Infinite Stratos - Volume 12 - Chapter 3

Chapter III: Crimson Smoke, Snow, Moon, Flowers 

“Umm...” 
Tatenashi, Kanzashi, and Maya stared, frowning, at the White Tail: Byakushiki’s third form, returned from Operation Swordbreaker on Christmas Day. 
“Huh, something wrong with it?” Ichika had been assigned to coffee duty, and as he returned nonchalantly tried to get a feel for the situation. 
“You see how different it looks? That’s nothing compared to how much the internals have changed.” 
“It’s basically a black box... I’m not even sure how we’re supposed to do basic maintenance on it.” 
“The weapons loadout’s been changed a lot, too. Yukihira Nigata is still there, but the particle cannon’s been removed, the shield is gone, and then there’s, well, that.” Maya raised an eyebrow at the extremely obvious energy wing now mounted on Byakushiki’s back, “From what we’ve been able to determine, it’s the same kind of field as Reiraku Byakuya. And it incorporates the O.V.E.R.S. too, so it’s likely to be far less of an energy load.” 
“I’m curious about the new one-off ability, too...” Kanzashi thought out loud. 
“That’s right! Exactly! The ability to reformat any IS? That’s dangerous! Too dangerous!” 
As if that wasn’t enough, its joints were equipped with variable-sweep armor as well. Describing the White Tail meant basically writing an encyclopedic list of high-end features which had been seen on other IS, all wrapped up in one sleek package rather than the clunky armor pieces which were standard. 
“So it really needs a more impressive name than White Tail.” 
In response, Ichika hopped in, the armor folding around him almost skin-tight. 
“Well, I did get this new status readout.” He gestured, opening up a projection window starting with the text ‘Byakushiki 3rd Form OURI.’ “That sure looks like its name to me.” 
He then continued with preflight checks. Byakushiki’s responsiveness was far beyond its original levels, and it seemed almost like an extension of his own body; movements didn’t just feel swifter than before, they felt more natural, more right. 
“Does it have any other new weapons, Ichika?” Tatenashi was, for once, legitimately curious about something. 
“I’m not really sure about new weapons, but there is this new ‘Code White’ subsystem listed— Wait, huh?” 
“What’s wrong?” 
Ichika looked at the projection in confusion as it refused to scroll down. 
“That’s weird, it’s not there now. Huh, was I just imagining it?” Sighing, he closed down Byakushiki, which dematerialized as always into a gauntlet on his right hand. 
“Either way. We’re definitely going to have to take a closer look at Byakushiki. Charl’s IS, too.” 
Rein Carnation. The world’s first dual-core IS. Who could know what capabilities that meant? And as much of an upgrade as it was from the Revive, that just meant a lot more fine-tuning for now. Two cores, though. Was its maximum output double the Revive’s? The Revive’s, squared? And would that be usable in combat, or just make it harder to control? 
“Charl’s practicing in the third arena, isn’t she?” Ichika asked. 
“Yeah. It should be fine, Laura and Ms. Orimura are helping her out.” Tatenashi paused in contemplation for a moment, then spoke. “I know! You should do a mock battle with her!” 
“Are you sure?!” 
“It’d be a great opportunity to learn just what your new IS can do.” 
“Yeah... It’s important to get some combat flight hours in.” 
“If we’re going with that, I’ll talk to Ms. Orimura about it. Ichika, you should head up to the arena.” 
It seemed all present other than Ichika were in agreement, and he wasn’t going to argue. As he left, though, he suddenly yelped as a hand wrapped around a buttcheek and squeezed. “Gwuh?!” 
“Hey there, hot stuff. How’s it hangin’?” It was, of course, Kagaribi Hikaruno, In her usual outfit of a school swimsuit-type IS suit, white lab coat, and pushed-up swim goggles. At least they’d taken away her fishing rod. 
“Wh-what are you doing here?!” 
“I had a few errands to take care of anyway, so I figured, why not get my hands on some beefcake?” 
“What do you mean, beefcake?!” 
“Ahahahah, don’t get so mad. Anyway, see you later!” Hikaruno disappeared as quickly as she’d arrived. 
“What’s with her...” 
Brushing the seat of his pants off, Ichika stepped into the third arena’s IS maintenance pit. 
 
“? J’aime l’oignon frit à l’huile, j’aime l’oignon, j’aime l’oignon. Un seul oignon frit à l’huile, un seul oignon nous change en Lion ?” 
Charlotte half-hummed the famous French marching song Chanson de l’Oignon to herself as she worked on her IS. 
“Um... Charl?” 
“Eeek!” It wasn’t a song she would have chosen if she had expected company. Especially not when that company was Ichika. “Were... Were you listening?” 
“Yeah, I came in around the part about onions.” 
“That was the whole thing!” 
Charlotte’s face turned redder and redder. Ichika tried to calm her down with a headpat as he turned his eyes to the Rein Carnation. “Well, that’s pretty different.” 
“So is Byakushiki now.” 
“Honestly, I think yours changed even more, Charl. I mean, the internals are Revive’s, but it looks more like Cosmos from the outside.” 
“I guess. I think I should be able to split it, but then I’d have to control them both, and I’m not sure I’d be able to keep up.” Her smile made it clear that she also wasn’t sure she wouldn’t be able to keep up. 
“Really?! Two IS, one pilot?” 
“Yeah. I’d probably have to have Cosmos mostly on autopilot, though.” 
“Wow, that’s really impressive.” 
Charlotte leapt up into the cockpit. “Let me show you!” 
“Sure.” 
A shimmer of light enveloped the Rein Carnation, and afterward, Charlotte stood in her old Revive, controlling the Cosmos like a puppet on strings. 
“I’m still working on it, but I think it’ll be a really effective tactic.” 
“Agreed. I mean, it’s doubling your firepower. Actually, though, y’know. I was thinking of doing a mock battle so we can see exactly what our new IS are capable of. Do you have time right now?” 
Charlotte’s eyes gleamed as she called back Cosmos. “Yeah! That sounds great!” 
She hopped down from her cockpit and took Ichika’s hand. Her enthusiasm for the idea was beginning to make him a little embarrassed. “Oh, uh. Is that a new IS suit?” 
“Yeah. It’s pretty much the same as the last one, just a different size.” 
“A different size?” 
“Yeah, the old one was getting a little too tight up here...” Ichika’s eyes followed to exactly where ‘here’ meant. “Jeez! Ichika, you pervert!” 
Charlotte folded her arms over her chest, only succeeding in accentuating its pulchritudinosity. 

“No, wait, I was just, uhh... Sorry.” To the girls’ relief, Ichika had at least learned to apologize when he did something like that. Though the loss of his previous naïve honesty presented its own problem. “Anyway! About that mock battle!” 
“Yeah!” 
And so, two newly-reborn IS were about to clash. 
 
“Your shotgun’s just as effective as ever!” Ichika regretted the loss of his shield as he extended his new energy wing into a barrier. The wing, much like the Revive’s old Garden Curtain package, was useful both offensively and defensively. 
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with that wing. Maybe like this?” Charlotte ducked back, casting aside her shotgun—which was out of ammo anyway—and readying her Vertu II hybrid rifle. 
“Gwuh?!” Ichika was already committed to closing in, and wasn’t expecting a direct attack. 
“Got you, Ichika!” Energy swirled around the bullets as they launched toward Ichika at close range. 
“Not so fast!” Tossing Yukihira Nigata into his left hand, he grabbed the rifle’s barrel and pointed it away. 
“Wha?! Are you crazy?!” 
Crazy or no, the maneuver was effective, and her shots flew harmlessly by as he extended his energy wing to wrap around her. 
“This is my new trick!” A flurry of feathers launched out at Charlotte, just like the Silverio Gospel’s energy shots. “You’re not the only one with a new power-up!” 
Rather than attempting to escape, she gathered her own multi-wing thrusters, forming an energy shield. 
“Let’s see who gives up first, Charl!” 
“It’s gonna be you, Ichika!” 
A close-range hail of fire rained down and the sound of slashes filled the air. The moment seemed to last an eternity before both IS, drained of energy, sank to the ground. 
 
“Ichika!” 
“Yeah?” 
As Ichika relaxed in the locker room, still in his IS suit, Charlotte entered with two drinks. She was still in her IS suit too—probably hadn’t showered. 
“You were amazing! That really caught me off guard.” His new initiative under fire had surprised— and intrigued—Charlotte. “You know, Ichika? We should do this more often. I think we can learn a lot from each other.” 
“Sure! Let’s try not to make Laura too jealous, though.” 
“Ahahah. Good luck with that. Anyway, though. Promise me?” Charlotte sat down next to Ichika as she handed him a drink. “Oh, and I wanted to thank you. I’m really grateful for everything you did for me in France.” 
“Mm? Nah, don’t worry about it. I think any guy would’ve done the same.” Ichika casually shrugged it off as he took a sip. The cool, refreshing flow in his throat felt great after a workout like that. “Mmm. I needed that.” 
As Charlotte looked over at him, she gulped nervously. “Um, hey, Ichika.” 
“Hm?” 
“Well, um... Do you really think I’m any good at being a girl?” 
“Huh? Yeah, of course you are.” 
“Well, yeah, but... Ugh, I don’t even know how to say it.” She leaned in toward him, raw emotion welling up her eyes. “I guess... I guess I mean, at being the kind of girl you like...” Her hand came to rest on top of Ichika’s. “I mean... I’m a girl. I have needs, too.” 
“I, I get it...” 
Those wide eyes swallowed up the entire world around Ichika, before closing as she brought her face up to his. He froze up, not sure how to react—until he was ‘saved’ by a combat knife flying between them. 
“Yikes!” 
“I made sure to miss. This time.” Laura stood, her hands on her hips, dark clouds of rage swirling around her as she slid another knife from its sheath. Whatever mercy had bought him that respite was completely gone. 
“Charlotte!” 
“Y-Yes?!” 
Laura turned toward her friend. 
“Explain yourself.” Her eyes were feral. There was no trace of humanity left. 
“I, I just, I mean, you know? One thing leads to another? Well, one thing led to another!” 
“Oh, don’t give me that!” Laura shot back. “The only ‘leading’ going on was you leading my bride straight back to your bedroom! Or do you have some other excuse too?” 
“Listen! He doesn’t just belong to you!” Charlotte found her footing and went on the attack as sparks flew between her and Laura. 
As Ichika tried to sneak off, his escape route was blocked by gunfire. 
“And where are you going?” 
“Resistance is futile!” 
Caught between Scylla and Charybdis, Ichika had only made it worse for himself by drawing the attention of them both. 
“Wait, don’t I get to have an opinion about this?!” 
 
“Grrr.” 
“Hmph.” 
Charlotte and Laura stared each other down across a table, the intensity of their stares more than making up for their lack of words. 
“So, everything good? I can leave now?” Ichika tentatively asked. A quick piercing glare from each was enough to shut him up. 
“You know, Laura, you’re just too selfish,” Charlotte said. 
“Me? You’re talking down to me? After your whole act where you dressed up in drag to sleep wi—sleep in Ichika’s room?” 
The silence was over. A war of words—with mutually-assured destruction—had begun. The battlefield was the IS Academy dining hall. Whispers spread like wildfire around the other tables. 
“Full mobilization in the battle for Orimura, huh.” 
“The cold war’s gone hot.” 
“I’m surprised that the two who always seemed to get along are the first to really get into it.” 
“Orimura the friendship destroyer.” 
Ichika couldn’t stand it anymore, and stood up. 
“Hey, wait, Ichika!” 
“Where do you think you’re going?!” 
He sighed before firing back, “Just chill for a second, okay?” 
Charlotte and Laura were both taken aback by his sudden forcefulness, but as he strode off toward the kitchen to talk with the lunch lady, they began to argue again. 
“See? You made him mad, Laura!” 
“What are you talking about? It’s because you wouldn’t listen to him!” The battle was joined again. As it raged on, Ichika returned with dessert. 
“Why don’t you two make up over this?” In his hands was a huge parfait, with two spoons stuck in it. “Orimura Ichika’s miracle jumbo parfait!” 
It was probably too much for just the two of them, honestly. Heaping portions of fresh fruit and a mountain of whipped cream. Chocolate sauce and strawberry jam. A total calorie bomb. Yet sweet enough for neither of them to care. 
“Have some. It’ll cheer you up,” he urged. Somehow, this was less than convincing. 
“Nah.” 
“I don’t want any.” 
Charlotte and Laura turned their noses up in indignation. 
As Ichika sighed, wondering how he was going to deal with this, Cecilia passed by. 
“Oh dear, Ichika. What seems to be the matter?” She was completely oblivious to what was going on. Which gave him an idea... 
“Cecilia, have this parfait.” 
“E-Eh? But I’m on a diet right now...” She shied away from the gigantic confection, but Ichika knew just how to cajole her. It just took a bit of sweet talk. 
“Huh, I don’t think you need to be on a diet,” he said. “Nothing wrong with some curves. Plus, I’ll feed it to you.” 
Scooping up some whipped cream in a spoon, he raised it to Cecilia’s mouth. A silvered tongue, an imposing presence, and special attention. The three ways to a maiden’s heart. 
“Very well, then!” As Cecilia’s lips wrapped around the spoon, Laura and Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. 
“Charl and Laura don’t seem to want any, so I guess it’s all yours. Say ‘ahh!’” 
“Ahh...” Cecilia was obviously enjoying this, and kept on eating. 
“Hey, hold on a—” As Charlotte started to object, Ling passed by too, and completely drowned her out. 
“Hold it right there! What are you two doing?! This is public indecency right here!” 
Ichika lifted a spoon to her as well. “Say ‘ahh.’” 
“Mmn... Glm.” 
“How is it?” 
“Ehh.” It was so sudden that Ling barely even tasted it. But she was beginning to appreciate this more assertive side of Ichika. “I want some of that apple.” 
“Sure, fine.” 
Ling pulled a slice of apple from the parfait and bit down. 
“I suppose I’ll try the kiwi, then,” Cecilia said. 
“Okay.” Ling and Cecilia, with Ichika’s help, were making short work of the fruit in the parfait. All Charlotte and Laura could do was look on, green with envy, as the corners of their lips became embarrassingly moist. 
“Ugh...” 
Still, though, neither was willing to show weakness in front of their rival. It was almost like Ichika was making a show of things to tease them for their stubbornness. 
“Here, Ling. Try some of the pineapple,” Ichika said. 
“Mm. I guess.” 
“Cecilia, the chocolate whipped cream is excellent.” 
“Of course! Thank you.” 
And then, the parfait was gone. 
“That was great.” 
“I simply must return the favor sometime.” 
Ling and Cecilia got in their last few moments of basking in the attention before leaving with self-satisfied grins. 
“I should head back to my room, too.” Ichika snuck a final glance at Charlotte and Laura. 
“Ichika, you...” 
“Me, what?” 
“You idiot!” 
Twin punches to the gut. And they fled while he was still writhing in pain. 
“Well... I guess I at least... Got them back on the same page...” 
With a thud, he crumpled to the ground. 
 
“Ugh...” Ichika drifted back to consciousness in his own bed. 
As he wondered who’d carried him back to his room, Djibril, wearing her street clothes, stepped in. “So you’re awake now. I thought you had more in you than that, Orimura Ichika.” 
They may have been street clothes, but they were still snappy and stylish in a way girls his age could never pull off. A pantsuit. Pierced ears. Her IS was in standby mode as a sword on her hip. She looked, in a word, awesome. 
“Djibril? What are you doing here?” 
“Well, you know...” 
As she was about to explain, Iris wandered in. “Umm...” 
“Go ahead, Alice.” 
“Okay.” Lifting a package, she held it out to Ichika, her trepidation palpable. “I-I made cookies. I mean, it’s something I should know how to do as a normal girl.” 
“Wow! Homemade cookies?” She had bandages on her fingers where she must have burnt herself on the oven. “For me?” 
“No, I just— Well, yeah, for you, but— I need you to taste them to make sure they’re not poisoned!” 
How, exactly, something she made herself would be poisoned was a question that rose in Ichika’s mind, even though he decided not to press the issue. He unwrapped the package to find a pile of Dutch-style bitterkoekjes. They weren’t all the same shape, and some were done more than others, but it was the thought that counted. 
“Thanks, Alice. Guess I should make some tea, then.” 
“Huh? Wha? You’re going to have them now?” 
“It’s a great opportunity for a tea party. Don’t you think so, Djibril?” 
“Of course.” 
While Ichika was brewing the tea, Iris and Djibril whispered to each other. 
“Do you really think this will work?” Iris asked. 
“Of course it will! Do you even know how many men I’ve charmed by baking for them?” 
That was a lie. Djibril had spent an afternoon or two reading shoujo manga and, when she wasn’t clapping a hand over her mouth or both of her eyes, taking detailed notes. And, of course, she’d never baked anything herself... One supposes it’s never too late to start learning, though. 
“Alice, Djibril, tea’s ready.” With three full teacups on the table, it was time to finally try the cookies. “Let’s see how these came out.” 
Ichika took a bite... And immediately spit it out. 
“Phbbbtt! Y-You mixed up the sugar with the salt! And wait, did you use mayo instead of cream too?!” Ichika’s face was a sickly green, and Iris looked up at Djibril with watering eyes. 
“Orimura Ichika! How dare you insult Alice’s cookies!” They were her idea, so of course she’d try to deflect blame. 
“Seriously! Try one if you don’t believe me!” 
“Hmph! There’s no way they’re as bad as— Blech!” Djibril grabbed her tea and took a deep gulp as she spit the cookie out. 
Meanwhile, Iris was on the verge of tears. “I... I guess I’ll just throw them out...” 
As she stretched out her hand, though, Ichika and Djibril stopped her. They devoured the remaining cookies in a flash— Not least, to get the taste out of their mouths as quickly as possible. 
“Of, of course we’d eat your c-cookies, right?” Ichika asked, glancing at Djibril. 
“It’s, it’s the highest honor... Highest honor a knight could receive.” 
Sweat dripped down their brows. 
“You fools...” Iris was glad they were so concerned about her feelings, but also embarrassed at just what her mistake had brought about. That mix of emotions was definitely a step on the path to being a normal girl. 
“Thanks, Alice. I appreciate you making them.” As Ichika patted her head, Iris shyly looked away. 
“A-anyway. Ichika, can you go over some IS homework with me?” 
“Oh, right. They’re bumping you up to a first year right away, aren’t they. Yeah, I’ll help out.” Ichika wasn’t a particularly gifted student, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t provide some useful insight. “What with?” 
Iris, smiling, opened her textbook. “Right here! It’s about the theory and practical application of shield energy saturation. I’m still having a little trouble with it.” 
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t get that at all at first.” As he looked around for Djibril just in case, though, he noticed that she’d disappeared. “Huh? Where’d Djibril go?” 
“Dunno. Probably back to her room.” 
Ichika would never expect that Iris and Djibril had planned this. 
You two are alone together now, Alice. Good luck! There was a spring in her step as she walked down the hall back to her room. But unluckily for her, she encountered Maya on the way. 
“Oh, my! If it isn’t Djibril!” 
“Maya...” 
Maya leaned in with a mocking smile toward the 20-year-old second-time high schooler. “How is everything? Enjoying school life?” 
“Ugh... When you said we’d settle the score two years ago, I didn’t realize this is what you had in mind.” 
“You’re such a naughty student.” Maya chuckled. She leaned in and whispered in Djibril’s ear. “Come to my room later. I’ve got a bottle of the good stuff.” 
“...Understood.” As Djibril’s face flushed red, Maya happily skipped off. “Ugh, she’s still got me wrapped around her finger...” 
Djibril thought back to their school years. Maya may have grown up into a punctilious woman, but she had definitely had more than a whiff of the bohemian about her in her school days. It went without saying that Chifuyu had been a major influence behind that change. 
“Phew...” Djibril let out a deep, deep sigh. 
 
“It’s already past ten. We should wrap things up for tonight, Alice.” As Ichika announced the end of her lesson, Iris fell silent, seeming strangely anxious. “Alice? You should probably head back to your room.” 
“Yeah... I guess...” 
“We’ve got a really, really terrifying RA here. If she catches you, she’ll put you through—” 
“Oh, really? Tell me more about this terrifying RA.” Ichika slowly turned his head toward the sudden new participant in the conversation— Chifuyu, her arms crossed, wearing a sweatsuit. “Orimura.” 
“Y-Yes!” 
“Just how many girls are you planning on luring back to your room this year, anyway? And a princess this time? Shameful.” 
A shiver went down his spine. He didn’t have the nerve to remind her that he had rarely had any say in the matter. 
“I-I’m not that kind of girl!” Iris glared at Chifuyu, some sort of determination obvious in her gaze. 
“Right. Whatever. De Luxembourg, you can sleep here tonight.” 
“Eh?!” 
“Really?!” 
It was hard to say whether Iris or Ichika was more surprised. 
“Don’t get me wrong. I said sleep. Not anything else.” With that said, Chifuyu departed, leaving the two to take in what was happening. 
“Um...” Ichika was the first to speak, as Iris’s nervousness had only increased. 
“Did you bring pajamas?” She shook her head from side to side. Thinking for a moment, he pulled out a freshly-cleaned shirt. “I guess you can wear this, then. You okay with that?” 
“Yeah...” 
Staying overnight in a boy’s room. Even sleeping in one of his shirts. It was just too much for her. 
“I’ve got a disposable toothbrush you can use. How about lotion and stuff? Do you want to go borrow some?” 
“No, one night will be fine. I’m still young.” 
Ichika wasn’t quite sure how to make sense out of that, but nodded along anyway. “Okay, then. I’ll wait in the hall while you change.” 
As a strange sense of déjà vu washed over him, Iris spoke up almost insistently, “No, it’s fine! You can stay right there!” 
“Huh?” 
“You helped me change before, right? So it’s fine!” 
Ichika stared at her, trying to remember, and as he did her face flushed red as she began to yell, “But turn around at least! Are you an idiot?!” 
“Oh, uh, sorry.” Turning to face the wall, he heard her clothes slide off. He hadn’t really thought through the implications before, but he was definitely thinking about them now. “Um...” 
“You can turn back around.” 
As he did, he caught just a glimpse of her white panties below his spare shirt. 
“You fool!” Nervously, she tugged the shirt’s hem down. Ichika couldn’t help but smile at how adorable the reaction was. 
“What?! What are you laughing about?!” 
“Honestly, you’re a lot cuter doing that than when you’re acting like a princess,” he said. 
“C-Cute?!” Iris stumbled over her words, not quite able to accept it but still happy to hear it. 
“Anyway, let’s get some sleep. You can use the bed by the window.” 
“Okay.” 
As they each got into bed, the lights turned out. But then, after lying silently for a while, Iris worked up her nerve and spoke up, “I... I want to sleep together...” 
“Whaa?” Ichika couldn’t imagine that ending well, but the idea of having a spoiled little sister like her was starting to take over his decision making. “Okay, but behave.” 
“Okay!” 
Through the darkness, Iris made her way to his bed. As she slipped under the covers, his broad shoulders, his body, head, and the sound of his breath all made her heart pound. 
“Oh my... Oh my, oh my...” 
“Mm?” 
“Um... Ichika... I feel so lonely with you facing away from me...” 
She really did sound so lonely that Ichika felt like he had no choice but to turn around and wrap his arms around her. “Like this?” 
“Ahh...!” Iris nodded nervously as she blushed bright red, and in response, Ichika patted her head. “You’re treating me like a little kid...” 
“What’s wrong with that?” 
“Hmph...” 
Iris must have been exhausted from studying, as it didn’t take her long to fall asleep. Sighing, Ichika patted her head again. 
“Good night, Alice.” 
Soon after, he fell asleep as well. 
 
Iris yawned blearily, and then her eyes snapped wide open. Under the blankets, Ichika’s arms were still around her. She pinched herself to see if it was just a dream, and the pain was real. What’s going on? Why is Ichika... What on earth happened?! 
She still hadn’t woken up enough to remember the night before. Why was Ichika sharing a bed with her? Where was she? Her pulse raced at the warmth of Ichika’s body next to her. She was close enough to feel him breathe. 
“Ahhh...” Unsure of what to do, she curled up, her face crimson. But moments of bliss like this never last long. 
“Good morning, Alice. I came to— What?!” Djibril stepped into the room, only to find two people in one bed. It was too much for someone with so little experience with men to take, and she snapped. “Orimura Ichika! You, you—!” 
Tearing the covers off, she delivered a forceful kick to Ichika. 
“Grrrrrah!” He rolled to the wall, making a noise like an accidentally-stepped-on cat. 
“Death, death to you! I’ll take your head myself!” Djibril unsheathed her sword, the standby mode of her IS. The Imperial Knight had once been a bracelet in standby mode, but upon attaining Second Shift a year before had changed form into a blade. And now that blade thrust toward Ichika. 
“W-W-W-Wait!” Iris cried out. 
“Alice! Why stop me?! After what this man has done to you...” 
“I-I forgive him!” Her face was red as she almost yelled. 
“...What?” Djibril and Ichika’s heads both slowly turned toward her. 
“We-We’re like that now! Even Orimura Chifuyu approved!” 
“...Huh?” Djibril was as stunned as Ichika was. Not to mention the girls from neighboring rooms who had turned out to see what the commotion was. 
“I, I’m going to marry Ichika!” The world faded to white around Djibril. Meanwhile, Ichika had no idea what was going on. But the other girls sure did. 
“Has Orimura’s time finally come?!” 
“Is this the end of the Orimura harem?!” 
“No! Long live the Orimura Kingdom!” 
“Long live our fatherland!” 
If he had thought he was confused before, this put him on a whole other level. And then, the other cadets overheard. Thus began Ichika’s descent into hell. 
 
The scene: the largest table in the dining hall at breakfast. Ichika was strapped to a guillotine as the cadets conducted a witch trial. (There were centuries of precedent for calling it a witch trial even if the accused was a man. Which didn’t make a huge amount of sense, really, but who are we to argue?) 
“My neck hurts...” Ichika exclaimed bluntly. 
“Is that all you have to say for yourself?!” Houki unsheathed her katana. One way or the other, his goose was cooked. 
“What is the meaning of this, Ichika?! Explain yourself!” Cecilia was beside herself with rage, charging her sniper rifle even as she spoke. 
“I thought we settled this already!” Ling gave Ichika a swift kick to the rear. With the leg parts of her IS opened, it hurt. A lot. 
“So, Ichika, would you rather the pile bunker or the shotgun? I’ll let you pick.” Charlotte was grinning from ear to ear even as she hefted a weapon in each hand. 
“I’ve heard a faithless bride is a groom’s failure, but I wasn’t expecting you to prove it.” Laura pressed the muzzle of her meter Mauser to his temple, her face contorted with stress. 
“Time to die, Ichika...” Kanzashi sawed at the guillotine’s rope, her expression terrifyingly blank. 
“I’m disappointed in you, Ichika. And is it just me or is it getting hot in here?” Tatenashi gritted her teeth as she spread Mysterious Lady’s nanomachines, veins bulging on her forehead. 

“Please, listen!” Ichika cried. 
“Mmhm?” The girls leaned in to listen. 
“Sure, Alice stayed in my room last night,” he said. 
“Yeah.” 
“Sure, she slept there.” 
“That’s the problem!” 
Ichika’s seeming inability to understand the situation had them at wit’s end. 
“Why was she even in your room, never mind sleeping there?!” 
“I have no idea!” he pleaded. 
“You should die for this, Ichika!” 
“That’s right!” 
“I’ll finish you off myself. Feel grateful. Ahahah.” 
“Orimura Ichika. It’s time to pay for your sins...” 
“Ichika... Tonight you’re going to sleep a lot less comfortably.” 
Just as they’d finished saying their pieces, the guillotine’s rope finally snapped. Its merciless blade swung down toward his neck. And suddenly, just as they realized what they’d done. 
“......?!” 
Suddenly, a hail of lasers rained down on the dining hall. As most girls ran for cover and the cadets readied their IS, a squad of crimson IS like they’d never seen before descended. 
“What the—” 
There were at least ten of them. That many IS was remarkable on its own. More so, that they were all the same mass-produced type. And even more so, that instead of pilots, strange mechanical mannequins sat in their cockpits. 
“What the heck is going on?!” Tumbling to safety, Ichika opened his own IS, getting ready to fight. 
The squadron of enemy IS soon spotted their target—Houki. 
[TARGET CONFIRMED. BEGINNING EXTRACTION.] Cold, mechanical voices echoed in unison. All dozen or so of the drones grabbed Houki at once, and immediately attempted to withdraw. 
“What are you doing?! Let me go!” Houki struggled, but their grip on her was too strong. Ropes of an energy she’d never seen before wrapped around her even as she tried to open her own IS. 
“ICHIKAAAA!” Houki reached out to him, straining for his hand, but found only air. 
Ichika took flight as fast as he could to follow her. 
“You’re not getting away!” He chased after the drones, with the other cadets not far behind. “Charl! Suppressive fire! Laura! Blast them! Cecilia! Start sniping!” 
“Got it!” 
Taking advantage of the disarray caused by their combined attack, Ichika and Ling charged forward. 
“Wait, no! You can’t! Get back!” Kanzashi yelled out as she completed her analysis. No sooner did the words leave her lips than the drones self-destructed. 
“......?!” Tatenashi’s nanomachines were barely enough to protect the cadets from the blast, but they weren’t enough to stop the drones from carrying Houki away. 
“HOUKI!” 
Ichika’s cries fell on deaf ears. 
 
“We’re tracking the mass-produced IS that took Shinonono.” In the underground complex beneath IS Academy, Chifuyu and the other instructors were briefing the cadets. “Oh, and there’s a gag order about this incident. Be careful not to leak any information.” 
While Chifuyu was the picture of calm, Ichika was anything but, “Who cares about that?! Is Houki okay?!” 
“Calm down, you idiot. We can track her vital signs, remember? Plus, they took her alive. It’s obvious that they obviously want her for something.” 
“How can you be so sure about that?!” 
“Just calm down! We should leave them alone until they make it to where they’re going.” 
“Eh...?” Whispers began to spread. “Have you gone crazy?!” 
Laura was the first to speak up, “If we know where they went, we know where they’ve taken Houki.” 
“And we have some more important info about that.” Chifuyu nodded to Maya, who led another woman into the room. 
“Haha... Hey there.” Kagaribi Hikaruno. Her usual goofy attitude was gone, replaced with a bundle of bandages which left it less than clear whether she still had all her limbs. 
“Those mass-produced IS are from Dr. Kagaribi’s lab, Kuramochi Engineering.” 
“Wha—” 
Kuramochi Engineering. The original developers of not just the Byakushiki and Akatsubaki, but also the O.V.E.R.S. packs used during the Excalibur incident. The revelation that those had all just been steps in the development of the mass-produced Akebachi (‘Vermilion Hornet’) model shocked not just the cadets, but their teachers. 
“A mass-produced version of the Akatsubaki?” 
“O.V.E.R.S. packs need a source of energy to amplify. How are they even working without that?” 
“Never mind that, how are they being controlled?” 
A one-word answer was enough for the teachers. “...Tabane.” 
They shuddered. However much of a technical stretch that seemed, it wasn’t beyond what could be expected from the inventor of the IS and only builder of IS cores. So she’d captured Kuramochi Engineering’s prototypes, turned them into unmanned drones, was feeding them energy from somewhere, and had kidnapped Houki. That meant... 
“She needs the original Akatsubaki and its pilot for some reason?” Tatenashi connected the dots, and Chifuyu nodded. 
It was then when Ichika’s anger finally broke through to the surface. 
“I’m going to go save Houki!” he shouted. 
“But you don’t even know where she is.” 
“Yes I do!” Ichika opened an info display on Akatsubaki. “Here. Over the Pacific.” 
The crowd gasped at Byakushiki’s ability to pick up signals from Akatsubaki even when it was in stealth mode. 
“That has to be a trap. What even makes you think they’re keeping her with her IS?” 
“I... I just know. Houki’s there. She’s waiting for me.” 
“Doesn’t look like there’s any stopping you...” Chifuyu sighed in resignation. 
“So I’m going to go save her. Even if I have to do it alone.” Ichika’s eyes gleamed with determination. And, for just a moment, glowed gold unnoticed. 
“Understood... It’s decided, then. We’re rescuing Shinonono! Cadets, go over your preflights! Instructors, get ready to back them up! We deploy in forty minutes!” 
The cry of ‘yes, ma’am!’ in unison echoed through the briefing room. And thus the operation to rescue Shinonono—the string of battles known later as the Akatsubaki Incident—began. 
 
“How many are there?” As the cadets rushed through their checklists, Chifuyu ran down the intel with Maya. 
“They’d completed six before Tabane took over, but it’s a safe bet that she’s produced more.” 
“So no reliable data on enemy strength...” Chifuyu grimaced at how hard an opponent Tabane was to read. 
“Are you sure this is something IS Academy can handle on its own? We worked with the British government before, maybe we should ask the Japanese if—” 
“They’re not going to lift a finger. Remember?” Chifuyu barely even had to remind her of what had happened with Shirokishi. “If whatever the problem is isn’t actively stomping Tokyo Tower, they’re too chickenshit to get involved. We’ve got to do this our way.” 
“But do we really have to make the students fight?!” 
“Is that a problem? No... that’s too harsh. Are you worried about them?” 
“Yes...” 
Chifuyu paused, then let out a deep breath. Then she smiled tenderly and said, “Never change, Ms. Yamada.” 
“That’s not what I meant!” 
“I know, I know. But here’s how I look at it. These kids are gonna change the world someday. And this may as well be the day.” 
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must decide. And Chifuyu understood that the time had come for her students. It had for her, once. Now it was their turn. Would they choose the world, or— 
“Engines are dialed in!” 
“Weapons check, OK!” 
“Ready to go anytime!” 
“Assault package installation complete.” 
“Let’s go over these tactics quickly...” 
“Let’s get this done!” 
As the other cadets wrapped their prep up, Ichika sat alone meditating. His hands folded, his legs crossed, his mind emptied. Making sure that his heart was in the right place. 
“I’m coming, Houki...” he muttered. 
With that, the signal to launch appeared. 
“All units, scramble!” 
From the arena runways set up for use as catapults in emergencies, first Ichika, then Cecilia and Ling, Charlotte and Laura, Tatenashi and Kanzashi flew forth. Each with their own worries, their own hopes, as they soared toward the decisive battle. 
 
Where... 
The breeze on her cheeks and the waves lapping at her body brought Houki back to consciousness. A horizon which seemed to stretch off forever. Blinding white sand. And not a single living soul. 
Where am I? 
Alone, she walked on a patch of sand too small to be a proper desert island. Then, she stopped. “Who’s there?!” she called out. 
Feeling eyes on her, she turned around—and paused in shock. 
“Who are you?!” 

Another her. The darkness in her heart. The strength she always imagined having. Standing right there before her, staring at her with red eyes. 
“I...” The other Houki’s smile twisted into a smirk of contempt. “I will replace you.” 
Houki shuddered at the menace in the other her’s eyes. 
“You have no strength. So I’ll replace you.” Languidly, the other Houki held out her hand. Houki spun around to flee, only to see herself mirrored once again. 
“You can’t escape,” the doppelganger’s voice seemingly echoed through the air. 
She couldn’t. 
“You can’t escape from yourself.” The girl before her eyes was just like her. Was her. “Let yourself slip away. Beneath the waves of consciousness...” 
Slowly, the other Houki reached out and stroked her cheek, wiping her tears away. 
That’s right. I’m... Ahh, it felt so good. Such bliss. 
“Giving in feels wonderful, doesn’t it?” Houki felt her body begin to sink slowly into the sand. The voice of her twin sounded so soothing. “Sleep, now...” 
“I...” 
It drifted further and further away until she could hear it no longer. Except for the last few words. 
“I’ll take care of it all for you.” The red-eyed Houki smiled, as a crimson IS wrapped around her. “Leave it to Akatsuki.” 
 
“I’m picking up something manmade floating out there! It must be—” 
The sea stretched out to the horizon, its surface broken only by the manmade island, Giga Front. It was only 200 or so square meters, but its surface absolutely bristled with shipping containers. 
“It looks like a beehive,” Laura said. 
She was right. The unbroken field of hexagonal containers looked like a honeycomb. Then suddenly, a warning blared into view. 
“Picking up drones! Four, five... No, way more!” 
Giga Front shuddered as it began to rise into the air. As it broke away from the surface, it became obvious that it truly was nothing but a honeycomb of containers. 
“Go forth, my Akebachi...” The cadets prepared for combat at the sudden echo of a voice. 
“Look, Ichika!” Looking down on them, the sun at her back, was a girl in what looked like a more sinister version of the Akatsubaki. Her face was young, her form lithe and delicate. A black visor covered her eyes—no, it didn’t just shut her out from the world, it shut the world out from her. 
“What’s that IS? Where’s Houki?!” Ichika turned to her, ready to leap to the attack, but Cecilia and Charlotte caught him by the shoulders. 
“Wait! IR sensors are picking up something in the containers! Here they come, Ichika!” 
“Dammit!” he griped. “We were almost there!” 
“We still have a chance! Don’t give up yet!” The cadets fanned out into a loose circle around Kanzashi, readying their weapons as Tatenashi moved to cover them. 
“Enemy lock detected! It’s too dangerous to go in on your own. Wait for Kanzashi’s orders!” 
As Ichika slumped back, Tatenashi spread out a mist of nanomachines in the path of the incoming Akebachi. Ten of the drones came flying through the wall of fire. 
“Set up curtain fire, and make them close in! Don’t engage until they’re in melee— Ichika?!” 
“We can’t just sit around! Houki’s waiting for me!” Ichika rushed out ahead, shocking the other cadets with a single shot that took down three Akebachis. “Out of my way!” 
Ichika could feel the adrenaline running through his veins, telling him that he could do this. 
“Wait, Ichika! No!” Charlotte and the others were realizing that their engines couldn’t keep up. Their IS’ reactor output had dropped suddenly as soon as they entered this sector. They couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just a mechanical breakdown, something here was causing it. 
“I’m coming for you, Houki!” Breaking free of Charlotte, Ichika charged at the girl in red. Charlotte chased, trying to stop him, only to be intercepted by an Akebachi. 
“Wait, Ichika! Ichikaaaa!” It was like something was drawing him in, and he, and his target, disappeared into the glare of the sun. The cadets, left behind, plunged into a pitched battle. 
“Ugh! Why aren’t my engines working? Kanzashi, can you pick anything up?!” Laura grimaced as she yelled in confusion. 
“I’m running analysis now! ‘Code Red’?! A backdoor output-limiting mode...?!” 
It didn’t matter where it was coming from. Nothing could be done about it now. All they could do was fight as well as they could with the strength they could bring to bear. 
“Time to kick some ass! Let’s go, Shenlong!” 
“We can do this, Blue Tears!” 
“We’ll open a gap in their line! Charlotte! Laura! Follow Ichika!” 
“Got it!” 
The next three minutes felt like they lasted an eternity. 
 
“I can do this! Byakushiki and I can take anyone on!” 
Ichika shot down Akebachi after Akebachi, unquestioning of his newfound confidence. A squad spread out around him, their arms opening to reveal Tsukumobari, ‘99 Needles,’ beam machine guns. 
“Too slow!” 
Spreading his energy wings as wide as he could, Ichika soared upward through the circle of enemies, scattering untold numbers of energy bursts. A rolling thunder of explosions echoed below him as the energy lines collapsed. Diving back down and breaking through, he pressed on, finally catching up with the girl in red. 
She was silent. Wordless. Forbidding. 
“Where’s Houki?!” Ichika’s voice was filled with rage, but the girl answered calmly. 
“You already know.” 
“What?” 
“So why ask me?” 
“Well...” Ichika was stumped. His confusion was only broken as Charlotte and Laura called out to him. 
“Ichika!” Their armor was peppered with bullet holes, suits scorched and torn, and their skin scratched and bruised. Charlotte, especially, had taken a heavy beating as she covered Laura’s assault. 
“Are you two okay?!” The shock on Ichika’s face was met with anger on Laura’s. 
“Damn it! You think you can win this fight yourself?! Quit fucking around!” That was the best way Laura could think of to show how concerned she was, but Ichika didn’t get the message. 
“Listen, I’m going to save Houki! Then this whole mess will be over!” 
“Dammit...!” 
Laura wasn’t the only one set off by Ichika’s self-centered response. Charlotte wound up and slapped him straight across the face. 
“Get a hold of yourself! You’re not the only one who wants to save Houki!” 
That was enough to make Ichika come back to his senses. 
“...Sorry.” Shocked by the slap, Ichika sheepishly apologized. 
“It’s okay. As long as you understand now. Right, Laura?” 
“Yeah.” 
And then, there was the silent, unimpressed fourth participant in the conversation. 
“You never do learn...” Sliding Akatsubaki’s twin blades from their sheathes, she rushed toward Ichika swifter than even Houki could. So fast, so fierce; her movements were uncannily precise. 
“Keep going! I’ll hold her off to buy time!” Ichika called out. 
“What?! That’s too dangerous, Ichika!” 
He locked blades with the girl, only for her to swiftly slide hers around, making him stumble to the side. Charlotte and Laura didn’t realize, but Ichika did, that it was the Shinonono-style tsubazeri-gaeshi technique. 
“H-How do you know how to do that?!” he blurted out. 
“.........” 
Having dealt with Ichika for now, the girl turned her attention to Laura and Charlotte. 
“You may be good, but you’re not good enough to take two of us at once!” Laura spread her AIC stasis field, only for the girl to carve through it with her Kawaware at max power. “Ugh!” 
Laura flinched back as the blade closed in, but Charlotte was there to cover her. 
“Not so fast!” Two shields layered made for an impressive physical barrier, strong enough to stop even a blow from Akatsubaki. But only once. 
The blow which was meant for Laura cleaved Charlotte’s shields in two. Behind them, Charlotte and Laura leveled their guns. 
“Eat this!” Laura fired a burst strong enough to pierce even an IS’ shields. The close-ranged blast was enough to send the girl sprawling. 
“I’m not letting you get away!” Charlotte’s bullets fell like rain. But just as they were about to finish her off, another wing of ten Akebachi appeared. 
“Why don’t you busy yourself with these?” Charlotte and Laura were driven back by the coordinated assault as the girl turned back to Ichika. 
“There’s too many! We can’t—” 
“Not yet! This isn’t over yet!” 
They fought on bravely but outnumbered, with more and more shots catching them as they maneuvered. But then, just as their shield energy ran out, an unexpected voice came over their comms, “GET DOWN!” 
Before they even had time to wonder how going prone would help in an aerial battle, a wave of explosions enveloped the Akebachi. 
“Graviton Cluster?!” They turned to see Iris in Seventh Princess and Djibril in Imperial Knight. 
“Princess?! What are you doing here?!” 
“After that match earlier, I’d feel guilty if I simply took advantage of someone else taking her out of my way.” 
While Iris was perfectly calm, fresh, and self-composed, Djibril—who’d given everything they had to get Seventh Princess in position—panted for breath, “Anyway, though. I’m glad we made it in time.” 
“I can’t begin to say how grateful I am.” 
The Imperial Knight had been stealthily equipped with a supersonic shuttle package to ferry the heavy Seventh Princess into combat; though only Djibril knew that Maya had been a willing co-conspirator. Sometimes it paid to have connections. 
“Leave these insects to me!” As Iris began to charge a second Graviton Cluster shot, more Akebachi poured forth from their hive. Djibril, Charlotte, and Laura moved to her defense. 
“Go, Ichika!” He hesitated, worried about overextending again, but Laura’s voice spurred him on. 
“Cover me! I’m going to get Houki back!” His eyes gleaming with determination, he chased after the girl. 
“Welp,” Charlotte sighed as she watched him go. “Looks like we drew the short straw.” 
“You know it.” 
“It always seems to turn out that way.” 
“Yeah. But that’s a soldier’s duty. To fight when they’re ordered to.” 
Their comrades were fighting somewhere out there. But all they could do was believe in them. If Ichika was going to go on ahead, the best they could do for him was to make sure not one pursuer made it through. 
“So let’s do this!” At Charlotte’s cry, the battle was rejoined. 
 
“Ah, you’re here.” Off in the distance, the girl in red greeted Ichika. 
“What are you really after?” he asked, not with the rage of before but with a controlled enmity. 
“...My dream.” 
“Your... dream?” 
“No. Our dream. IS are machines built to fulfill their pilots’ dreams.” 
Memories drifted, unbidden, to the surface of Ichika’s mind. The pale girl in his own dream. The more he recalled, the more she and the girl in red looked alike. 
And—fulfilling dreams. Who was this girl, that she would believe so firmly? 
“You already know the answer, don’t you? Somewhere deep down inside.” She smiled faintly. “I am a dream. The power she dreamed of. The future she never stopped dreaming of.” 
“That can’t be the answer Houki chose!” 
The girl slipped the visor from her face. Behind it were eyes just like Houki’s when she was young. No, not ‘just like.’ She was the younger Houki. 
“I am the first IS, Akatsuki. The power she first touched. The power to surpass all within this world. And—” 
As if to finish her sentence, her twin blades slashed downward. Metal clashed on metal, sparks flew as Yukihira Nigata rose to parry. 
“The alternative. the replacement that can finally make you hers!” 
Out of the corner of his eye, Ichika saw Akatsubaki’s IFF identifier change to Akatsuki. Not as a transformation. But as an awakening. The IS Akatsuki, finally reunited with its master, awoke from its long slumber. 
“I exist to make you hers, to eliminate all who would interfere!” 
Ichika had known, or at least could recite the fact, that IS had some sort of AI installed. But something able to take on a life of its own like this was more than just a machine. So just what was an IS, anyway? He didn’t have time to wonder now. Slash after slash rained down on him from Akatsuki as he was pressed back. 
“Ugh...!” A swift parry left Ichika disarmed, Yukihira Nigata spinning from his hand. And then, Akatsuki struck again. 
“Become hers, Orimura Ichika.” 
She was smiling. There was a smile on the girl’s face. A dispassionate smile. Neither cold nor warm as she gazed down at him. 
“So...” Something inside him welled up in anger. “So what if that’s true?!” 
Ichika raised his hand to block the incoming blow. He could hear his armor split. Feel his flesh rip apart. The point of her katana had stopped just in front of his eyes. No. His hand had stopped it. 
“Aaaargh!” Sheer millimeters of respite, bought with his own left hand. Before he lost even that, he wrapped his right arm around the girl. 
“Let me go!” Caught in his grasp, she began to panic, firing off bursts from the Ugachi cannon mounted on her shoulders. 
“Let’s see who can hold out longer!” 
“Wh—?!” 
With his arm still around her, he soared higher and higher into the skies, his wings of light tearing at her as the Ugachi shots slammed into him. 
“Stop! Stop! STOP! ...Stop it!” 
“No, Houki!” 
At the point where the heavens’ blue faded into black, the two IS exploded. 
 
Ugh... 
Groggily, Houki opened her eyes. The blinding white sand of her memories, her soul... Blue sea and sky, white land. She wandered the shore aimlessly. 
“I...” 
Then she remembered. Remembered what she’d done. 
I... It’s all because I wanted to be strong... Akatsuki. The IS she’d been given. The ‘ruler’ of all IS. With the power to dominate any other. With it, she had challenged Chifuyu’s IS, Kurezakura. In the end, Chifuyu was left too beaten to even move, Kurezakura fatally damaged. And when Houki had realized what she had done, her memories had been sealed away. By Tabane. 
“What have I done...” 
Chifuyu disappeared from the history of IS. And it was her fault. She tried to run away from the responsibility. Tried to twist it. Tried to deny it. Her own weakness made her want to throw up. There was no way to pay for what she’d done. No way to redeem herself. 
“I... I don’t...” 
She didn’t deserve to be saved. Not by Ichika. Not by her friends. Not even by Akatsuki. 
“I can’t...” 
She wanted to disappear. To vanish. For the world to never have to see her puny, scheming self again. For herself to never have to see her puny, scheming self again. 
“Don’t run away.” She heard a voice. Ichika’s voice. “Don’t run away, Houki.” 
Ichika, beaten and battered, his IS Byakushiki pounded into scrap, settled to the ground, Akatsuki still in his arms. 
“I’m here for you, Houki.” He forced a smile to his face even as blood gushed from his wounded hand. Not just his hand. His entire body was a mess of cuts and wounds. Yet still, he smiled. “There you go.” 
Laying the unconscious Akatsuki on the sand, he closed Byakushiki. 
“I-Ichika...” Houki’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of him. “Why... Why would you go so far for me?” 
She turned away, unable to watch him like that any longer. 
“Isn’t it obvious?” He stepped forward. “Because you’re you, Houki. Not because you’re someone strong, or someone important. Because you’re you.” 
Again, he stepped forward, and slowly held out his hand. As she felt it brush her cheek, she finally turned back to him. 
“Ichi... ka...” 
“What’re you crying for?” 
“Shut up...” 

Houki could feel the tears well up. But if he could smile for her. If he could say it was because it was her. She... She could smile back. Even with tears in her eyes. 
“Welcome back, Houki.” 
“Ahh... I’m back, Ichika...” 
Beside them, Akatsuki, its mission complete, began to fade away. 
[Her dream is fulfilled...] Unknown to anyone, a smile came to Akatsuki’s face. Whether by its programming or its own will, none could know. [Yet still, I... I’m happy. I can finally say I’m happy.] 
Having found itself, it faded into light. 
And thus ended the Akatsubaki Incident.