Chapter IV: Find Out My Mind
Chapter IV: Find Out My Mind
It was the final week of June, and IS Academy had turned its full attention to the grade-separated tournament. The excitement was even higher than expected, and as the first round was about to begin, students had been finishing final preparations, setting up the grounds, and guiding guests around campus.
As they were released from duties, they rushed to the locker rooms in the arenas. And, as usual, we two boys had one of the huge locker rooms all to ourselves. How generous. It seemed like the other room had to deal with twice as many girls as it was made for. Must be tough.
“This is really impressive...”
The screens in the locker room showed the stands. They were packed with government functionaries, researchers, industry agents, and more.
“People are here to scout the third years, and see what kind of progress the second years have made. There’s not much attention paid to the first years, but they’re still likely to check out everyone who ends up high in the rankings.”
“Sounds like hard work.”
I wasn’t really interested or paying attention, but somehow, Charles figured out what was on my mind. She let out a chuckle.
“You’re only worried about the match against Bodewig, aren’t you, Ichika?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Rin and Cecilia had been forced to drop out of the tournament after their clearance was pulled. This might have been okay for a normal student, but they were each National Cadets with their own IS. Not even being able to participate, never mind show results, was probably going to cause trouble for them.
“It must suck not even being able to see where you stand.”
Recalling that fight, I unthinkingly clenched my left hand. I must have been too obvious, as Charles covered it with her own.
“You can’t let your emotions take over. She’s probably the strongest in our class right now.”
“I know.”
Between being paired up in the tournament, and living together in the same room, Charles and I had grown close. It was mostly her understanding what I was thinking or how I felt, but lately I was starting to understand her, too. We had chemistry.
—We were thinking to do things like put out each other’s morning tea before we’d even had our own morning tea.
“That was pretty lame, Ichika.”
“Ugh... Really?”
Charles was a harsh critic of humor. And for some reason, she’d picked up the ability of my old friends to tell exactly what I was thinking. It was kind of spooky.
“All right, I’m ready.”
“Me too.”
We had each finished changing into our IS suits. I ran through my final checklist. Charles was in a men’s suit too, as usual. Apparently, it was designed to push her girl bulges into places which looked like guy bulges... Anyway, she had just finished up her own checks.
“I think the brackets are about to be announced.”
For some reason, the sudden change of format to doubles seemed to have made the usual system malfunction. They were supposed to be announced the day before, but students ended up having to draw them by hand that morning.
“I hope we end up as the first group in Block A.”
“Wait, why?”
“We won’t have to stand around worrying that way. Momentum is vital. Best to get off to a running start.”
“Heh, I guess. Personally, I see showing our hand at the beginning as a minus.”
That was definitely a Charles way to look at things. Maybe it was because we looked at things so differently that we got along so well. Or really, maybe it was because she went out of her way to adjust to me. Especially looking at the training we did together, Charles had such a nice personality, and she was kind, too; the type of person I didn’t have around me before. I may be exaggerating a little, but I felt a little compelled to think of her as some kind of goddess or angel. Seriously. Who could blame me?
“Looks like the brackets are up.”
The screens switched over to display the field. I put aside that thought, and focused on the words popping up on screen.
“WHAT?!”
Charles and I each let out a gasp as we read the text. Our first-round opponents were Laura and Houki.
◇
“.........”
In the locker room opposite Ichika’s, there was a rather clear divide between where I was and all the other girls. Beside me was Laura Bodewig... as cold as ever. Just being around her made everyone take a step back. It almost felt cooler, too, contrary to the heat from the overcrowded room we were in.
—We’re against Ichika first?! What kind of bracket is this?!
The sudden announcement bothered me a lot, but I tried my best to think about it calmly. When they first announced the doubles format, I ended up losing a lot of sleep because I wanted to ask him to team up. But when I finally went to ask... all I was told was “I’m already teamed up with Charles.”
I didn’t have any sort of alternative to that, so I never sought out a partner afterwards. Before I knew it, the deadline came, and I got assigned one randomly. Out of all the girls in our year, it ended up being Laura. Apparently, we were the only two left that hadn’t found partners.
—I absolutely have to win, and yet...
This was the worst. The absolute worst. While she may be very skilled... I couldn’t stand her. There was no way we would be able to work together. She didn’t listen to anything I had to say at all, and all I got out of her was “Just stay out of my way.”
Despite all this, I could kind of understand her, in a way. She... reminded me of myself, back when I felt like I was better than everyone. And just seeing myself in her almost made me sick to my stomach. But now wasn’t the time to think about that.
—If I don’t focus, I won’t be able to fight with my all. I won’t be able to fight... Ichika.
With my eyes closed, I crossed my arms and began to focus myself.
◇
“I wasn’t expecting us to be up first. Looks like we don’t have to wait around today,” said Laura.
“Yeah, no complaints here. I feel the same,” I commented.
Five seconds left until the match began. Four, three, two, one. Fight.
“I’LL TAKE YOU DOWN!”
Somehow, Laura’s words were the same as mine. As soon as the countdown finished, I open up with Ignition Boost. An opening like this would tilt the battle in our favor.
“RAAAH!”
“Hmph.” Laura thrusted her left hand forward.
—Here it comes.
My conversation with Rin and Cecilia about their fight with Laura sprang to mind.
“AIC? What’s that?”
“The Schwarzer Regen’s third-generation capability. It stands for Active Inertial Canceller.”
“Huh.”
“Ichika, you know about the PIC, right?” asked Cecilia.
“Not really.”
“Um, Ichika... This is the basics. Each IS has a ‘Passive Inertial Canceller’ that lets it hover, accelerate, and decelerate.”
“Oh, yeah, I think I heard someone mention that.”
“Seriously...”
“All right, that’s quite enough sketch comedy, now let’s think about how to deal with it. Honestly, that was the first time I’d seen it as well, but I can’t imagine that all of the kinks have been worked out yet,” I said.
“Indeed. There’s no way it would outclass an impact cannon like that.”
“And doesn’t it operate on the same principle as the impact cannon? By energizing a field, or whatever.”
“Right. Yes. They’re both pretty similar, then. The details might be different, but it must manipulate energy like an ADWS.”
“Then can’t Reiraku Byakuya cut through it?”
“In theory, yes, but that didn’t exactly happen, did it?”
“You’re right. So what stopped it?”
“It’s simple. It just has to avoid making contact with Reiraku Byakuya, and stop your arm directly, instead.”
“My arm, directly? Can it really be aimed that well from a distance?”
“Apparently. Though, if I may offer my opinion, Ichika. Your movement is...”
“She read you in the large print edition,” jeered Rin.
“Oof.”
“Your arm always moves in a straight line, right? Like this, either straight down or sidearm? So...”
“Therefore, in combat, she simply needs to cast out the AIC’s energy waves along the same line, and allow you to catch yourself.” Cecilia said, finishing the thought.
“I see. So what do I do about it?” I asked.
“That’s your problem.”
“Ain’t that the truth...”
In the end, I never did figure out a way, so I had only one option: A surprise attack.
“Ugh!”
However, it seemed like she read my strategy, as first my arms, then my chest, then my legs were caught in the AIC’s net. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t move at all. Unseen hands grabbed at me, preventing any motion.
“A preemptive strike at the beginning of the match. How predictable.”
“You’re welcome. I try to be upfront about things.”
“Then you should understand what I’m about to do.”
Yeah. I had a pretty good picture of what was about to happen, even though I’d have been happier not to.
Click. As the sound of a gigantic revolver’s cylinder locking into place echoed, Byakushiki’s hypersensors went wild.
[WARNING: ENEMY IS RAIL CANNON SAFETY DISENGAGED. ROUND LOADED. LOCK-ON DETECTED.]
—Calm down. This isn’t a one-on-one fight. Right?
“I won’t let you do that.”
Charles flew over my head, bathing Laura in a hail of high explosive shells from her .61-caliber Garm assault cannon.
“Tch!”
The cannon on her shoulder swung wide under the attack, sending the bullet aimed for me slicing through the sky. As Charles pressed the attack, Laura darted backward swiftly, trying to open a gap.
“I won’t let you get away!”
Charles swung her own gun barrel directly in front of her for a charge, while calling an assault rifle into her left hand. Streaks of light twined together in empty space, forming the gun in less than a second. This was Charles’ specialty, the ‘Rapid Switch.’ Rather than having to prepare weapons in advance, she could swap them in real time. Her dexterity and split-second decision making allowed it to really shine.
“I can’t let you forget about me.”
Houki appeared in an Uchigane, blocking our pursuit of Laura. Its physical shield, proof of its role as a defensive IS, extended, blocking Charles’ bullets as she closed in for a slash.
“And I’ll make sure you don’t forget about me!” I said.
Having broken free of Laura’s AIC, I dove toward Charles’ back with Ignition Boost. Just as we crashed together, she made a backward somersault and we swapped places. This combo was the payoff of our hard training.
Clang! I clashed blades with Houki, and sparks flew.
As we traded blows and parries, I increased my thruster output. Slowly but surely, the added momentum behind my strikes pushed Houki back.
“Ugh! Damn you!”
In her frustration at being pushed back, Houki raised her blade in a wide overhead swing. Now was our chance.
“Charles!”
“Got it!”
Ching! I parried with the Yukihira Nigata held level, braced against my left hand.
At the same moment, Charles, who had been holding onto me from behind, stretched out her hands from under my arms. Each held a .62-caliber ‘Rain of Saturday’ double-barreled shotgun, designed for suppression fire. At this range, there was no way she could miss. Houki blanched in fright, but it was too late. Charles pulled the trigger.
“......?!”
Houki had suddenly disappeared before our eyes. The shotgun blasts fired in vain, finding only air.
—What?! What just happened?
“Out of my way.”
Instead, Laura was closing in quickly. One of her wire blades had wrapped around Houki’s leg, and slung her to the far edge of the arena by centrifugal force. It seemed that her emergency evasion was made by the pull of the wire.
“What are you doing?!” Houki yelled.
But Laura was doing anything but helping an ally—she was simply pulling an obstruction out of her way. Houki shouted in wordless rage as she hit the ground, but Laura showed no inclination to listen, as she had already begun her attack on us. Plasma daggers extended, Laura struck repeatedly from the sides. Her unpredictable mix of slashes and thrusts soon pushed me back.
“Looks like the odds are on my side,” Laura sneered. “Only two?”
If she was that self-confident, Laura Bodewig’s true strength must be positively inhuman. As she continued her attacks on me, Laura used her wire blades to drive Charles back and away from me. Even if she couldn’t fully control all six at once, she was able to rotate between firing and retracting them to carry out an all-range attack.
“You okay, Charles?”
“I should be asking you that. I’ll have cover for you soon.”
“It’s fine. Let’s just stick to the plan.”
“Roger.”
After a short exchange on our private channel, we move to the plan we’d settled on in advance. Essentially, it was “Get Houki first.”
—I’m sure I’ll get an earful about it later.
We settled on this for a simple reason. Laura specialized in fighting multiple opponents at once. Meaning, she had no conception of how to fight alongside others, so she wouldn’t lift a finger to help Houki. Therefore, we could take Houki out and then gang up on Laura. As I said before, Laura was more than able to handle multiple opponents, but that was where the trap was set.
—Just because a duo is one plus one doesn’t mean that the answer is two.
“Sorry you didn’t get to fight Ichika,” said Charles.
“What? Are you making fun of me?!” shouted Houki.
Charles had escaped Laura’s range and was closing in on Houki. I didn’t understand why that set Houki off, but set her off it did.
Clang!
Houki’s blade parried a slash from the ‘Bread Slicer’ combat knife which Charles suddenly drew. At the same time, flame erupted from the barrel of the Rain of Saturday in her left hand.
“Ugh!”
As much as I had the mental image of Charles as being good at ranged combat, what she was really good at was being nimble. She was better than average in close quarters as well, even before her Quick Switch. With it, she could fire off a close-ranged blast at an opponent who chose to duel, or dart in for a quick slash at one who tried to gain distance. She could maintain her ideal range and rhythm whether an opponent chose to close in or back away, keeping her offensive and defensive options open.
It seemed that this technique was called ‘Mirage de Désert.’ Or as it was described: “Drawing further as one yearns, and closer as one submits; chasing its azure one’s weariness melts away, as it leads one to a topaz death.” I understood it—kind of.
“Trying to gain a numbers advantage? Pointless.”
Laura, you didn’t even count Houki to begin with. But to us, it mattered. What I needed to do was survive Laura’s attacks until Charles finished off Houki. She fluidly combined plasma dagger thrusts with swipes from her wire blades. Evading them was no simple matter. Still, I did my best to stay in close combat and avoid letting her open up a gap.
“Your only weapon is that blade. If you’re not in close, you won’t be able to touch me at all.”
That was true. But what I was really worried about was that rail cannon. Plus, there were her wire blades, and if she managed to open a gap it’d take a lot of time and energy to close back in.
No matter what, I needed to stick it out! Wielding Yukihira Nigata in my right hand, I grabbed at one of Laura’s hands, holding one of her plasma daggers—with my left. At the same time, my feet were in constant motion, kicking away her wire blades. As complicated as their motions were, if I didn’t land my kicks squarely on their sides, I’d get a toenail trimming. The second I let my focus down, it would all be over.
“ARGH!”
Clank! Bam! Bang! Clang!
A high-speed battle at zero range. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep my concentration. All I could do was hold fast and believe in Charles.
“Shall we finish this?”
Laura retracted her plasma daggers.
—Oh no!
In the same moment, I froze dead in the air. Laura thrust both arms forward, her palms open toward me.
—Shit! The AIC!
“Now—disappear.”
Six wire blades sliced towards me at once.
“Dammit!”
I screamed as they carved along my body, tearing off a full third of my IS’ armor. Nearly half of my shield energy was depleted at once, too. That wasn’t the end of her attacks either, as two wire blades twisted around my right hand, twisting as if to tear it off while slamming me to the ground.
“Ugh!”
I couldn’t brace for the shock, and my back slamming into the ground knocked the wind out of me.
—I need to get back on my feet!
The thought flashed through my mind at the same time as I watched Laura finish targeting her rail cannon.
“It’s over.”
Fshoom!
My vision played out in slow motion. Flames erupted from the barrel, before being torn through by a bullet. Not just any bullet, but one designed to pierce IS armor. It could finish a fight in one shot if it hit its mark. And right now, it was flying straight at me.
—I’ll never get out of the way in time! I have to... cut through it!
I didn’t know whether I could, but I knew that I had to. I put all my might into my right hand, and—
“......?!”
—my right hand thudded to a stop. The wire from before must still be attached! Even if it was just one wire, it was tangled with Byakushiki’s gauntlet well enough that I couldn’t get it off quickly.
—Ah, dammit!
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Clang! With a heavy ringing, the bullet clattered off Charles’ shield.
She quickly cut the wire away, freeing my arm. Soon after, a rain of bullets filled where I had fallen.
“Thanks, Charles. You saved me.”
“Anytime.”
“Where’s Houki?”
“Taking a break.”
As she spoke, I followed Charles’ gaze and saw for myself. In a corner of the arena, Houki kneeled dejectedly in a heavily-damaged IS with no remaining energy.
“Good work.”
“Let’s save it for after the match, okay?”
Casting away the assault rifles in each hand, Charles drew new weapons. A shotgun and machine gun formed in her hands.
“Here’s where the fun begins.”
“Yeah. Let’s show her how good of a team we make.”
◇
“Wow, that was amazing! I can’t believe they learned to coordinate so well in only two weeks.” In the viewing room reserved for teachers, an impressed Maya watched the battle play out on a monitor. “Orimura’s great. He’s got so much raw talent.”
“Hmph. It’s just because he’s paired up with Dunois. He’d never be able to set something like that up himself,” Chifuyu, ever-critical of her own family, responded with a wry smile.
“Even so, isn’t it impressive that he was able to follow along with it? Someone completely charmless wouldn’t get anyone to help him like that to begin with.”
“I guess, maybe.”
Chifuyu’s response was sullen, but Maya let it pass, having recently come to the conclusion that that was how she hid her embarrassment. If anything, Chifuyu was proud of her brother.
“By the way, the changes to the tournament format... They’re because of what happened last month, aren’t they?”
The incident of the previous month—the attack by a black IS—had been explained as a plot by an anti-government group. An attack on IS Academy alone was serious, but one conducted by a drone pointed to an even worse situation. The major powers were each suggesting that it may have been perpetrated by their rivals.
“I’m not precisely sure, but it does seem that way. Like the doubles format was to give them more combat experience.”
“The first years have only been here three months, though. It’s not like there’s a war starting or anything. I don’t think they need to be rushed into combat readiness...”
Maya’s concern was understandable. But even as she found herself agreeing, Chifuyu’s expression remained unchanged.
“Remember the incident last month. Many of the new students have third-generation weapons for testing. If another mysterious enemy appears, what should we be most worried about?”
“Oh! So it’s to teach them self-defense?”
“Exactly. As much as the pilots, we absolutely must keep the IS with third-generation weapons safe. And since we’ve only a limited amount of teachers, as a general rule, that means those pilots need to be prepared to defend themselves—thus, the necessity of combat training.”
“I see, I see.” Maya nodded, her doubts dispelled.
The disclosure of advances in IS engineering was, in principle, mandated. However, any new technology revealed early in its development would be stolen by other countries, removing the point of its development in the first place. Without a head start in implementational know-how and pilot training, the original developer would, if anything, be left at a disadvantage. This was the purpose of IS Academy. IS Academy was established as an enclave answerable to no legal authority. This, of course, did not mean it was a completely lawless place, but instead was specifically targeted at laws governing IS testing.
“Testing activities necessary for the development of new technology are permitted, and the resulting data will be held autonomously with no duty to disclose.”
Meaning, IS Academy was the only place in the world where combat data could be gathered without revealing it to rivals. Thus, China, England, and Germany had each sent IS equipped with third-generation weaponry. And of course, the true objective was the synthesis of one-off abilities. If that three-year period allowed the progression of the IS to second shift, and the creation of a one-off ability using its third-generation weaponry, disclosure would no longer be a problem. After all, one-off abilities were unique.
The chances of success may have been astronomically small, but even without this quantum leap, three years of experience and data would be quite valuable. This, and only this, was why even mere national cadets like IS Academy students were personally issued the newest models. Even if they were among the elites, the key word in the phrase was “among.” You could even go so far as to say that anyone of the proper age to attend IS Academy would be good enough. At that age, there wasn’t yet a clear gap in skill.
“Yet Shinonono was taken down easily.”
“That’s what happens without a personal IS. And besides, Shinonono’s nature makes her a poor match for Dunois.”
Chifuyu compared it to rock-paper-scissors as she turned back to the screen. There, Laura held her own even in a one-on-two fight.
“Bodewig’s quite powerful.”
“Mmm.”
Maya was impressed, but Chifuyu’s voice betrayed her boredom.
“She still hasn’t changed. Still thinks that being strong means doing damage. But she—”
—Won’t be able to defeat Ichika that way.
Chifuyu would never say that out loud. She knew exactly what Maya would have said in response.
Woooow! The crowd erupted in cheers. Their echoes reached all the way to the viewing room.
“Ah! Orimura’s activated Reiraku Byakuya! He must want to finish the fight quickly.”
“Let’s see if he can actually do it.”
“There you go again, acting like you don’t—”
“Ms. Yamada. We haven’t sparred in a while. Let’s make up for it with a good ten rounds.”
“Ah, wait, not right now! I need to, uh, inspect the students’ training IS!”
Chifuyu growled in a low voice at Maya as she frantically shook her head.
“I don’t like being teased about my family. Try not to forget again.”
“Understood... sorry...”
Maya’s expression was one of almost pitiful dejection. Pitiful enough, at least, for Chifuyu to pat her head.
“Anyway, the match is still going. Let’s see how it turns out.”
“Of course.”
◇
“Let’s finish this!”
Activating Reiraku Byakuya, I charged directly at Laura.
“Oh, the attack which can shatter any shield in one touch? I simply have to make sure I’m not hit.”
Laura struck repeatedly with her AIC. First her left arm, then her right arm, then her gaze. Somehow, by stopping dead and darting in a different direction, I managed to avoid the unseen blows.
“Annoying as a mosquito.”
She began to weave her wire blades into an increasingly brutal attack, but I wasn’t alone in my fight.
“Ichika! Two o’clock!”
“Got it!”
My cover fire continued to keep Laura pinned down while deflecting her attacks. I was more and more glad that I’d teamed up with Charles. I didn’t know if I’d be able to stand up to that from a foe.
“How impudent!”
Weaving past her wire blades, I closed into range with Laura.
“Useless. I’ve already read your attack.”
“Expecting a slash, huh? Then...!”
I lifted the tip of my blade, which had pointed toward the ground, directly in front of me.
“......?!”
If she expected a slash, I’d attack with a thrust. It may be no harder to read, but at least she’d have more difficulty connecting with my arm. A point is far harder to intercept than a line.
“Absolutely useless!”
My body froze with a snap. The AIC’s net had ensnared me completely.
“There’s no need to worry about your arm. All I need to do is stop you completely, and—”
“Oh, wait. Aren’t you forgetting something? Or did you just not notice to begin with? We’re a team.”
“......?!”
Laura turned in shock, but it was already too late. Charles fired a swift series of shotgun blasts from zero range. A moment later, Laura’s rail cannon exploded with a roar.
“Ugh!”
I was right. Laura’s AIC had one fatal flaw. It only held a target in place as long as she focused her attention on it. The grip on me released.
“Ichika!”
“Yeah!”
Again, I raised the Yukihira Nigata. This time, I wouldn’t let her get away!
“......!”
It was an attack sure to take her down. But, instead—
WHIRRRRRrrrrrr...
“Out of energy? Now?!”
The damage I’d taken must have been heavy. I looked down as Reiraku Byakuya’s energy blade faded along with its sound, before winking out.
“How unfortunate.”
Laura’s voice was close. Looking back up, I saw that she had darted in close. Plasma daggers extended from each of her hands.
“You can’t fight with your shield energy drained! One more blow, and victory is mine!”
Laura was right. Another blow, and my shield energy would be zero and my defeat assured. In any case, murderous blades swung in from the left and right.
“I won’t let that happen!”
“Out of my way!”
Without ceasing her attack, Laura’s wire blades sprung forth to hold back Charles. Her swift, precise strikes with both at once drove home the caliber of foe we were up against.
“Wah!”
“Charles! No!”
“You’re next! Fall!” shouted Laura.
Charles being hit distracted me for a split second. That was enough time for Laura to catch me firmly.
“Ugh...!”
I felt a scorching heat wash over me as an electric shock pulsed through my muscles. It announced the damage I’d taken more eloquently than any gauge or HUD. Strength left my body, as did Byakushiki, and I fell to the ground.
“Ha... Hahaha! I win!”
As Laura proclaimed her victory, a shadow crashed into her at high speed. It was—
“It’s not over yet!” Charles had accelerated in the blink of an eye.
“What?! Ignition Boost?!”
For the first time, Laura’s face showed dismay. Her briefing probably didn’t mention that Charles could use Ignition Boost. She must be shocked. I certainly understood. I hadn’t known, either.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever done that.”
“How?! You learned it during this battle?!”
Charles’ skillfulness was more than just a character trait, clearly. It was a talent, if not something that could be called a one-off ability.
“Very well. But that’s useless against my stasis field!”
As Laura spoke, she once again readied her AIC. Yet in that moment, the one who stopped dead was—Laura.
Fshoom!
“......?!”
Laura’s eyes darted around as she hunted for the source of sudden fire from an unexpected angle. Then, she locked eyes with me. I was aiming Charles’ discarded, but still-loaded, assault rifle at her from directly below. The very same one she had unlocked for my use in training. When she discarded it without burning through all its ammunition, I’d realized her backup plan.
After that, I just believed. In myself. And in Charles. And... I suppose we got lucky. Byakushiki had tried its hardest to to endure one more strike from Laura. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.
“You can’t use the AIC now!”
“Why do you refuse to die?!” Laura howled, but sure enough, her cold levelheadedness held.
She seemed to have decided to ignore my less-than-precise fire and turn her focus to Charles. Again, she focused her AIC forward.
“But I’ve found my opening.”
“It’s useless! My Schwarzer Regen could never fall to a second-generation—”
She began to rant before falling silent. It had sunk in. There was one second-generation weapon renowned for its raw destructive power. One which Charles had carried the whole battle, hidden inside her shield.
“At this range, I can’t miss.”
An armor panel flew off the shield, revealing a weapon that was a meld between a revolver and a stake. The .69-caliber Gray Scale Pile Bunker. Also known as...
“Shield Pierce!”
For the first time, panic set in on Laura’s face. It was quite literally a look of deathly fear.
“AARGH!”
Their voices blurred together. Charles gripped her left hand into a fist and punched forward. Just as I had tried before, she aimed to expose only a single point. But unlike me, she couldn’t be stopped in time. Without a pinpoint hit on the pile bunker, it would hit.
“......!”
Laura’s eyes narrowed as she found a target—but she missed. For the fleetingest of moments, Charles smiled. It was like the visage of the angel of death, an almost giddily sinful grin.
Bang!
“UAAARGH!”
The pile bunker smashed into Laura’s gut. Even though the IS shield absorbed the blow, it tore through its remaining energy. Laura’s face twisted in agony as the shock it couldn’t cancel struck her. Still, it wasn’t over. The Gray Scale featured a revolving cylinder of explosive charges for quick reloading—meaning, it could shoot in rapid-fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As Charles fired three more times, Laura’s body crumpled. Her IS crackled with purple lightning, on the verge of a forced shutdown. But at that very moment, something unheard of occurred.
◇
Have... Have I been beaten?! I have misgauged my foes. This was unquestionably my own error. But still—I will not lose! I cannot lose!
“Laura Bodewig.” That was my name, my identifier. My first identifier was “Genetic Enhancement Experiment C-0037.” Formed from artificial DNA. Born from a steel womb.
Darkness... in pitch darkness, only myself. I was created only to fight—born to fight, raised to fight, trained to fight. I knew only what was necessary to attack another human. I understood only the tactics necessary to deal blows to an enemy force. I practiced martial arts, trained in marksmanship, mastered the use of any and all weaponry. I excelled. My performance was always at the highest level. And then, the ultimate weapon—the IS—appeared, and changed the world.
It was to increase my suitability to pilot that I underwent Wodan-Auge treatment—and then, I began to change. Wodan-Auge: Odin’s Eye. The implantation of nanomachines directly into the eye, enhancing motion tracking in high-speed combat and hugely increasing the speed at which visual information is carried to the brain. A pseudo-hypersensor of sorts. An eye so treated is also called Odin’s Eye, for its ability to see beyond vision. It was a riskless procedure. Rejection was impossible—in theory. Yet it turned my left eye gold, and left it uncontrollable and always active. This “accident” led me to fall behind my squadron in IS training. What awaited me, in my fall from greatness, were the sneers and mocking of my squadmates, and a new branding as “useless.”
My world changed. I fell deeper and deeper into a darkness beyond darkness. And then, I saw a ray of light. My trainer, my Lehrerin. Orimura Chifuyu.
“You haven’t been doing well lately, but that’s nothing to worry about. I’ll have you back on top of the squad within a month.”
Her words were true. She didn’t offer me special training, but just by following her instruction closely, I regained my spot at the top of a squad that had shifted to focus exclusively on IS piloting. Still, I wasn’t satisfied. I cared nothing for the squadmates who had pushed me away. Instead, I deeply, passionately, idolized her. Her strength. Her gallantry. Her dignity. Her self-confidence enchanted me. Ah, that someday I could be like that... that, someday, I could be like her.
This was why, for the half-year before she returned to Japan, I spoke with her whenever I could. No, even just staying with her, saying nothing. Just being by her side, gazing at her, I could feel inner strength welling up from deep inside. I suppose this was like “courage.” Perhaps it came from her strength? One day, I asked.
“How are you so strong? How do I become strong?”
And then... her ever-strict expression softened, and a soft, kind smile came over her face. I still remember the pangs it sent through my heart.
“I have a younger brother.”
“A brother?”
“When I look at him, I understand what strength is. What’s needed to be strong.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to, yet. Oh, if you ever visit Japan, you should meet him. But I’ll warn you... If you ever—”
Her kind smile, her mild bashfulness, were...
That wasn’t it. That wasn’t the you I idolized. Not the strong you. Not the gallant you. Not the dignified you. That was why... I couldn’t forgive him. I could never forgive anyone who would bring that look over her face. I wouldn’t accept a brother who would change her like that. Never would I accept him.
So—I must defeat him utterly. Obliterate his very existence with my own strength! So—I couldn’t lose. That man, that thing, still moved. He must be ground down until he stopped. Yes. So—I desired power. Something twisted within me. And a voice spoke.
“What is thine desire? To transform thyself? A greater might?”
I didn’t need to be asked. If you have power, if you could give me power, then fill me, fill this empty shell with it! Grant me power, unmatched power overwhelming!
Damage Level... D.
Mind Condition... Uplift.
Certification... Clear.
Valkyrie Trace System...... boot.
◇
“AHHHHHHHH!”
Suddenly, Laura screamed as if being torn apart. At the same time, the Schwarzer Regen let off a blast of electricity, blowing Charles away.
“Ugh! What just...?!”
“What?!”
Neither Charles nor I could believe our eyes. In front of us, Laura... Her IS was transforming. No, more than just transforming. The sharp edges of its armor were melting away into a goo, which enveloped Laura’s body. Laura was swallowed by a pitch-black darkness.
“What is that?” I involuntarily muttered.
Anyone on earth who saw it probably would have said the same thing. As a rule, IS didn’t transform. Strictly speaking, they couldn’t. The only forms an IS could take were its startup fitting, its first shift after adjusting to its pilot, and lastly, second shift—a further adaption. Equipment could change its silhouette to a degree, but its basic form remained unchanged. This kind of thing was impossible.
But, impossible or not, it was happening before our very eyes. And it wasn’t just transforming, it was being remolded like clay. The Schwarzer Regen—the thing which was once the Schwarzer Regen—had swallowed Laura whole, and its swirling mass throbbed like a beating heart as it settled gently to earth. When it landed, its transformation accelerated as if being played in fast forward, and it took on a new shape. What stood before us now was a something in the shape of a black full-armor IS, yet it was completely different from the attacker last month. Its shape matched that of Laura’s body, with the least possible armor on its arms and legs. Its head was covered by a full-visor helmet, and where her eyes would be, a linear sensor emitted a red glow from below armor plating. And the real problem was the weapon held in its hand. There was no mistaking it. It was...
“Yukihira!”
The blade which Chifuyu had once wielded. Its resemblance was uncanny. It didn’t just look like it, it was as if someone had traced over a photo. My grip on the Yukihira Nigata reflexively tightened, as I pointed it forward in the neutral stance.
“......!”
In the blink of an eye, the black IS dove toward me. Its blade trailed at its hip like that of an iai master, ready to strike in a deadly flash as it closed into undodgeable range. It was, unmistakably, Chifuyu’s technique.
“Ugh!”
I parried with the Yukihira Nigata. Flowingly, my foe raised her blade over her head.
—This is... Oh no!
“......!”
It fell in a swift, slashing arc. I couldn’t parry it. I had no time to parry. Swiftly, I told Byakushiki to dash backwards. It was only by knowing Chifuyu’s fighting style that I was able to evade. Still, Byakushiki was too low on shield energy to completely protect me, and blood dripped from my arm where the blade grazed me. The dodge was the last of Byakushiki’s power. It disappeared from me in a flash of light.
“So...”
But at that point—I no longer cared.
“So what?!”
Driven my rage, I rushed toward the black IS, to fight it with my own clenched fists.
—I won’t forgive you. Never! Never ever!
“RAAAAARGH!”
The moment before my fist struck the black IS, I was suddenly pulled backward. It was only when I felt the impact that I noticed what was pulling me back was Houki in a Uchigane.
“You idiot! What are you doing?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”
“Let me go! She was playing with me like a toy! I’m going to bash her face in!”
That technique was the first one I’d learned from Chifuyu. I still remembered vividly the first time I’d seen it.
“Listen, Ichika. A sword is made to be swung. But just swinging it isn’t fencing.”
The weight of the steel in my hands was almost unbearable, as if it was a test for me. Simply grasping it made my palms sweat, and its weight was too much to lift into a stance.
“It feels heavy, doesn’t it? That’s the weight of a tool made to take a life.”
The blade glimmered coldly. An existence born, created, forged to fight.
“Think about what it means. What it means to carry that weight. That’s what strength is.”
Chifuyu’s face was part-strict, part-gentle. A different expression than usual, as if she was looking at something dazzling. That was why, to be a source of strength for her, I wanted to be stronger. Yeah, ever since that day, I...
“Out of my way, Houki! If you keep trying to stop me—”
“Get a hold of yourself!”
The smack of a full-force slap across the cheek sent me almost flying as I tumbled to the ground. Yet the pain and the coldness of the floor caused my rage, which had hit its peak, to subside.
“What’s going on here?! Give me a comprehensible explanation!”
“That... that’s Chifuyu’s data. It was unmistakably Chifuyu’s technique. It could only be Chifuyu’s. It’s—dammit!”
The black IS stood stock still in the center of the arena. Maybe if it was programmed only to react to weapons and attacks? It seemed like it didn’t recognize my fist as one.
“Ugh, you’re always so worried about Chifuyu.”
“That’s not all. I don’t like Laura using whatever that is one bit, either. I can’t hold back until I take it, and her, down.”
Power—strength—wasn’t just about doing damage. That wasn’t true strength. It was just brutish violence.
“Anyway, I need to give it a good beating. But I need to calm down first.”
“I understand your motivation, but what can you do? Byakushiki has no energy left. How do you intend to keep fighting?”
“Ugh...”
Houki was right. The black IS must not have much energy left, but still, that didn’t matter if I couldn’t hit it with something. And nevermind an attack, Byakushiki didn’t even have enough energy left to form its armor.
“Emergency! Emergency! All tournament matches have been canceled. Alert Level: D. All teacher squadrons deploy for suppression. Spectators are ordered to take shelter immediately. I repeat—” blared over the intercom.
“You heard her. This’ll be taken care of even if you don’t do anything. So...”
“So there’s no reason to throw myself into danger?”
“Exactly.”
Houki was correct. Her reasoning was sound. But I—refused.
“That’s wrong, Houki. Completely wrong. It isn’t something I think I have to do. It’s something I want to do. I don’t know what anyone else is doing, and I don’t care. If I don’t do this, I’m not me anymore. I’m not Orimura Ichika.”
“You moron! What are you planning on doing, then?! How are you even going to get ener—”
“If you have none, you’ll need to borrow someone else’s. Right, Ichika?”
“Charles...”
Charles had recovered from the blast, and drifted back toward me.
“Normal IS can’t, but I think my Revive can transfer energy through core bypass.”
“Really? Please, then! As fast as you can!”
“But!”
Charles poked a finger at me. For once, she was insistent, in a way that brooked no argument.
“But promise me. Promise me you won’t lose.”
“Of course. I’ll tell you this. If I lose, I won’t be able to call myself a man.”
“So if you lose, starting tomorrow you’ll be wearing a girls’ uniform,” jeered Charles.
“Ugh... All right. Not like I’m gonna lose anyway!”
The joke took a bit of the tension out of the air. The blood that had rushed to my head receded, and I cooled off.
“Anyway, here I go. Initiating Revive core bypass... Energy transfer authorized. Ichika, set Byakushiki’s mode to emergency power! That should give you enough for Reiraku Byakuya.”
“Got it!”
A cable snaked out from the Revive and attached to the gauntlet that Byakushiki had shrunk to, and energy began to flow. The power rapidly welled up inside me. Feeling it gave me a strange sensation. This is the same feeling as the first time I used an IS... One nostalgic and familiar, as if I’d known it forever. Yet one as fresh as if the world was reborn around me, as if I could sense everything around me.
“.........”
—I’ll worry about what that is later. There’s something right in front of me that I need to take care of first!
“Transfer complete. I’ve sent you all the Revive’s remaining energy.”
As if in agreement, the Revive streamed into light around her. At the same time, I began to manifest the Byakushiki around me in emergency power mode.
“I was right, there’s only enough for a weapon and your right arm.”
“That’s all I need.”
Byakushiki understood that I would use Reiraku Byakuya, and formed only Yukihira Nigata, as well as the right gauntlet I needed to wield it. No armor. A single hit would kill me instantly—leave me maimed—if I was extremely lucky. But it set the table with just enough for me to serve up one of my own. The rest was all up to me.
“Ichika!”
Houki, who’d been watching from the side, opened her mouth as if she couldn’t stay silent any longer. Gazing at me, she spoke with grave seriousness.
“Don’t die... You can’t die!”
“What are you worried about, stupid?”
“Who are you calling stupid?! I—”
“Believe in me.”
“Eh?”
“Believe in me, Houki. Don’t worry. Don’t pray. Just believe in me. I’ll win. And I’ll come back alive.”
—I won’t mistake what strength is again. I know what strength that doesn’t need power is. I know someone who’s stayed strong to protect someone better than anyone. So... So I want to be strong like that.
“It’s go time.”
“Ah! Win, Ichika!”
Having promised victory to Houki, I squared off with my foe. A quick glance over at Charles was answered with a single, wordless nod. That was all I needed.
“Here I go, you imposter.”
The blade of the Yukihira Nigata in my right hand sensed my will and split apart.
“Reiraku Byakuya... Activate.”
Its soft hum was like a spoken answer. The blade with the power to pierce any energy sprung forth, twice as long as the metal one it replaced. Length didn’t matter this time. What mattered was speed and sharpness. An elegant blade which could be wielded swiftly.
I focused my thoughts, imagining a beam of light in the darkness. Imagining it growing thinner, sharper, more tapered. As my focus solidified, Yukihira’s transformation was complete. The blade of Reiraku Byakuya, which had been an eruption of energy, had coalesced in a short and sharp form. The physical blade of the Yukihira which gave it form had disappeared, and above the grip all that was left was Reiraku Byakuya in the shape of a katana.
—Thank you, Byakushiki. Let’s do this!
I held it at my side, closing on the black IS in an iai stance. The Issen Nidan, formed from Chifuyu’s teaching and Houki’s example.
“Use the weight of the blade to your advantage. Don’t treat it as something you’re holding. Treat it as an extension of your own body. Move with no wasted effort, no openings, and no carelessness.”
“Why don’t you get it? Just watch, I’ll show you how to do it!”
They merged together in my mind. From them, I created my own stance. With hips lowered, I brought the hand holding my blade toward my back. My eyes stared directly forward, and my heart filled with the image of an absolutely still, mirror-like pool of water. Preparing myself to react to anything, I focused my senses on a single point—the enemy in front of me.
“.........”
The black IS’ blade swung down. Just like Chifuyu’s, it was a swift, sharp over-the-shoulder slash. But what it lacked was Chifuyu’s determination. It was...
“Just an imitation!”
Clang! A sideways slash upward from my hip parried my foe’s blade.
Immediately I brought my own over my head, and swung it straight downward. Issen Nidan. First a flash, then a slash. And a crackle. The black IS was wracked with purple lightning as it split in half. And, for the moment before she lost consciousness, Laura and I locked gazes. With her eyepatch gone, her golden left eye was laid bare. It stared at me with the weakness of an abandoned puppy, as if begging me to help her.
“Okay, maybe I won’t bash your face in.”
As I held her up to keep her from collapsing, I whispered to her. Whether Laura heard it or not, only she knew.
◇
“I’ll warn you. If you ever meet him, be careful. He may seem oblivious, but he’s a real charmer. Let your guard down and you’ll fall for him in no time flat.”
She had warned me with a disgusting amount of glee and a bit of embarrassment that left me irritated. But now I knew. That was just jealousy. A little later, I asked.
“And did you, too?”
“A sister falling for her brother? What kind of idiot are you?”
Her cheeky grin left me even more concerned. The man who could give her such an expression... I envied him. And... When we met, I knew. When we fought, I truly understood. What was strength? There were as many answers as answerers. But only one which I met so intensely.
“Strength... It’s something in your heart. Something which forms your core. I think it has to be something that you constantly try to be.”
Really?
“Of course. If you don’t know what you want to be, forget strong or weak, you don’t even know how to walk.”
How to... walk...
“It’s where you look to. It’s why you look there.”
Why... you look there...
“Basically, if you do what you want, you win. Don’t hold yourself back or get caught up in worries.”
He—that man—spoke with a grin.
“If you’re not doing what you want, it’s not even living.”
—Then what about you? Why do you want to be stronger? What gives you strength?
“I’m not strong. At least, I don’t think I am,” he insisted.
It left me at a loss for words. He was so powerful. Why would he say he wasn’t strong? I couldn’t understand.
“But if I am, it’s because...”
—Because?
“Because I want to be strong.”
.........
“Because there’s something I want to do when I’m strong.”
—Something you want to do?
“I want to protect someone. I want to give my whole self over to fighting to protect someone.”
He was just like... Just like her.
“Yeah. So I’ll protect you, too, Laura Bodewig.”
As he spoke, my chest pounded for the first time.
“I’ll protect you.”
—Hearing his words, I... This must be that.
My mind soared.
My heart throbbed. Next to him, I was only a fifteen-year-old. Only a woman.
Orimura Ichika...
She was right. I’d fallen for him.
◇
“Ugh...”
Laura opened her eyes to a light from above.
“Are you awake now?”
A familiar voice. And not just familiar. A voice which she could place in a heartbeat. Her beloved Lehrerin, Orimura Chifuyu.
“I...?”
“You put too much strain on yourself. Fatigue and bruises all over. You won’t be able to move around for a while. Don’t force yourself.”
Chifuyu tried to brush it off and change the topic, but it was still her old student. Laura couldn’t be distracted that easily.
“What... what happened?”
Laura tried to force herself upright, grimacing at the pain which rippled through her body. However, her eyes still fixated on Chifuyu. Her eyepatch had been removed while she was being treated, revealing a left eye which was golden in contrast to her ruby-red right. Different colors or not, they shared an inquisitive gaze.
“Hmm. This is a serious matter, and one which is to be kept confidential.”
Still, she understood that Laura wouldn’t be put off so easily. After a silence to underscore that this was meant to be kept between the two, she formed her words slowly.
“Do you know about the VT System?”
“Yes... The Valkyrie Trace System... It traces the motions of previous Valkyries—Mondo Grosso event winners—but...”
“Correct, any research, development, or usage by any nation, organization, or company is forbidden by the IS treaty. But it’s equipped on your IS.”
“.........”
“It was hidden well. It took your own mental state, the IS’ damage, and most importantly your own will... No, your desires. With all three in place, it activated. The academy is currently questioning the Bundeswehr about it. There’ll likely be a compulsory investigation soon.”
Listening to Chifuyu, Laura gripped the sheets tightly. Her gaze drifted downward, to the void below her eyes.
“It’s because I wished for that, isn’t it?”
—To be you.
She didn’t say it, but Chifuyu understood.
“Laura Bodewig!”
“Ma’am!”
The shock of hearing her full name made Laura turn her face up.
“Who are you?”
“I-I... I... I’m...”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. In her current state, she couldn’t even call herself Laura.
“No one, then? That’s a good opportunity. From now on, you can be Laura Bodewig. You’ve got plenty of time. You’re going to be at this school for three years. After that, I guess you’ve got until you die. Think hard about how you’re going to use it, young miss.”
“Ah...”
Chifuyu’s words surprised her. Laura wasn’t expecting the encouragement, and had no idea how to respond. Instead, she sat, her mouth agape, at a loss for words.
Chifuyu stood and stepped away from the bed. It seemed she’d said what she needed to say, and was returning to the world of teaching.
“Oh, one more thing.” With a hand on the door, she turned back and spoke again. “You can’t be me. Being his big sister is a never-ending stress.”
That was a grin, wasn’t it? Laura understood it as such. A few minutes after Chifuyu left, her mood suddenly changed.
“Ha, haha... Hahaha!”
—What a pair of cheaters.
The brother and the sister both disappeared as soon as they’d said what they wanted. Talking about herself, after all. That was the absolute peak of it.
—Think as myself, act as myself, huh...
Twinges of pain greeted each laugh which leaked out, but still, deep inside, Laura felt joy. Defeat. Absolute failure. Yet, it still felt unbearably good. Yes, for Laura Bodewig, this was just the beginning.
◇
“—as a result, the tournament has been canceled. However, all first-round matches will be played out to facilitate the gathering of tracking data. Please check your new time and location from your compu—”
The TV in the cafeteria beeped as someone switched it off. I’d been watching out of the corner of my eye as I worked through my seafood shio ramen, and it felt like something was slipping away. Rather... The noodles were, at least.
“Hmm. Looks like you were right, Charles.”
“Yeah. Oh, Ichika, could you pass the shichimi?”
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
You could criticize us for being so relaxed after the events of the day, but the truth of the matter was, the teachers had just finally finished debriefing us. By the time we were let go, we barely had enough time to make it to the cafeteria before closing. And as we rushed in, we were greeted by a crowd of girls who must have wanted to hear the story directly. We thought it’d be best to get our dinner out of the way first, and went straight for our table, but then a chyron came up on the TV that an important announcement was coming, and that was apparently it.
“That really hit the spot. The food here’s great at the cafeteria and in the dorm kitchens— Hm?”
I wasn’t quite sure why, but suddenly all the girls who’d been waiting to talk to us after we finished seemed deeply disappointed. Their spirits seemed as sunk as the battleship Yamato—not that I’d actually seen it go down.
“Championship... Chance... Gone...” bewailed one of the girls.
“Date... Canceled...”
“WAAAHH!”
The patter of dozens of feet could be heard as they fled crying. What was that all about?
“What’s up with them?”
“Beats me.”
Charles and I were nonplussed. It was just another example of how girls didn’t make any sense.
“.........”
After the group had left, I noticed one other figure stood up, as if in a daze; it was my childhood friend, Houki. She looked as if her soul had floated straight out of her body, so I went up to her to see what was wrong.
“Hey, Houki. About that promise last month—”
“Bwah!”
Well, that was quite a response. I guess she wasn’t dead just yet.
“I wouldn’t mind going out with you.”
“......What?”
“I said, I wouldn’t mind going out with you... Wha?!”
She bounded like a spring, wrapping her arms around my neck effortlessly, even though I was taller.
—What in the...
“R-Really? Like, really, really, for real, really?!” She asked, over and over.
—Keep asking like that, and it will be a prank...! As if.
“Of course.”
“But why now? At least tell me why...”
Houki suddenly retreated, crossing her arms as she cleared her throat. I wondered why her face was so red. Ah, well.
“It’s a promise with a childhood friend, right? So yeah, let’s go out.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, we can go out shopping or something anytime.”
“.........”
Houki’s expression hardened in an instant. So, this was what they based demon masks on.
“I knew it...”
“Huh?”
It was best not to prod Houki too much when she had that kind of expression. She was like nitroglycerin, or your stomach after too many chili peppers—best treated with a delicate, soft—soft-serve?—touch.
“I knew it was something like that!”
Bam!
“Oof!”
A straight punch with all her weight thrown into it. For a moment, my vision dimmed. It was like getting hit by a cannon.
“Hmph!”
Urk... With a kick, her toes buried themselves in my solar plexus.
—You idiot, you’re flashing your panties... They’re oh so white.
“Ugh...”
Houki stalked off—I was too busy collapsing to see where to. I’d taken some serious damage. I didn’t want to move for a while. I couldn’t move for a while.
“Sometimes I think you do things like that on purpose, Ichika.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, whatever.”
Charles avoided eye contact a bit huffily. What was with that reaction? It took me a full 15 minutes to finally recover. Rubbing my still-aching gut, I sat down across from Charles.
“By the way, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Sure, what? Ask away.”
Charles had finished her tsukimi udon, and looked up with a grin. After everything that had happened between the match and now, I was amazed that she was able to stay in such a good mood.
“Can people communicate through their IS? Like, not just over a private channel, but as if they’re whisked off into a separate dimension?” I asked.
“Huh? Actually, I think I’ve heard of something like that. They say it’s just because of the networking between the IS, but sometimes pilots who’re on the same wavelength report sharing thoughts with each other. Is that what you mean?”
“That’s exactly it! Same wavelength, though... I’m not sure I understand that.”
“There’s a lot about IS and their abilities that no one understands. Their inventor, Professor Shinonono, disappeared without even telling us everything she knew about them, and I think even before that she’d said in an interview that she’d built parts of them to self-evolve so even she didn’t really know.”
“That’s definitely something Tabane would do...”
Tabane didn’t care about anything other than what she was focused on at that very moment. She probably could have figured it out, but I think she was just slacking. As I thought about that, I realized that Charles was looking at me. It may have just been my imagination, but it seemed more like a glare than anything.
“Ichika, this separate dimension of yours... was it with Bodewig?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Mhm... thought so.”
Charles acted nonchalant as she went to return her dishes, but from our training together, and our unspoken communication as a duo, I realized her mood had suddenly turned. Even though she tried her best not to show it, it was obvious in the hardening of her tone and her increased pace. Still, what set her off? Truly, it was a mystery.
“Oh, there you are, Orimura, Dunois. You held up well earlier.”
“You too, Ms. Yamada. Aren’t your hands tired from writing down everything?”
“No, no. I’ve always been good at little things like that. No need to worry about me. I am a teacher, after all.”
Ms. Yamada puffed out her chest with a self-satisfied chuckle. Again, those voluptuous mounds bounced. Not knowing where to look, I instinctively looked away.
“.........”
“Ichika, you pervert...” The whisper was quiet, but I heard it clearly.
“Huh? Hey, wait, Charles! It isn’t like that.”
“Hmph. If you say so.”
Ugh, what had her so mad? Didn’t she like her udon? I guess I was the one who told her the traditional way was to slurp down the egg yolk last, but...
“Huh? Is something the matter?”
“No, no! Nothing at all.”
“Oh, good. Anyway, I have some good news!”
Ms. Yamada pumped both fists. Again, her breasts bounced. Come on... I mean, I liked to watch it, but I didn’t want to watch it.
“Finally! Boys can finally take baths!”
“Ohh! Really? I thought it wouldn’t be until next month.”
“Well, as it turns out, today we had someone inspecting the boiler, so it was supposed to be closed all day. But that’s all wrapped up, so I thought, why not let the boys in?”
Incredible! Amazing! Wonderful! With everything that had happened with the tournament, I just wanted to relax and let my worries float away. Honestly. Every single match I was in, even the class league the month before, something crazy and unexpected happened. At this point, I was batting 1.000. Not a number I was proud of.
“Thank you so much, Ms. Yamada!”
Overflowing with gratitude, I grasped her hands. With her hands in mine, I gazed at Ms. Yamada, my eyes shining as if painted with glitter. Ah, baths were so wonderful! They were a part of Japanese culture, tradition, I’d say even the very Japanese spirit itself!
“If you get much closer, I may not—”
“Hm?”
“Ah, wait! It’s nothing! Nothing at all!”
Somehow, Ms. Yamada’s gaze flitted around as if she couldn’t control her emotions. Wasn’t she the one who told me to look people in the eye? And for some reason, her face was red. Did she have a cold? Colds during the rainy season really took a lot out of a person. I wish she’d take better care of herself.
“Ahem!”
Charles cleared her throat, as if to provide punctuation. The temperature of her gaze seemed to have dropped a few degrees. I wonder why? Wasn’t she happy about the baths? I sure was!
“A-Anyway, go ahead and take a bath, you two. You must be exhausted from that game of twenty questions.”
“All right! It’s off to the—erm.”
As I answered enthusiastically, I realized something. Ms. Yamada’s exact wording of: “Go ahead and take a bath, you two.” ‘You two.’ Meaning, me and Charles. Oh no. Oh, no, no, no. Charles was still passing as a boy. It’d be really weird if we went separately, after how big of a deal it was. I couldn’t imagine flaunting it like that would be appreciated.
“U-Umm...”
“What’s wrong? Hurry up and go get something to change into. I have the key to the baths, so I’ll be waiting for you in front of the locker room. See you there!” Ms. Yamada walked off briskly.
Ahh, what could we do about this?
“Charles...”
“Yeah. This is a problem. What are we going to do? Let’s figure it out while we get clean clothes from our room.”
“Okay. I just hope we think of something...”
We were on the same page—or it was just really obvious. Anyway, Charles and I returned to our room. Nothing came to mind while getting clothes, but at the same time, we were too stressed for idle chatter, so we just silently got ready for our bath. And then...
“Oh, there you are. Well, here you go! The water’s nice and hot!”
“T-Thanks.”
With a final “Enjoy yourselves!” Ms. Yamada left, shutting the locker room door behind her. For a while, we sat in silence, back-to-back in the locker room.
“.........”
“.........”
Oh no. This wasn’t good. I really wanted to take a bath, but I couldn’t with Charles. First of all... Well, I’d seen her naked before, but that was different. I shouldn’t even need to say this, but girls of a certain age shouldn’t be showing that much skin to men. And at the same time, I absolutely had to avoid seeing naked girls. A lot of people would say “no harm, no foul,” but they’re wrong. It’s a huge mistake. Only an idiot would think that. There was, in fact, harm. Harm to the girl’s dignity, to her propriety, to her value. It was a man’s place to protect women, not to degrade them. I may not be Houki, but sometimes I could expect people to be ashamed of themselves, too.
“Err... Charles?”
“Y-Yes?”
Why so polite all of a sudden? Ah well, whatever. We should just talk face-to-face. It was amazing how many words you couldn’t say while facing away from each other, but could while looking each other in the eye.
“You must be worn out from today. Take your bath. I’ll kill some time in the locker room for a while, then head back to our room.”
“Wait, what about you, Ichika?”
“It’s not like we can take a bath together. So if it’s gonna be like that, you may as well enjoy yourself. I’ll just shower.”
Men grin and bear it. I didn’t even mind, if it was for my partner Charles. I wasn’t about to do the same for someone I’d never met, but I owed her a lot. Nowadays, it wasn’t unusual for girls to just ask random men for things, and that I had no interest in. It didn’t matter who you were, if you were just going to be rude and demand things, I had no reason to pay any attention to you. But flipped the other way around, if you had a good reason for what you wanted, I’d do anything to make it happen. It may not be obvious, but I was great around the house, and even good at massages. Chifuyu could vouch for that. Not to brag, but I’d probably make a great househusband. Ehehe.
“Nah, I’m fine. If we’re going to do that, I should wait in the locker room. I’m not that big of a fan of baths anyway, but you like them, right?”
“Yeah!”
—Of course I do!
If I had to choose between eating and bathing, I’d put my checkmark next to bathing on the ballot. Maybe if you combined eating and cooking it would be a different— Huh? Why was Charles’ face so red?
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing! Just go and take your bath! Don’t worry about me, okay?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“All right, then! Thanks, Charles! I owe you one!”
Arguing with her when she insisted that much would be impolite. Besides, I was excited. My first bath in forever—and not only that, but the place was huge! I made my way out of Charles’ line of sight, and stripped out of my clothes. It wasn’t just the IS suit, mens’ clothes were so easy to take off. I wasn’t kidding when I said I could be naked in half the time it took me to get dressed.
“I’m getting in now.”
“Okay. Just chill.”
I wasn’t quite sure about that response. Was she going to prank me or something? No way.
“Whoa!”
It was huge! Gigantic! There was a large bath, two medium-sized jacuzzis, and a wooden bathtub. Not just that, though. It had a sauna, showers all around, and even a waterfall! Everything I could ask for!
—I’m so glad I was born Japanese! And I’m so glad I go to a school funded by the national government!
I was so hyped up. I could use anything in here as much as I wanted. What Japanese person—what human being—wouldn’t be excited?
“Wait, get a hold of yourself. Diving into things never pays off. I need to shower first.”
—Hahahah, “diving” into things.
“Woohoo!”
I could even yell! After all, it was a big room! (Warning: Do not try this at home.) Still holding back my enthusiasm, I ran water over myself and began to scrub with body wash. First a shower, then a soak, then another shower, then another soak—and, done. That was how I bathed. It wasn’t a hard and fast rule, but it made me enjoy baths more, so it was how I did it. After I washed off, I sunk into the large bath I’d been looking forward to.
”Haaah...”
A feeling of relief spread across my body. The emptying-out of all my exhaustion and stiffness melting away. The blanket-like pressure and relaxation of the warmth. I let them wash over me, thinking of nothing, simply enjoying the bath.
“Ahh, I feel alive again...”
Again... Again... Again...
This was the real deal. Even the echoes were beautiful. It had everything I expected from a bath. I’d have to give it five stars. I lost track of time as I soaked, and soon I began to feel sleepy. Maybe it was because I was so exhausted, but as the relaxation continued, I began to doze off.
—Ahh, I wish I could just fall asleep...
I’d probably drown if I did. That wouldn’t be good.
Rattle.
—Huh? Am I imagining things, or did the door to the locker room just open?
I wasn’t really thinking clearly. I couldn’t reject the idea that I was just hearing things.
Splish, splash, splish.
I heard the sound of two beautiful legs walking on the wet tile. I could tell they were beautiful because the sound was beautiful. If they made a beautiful sound, they were probably beautiful. Ah—
“I’m getting in.”
“......?!”
Even though my face was half-submerged, I rocketed upright. What appeared from the steam was a bare-naked Charles. Of course, she was wrapped in a towel, but it was only a thin sports towel. It was transparent enough to let through the color of her skin. And with the light behind her, I could clearly see her every curve.
“Wh-What?!”
“Don’t stare... Ichika, you pervert.”
“Sorry!”
Ah, why was I apologizing? I didn’t know! I didn’t know, but I apologized anyway, and immediately turned around. It was a reflexive spin as fast as an IS’. The human body was amazing.
“W-Why?! What are you doing in here? I mean, obviously, you’re taking a bath, but that could have waited until I was out— Why are you in here now?”
This was bad. My mind was racing. Even though I realized it, I couldn’t get a hold of myself.
—What am I supposed to do about this? Wait for someone else to solve it? Just melt? I hope I’m not soaking in solvent.
“Do you not want me here?”
“That’s not it, just...”
I mean, I didn’t mind. It was just awkward. Very awkward. I was a healthy 15 year old boy who was interested in the opposite sex just like anyone else, and I couldn’t say it was purely platonic. And here I was, alone in this huge bath—it even had steam and echoes—with a naked girl. That wasn’t good. At least, I didn’t think it was. I could hear Charles’ breath from behind me, and my heart raced.
“I thought I’d try it out. If it’s bothering you, I can leave.”
“No, no, no. If someone leaves, it should be me. I’ve already had my turn, and you—”
“W-Wait!” Her sudden shout shocked me into silence. “Plus, I wanted to talk. There’s something important I wanted to ask you.”
“Okay.”
If it was important, I had to listen. I settled my hips back below the water, but I couldn’t look at Charles. I turned right in the bath, tilting an ear toward her.
“It’s about what we talked about before.”
“What we talked about before... You mean, about you staying here?”
“Yes, that. I think I will stay here. I don’t have anywhere else to go, and besides...”
“And besides?”
“.........”
I was answered with silence. Our conversation stopped, and a stillness fell over the bath.
Plop.
“Eek!”
“W-What’s wrong?!”
Her sudden, though cute, scream led me to respond in surprise as well.
“A drop of water landed on me. It scared me.”
“O-Oh?”
“.........”
“.........”
The silence continued. For some reason, the drops of water from the ceiling seemed more intense than usual.
Splash...
“Huh? Charles?”
Hearing the splash, I reflexively turned to see where it came from.
“D-Don’t look! Turn around!”
“Sorry!”
Even with the steam obscuring things, she was less than a meter away. It seemed like Charles was approaching me.
—What is she doing? Ugh, the rush of blood to my head is keeping me from thinking straight.
Yet in the next moment, all the consciousness that had flowed out of me leapt back into my head. Charles’ hand clapped on my back.
“Charl—?!”
Her arms worked their way around me in an embrace. The feeling of her slender body against mine sent my heart leaping into my mouth.
“It’s because you said I should stay here. If you’re here with me, I want to be here.”
“I see...”
I didn’t really understand why it was a big deal, but if it helped her, I was happy. Other people around me had done the same for me, so I wanted to do it for someone else. Because I was protected so kindly, I wanted to be kind to others and protect them, even just a little bit. That was how I felt.
“And... There’s one other thing I’ve decided.”
“One other thing?”
“Yes. How to be myself. You’re the one who showed me how.”
“Did I?”
“Yeah, you did. Hehe, sometimes you’re so dense. It’s annoying.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I forgive you. But can you call me Charlotte from now on? At least, when we’re alone?”
“Is that your real...”
“Yes. My real name. The name my mother gave me.”
“Okay... Charlotte...”
“Mm...” Charles—no, Charlotte—replied happily. I imagined her almost childishly innocent smile.
“Anyway, uh. If you keep holding onto me like that, bad things are going to happen...”
I had finally noticed the feeling of those mounds not just resting on my back, but pressing into it. They may not have been exceptionally large, but they were more than supple enou— No, just ignore it!
“Ahh, oh, right! I’ll go wash my hair now!”
It seemed Charlotte had also realized what was happening, as I heard her splash away before getting out of the bath.
“No peeking, okay?”
“Of course I wouldn’t.”
“You were supposed to peek...”
It sounded almost like she replied to me, but I couldn’t quite hear it over the splashing. After that, Charlotte and I each took a second turn in the bath, leaving after 30 minutes or so of relaxation. Of course, we changed separately. I waited until after she got out to dress. Men could dress in a second flat. I’d be done in no time at all. And... I was gone.
“Let’s head back to our room.”
“Yeah,” Charlotte nodded.
She was blushing. I guess because she’d just gotten out of the bath? She was wearing her corset and passing as a boy again, but for some reason, her damp hair made my heart pound. After returning to our room, we passed the time with silly chatter until we fell asleep. I didn’t really remember it clearly, but we were tired, so that had to be what happened. Probably. Let’s just assume that.
◇
The next day, Charlotte wasn’t in homeroom in the morning. She’d told me to go on ahead in the cafeteria, but something must have happened. Casting a look around the classroom, I noticed Laura wasn’t there as well. She must have still been recovering from the day before. Plus, the teachers probably wanted to debrief her further.
“Good morning, everyone...”
Ms. Yamada entered the classroom, noticeably unsteady. Something was really bugging her, for how early in the morning it was. Maybe she was worked up over her egg not being runny?
“Orimura, I can’t tell exactly what you’re thinking, but I can tell you’re thinking of me like a little kid. It makes me angry. Sigh...”
Angry, but still not angry enough to be forceful about it. Ah well. Sorry, Teach.
“Today, we have a new transfer student to introduce. Well, it’s a transfer student, but they’ve already been introduced. Umm...”
I wasn’t quite sure what Ms. Yamada meant, but... Huh? A transfer student? The rest of the class had the same reaction and set to murmuring back and forth. It was late enough in the year for transfer students and we’d already gotten two, so another? What in the world?
“Come in.”
“Pardon me.”
Eh? That voice sounded like—
“Charlotte Dunois. Pleased to meet you again.”
Charlotte, in a skirt, gave a precise curtsy. Everyone in the class, including me, was so shocked that we could only return a polite nod.
“You see, Mr. Dunois is now Ms. Dunois. Aww, now I have to reassign dorm rooms...”
That must be what Ms. Yamada was so upset about. Wait a sec... As I tried to process the situation, the room exploded with a sea of questions.
“Eh? Dunois is a girl?”
“I thought something was wrong! So he’s not a hunk, she’s a babe?”
“Wait, Orimura, you shared a room! How could you miss that?”
“Hold it! Didn’t they bathe together yesterday?!”
The tension in the classroom was palpable. It simmered for a few moments before boiling over.
Oh. This was bad. This definitely couldn’t end well.
Smash! The classroom door flew open as if it were kicked down.
“ICHIKA!”
Huang Lingyin made her appearance, Her face flame-red with rage. It was as if a dragon was behind her. So this was what they meant when they talked about China’s 4,000 years of history!
“DIE!”
At the same time as her IS took form, the impact cannons on each shoulder fired at full power.
Well, goodbye world. I’d be on the front page of tomorrow’s papers: “Unfortunate high school boy killed by classmate. Corpse left unrecognizable. Classmates grieve.” ‘Mincemeat,’ ‘ketchup,’ ‘like fallen persimmons under a tree,’ ‘or maybe figs,’ ‘like an exploded can of soda,’ ‘probably Pepsi.’
—Hey, wait, that last one’s going to—
Washoom!
“Hah, hah, hah...!”
Rin was so angry that her chest heaved with every breath. She was like a cat with its hair on end.
—Wait, huh? I’m... Alive? I’m still alive?
“.........”
I didn’t know how she managed that hair’s-breadth save, but somehow, sandwiched between myself and Rin... Was Laura, in her jet-black IS Schwarzer Regen. Its AIC had completely absorbed the impact cannon’s blast. Actually, now that I looked, she didn’t even have her rail cannon.
“Thanks, you saved me. Wait... Your IS is already fixed? That’s amazing.”
“The core barely made it through unscratched. I assembled the rest from spare parts.”
“Wow, reall— Wah!”
Suddenly. Out of nowhere. Laura grabbed me by the collar, pulled me in—and stole a kiss.
“......Ngh?!?!”
I was absolutely blindsided. I wished someone would explain to me what was going on. Rin, and the rest of the class, were agape. Everyone was. Even me.
“I will make you my bride! Es ist entscheiden! No objections!”
“B-Bride? Not ‘groom,’ maybe?”
I was so confused that I couldn’t do anything but answer calmly. Maybe I really was important— Nah, too much self-flattery.
“I’d heard Japan has a custom of—when taken with a fancy for someone—declaring you’d make them your bride. So I will make you my bride.”
Who told her something like that? C’mon, come clean.
“A-A-Ah...“
Rin’s mouth flapped, and wordless noises emanated. She was gulping like a goldfish. Yet somehow, I couldn’t shake my feeling of danger. I’d be screwed if she evolved right now.
“You—”
Clang! The impact cannons opened again.
“W-Wait! It’s not my fault! I’m the victim here!”
“Of course it’s your fault! All of it! Every single part! It’s your fault!”
What was that supposed to mean? How did she decide on that?! Anyway, my life was in danger. My only hope was to escape through the classroom’s door.
Fshiiing! A laser flashed in front of my nose. In terror, I turned towards its source.
“Going somewhere, Ichika? But there’s something I ab-so-lutely must discuss with you. I know it’s sudden, but this is deathly important. Ohohoho...”
Gulp. One, two, three, four... A total of five veins pulsing in anger, Cecilia blocked my path. In her hands was the Starlight Mk.III. The bits mounted on her back were already glowing. Only after did her armor phase in.
No way, no way, no way! Giving up on the stairs, I turned toward the window. This was only the second floor, I could survive the fall. If worse came to worst, I could deploy Byakushiki and—
Slam!
Something or other was there. I would have preferred something else, but I got other than what I wanted. A katana suddenly thrust in front of me.
—Eh? Is this the Sengoku period? A new spinoff, Sengoku IS Academy? I guess that’d work. Chacha’s IS would probably be way overpowered, though. I dunno.
“Explain yourself... Ichika.”
“Wait, wait, wait! I’m the one who wants an explana— Whoa!”
A sharp blade slashed in my direction, as if to say “I’m not listening.”
—You idiot! Are you trying to kill me?! Knock it off!
Enough already! I’d end up dead at this rate! I dove to the floor, and began an aimless struggle for escape. My mind was moving so fast that I had no sense of what was truly happening anymore.
Ker-chunk.
“Huh?”
I had bumped into something—someone. Half-reflexively, I looked up.
“.........”
It was Charlotte, with a grin across her face. It was that angelic smile. Like Buddha smiling, even in Hell. It was infectious. I smiled back. With quite a bit of self-confidence, I might add.
“You’d kiss someone in front of other girls? I’m surprised.”
“Er, Charlotte? I didn’t kiss someone, I was kissed, and why do you have your IS out?”
“Hmmm, I wonder.”
Rapid Switch wasn’t even necessary... Charlotte called no weapon into her hand. Her strongest weapon was already there, with her armor. She needed no other.
Bang!
The sound of gunpowder exploding filled the room as she purged the armor from her shield. Within was the .69-caliber Gray Scale Pile Bunker—also known as Shield Pierce.
“Ah, haha. Ahahaha...”
When people were pushed beyond their limits, all they could do was laugh. Wasn’t there a song about that? I guess that was what it meant.
Wrrrraaaaanng!
Homeroom that day was rocked with the roar of explosions.