Chapter I: The Silent

Strategic Base #16, deep in the American northwest. Its nickname: ‘Camp Erased.’ Normally, its existence was kept so quiet that not even the average soldier had heard of it, but today it was enveloped in deafening gunfire.

“Intruder alert! Requesting reinforcements to sector 6-D! Repeat, intruder alert! Requesting reinforcements to sector 6-D!”

The rat-a-tat-tat of assault rifles. The shouts of brawny men. The rumbling cadence of combat boots on concrete. All this noise was directed at a single intruder.

A lone girl stalked down a metal catwalk. Yes, this was the intruder. She gazed at the men below, expressionless.

“Deploy...” As her voice rang out, she was bathed in a veil of light. It coalesced into solid matter, and in a few seconds, she was wrapped in vivid blue armor.

“An IS?!”

“This must be the tango they warned us about!”

The girl in the IS Silent Zephyrus—M—raised a gigantic rifle in her right hand. Designed to fire both kinetic ammunition and BT energy, it was named Starbreaker. Not that anyone there but her knew that.

“What are you even after?! Don’t think you’re gonna be able to run and hide from America after this!”

It was a question which expected no answer—but underneath M’s visor-style hypersensor, she mouthed a few words. “Silverio Gospel. The IS you have here.”

“What?!”

A blink of the eye later, they fell in a hail of her fire. Yet strangely, she wasn’t just avoiding unnecessary deaths—she was avoiding killing at all. The bullets were 100% lethal, but she was aiming ever-so-precisely to wound rather than kill. This ‘no killing’ thing is... so dull. But her commander Squall had issued orders not to kill with an IS, and she had no choice but to obey.

No, It wasn’t just obedience. M had been injected with monitoring nanomachines, and no more than a breath after she disobeyed orders, they would burn through her spine. This was another one of Squall’s requirements, one which M had decided to endure for now.

“Ugh...!”

“Gah!”

“Dammit! HQ! Come in, HQ! We need backup! Repeat! We need— ARGH!”

M, bored of precise aim, floated up into the air before diving forth and sweeping her foes to the ground. She followed the map of the base overlaid directly over her vision as it showed a route winding, descending into its depths.

As M entered an exceptionally large—the ceiling was at least five meters high—hallway, a shadow flitted across her sight. A woman, from her silhouette. Just as M began to relish the thought of cracking the woman’s ribs, an arrow of light pierced her right shoulder.

“Wh-What?!” As M instinctively grabbed the feather-shaped arrow to pull it out, it exploded in her hands. “Tch!”

The force of the explosion blew her toward the wall, and just before impact, she tumbled and fired her retro rocket. But in the half-second this took, she lost sight of her foe.

Bzzzt! Another bolt of light tore through a piece of her leg armor, blowing it off. Even M, well-practiced at speedy and precise maneuver, couldn’t manage to dodge. It ate at her confidence.

“You must be...”

“Natasha Fairs. US Army. IS test pilot. And the pilot of the Silverio Gospel.”

Natasha kept up her fire as she spoke. She cradled a gleaming silver weapon in her arms, its shape reminiscent of a pair of wings. It was the prototype hand cannon version of the Silver Bell. Its firepower was even higher than the final version, and Natasha was firing it on foot. Her silky blonde hair danced beautifully, tossed one way by recoil and blown the other by the shockwaves.

“I won’t let you have her!”

Natasha fought as fiercely as a mother protecting her brood. But still, she was only on foot. Once M regained her focus, she became unhittable.

“Ugh...”

“Out of my way.”

Stamping on the wing, M swiped broadly at Natasha with her right fist. Natasha was slammed back into the wall with a hollow thud.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

M reached down, grabbing the motionless Natasha by the back of the head, and lifted her into the air. On foot, Natasha was the taller woman, but M floated in midair. Natasha’s arms and legs dangled uselessly. Each was visibly broken in more than one place. There must have been even more fractures which couldn’t be seen. They hung lifelessly, like the branches of a willow. But—

“Ahahahah.” The passion in Natasha’s eyes burned without a flicker. “Hahaha.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Mission accomplished. Signing off.”

“......?” Before M could understand what Natasha meant, the floor collapsed under her feet. “......?!”

“Gimme Nat back— Phantom Task!”

A tiger-striped IS leapt out from the smoke, grabbing Natasha from M’s hands while plunging a throwing knife into the Silent Zephyrus’s armor. M may have been a steady-nerved veteran, but even still she instinctively dodged backwards.

“So that’s America’s new third-gen, Fang Quake.”

“Sure is. And I’m the National Cadet, Iris Calling... I’m gonna pay you back in spades for what you did to Nat.” As she spoke, she dropped Natasha to the floor to free up her hands for the fight.

“Hey, Eye.”

“What?”

“You know I’m hurt, right?”

“Oh, I know. Hold on a sec. I’m gonna give her a lot worse than what you got.”

“That’s not really what I meant by that...” As Natasha sighed, Iris glanced at her in confusion. It seemed like she honestly didn’t realize.

“Another new IS for us, then?” M slashed forth with a knife held dagger-grip as she spoke.

“Hey, hey, haven’t you ever watched a movie? You’re supposed to sit there and wait while the hero introduces herself... There!”

Iris caught the blade in her fist and wrenched it away from the Zephyrus with the sparks and groaning of twisting metal. Torn off, it spun up and embedded itself in the ceiling.

“I’m gonna warn you, I’m pretty tough. You ready for a beating you won’t remember? That thing you ripped off from the English isn’t much more than a testbed. It’s not gonna do you any good against me.”

Iris’s Fang Quake may have been a prototype too, but judging from its performance so far, it was one more along the lines of Shenlong: implementing stable, proven technology even better.

“M, can you hear me?” Squall’s voice came over a private channel. M was too focused on her foe to respond, but Squall saw no need to wait for one anyway. Her words were as sudden as her namesake storm. “Listen, I’ve been watching the situation, and I think it’s time to get out of there. We just got a hold of the Zephyrus, we don’t want to lose it again.”

M didn’t think she’d lose the fight, but she realized it would be a long one. And the longer it stretched on, the more likely it was that other IS would arrive as reinforcements.

“Roger.” M replied emotionlessly.

“You’re not getting away!”

Iris gave chase with Ignition Boost. However, at the same time, M turned her thrusters around and also activated Ignition Boost, flying backwards.

“You’re a slick one.”

Iris almost admired the skill involved, but she didn’t have time to appreciate it. M was already accelerating away, firing as she flew backwards. She wormed her way nimbly through the twisting underground hallways, sending blasts of BT energy back as she fled.

“Hey, wait up!”

Iris gave chase, but was slowed by the need to dodge precise shots aimed at her IS’ joints. By the time there were only 100 meters left to the surface, M was already 50 ahead of her.

Dammit! If I don’t grab a hold of her now, she’s gonna get away! Iris focused, trying to pull off a revolver Ignition Boost with her four thrusters. It may have only had a 40% chance of succeeding, but she had a 0% chance of catching up otherwise. Here goes! M, realizing what Iris was about to try, deployed her bits for burst fire.

“GRAAAHH!”

The hail of fire washed over Iris, but she kept accelerating. No matter how much armor was blown off, no matter how much shield energy she lost, she wasn’t going to stop.

“Got you!”

Close up, Iris stretched out her arm. M was within her grasp— But just as she thought she was wrapping her fingers around M, they instead caught the energy umbrella of a shield bit. One packed with a special bonus load of high explosive.

“What?!”

The repulsion of the energy shield and shock of the explosion brought her from supersonic speed to a dead stop. Foiled, she was forced to let M go. As she broke out into the sunlight, all she could do was zoom in and watch Silent Zephyrus disappear behind a faraway cloud.

“Ahh— DAMMIT!”

She beat a fist into her palm in frustration. The metallic clang of Fang Quake’s armor striking together echoed across the landscape.

◆

“What?! Your birthday’s this month, Ichika?!”

“Yeah.”

It was dinnertime in the dorms, and the usual suspects were quietly chatting around the table until Charl suddenly spoke up. I wondered what was so surprising about that. I wouldn’t have expected it to be so shocking that she’d spring out of her chair.

“What day?!”

“September 27th. I don’t know what the big deal is, though.”

“Hm...” Charl sat back down, then, suddenly said, “A Sunday?!”

She didn’t quite spring up this time, but I could tell she was ready to. What had gotten into her?

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I see... Mm, yeah, I guess. Yeah!”

As I confusedly watched Charl mumble to herself while nodding, Cecilia, who was next to me with a plate of beef bourguignon, set down her bread and began to talk, “Ichika, you simply must remember to give us proper warning in situations such as these.”

“Huh? Oh, sure. Sorry.” I apologized, not really knowing why.

“Very well, then. Sunday, 27th September.”

Cecilia intently drew a star next to the date in her white leatherbound pocket organizer. Was it really that important?

“Why did you keep quiet about it?” Laura intoned ominously. She was sat next to Charl, so across the table and one seat to the right of me.

“Huh? It’s no big deal, I’m not sure why I’d even mention it.”

“Hmph. That explains you, but you’re not the only one keeping it secret.”

“Ugh...” Laura’s glare turned to my two childhood friends, who stiffened in their seats.

Before we go any further, our dinners: Laura had a macaroni salad with seasonal vegetables, Houki had the sanma meal, and Rin had the mapo meal. And I had the savory omelet meal. It was one of my favorites, the broth used to cook it was fantastic.

“I wasn’t hiding it! You just never asked!”

“She’s right! How awkward would it be if I just started blabbing about it for no reason? Too awkward for me, that’s how awkward!”

Houki and Rin each continued scarfing down their rice as they spoke. They were definitely making excuses there...

“Anyway! September 27th! You’d better not make any plans, Ichika!”

“Ah, um, about that. I was going to get my friends from middle school together at my place. Why don’t you all come too?”

“Of course we will! What time?!”

“Around four, I guess? There’s that other thing on the same day, too.” As I spoke, everyone grimaced as if to say “oh, right.”

The ‘Cannonball Fast’ IS battle-race. It was originally an international tournament, but with IS Academy here, it would be a little different. The Academy’s students would be signing up for an event run by the city. Of course, those of us with personal IS would have a major advantage, so there would be separate divisions for us and for normal students in practice IS. And because it would be an off-school-grounds event using IS, it would be held in the city IS arena. It was this gigantic place down by the docks, with seating for over 20,000 people. One time, some idol group or something booked it and couldn’t even sell out, which pretty much put an end to concerts there. Of course... it was supposed to be just for IS to begin with, so...

“You know, now that I think of it, aren’t we supposed to be starting our high-mobility adjustments for the Cannonball Fast tomorrow? How exactly does that work, anyway?”

“Well, we’re by and large getting high-mobility packages installed, but Byakushiki doesn’t have one,” Laura began as she bit down on a cherry tomato.

“So you’re probably going to be tweaking your thrusters and reallocating energy output,” Charl followed up, nibbling on some fried fish.

“Hmm. Didn’t Cecilia’s IS have a high-mobility package?”

“Why, of course! My Blue Tears can be equipped with the Strike Gunner package, designed specifically for high-speed combat!”

Cecilia proudly tapped a fist to her chest. Her other hand was perched on her hip, in a pose which wouldn’t have looked out of place on a supermodel. Looks like she’s finally out of her funk. I guess she got over whatever it was.

Lately, she’d been practicing pretty intently after school. I hadn’t really heard why, but it seemed like it had something to do with letting the enemy get away after the school festival. Laura wouldn’t tell me anything about it either. Chifuyu had told her to keep her lips sealed. I guess what happened was even more serious than I had thought at the time.

‘Phantom Task.’ They’d been active for more than 50 years. From what little I could piece together from online rumors, they’d sprung out of the chaos of World War II. They weren’t nationalists. They weren’t radicals. They weren’t fundamentalists. And they weren’t racial supremacists. So what exactly they were after was a mystery. And the scale of their operations was just as mysterious. The name ‘Phantom’ really fit. At least according to Laura.

The two things we did know were that they were split into a strategic counsel and operational cells. And that lately, they’d primarily been targeting IS. Just what the heck are they? I’d heard the ‘Remover’ they’d used was a ‘nonexistent weapon’—that is, something considered top secret. Yet somehow they’d managed to ‘acquire’ it somewhere and put it to use. Phew. There’s no real point worrying about it. At least not right now. I turned my attention back to the Cannonball Fast.

“Good thing we’ve got you on our side, then, Cecilia. You’ll have to teach me how to fly at supersonic speeds.”

“I’m sorry... But not at the moment. Perhaps you could ask Laura?”

I noticed a frown flit across her face before she covered it with a smile. It seemed like she wanted to spend all the time she could on her own practice. Yeah, it was written all over her face.

“Oh? I see. Could you teach me, then, Laura?”

“Very well. You’ve been spending far too much time with that woman lately. Better for you to spend it with me.”

‘That woman’ was, of course, IS Academy student council president Sarashiki Tatenashi. Tatenashi had finally moved out of my room in the past few days, but she was still drilling me hard after school every day. I’d been shaping up a bit, but it seems like Laura still barely trusted me with the safety off. She was definitely Chifuyu’s student.

“You’re the same, you know. Byakushiki’s baseline specs are on a level with other IS’ high-mobility loadouts... I guess the Akatsubaki’s the same way too,” mentioned Rin.

She really had a head for IS facts and figures. It was never her thing back in middle school, so she must have studied hard while she was back in China. Yeah. Rin’s pretty impressive.

“Anyway, I don’t know what the hell my country’s doing. There’s no way they’re gonna get Shenlong’s high-mobility package here in time. What about you, Charlotte?”

“The Revive’s a second-gen IS, so they’re not developing it any further. But it supports auxiliary boosters. Really, it was always designed to be tweaked for speed. They didn’t name it ‘Rafale’ for nothing.”

Charl’s IS, the Revive, was more properly called the ‘Rafale Revive,’ or ‘Reborn Gust.’ Yeah, that made sense.

“Mm-hm. How about you, Laura? Yours is third-gen, right?”

“They’ll likely adapt the high-mobility pack from its sister IS, the Schwarzer Zweig. It’s deployed in Germany, so most development takes place on it.”

The conversation got a lot more serious as it turned to IS particulars.

“So Schwarzer Regen has a sister IS? What kind of weaponry does it have?”

“You may be my bride, but I still can’t tell you. It’s a national secret.”

Zweig—That was German for ‘branch.’ Since it’s paired with Laura’s Regen, or ‘rain,’ it must also be an all-range IS equipped with an AIC.

“Nice grin on your face, rookie.” Laura grinned back at me as she spoke.

“Thank you for the compliment, Major.”

I was finally beginning to understand Laura’s personality enough to play along with her jokes. Her frustration at the mention of Tatenashi was replaced with merriment—but deep in her eyes, there was still a chill. The Teutonic ice queen, Laura Bodewig. Her gaze was as beautifully clear, but just as piercing, as an icicle.

“Then it’s time for our first real practice in a long time. We will commence at sixteen hundred hours in the second arena. Understood?”

“Ma’am! Yes, Ma’am. Don’t expect this time to be so one-sided, though.”

Laura giggled, “Perhaps. Or perhaps, tomorrow I may reveal the capabilities of my new equipment.”

Laura turned her fork as she spoke. The prongs thrust through the pasta in her macaroni salad as precisely as pistons.

“Now, Ichika, I expect you to stay sharp during practice.”

“I’ll—”

“—You’ll ‘really use your noodle.’”

“...Is what you were about to say, right?”

“Please tell me you weren’t going to say that.”

Rin and Charl had both predicted what I was going to say at the same time. Ugh...

“Hahaha, of course not.”

“Ichika, you...”

Ugh. Houki was glaring at me with baleful eyes. No! It’s not like that! It just sprang to mind! It’s not my fault!

“Well, that’s enough about that idiot.”

That idiot? Really?

“Ichika, has the student council figured out how they’re going to lend you out yet?”

“Me? I’ve heard they were doing a drawing, then tweaking the results.”

“Mm-hm...” Rin tried to pass it off as idle conversation, as she shoveled more chili oil-laden mapo tofu into her mouth.

“Actually, now that you mention it. All of you are in clubs now, right?”

I’d heard that recently, and this seemed like a good time to see if it was true.

“I’ve been in the kendo club since I got here.”

That was true if you counted ghost members, Houki. Though, lately you had been showing up more. I guess because of the captain’s nudging during the school festival. Sometimes you sure are a handful.

“How about you, Rin?”

“Lacrosse.”

“Really? Lacrosse? Yeah, that definitely sounds like you.”

At least the ‘swinging sticks at people’ part. Though I wouldn’t say that out loud even if you tried to carve it out of my mouth with a knife.

“I guess. I’ve been one of the rookies they have high hopes for since I started. Honestly, it’s kind of a pain.”

There seemed to be a clear line between the physical capabilities of those with and without personal IS. I nodded as I imagined Rin racing down the field.

“What about you, Charl?”

“Eh, me?!”

“Yeah. What club did you join?”

“Well, umm...”

“Huh?”

Charl twiddled her fingers, as if she was having a hard time saying it. She kept looking between me and the table, as if unsure how I’d react.

“Um... the cooking club.”

“The cooking club? Oh, right, we went there together during the festival!”

“Ahh, Ichika! Sssh! Sssshhhh!”

Hm? Why was Charl trying to shush me? For some reason, I felt like I could hear people standing up from the table in the back.

“The cooking club, huh...”

“M-Mhm. I wanted to learn how to cook Japanese food.”

“I see. When you learn, I’d love to try whatever you make.”

“Oh, sure! Of course!” Charl nodded as she spoke intently. It’s hard to believe she was the same girl who was just shushing me.

“How about you, Cecilia?”

“I’ve chosen a proper English sport: Tennis.”

“Oh, I see. Did you play back at home in England?”

“Indeed I did. Care to join me for a match sometime?”

“I’ve never played tennis.”

“Then—” Cecilia suddenly sat stock straight with her arms crossed. “Why, I could give you lessons! As a special favor, of course.”

“Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Of course!”

The smile on Cecilia’s face relieved me. Lately, she’d been closing herself off a lot, but if she could smile like that, then there probably wasn’t anything to worry about.

“Oh, and I’ve joined the tea ceremony club.” That was Laura, who seemed to have just finished her pasta.

“The tea ceremony club, huh. You’re really into Japanese culture, aren’t you. Wait... Isn’t that the club my—”

“Mein Lehrerin—that is, Ms. Orimura is the club advisor, yes.”

I’d heard about that before. They say she weeds out her fangirls with two hours of kneeling. Really, though. Chifuyu and the tea ceremony club was an interesting combination. I always thought she’d end up involved with a sports team.

“Are you fine kneeling, Laura?”

“Of course. Compared to torture, it’s hardly anything.”

I’m not sure I was comfortable with that comparison. And wait, just what kind of torture was she subjected to?

“You know, I can’t even imagine what you’d look like in a kimono. You’ll have to show me sometime.”

“R-Really? I suppose... Very well. If there’s a good opportunity.”

If Laura was to wear a kimono, she’d probably tie her hair up. And it’d probably look really good on her.

“Perhaps I should own one, anyway. Maybe I’ll buy one later.”

“Eh? Just because I mentioned it?”

“Don’t think too hard about it. I’m sure I’ll have many opportunities to wear it.”

“R-Right. I see. Yeah... it’d be great around New Year’s. But aren’t you heading home for the holidays?”

“N-No. I’m going to stay in Japan... After all, you’re here...”

I couldn’t quite make out what she said at the end, but it seemed like Laura would be in Japan for the holidays.

“We should all go together, really. Maybe make it there for the bell-ringing, so we can enjoy the whole thing.”

The more of us there were, the more fun it would be.

“Wait, what are you all doing for the holidays? I guess most of you are going home?”

“I’m staying here,” said Charl. She was definitely becoming close friends with Laura.

“Then I shall remain as well!”

“Not like anything fun’s gonna happen in China.”

Cecilia, then Rin. That left just Houki—no, wait, I just realized.

“Houki, will you be helping out at the shrine? I know you did over summer break. Once you’re done, why don’t we pick up where we left off—”

“You idiot!”

Houki gave me a good hard smack.

“Ouch! What’d you do that for?!”

“Seriously, stop it! Don’t just let that drop!”

“What do you mean, ‘pick up where you left off’?”

That was Rin, Cecilia, Charl, Laura... That was everyone but Houki!

“Ichika! Just what did you do over summer break?!”

“Why, Ichika! I’m so very disappointed in you!”

“I-Ichika? What exactly did you leave off?”

“Sneaking off like that... Unforgivable.”

The four stood up in unison.

“Wait! Wait, I can explain! We didn’t do anything we’re not comfortable mentioning! Right, Houki? Right?”

“Why do you have to deny it that hard...”

“Eh?”

Smack! Right on the head.

“Hmph!” Houki, finished with her meal, left, taking her tray with her.

Hey, wait! Don’t just throw me to the wolves!

“Ah, anyway, I’m done, so I’m going to head back to my— Bwah!”

Just as I was standing up, Rin grabbed me and stuffed me back into my seat. I was surrounded before I could even say “oww.”

“Ichika! I want to know what you did last summer!”

“I demand an explanation!”

“No fair playing favorites, Ichika.”

“It seems like you need a more concrete lesson.”

W-Wait! Just wait! Wa— NOOOOO!

◆

Hmph. Ichika’s such an idiot. Houki closed the door to her room behind her, before slumping backward onto it. Luckily, her roommate, Takatsuki Shizune, was still out, so she was able to take a breather.

“Once you’re done, why don’t we pick up where we left off—”

She thought back to Ichika’s words. Ba-dum. Her chest pounded. Just thinking about what happened that summer was enough to make her heart throb. As her pulse began to race, her face flushed red.

I haven’t been practicing enough... Pressing her hands to her burning cheeks, Houki ran through the stances of Shinonono-school martial arts. She told herself ‘calm down, calm down’ over and over as images of the motions filled her mind, and compared her own movements to those memories. That’s it. The steps are quicker, the footwork is more complex... Her father, when he gripped live steel, was so vigorous, so forceful. He moved like flowing water, but with a precise sharpness. He’s wonderful.

Houki’s goal was to be like her father and teacher, Shinonono Ryuuin. She had a genuine admiration for his abilities. And, thinking of it, he was a man who was fazed by nothing. Definitely different from Ichika in that way. That’s right! Men should be unflappable! As her mind drifted, the man in her mental images changed from her father to Ichika. But this Ichika was different. He was vigorous, forceful, resourceful, and keen. Self-confident. Magnanimous.

“N-No! No! That can’t be him! He’s not like that at all!” Houki shook her head with such energy that her ponytail bounced like the tail of a horse at full gallop.

“Shinonono... if you don’t move, I can’t get in.”

“Wha—”

Startled by the voice from outside the door, Houki sprung forward, moving her weight off it.

“There we go.”

“Sorry...”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Shizune smiled and settled down on her bed with a paperback. The title was ‘Way of the Warrior.’ But the entire thing was an American-style parody. Shizune may have seemed super-serious, but she loved trashy—in a good way—comedies. If you asked her, she’d say they took away her worries.

“By the way, Shinonono.”

“W-What?”

“Another complaint. You girls with your own IS are still hogging Orimura.”

“It’s not like I can do anything about it myself.”

“Isn’t the thing where he’s lent out to clubs going to start soon, though?”

Recently it had been announced that Ichika, although joining the executive branch of the student council, would be lent out to other clubs to help with whatever needed doing. There were a number of objections that perhaps this ordeal should be settled with IS, but student council president Sarashiki Tatenashi sat everyone back down with the Faustian bargain of ‘Don’t worry. The most cooperative clubs will get priority.’

Jeez, he’s just so... so... Still, though, Houki was a member of the Kendo club. The prospect of Ichika coming to practices pleased her. I’m sure that if he sees me, even Ichika will realize— She shook her head again to snap herself out of it. No, that’s not it! It’s not like that, just... It’s kinda like that. It was an excuse made to no one in particular, but Houki still felt a little guilty about it. Ugh... It’s really not really like that, though! I would never be so fickle as to—

“Shinonono?”

“Y-Yes?!”

“Are you okay? You seem really worried about something.”

“I— No. I’m fine.”

“Oh.”

Shizune turned back to her book. To Houki, Shizune’s blasé reaction only highlighted her own awkwardness even more, and she sunk into deep embarrassment. It’s Ichika’s fault... This is all Ichika’s fault... She was just lashing out in anger, but it still consumed her until she finally fell asleep.

◆

“Ugh... They chewed me up and spit me out...”

After finally being released from my interrogation, I wandered back to my room in a daze.

“Welcome back. I thought I’d just drop in.”

“Tatenashi...” I slumped in resignation.

Sarashiki Tatenashi. IS Academy’s student council president. The strongest student in the school. A year older than me.

Her personality is... Maybe you’d say ‘uninhibited,’ maybe you’d say she’s a ‘free spirit,’ maybe you’d just say she’s like a cat. She must be quite accustomed to just opening up my room and walking in, as she was sprawled out on the bed reading a fashion magazine.

“.........”

“What’s up? Oh, are you trying to peek at my panties?”

“U-Um, could you not kick your legs up like that when you’re wearing a skirt? I don’t even get to choose whether I want to or not!”

“Mm-hm. So you saw them?”

“Well...”

“Question, then. What color were they?”

“They... were pink.”

“Oh dear. You’re such a pervert.”

Ugh, what was with her?! Was she just here to make fun of me? Every time she came to my room it was like this.

“Anyway, there’s something I wanted to talk with you about today.”

“What.”

“Don’t be so standoffish. This is serious. It’s about that organization.”

‘That organization’ could only mean one thing: Phantom Task. I suddenly snapped back to attention.

“This is all unofficial, but they just attacked an American IS base. Their target seems to have been the IS itself. You should make sure they don’t manage to get yours.”

“Of course. I don’t plan on falling for the same trick again.”

“Excellent. I like a man who learns his lesson— Now, will you keep learning them until I’m absolutely fascinated with you?”

That’s... a pretty high hurdle, but she must have high standards, with a family like hers. I couldn’t even imagine what the ideal man for her would look like. And what kind of person will she end up with?

“Oh, are you worried about me? Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. After all, women have their needs too. I’m sure I’ll find someone.”

“Uhh...”

“Maybe it will even be you, Ichika.”

“Ahaha...” That joke again. I squeezed out a dry chuckle.

“I can’t believe you. That honestly hurt.”

“Well, just, uh...”

“Children who say that kind of thing need a good tickling.”

“Please no. That really wasn’t fun.”

It didn’t help that, while she was tickling me, her voluptuous chest and soft thighs were pressed up against me. In fact, it was dangerous. In more ways than one.

“I think it’s time for what your body craves, Ichika.”

Tatenashi closed in on me, her fingers grasping. Oh no! If I didn’t get out of there, I— Knock, knock.

“Ichika, do you have a minute?”

The sudden knock was followed up with Charl’s voice. I’m saved!

“Sure! Just a sec, I’ll get the door!”

This was my way out of Tatenashi’s tickle torture! I was practically pumping my arms in the air as I walked to the door.

“Sorry to bother you.”

“Come on in!”

“Eh?” Charl suddenly froze as she saw Tatenashi’s smile. Her expression stiffened from surprise to a terrifying blankness.

“Ichika, what were you two doing?”

“Oh? Nothing, just chatting.”

“Hmm... Then why’d you say I could come in?”

“Why’d— Huh? Charl, are you mad about something?”

“Why would you think that? Of course I’m not. I’m not mad at all.”

Whoa! I could practically see her veins bulging in anger and flames dancing behind her! Why? Why, Charl?!

“I’ll be leaving now. Take all the time in the world, Charlotte.”

“Understood.”

So what, she shows up to make a mess and then runs away? What was she, some kind of one-woman guerrilla army? Ah well. Life isn’t fair. Tatenashi, having made things awkward, made her way out.

“Um...”

“.........”

A sudden silence fell over us.

“Uh, anyway, why not have a seat? Shall I make some tea?”

“Oh, thanks. I’m fine on the tea, though.”

“Okay.”

I sat on my bed with nothing to do to take the awkwardness away. For once, Charl sat next to me rather than across from me.

“Er, um...”

“What?”

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing.” Charl’s voice from close to the side was clear and bright. If a voice could do damage, I’d have been peppered with holes. I guess. Anyway, even though I didn’t have anything to be guilty about or anything, the silence was still weighing on me. It was like being on pins and needles. Ugh...

“Pff—” Charl suddenly tried to hold back a chuckle. “Ahahah. Really, Ichika, I’m not mad. You don’t have to be so nervous.”

“Oh? Uh... Really?”

“You’re squirming like a guy who just got walked in on cheating. It’s hilarious, hahaha.”

Her smile was pure, without a hint of suspicion. It seemed like she really wasn’t angry.

“Anyway, uh. What were you mad about before?”

“You’re getting way too friendly with Tatenashi.”

“Huh? I don’t think so. Isn’t she friends with everyone?”

“...That wasn’t what I meant.”

Huh? What was that? Charl had whispered something, but I couldn’t quite make it out.

“Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Charl had suddenly gotten very fidgety and was fiddling her fingers as she glanced at me sideways. “Um, well. You know how you got me this bracelet? I... I wanted to return the favor, and get you something to wear for your birthday. What do you think?”

She seemed really on edge as she started talking, but by the time she finished she was leaning close in and speaking intently.

“Oh, the bracelet from this summer? Well...” I rolled up my sleeve and showed her my right arm. On it was a gauntlet, my IS Byakushiki in standby mode. “I kind of have this.”

“We-Well!” She leaned in closer. “How about a watch? I’m sure that would come in handy!”

As she spoke, she pulled up her own left sleeve, revealing a women’s watch that was both delicate and cute.

“Huh. That’s a nice watch.”

“Isn’t it? And they make a men’s design, so we could have matching—”

“But I don’t really use watches. I just pull out my phone.”

“.........”

That’s funny. I could see her grimace as she tried to keep up her smile. Why, though?

“Ichika, if you want to look sharp, you need a watch.”

“Uh. If you put it that way...”

It didn’t seem like I had the option of disagreeing. But why?

“Anyway, why don’t we go shopping downtown this weekend? I wanted to look at the clothes anyway.”

“I guess. Why don’t we?”

“Really?! You promise? Promise me you will!” Charl held out her pinky. Ever since she’d learned that pinky swears were originally a Japanese thing, Charl had been a little bit fixated on them. I had no reason not to go along with it, so it ended up being a regular thing between us.

“Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cluster bomb in your eye.”

Her... unique interpretation of the words was always a bit terrifying. Charl would definitely be the scariest of them all if you made her mad.

“It’s sealed, then.”

“Yeah.”

Charl giggled and said, “I’m looking forward to next weekend.”

It was still only Monday, so that was a good long way away.

“I! Chi! Ka! You awake? I know you’re awake in there! This weekend, can we—”

My door flew open with a bang, revealing Rin. As she saw how close Charl and I were sitting, her lips twisted.

“...What are you two doing?”

“She wanted to pinky—”

“ICHIKA!”

Charl, flustered, covered my mouth. But it wasn’t enough to conceal my words from Rin, and her eyes gleamed.

“A pinky swear, huh? So what did you promise her? Huh? Cough it up!”

“We were going to go shopping this weekend...”

“Hmph! Ichika, you idiot!”

Ugh, she was mad. Charl spun away with an ‘I don’t even know you anymore!’ Why? Shopping’s more fun in a bigger group.

“Oh really now? I guess I’ll join in, too. See you this weekend, Charlotte!”

“Oh, I guess...”

Rin was grinning like a cat who’d stolen the dinner fish, while Charl was pouting. I... I didn’t think Charl hated Rin, did she?

“All three of us, then.”

Rin smirked and replied, “I guess. What time should we meet up?”

“Ten, at the statue in front of the station?” Charl suggested it without changing her expression. If she kept pouting like that, I was going to have to poke her cheek.

“Charl.”

“What?”

Poke.

Poke, poke.

“.........”

“.........”

“Ahh...” Rin shrugged in exasperation.

“Ichika, you idiot!” Charl stalked out of my room, slamming the door behind her.

“Ichika, man. You really—”

“Please don’t say it.”

“You really are an idiot.”

Well, excuse me.

◆

Oh, oh wow... Charlotte hid her face with her hands as she rushed back to her room. Her cheeks were already glowing pink and beginning to heat up. Ichika just... He just reached out and touched me... Ahh... If I’d just had a little longer to get ready for it, I never would have run out of the room like that...

Really, she was still frustrated that he’d joked about her being angry rather than showing a little empathy. But she was a 15-year-old in love. The pounding in her chest from her crush touching her cheeks was far more intense than any frustration.

Ahhh... After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she slowly, hesitantly ran a finger over where Ichika had touched. Now that the spark in her heart was lit, Charlotte couldn’t stop her face from flushing a deep red.

If Ling hadn’t have shown up then, we could have gone on a date... I wish he had turned her down. Ah well, what’s done is done.

She knew that Ichika wasn’t the type to play favorites, but still... Still, she wished it would happen. Just once, I wish he would treat me special... Adorable selfishness like that is the privilege of a girl in love.

“Phew...” Charlotte had arrived at her door, and let out a deep sigh as she pushed it open.

“Ciao!”

“Charlotte. Help me get her out of here.”

Charlotte had to hold back a ‘whoa.’ Laura and Tatenashi were at each other’s throats—or at least Laura was at Tatenashi’s. If she had been a cat, her hair would have been standing on end and her tail would have shot straight up like an antenna. Her eye was squinted even 60% more than usual.

“You know, they say that each time you let a sigh go it takes a little bit of happiness away with it.”

“Er, uh, sure, I guess. I’ll be careful about that.”

“Charlotte! Tell me how to get rid of her!”

“Uh... Laura... I can’t really...” Good-natured Charlotte was caught between a rock and a hard place. She could practically hear her happiness sprinting away.

“C’mon, Laurie! Can’t we be friends?”

“D-Don’t call me Laurie! And I have no reason to be your friend!”

“Oh really? Well then I’m just going to have to—”

“What?! Wait, no, not that!” Laura’s expression twisted into wide-eyed terror.

As Charlotte wondered what was going on, Tatenashi approached Laura with palms stretched and fingers grasping. Oh, right, Laura’s ticklish. Tickling. Being able to force others to smile was the secret to Tatenashi’s success... No, it was her favorite hobby.

“No! No, stop! You idiot! I-I’m really gonna fight back!”

“Fufufu. And how long will you be able to keep that up?”

“Stay back! I’m serious! I’ll cut you!” Laura has already unsheathed her tactical knife, but her right eye quivered with a mixture of unsettledness and fright.

“You’ll need more than a knife to keep me away!”

“Dammit... If I just had a gun, you’d be...”

“Making pupusas on the battlefield is a good way to get yourself killed.”

She was punning on ‘excuses’ for some reason. Probably. At least, that’s all Charlotte could even imagine to guess.

Well, this should be over soon. I should make some cocoa. Charlotte had recently learned that a nice hot mug of cocoa was the easiest way to calm Laura down. Make it nice and thick, and no matter how hard she complained Laura would furtively sip it down like a squirrel at a birdfeeder.

“It’s showtime!”

“Ah, wait... WAAAAAAAAH!”

It goes without saying that soon, the room was filled with Laura’s strained laughter.

◆

“Ugh, I can’t believe you! Why didn’t you help me?! How could you abandon a comrade like that? You must have gone mad! We do things differently in my squad. It doesn’t matter how bleak the situation looks. We never abandon our allies. That strategy is what lets us operate as a cohesive unit. That’s what makes us one. In the first place—” Laura sipped the cocoa Charlotte had made while complaining to her.

“Are you even listening to me?!” After a large gulp, she sounded off. But Charlotte was used to this sort of behavior, and simply nodded along while combing Laura’s hair.

“Laura, what do you think of the new shampoo?”

“Hmm? Well, I don’t dislike the smell.”

“I see. That’s good. I’d never bought you a lavender one before, so I was worried about what to do if you didn’t like it.”

“Well... I mean, I don’t love it either. I just don’t dislike it.” Laura was always especially talkative after a tickling from Tatenashi. And lately, when Charlotte combed her hair, she half-closed her eyes like a satisfied cat. It seemed like it felt so good she was almost falling asleep during it. “Ahh...”

Sure enough, Laura let out a small yawn, almost hypnotized by the rhythmic motion. The cat-eared pajamas she was wearing seemed to have become part of her bedtime ritual.

“Shall we go to sleep, Laura?”

“Mm... I suppose...” Laura responded languidly, with a nod, then took another small sip of cocoa. Her behavior made her seem even more a kitten, to the point where Charlotte was almost inclined to hug her.

“Remember to brush your teeth.”

“I know...”

Laura, already half in her dreams, finished her cocoa in a single chug, then left for the bathroom. Three minutes later, she returned and tumbled straight into bed, squirming her way under her blanket.

“I’m turning off the lights. Good night, Laura.”

“Mhm.”

In no time at all, her breath turned steady. Charlotte, hearing her roommate sleep, let out a sigh of relief. I guess going as three will be fun... Her thoughts turned back to the weekend shopping trip. Turning her eyes to the bracelet on her left wrist, which glimmered in the darkness, Charlotte began her own bedtime ritual.

Good night, Ichika... She kissed it lightly, before burying her own face in her blanket as if to hide her blush.