug, Houki felt her instincts. They told her this was the real Ichika. The one that she fell in love with. The one that had been there to protect her.
"You're in a dream. A dream we should wake up from." Her mind began to buzz. Memories came flying in.
Like it had been missing but then she remembered.
"The Virtual Core. My dreams."
Ichika nodded to her as he let her go. In his eyes, she could read the undying love and loyalty.
"You all have been having dreams. I think it's time that we go back home." The Knight told his Maiden as she watched how relieved he was to have her back.
Houki wrapped her arms around his neck and their lips connected. The world around them fell into nothing while they just held each other.
There was no place where they would rather be.
Scene skip
Houki's eyes began to flutter open as she found herself, surrounded by her friends who were all too relieved to see the Shinonono awake.
"Houki." Charlotte let out a relieved breath as she felt herself smiling, looking at her friends.
Then they heard the groans of the twins who were taken out of the machines. They were the furthest away from each other but Ichika and Madoka came out of the machines while their friends turned to them.
"Ichika!/Madoka!" Voices chorused through the hallway and from the control room, they found a few more voices speaking to them.
"Good to have you back. I would like to let you know that the mission was a success. Thanks to the Orimura siblings, we have managed to repair the Virtual Core." Itsuka's voice was the cool reason that they needed.
The door opened and Dan rushed into the room. Madoka hadn't expected the force that the engineer used to hug his girlfriend.
"Glad to have you back, Madoka." Rin, Djbril, and Laura watched how the young man hugged his girlfriend. It proved to be a distraction they all needed.
Natasha and Joel walked in behind the redhead.
"Gotta admit, not the first time that we see something like this." Joel would have been more believable if his cheeks weren't burning. The images were flooding in, which made more than a few girls turn away as they found themselves thinking about what happened.
Itsuka and Kanzashi were the last to join in the room.
The bluenette looked to be glowering as well on Dan while Madoka had been hoisted to his lap.
Ichika found himself grinning at the way that they were acting.
"But I will need to examine you. Plus, with what has happened, I am of the professional opinion that counseling is more than necessary."
There were collective groans from everyone, those who actually registered them.
"I would like to start with Alcott. You'll be having to call others over."
The blonde followed the teacher to the control room as that would be the easiest way to receive privacy.
Finding a pod to sit down, Natasha hoisted Joel onto her lap while she watched the children.
"You don't even think of running away. I won't allow that." There were some movements between those girls.
Houki moved right to Ichika as he looked up to her, love so evident in his eyes. The young woman parked her shapely rear into his lap while Madoka had managed to get Dan, to move his head into her lap.
He would never get used to seeing his girl in that much danger and yet, she would throw herself into that.
Many a man would kill for a woman like Madoka. It was ironic.
Like a fish taking to water, the youngest Orimura thought nothing of the danger she found herself in but she was surprised that her boyfriend would.
It did make her wonder what Houki thought of Ichika and his tendencies.
Then she found herself looking at Charlotte and Laura, sharing a pod, lying closer to each other.
[Maybe, this will work out.] Madoka asked her brother.
[Let's hope so]
Scene skip
In the infirmary, Tatenashi had been in the capable hands of the nurses while Chelsea had crashed into one of the beds. The Hunter couldn't blame the maid as he was one moment away from taking a nap himself.
But there was something that they would need to discuss. It took longer than he would have guessed but Chifuyu Orimura walked in as she found the combatants waiting.
Tatenashi was tapped to a few veins while Chelsea couldn't sleep. All three perked up when they saw the Brunhilde entering the room.
Despite still being in her battle attire, the Brunhilde looked incredibly fragile. Just like the three fighters, this had taken a toll on her.
"Do I need to tell you or can we just tell you what happened?" Mattheus' question was devoid of any emotion. It was the simplest question with the simplest intonation.
Chifuyu knew exactly what he was talking about. It was no use playing games. The truth had been out.
Frankly, she was lucky it was those three who found out.
"You don't. I have seen the same."
Chifuyu simply answered while Mattheus kept his gaze up.
"Then here is my question. Why does Phantom Task have soldiers who are clones of you and Madoka?"
Tatenashi and Chelsea felt themselves gulping as the Hunter kept his gaze up.
"Why do you think? They were cloning me. They sent those here for a reason." Chifuyu let go of her breath as she talked.
"The good news is that only you have found out. All foes have expired. It appears that the ones you kept alive, expired due to shock and blood loss. Either way, this is classified." Mattheus towered over Chifuyu while his left arm slammed above her.
"Yeah, that ain't gonna fly. Do you think we can keep this hidden? What we saw in Kyoto, what we have here. Phantom Task is throwing everything at us."
Chifuyu would not be intimated by a student. Not even one like Mattheus.
"Adjzof. We are not keeping this secret. But with all that transpired, I believe there are priorities. There is much to be talked about. And I'll need Pearce for this. I am afraid that I can no longer sit on the sidelines."
All three were trying to comprehend what Chifuyu was saying.
"I will reactivate the Kurazakura. This fight has proven that. But for this truth, it'll have to wait until the girls sort some other things out. From what I heard of Itsuka, I fear that there is a bit more that we'll have to handle."
That was not what they expected to hear. But it had been clear that whatever had been going on. It was coming to an end.
Chelsea and Tatenashi were blown away by that news while Mattheus didn't offer his opinion.
He had found himself in the shoes of Chifuyu before. It was better now to take up the weapons while there was still someone left to save.
"If you could excuse me. I need to make a few calls." The Hunter couldn't stop the Brunhilde from leaving and he didn't want to.
For a few moments, it remained quiet until he shrugged. Grabbing a chair, he plowed it down next to Chelsea and his head landed next to her bed.
"Exhausted much, Mattheus?" The maid asked as the man craned up to see her face. He didn't even speak but nodded.
"I think that we won't get in the lab anytime soon. I stepped close enough to the ledge, now I am coming down." He closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
Too much had happened and now, he was too tired to argue. The only thing he wanted, was to sleep and have some warmth. It didn't matter from who he got it.
Stroking his hair, Chelsea watched how he fell asleep next to her.
"Not that it's my business but isn't he dating Fairs-sensei?" There was a chuckle from the maid who comforted the Hunter.
"Well, she isn't here. And I am. Besides, she has him all the time. She can wait. And I will be assured of your discretion."
Tatenashi had half a mind of speaking out of that but the looks she received from the maid, made her shiver down to her very core. It would be unwise to mess with a woman like Chelsea.
Scene skip
Itsuka assumed that the girls wouldn't have received any damage but he much rather didn't take things for granted as he began to look Cecilia over.
"Well, if there is something like nausea or a headache, I would like to know. Now, it's time for another matter." Sitting his rear down in front of the blonde, Itsuka's sharp eyes narrowed on the blonde who would have preferred to be anywhere else.
"What could there possibly be to discuss, sensei? We have taken care of the trouble."
The smile of Itsuka was an incredibly cold and dry one. It made Cecilia squirm even more.
"I am hinting at your behavior in the Virtual Core. The World Purge made a perfect World for you and the other girls. Unfortunately for you, we were all witness to your perversions. Which would be the cleanest way to call them."
Cecilia's face wasn't sure what she would switch. Becoming as white as a sheet from that or blushing up a storm as her dirtiest fantasies had become bare to see.
"As you are now speechless, something that Orimura-sensei informed me, is rare, I will give you one stern warning. Leave those thoughts. Leave those obsessive perversions. Lock them up in your head and throw away the key. I am of the assumption that Ichika Orimura and Madoka Orimura have made their choice. It won't go anywhere good. Find someone else to share your life with. Now, get out of here and get me Bodewig in."
Cecilia wanted to fight back. To argue. She wanted to shoot something so bad, that she felt like screaming. But yet, she found herself without any sort of luck.
But there was nothing she could do. Nothing she could say back. Slumping out of the seat, she walked down and got the next one.
Itsuka sat back in his chair as he began to feel the fatigue catching up with him.
The doctor knew that his lover would be fine with this. It was time that the girls got over themselves.
'One down. One, two, three, four, five more to go. I'll let you handle the Sarashiki's.' This night was far from over.
There was a huge part of him that wished he could call Chifuyu. Just to hear her voice. There was no doubt in his woman's abilities but that didn't stop him from being worried.
He couldn't blame Dan for acting the way he did. Frankly, the only reason why he didn't, was purely because Chifuyu was nowhere around.
'Your siblings could use you right now. And frankly, so can I.'
Scene skip
Chifuyu found that her world had been taken upside down, one too many times. This last night was just too much for her.
With this last revelation, her hand had been pretty much forced.
There was some saving grace that it was the more level-headed fighters who found out but she knew damn well that they would press on revealing the truth.
If the Brunhilde didn't, they would do it for her.
Which would only leave more horrendous marks.
Sliding open an empty classroom, Chifuyu wished that she could do the same thing that she had done so many years ago.
Grab two bundles of joy, run away, and never look back.
The only problem was that Ichika and Madoka weighed more than last time and they had too many things that tied them to this damned school.
"Doesn't matter how far or hard you run, your past always catches up with you. It's highly overdue that I bury it."
Taking out her phone, there was a nearly automatic way to call someone on her very small contact list.
'I don't know who I hate more right now. Myself, them, Tabane, or just a delightful mix of them all.'
Before the third ring even passed, Tabane picked up the phone.
"Hello, howdy, ho. This is Tabane Shinonono speaking. The world's greatest genius and the."
"I want to reactivate the Kurazakura." That did enough to halt the super genius who for a breathless moment, didn't speak.
"Tall order, Chi-chan." She would have waited until Chifuyu would talk again but found that the Brunhilde only wanted the green light.
"You're the only one who can do it." Chifuyu slid down on the floor, not caring if the heels broke as she wanted nothing more than to disappear.
"I would ask why you'd come out of retirement but I won't." There was so much venom in her voice that would turn most away from a woman like Chifuyu.
"Don't even tell me that you figured it out. You know what happened. I don't want to talk about it. I don't even want to fucking think about it. I want to bury it. I'm going to burn this whole mess down."
Tabane sighed when she heard those words. She knew that the handle was now off and there was no stopping the eldest Orimura.
"You know, it's okay to hate me. I have done a lot of horrible things." Chifuyu didn't want to hear it.
"Not as many things as I did, Tabane. There is no goddamn way in fucking hell that you made such a horrible shitshow as I have done now."
Tabane felt her heart breaking as she heard her best friend talking like that. What she wouldn't give to be at Chifuyu's side.
To comfort her best friend. To let Chifuyu cry out on her shoulder. To hold her and care for her.
"I really want to know if you think that it's the best thing to take that machine back online. Just saying."
Chifuyu scoffed at that ludicrous idea.
"Tabane. What have we seen? The golems, the Kyoto disaster. Now this. Phantom Task came after my family. They want a war, I sure as hell will give them one."
There was no stopping this War Goddess as she was set on her path of righteous destruction and unholy carnage.
Tabane knew that for all her strengths, geniality, and wisdom, Chifuyu would be able to kill her.
She lacked the bloodlust, cool mind, and tactical fighting.
Of the two, Chifuyu was always the bigger monster.
And that was the fucked up irony of it all. Chifuyu Orimura did not want to be that damned monster.
"Duly noted, Chi-chan. Here is the thing though. I can't exactly come over to the ISA. But I have someone who could work on it. Joel-kun is the one you'll need for this."
There was no use in arguing with Tabane. The woman had the most stubborn streak that Chifuyu knew, short of herself and her baby sister.
"If you trust him that much." Chifuyu was about to trail off but then found that Tabane had a few more words to say.
"You're going to tell them, right?"
Tabane kept in the words on what she exactly meant by that, something that Chifuyu knew she would have to thank her for.
"Three already know. They'll do it in my stead if I don't. Which will only make matters worse. Yes, I will tell them, Tabane. But I face that monster tomorrow. Right now, I just want to make sure that I get my machine going."
There was nothing else to be said.
"I'll let Joel-kun know and start on the preparations. Will that be all, Chi-chan?"
It remained silent for a few tense moments but Chifuyu found that there wasn't more that she wanted to say.
"No, that'll be all. Good night, Tabane."
The scientist hoped there would be a few to comfort Chifuyu later. She needed it. More than she even dared to admit.
"Night, Chi-chan."
Closing the call, Chifuyu sat down, pocketing her phone and just turned her gaze outside.
"I am not going to survive unless I get a little crazy." With that, the floodgates opened and instead of the strongest Brunhilde, the Ice Queen Chifuyu Orimura, the World's Best Pilot, there was a broken, sad, and young woman on the floor. She didn't hold back while she cried her eyes out.
There was no stopping her. The sadness and frustration had caught up and now, she was letting it all go while the tears kept on falling down.
It would make her feel better but there was nothing else that she wanted to be alone for a bit.
Scene skip
"I suppose that you can guess why I have called you here, don't you, Huang-san?" Rin was not exactly comfortable, especially not with how Cecilia had returned back in the room.
It was rare to find the blonde that subdued and quiet.
"For what we have done in the World Purge." Rin couldn't meet the image of the doctor who just grinned back at her.
"Well, if that is the case, I will be here with quite an important message. The same one I told Alcott-san. I think it's highly overdue that you will leave the Orimura siblings out of your delusions. Let your foolish obsession go! It won't do anyone any favors."
Rin was about to shout back or even deploy her fist to punch the living daylights out of Itsuka but the former lieutenant sat ready and waiting for such an attack. His eyes had narrowed in and there was no fear in them.
"Do anything overboard, Huang-san Orimura-sensei will know of it. Do you want to invoke her wrath? Especially since she shares my sentiments." Of course, that would make things so much worse.
"Do you think it's right to get involved with the love life of your students?! What sort of teacher are you?!"
Itsuka was not shaken by those comments. In fact, he had expected them.
"The kind of teacher who knows the difference between an innocent crush and obsessive feelings. It's a big difference. So I highly recommend that you quit this now. When there's still a friendship to salvage. If I had known of such perverted fantasies, I would not be able to look my friends in the eye."
Her head fell down and there was no denying the truth.
"Will that be all, sensei?"
"No, send Dunois in. I need to see her as well."
The Chinese cadette didn't trust her voice and just left the room. Itsuka really hoped that Chifuyu would return soon enough.
A text message cut him off and he looked over to it.
[I need you by my side.] That got to the point.
[Currently, I'm preoccupied. I'm dealing with the World Purge After Effects. Could you spare me a few more minutes?]
It didn't take a few moments until the message came through.
[I see. That'll be fine.]
He didn't have time to pocket his phone until Charlotte came through.
"Sensei."
"Ah, yes, Dunois-san. Take a seat. This won't take too long."
Just like the other girls, Charlotte didn't appear to have any injuries or lasting damage. It was quick, professional, and clean.
"Now, I believe that I will have to talk about what you have seen in the World Purge." That made Charlotte go bright red. After all, they all had seen what happened.
"I will admit that compared to some of your peers, your dream started relatively properly. I will admit that there is a surprise that the one you dreamt about, was not about either Orimura. Bodewig?"
There was an even more epic blush over her face as Charlotte heard those words.
Itsuka didn't look disgusted or disappointed. If she were to guess, there was a sort of surprise in his vision.
"I am not one to judge. You don't choose who you fall in love with." Inching in closer, there was a conspiratorial edge to it.
"Frankly, it'll be easier if you decide to go out with her. Before you ask, does she feel the same way about you? I'll tell you right now, yes." Charlotte felt her wonder if she was getting even more embarrassed.
"Why are you so frank with your student's secrets? Don't you know of a little thing called privacy?" The teacher just smirked and sat back.
"It makes my job easier. Two more that I won't have to lecture. I'll also tell you that with all you have experienced, keeping it longer hidden, won't do any good. I already told Huang-san and Alcott-san that their obsession with the Orimura siblings isn't good for anyone. I'll give you this information. Figure something out with you and Bodewig. I think you'll make each other very happy."
Those words alone made Charlotte blush even more.
"You really think so, sensei?" The small smirk on his face would have been the same thing as a giant grin that Charlotte usually saw on Mattheus.
It was all the confirmation that she needed.
"Positively. I wouldn't hold it down for too long."
Skipping out of the room, she was smiling like a lunatic.
"Can you call Bodewig-san for me as the next one?! Thank you, Dunois-san!"
It appeared that Laura had heard those words as she didn't even take more than twenty seconds to show up at the room.
"You called for me, sensei?"
Itsuka feared that he would have to be even more blunt with Laura. Not that it was something he couldn't do.
Scene skip
Ichika was wondering what Itsuka told Cecilia and Rin. It would have been something harsh as the girls were in the fetal position and they were sucking on their thumb.
But he was not in the mood to get involved with it. He had followed his sister's example and just sat back in the pod with Houki, laying on his shoulder while his hands didn't move between her legs.
"Was that your dream? Taking over the dojo. Marrying into your family." Houki felt her face heat up from that question. It was something she had never even considered that it was so close to her.
"What do you want to do, Ichika?"
The Knight laid back as he felt the Maiden looked at him.
"Good question. But I would not know that. I do admit that it's a simple life. Something that I have been looking for." There was a kiss as he enjoyed his time.
"Would you ever do that? Following in my father's footsteps." Ichika shuddered as he was reminded of Ryuuin.
"I believe that I will need to tell him first. Preferably with Yukiko and Chifuyu-nee present."
On another pod, Dan had Madoka in his lap. The glare that she glowered at every girl, made no one, not even Joel think she would come near the two.
There were a few small whispers in her ear, which made her skin go cold but all in the right ways. There was a certain love in that.
Before long, Laura had walked out of the room. Her eyes looked over at the youngest girl in the room.
"Sensei told me it was your turn. Please, follow his orders." Airis let out an annoyed but dignified huff before making her way to the control room.
Laura waited until she heard the door close before turning to Madoka and Dan. The youngest Orimura just halted for a bit while she looked at the German.
"I concede defeat. I will release my claim." Everyone in the room did not have a single idea of what she could possibly mean by that.
Her head turned towards Charlotte. The French girl couldn't meet her gaze either as both looked away, blushing.
But they did still sit together on the pod waiting until they could get to their room.
Madoka already knew what they were thinking about. She heard from her brother what happened with Charlotte as he was in her own dreams.
[You believed they would confess to each other now.]
[Something tells me it won't take her long. I had expected her to kiss Charlotte as she had done with you. Remember?]
There was an involuntary shiver from Madoka as she was reminded of that disaster.
And Dan could be sure that it wasn't due to the clothing.
Scene skip
Unlike the previous three, Laura sat still the entire time and let Itsuka do his job.
"I believe that physically, there isn't anything amiss with any of you but it's better to take precautions. Now, onto the mental aspect. I will admit that I was surprised to see your dream with Dunois-san. Any particular reason why?"
Why did he throw such expensive words around?
It bothered Laura but the soldier didn't let it show.
But she found it was best to answer truthfully.
"I don't know myself. I had expected my wife or Ichika to show up. But it wasn't them. It was her." That last part was a bit too quiet, even for somebody like Laura. Itsuka wasn't going to pry on that. But it would help tremendously in other aspects.
"Leaving the contents aside, I believe that you have made some changes for you. It's not my place to judge. But you have to ask yourself. Do you continue to chase after someone like the Orimura siblings? Or do you find yourself brave enough to change your course?"
Those words were making Laura doubt the real words that she was hearing. The things she would be thinking about. The changes she would have to make.
"I can assure you. It would be more beneficial for you." The silverette blushed from hearing those words.
"I'll be letting you know. She does feel the same for you. I normally wouldn't say such things but if this life is proving you something, it's better to regret the things you have done, than the things you didn't do."
Laura looked at herself but found a heavy, friendly hand on her shoulder.
Itsuka had been a lieutenant in another life. The girl had nearly forgotten about that little fact. He was just taking another approach. One of the doctors. One of the friendly ones.
In this sort of deal, it was better to be approachable than harsh.
"Do what you feel is best. Burn what you can never have. Start anew." It more felt like some orders but ones she wouldn't mind following.
"Thank you, sir."
It was old habits as Laura saluted him which he returned. Before she was about to leave, he shouted after her.
"If you decide to do something, please send Luxembourg up. It will save us all an incredible amount of trouble."
Scene skip
Itsuka wouldn't be one to say that but Laura did know how to follow orders. He wasn't sure what he was hearing and frankly, he wasn't willing to figure that out. But right now, he had to take care of another spoiled princess.
Where Cecilia could listen to some, he heard enough of his woman that Airis Twilight Luxembourg was beyond exhausting to deal with.
But well, she was now his to work over and make her listen to him.
"Okay, if you insist that someone can take care of your body, that still leaves your mind. I was witness to your fantasies. Frankly, compared to some teenage boys, yours was beyond weird. Not only on the images you had in mind but the complete ideas of master and servant. That sort of thing you would find back in a smut novel, not in real life."
He hoped that he had delivered that in the most deadpan and sarcastic way as he possibly could while internally, he was trying his hardest to keep his professional demeanor. He was finding the whole show to be wanting.
Even during his time in the army, when the topic of sex came into discussion, he kept his distance. Grown men should have (and often did) a tighter lid on their sexcapades.
Itsuka wondered if he should get a few cold ones and have a discussion with Mattheus. The idea alone should have made him appalled but something made him think that he would need it.
But that brought him back to the matter at hand. Namely, Airis who had frankly one of the dirtiest fantasies.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Were you intending 'Ichika' to lick your feet? Or was your idea to use your feet to get him off? I wonder what sort of dirty ideas are flooding your mind?"
The girl was sputtering and protesting. "I don't care what your excuses are. One can't deny that those were ideas. The World Purge showed the perfect World for the ones who were under its influence. Here is the deal. You will abstain from referring it and I will not tell Orimura Chifuyu the ideas you had."
A threat that he would carry out. He hoped that Chifuyu would be mature enough. She would be. If not, something told him that she would have enough on her mind to worry about the fantasies of some teenage girls.
Or maybe postpone the idea until later.
"Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir." Airis feebly muttered.
Laying down the law would be one more thing on which Mattheus Adjzof and Itsuka Yukimura would come to agree.
Scene skip
Laying down in the pod, Madoka was all too happy to have Dan close to her as they could talk about something that the World Purge had stirred in her.
Namely, their future. Preferably one they would share.
"Did you see what some of the girls thought when they were under the World Purge?" Madoka asked while her boyfriend cringed.
"Too happy I was preoccupied with comms. Between the two of us, Madoka, something tells me that we are not out of the woods just yet. Kinda happy I didn't see that though. From what I hear, it was nasty."
Madoka began to think about what Rin dreamt of her. Djbril was flattering enough, one thing she should thank her for, and with Laura, that wasn't her. But she had seen what the other girls had thought off with her dear older brother.
"Nasty would be the best way to describe it, my good man." There was a small kiss that followed up as she inched closer.
"Good thing I didn't see it. But there is something else that is stirring you. Spill it, girl." Lovely to have a man that you knew so well and that would go so far for you.
Madoka found it was best that she opened up for him.
"Just been thinking. About my future. Our future. It was a wonderful dream but I think that I prefer to live on what I make of it."
Dan grinned at that part as he hugged her closer.
"Anything in particular, Madoka?"
It made the girl think for a second.
She whispered her most forbidden dream in his ears which made Dan whistle.
"Dang, that is dreaming big. But not out of the league of possibilities. But after that. What then?"
Maybe, this would be the best time for impossible ideas and reasonable suggestions. Madoka knew what Dan wanted out of this life and how she would fit in.
It would be two polar opposites but frankly, she had enough turbulence and uncertainty for one life.
Scene skip
Itsuka really hoped that the Orimura siblings and Houki would be a lot more agreeable. This was slowly working on his nerves.
Then again, he tackled the most difficult subjects first and only later started to work on the easier ones.
Djbril could be labeled as someone in the middle. It didn't concern Airis or her stuck-up pride. Frankly, Itsuka would admit that he was wrong, regarding her. Instead of the dreams that he expected her to have, the whole idea of becoming Brunhilde was something actually admirable.
Of course, he wouldn't mention Airis' fantasies. Unlike Mattheus or Ichika, Itsuka didn't have their fighting capabilities.
His weapon was his intellect and the way how analyzed issues and was able to get people to talk.
"Now, Emulail-san. I am only wondering. I did see your performance in the World Purge. Could you be so kind as to explain to me why you saw Madoka in that encounter? It was a surprising encounter. Ironically, a whole lot more wholesome than some of the other fantasies."
Itsuka smiled back at her while the Imperial Knight had an embarrassed smile on her face.
"It is every Pilot's dream to become Brunhilde. I hadn't expected to be in that. My service to the House of Luxembourg. In particular, Airis-sama. Without her, I would have never become an Infinite Stratos Pilot."
That wasn't exactly a surprise for Itsuka. He had seen this often before and he couldn't blame Djbril for being loyal towards Airis. That didn't stop dreams from coming through.
"I think that there is more behind that. What you experienced in that dream, is the freedom to live your own life. Not a surprising event. I think that you are allowed to have your own dreams. Don't be sorry for that part."
She didn't know what she had to expect.
"I'll let you know that unless you share your dreams, the others will not know what you have dreamt of. Frankly, your dream and that of Shinonono would be the only ones that I would actually approve of. And yes, that includes your master." That did take Djbril for a surprising take.
"I will not be sharing those dreams. In fact, I believe that you are a whole lot easier to handle in that regard. There are no romantic or obsessive feelings involved. I'd say that you should think about your own dreams and figure those out. That'll be all. Send in Shinonono-san, would you, please?"
Those words were food for thought and Djbril just muttered a "Yes, sensei."
Three more to go before Itsuka was finished. But those three would be a whole lot easier.
Scene skip
Ichika did not like that Houki had to go up in the room but he wasn't going to argue the orders from the acting teacher.
He had hoped that he could meet his elder sister a bit sooner. In fact, he hadn't seen Chifuyu the entire day. Where would she be? What preoccupied her mind?
The male Orimura knew there was an invasion in which Chifuyu and a few others, halted them. There were no reasons to doubt his sister's abilities.
Still, it didn't stop him from worrying about her.
How would she be?
[You're right. We're going to find Chifuyu-nee.] Of course, privacy wasn't feasible when you had a link to your other sister. Then again, if he wanted to, he could have cut off Madoka but more often than not, it was better to keep that open.
[Got the same feeling. I hate it.] Ichika spoke to Madoka. It was astonishing that she could talk with Dan about their future while also worrying about their other sister.
Scene skip
"Now, Shinonono-san. I suppose that you can tell me about your dream. Taking over the dojo of your father. Admirable dream." Houki felt pink touching her cheeks as the older man had already seen that.
"Don't bother denying it. I have seen it and I'll be the one to tell you that compared to others, yours was, frankly speaking, something to strive for." That alone made Houki even blush further along.
"Are you serious, sensei?"
"Absolutely. Now, it can't be my place to say but I believe that you would do well on keeping that dream going. Why exactly did you dream of that, if you don't mind me asking?"
Houki blushed even further along while she began to think.
"I have always dreamt of that. Of taking over the dojo. Of a stronger Ichika. He is stronger than me. Our matches have proven that."
Itsuka knew that it wasn't his place but he felt a certain pride as he knew that Ichika had made the right choice to court this young woman.
A school with over a thousand females and yet, he chose Houki.
Ichika Orimura was stronger than most men Itsuka had ever known and he wouldn't be ashamed to admit that he doubted that his own character would have been as strong.
"He is impressive. You do see Orimura-kun like that and it is the true way to see him. But I can also attest that you, yourself, can't avoid that." Privacy was a two-way street and of course, Houki knew what the relationship between Itsuka and Chifuyu entailed.
"He sees in you a strong and capable partner next to him. It's highly advisable that you continue to grow into that character. So far, you are the woman of his dreams. Keep that up, Shinonono-san."
There was a beaming smile on her face.
"Be forewarned. You can't know how life goes. One can make plans now but find themselves in another way of life. As a good friend of mine once said. It's impossible to know what the future holds but it can't hurt to be well prepared."
Some realism in a system was something that people best learned at a young time.
"Thank you, sensei. I'll keep it in mind."
"Now, carry on. Get Orimura-kun in here, if you could."
The Shrine Maiden nodded as she went to get her Knight.
'You do have a type for women. Frankly, I wonder why I have that as well.'
Itsuka didn't have to wait too long before Ichika appeared in the control room.
"Examination?"
"Examination and consultation. Although, Orimura-kun, yours won't take too long."
Itsuka didn't lie as he didn't take too long to examine Ichika. And with the young man, he didn't have to worry about crossing boundaries.
"Now, Orimura-kun. You have seen the dreams of Dunois-san, Alcott-san, Luxembourg, and Shinonono-san. I suppose you have figured out that it was their perfect dream world. Any particular comments?"
The wry smile showed that Ichika had been picking up ideas from Mattheus.
"Aside from the fact that I want to forget them. Not really. Only that dirty fantasies are gross."
Itsuka couldn't fault him on that logic.
"I couldn't have put it better myself. Keep that mindset. And prepare yourself. I fear that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg."
With those foreboding words, Ichika opened the door. Neither male was surprised to see Madoka standing.
The last one to have that examination.
"Please tell me that we can leave after this, sensei," Madoka asked as Ichika waited for a bit.
"Anything you are up to do, Orimura-san?"
The glare she shot out, made Itsuka rethink his words.
"I want to find my older sister. Something tells me that she needs us or you."
Itsuka had reports to write out after this so perhaps, sending out the siblings to find their older sister, was the best course of action.
"Your instincts are sharper than mine, Orimura-san. Give her my regards."
Madoka sat down and Itsuka just did his job as he found that there was no lasting damage.
"Now, Orimura-san. You have seen those fantasies. Anything you'd like to tell me about?" Itsuka just watched her reactions as Madoka had given him a deadlier glare.
"That I want to forget them, sensei. It'll take a while before I can look at my friends in another light."
She was handling this better than most girls would have.
"Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me. It was almost the same as what your brother told me. I think that you are well in your right to take it easy. Something else you'd like to ask?"
Standing up from her spot, Madoka crossed her arms.
"Can you let us go?"
The young doctor nodded and turned on the intercom.
"You're all free to go. I highly suggest that you go to your rooms and take a nice long nap."
Madoka didn't have to say bye to Dan as he would go to her sister. Ichika said his goodbyes to Houki. They could rely on Joel and Natasha holding their friends back for a bit as the Knight raced out of the room.
The other girls were about to ask but there was nothing that they had to say.
Natasha was of the mind of finding Mattheus but the sleepy boy in her lap made her rethink that.
'He'll come to me when he is done. And I think he is in capable hands.'
She trusted Mattheus. And that was enough for her.
Natasha Fairs wouldn't jump to conclusions.
Scene skip
Their gut feeling proved to be right as Ichika and Madoka found Chifuyu Orimura in her bedroom. After a few times of knocking, they could hear her voice coming through.
"Go away!"
That order would be ignored as the two shouted back.
"It's us. Let us in."
Chifuyu knew those two well enough.
Twelve hours ago, she was an impeccable warrior, ready to take on the world. Now, Chifuyu was a scared, young woman.
Collapsing in Ichika's arms, he hoisted his elder sister up and carried her into the bedroom. Meanwhile, Madoka closed the door and she stood behind her older siblings until Chifuyu was placed in her bed.
She had done this for them so many times. Now, it was their turn. Placing their heads on her shoulders, they whispered sweet nothings in her ear.
Their instincts proved right and those were telling another horrible thing.
Things were only going to get much worse.
Been listening to "Coming Down"' From "Five Finger Death Punch." That might explain the tone in the later parts of this chapter. Especially the stuff with Chifuyu, Tabane, and Mattheus.
Damn, this took a while to write out. It's been the biggest chapter I have done yet on this fic.
Quite a lot to unpack here and quite a lot to write out.
Also, the fact that I ended this on the train to Werchter, practically meant that I would take a while before I would publish this chapter. Easily on Sunday or on Saturday now, that I am done with Grammarly.
Call it what you like but it's just how things are now.
After Rock Am Ring, and between for Graspop, things were just what they were. And it'll take a bit longer before things will calm down.
In unrelated news, Sabaton announced their cruise of 2024 and I hope that this year, I'll be there. Burning Witches have a concert in Switzerland on that Friday.
I have a puzzle to figure out but I'll just hold off until I have all the pieces.
But that is one more thing that I can get off my bucket list.
Now, onto the chapter of "Afraid to Shoot Strangers."
Saluut.
