Infinite Stratos - Volume 2, page 10
"You said he ordered...your dad? Why did he order you to do such a—"
"Ichika...well, I'm an illegitimate child."
--I have nothing to say.
I'm a 15-year-old boy who only has a normal understanding of society, and I don't even understand about what's going on around the world, and don't even know the meaning of the term 'illegitimate child'.
"I was sent back 2 years ago, about the time when my mother died. My dad's subordinates came looking and put me through many check-ups. They immediately found that my IS aptitude was extremely high, so...while it was unofficial, I was made a test pilot."
It's likely that all of these were things that Charles didn't want to mention. Even so, she still said it out, so I listened to her silently.
"I only met my dad twice, and only talked to him those two times. I usually stayed somewhere else, and was only summoned to the main house once—it was horrible. I got beaten up by the real wife and labelled 'a thief's daughter'. It was miserable...had my mother told me more, I wouldn't have been so lost."
Hahaha. Though Charles laughed softly, her voice was still dry and without emotion, and I couldn't answer to her smile. Besides, Charles probably doesn't need such an influence, right? But for some reason, I started to rage, and had to clench my fist to endure that emotion.
"After a while, the Dunois Corporation was facing a crisis."
"Huh? But the Dunois Corporation has the third largest share of mass-produced IS in the world."
"That's correct, but the Revive is still a second generation machine after all. IS development needs a lot of money, and most of the enterprises were only able to develop after getting the support of their respective country. However, France was omitted from the European Union's 'Ignition Plan', and facing this crisis, they had to create 3rd generation frames. Though it was out of national defense concerns, for a country that doesn't have enough capital, what awaits it is doom if they don't get any benefits right from the beginning."
Speaking which, I remember what Cecilia said about 3rd generation IS development.
"Right now, the European Union's having a surge in selecting the 3rd generation Ignition Plan! Right now, the ones taking part are my country's [Blue Tears], Germany's [Schwarzer] and Italy's [Thunderstorm II]. Though England's leading right now in terms of practical usage, there's still some instability, so the country sent me into this IS Academy to obtain data."
I remember she said that. So this means that the reason why Laura transferred in was also because of that.
Back to the main point—thus, the Dunois Corporation would end up developing the 3rd generation frames, but they were already a lot slower than the other countries and was the last company selling the second generation frames. Thus, they had too little data and time, and couldn't create much. Thus, the government naturally gave far little capital to the Dunois Corporation. Then, the situation had become one such that 'if the company fails in the next selection, the government will completely cut off funding and even revoke the rights to develop IS'.
"I can get what's going on, but what does that have to do with you having to dress up as a guy?"
"It's simple. I'm supposed to gain publicity. And also—"
Charles looks away from me and says with an anxious voice,
"If I'm a guy, it'll be easier for me to approach the current irregular case that appeared in Japan. If possible, I'm to take his IS and biometric data back. Just like that."
"In other words—"
"That's right. He called me to steal [Byakushiki]'s data. That person."
As I listened to what she said, isn't that father just using Charles? She just so happened to have high IS aptitude, and if that's the case, make use of her—it felt like that.
And then, Charles herself should understand more of this better than I can...I see, no wonder she talked about her real father like an outsider. That's not a father, that's just a stranger—that's the way she segregated him out of her life.
"Hm, that's the case, but now that Ichika found out, I'll definitely be recalled back...as for Dunois' Corporation, mn...whether it collapses or merges with other enterprises, it shouldn't be the same as now, right? It doesn't matter to me anyway."
"..."
"Ah, I feel a lot better saying it out. Thank you for listening to me! Also, I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry."
Charles bowed to me deeply. Before I realized it, I found myself grabbing onto her shoulders and forcing her to look up.
"Is that fine with you?"
"Huh...?"
"Is that alright with you? Definitely not, right? So what about them parents, do they have the rights to take a kid's freedom away? That logic's too strange!"
"I-Ichika...?"
Charles shows a timid look of not understanding what's happening, but—ahh damn it, I can't stop talking. That's mostly because I can't even control my emotions now.
"It's logical that kids won't be born if there are no parents. But still, that doesn't mean that they can do anything with them. That's absolutely ridiculous! Everyone has the right to choose how they live, AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT EVEN PARENTS CAN INTERFERE WITH!"
As I kept talking, I seemed to notice—I see, I'm definitely not talking about Charles. I'm talking about myself, right? And then, thinking about Chifuyu-nee who's been working so hard, I had all the more reason not to endure further.
"Wha-What's wrong with you, Ichika? You seem strange..."
"Wha, ah...sorry, I just got agitated all of a sudden."
"It's alright...but what happened to you?"
"I—Chifuyu-nee and I were abandoned by our parents."
Perhaps she understands what it means to 'be abandoned by parents', Charles lowers her head in apology.
"About that...I'm sorry."
"Don't. I only have Chifuyu-nee, and right now, I don't want to see my parents at all. Right now, the most important thing, Charles, is, what are you going to do next?"
"How...I guess it's a matter of time? If the French government learns the truth, they will revoke my rights as a representative candidate without saying a word. If I'm lucky, I'll spend some time in prison..."
"Is it okay?"
"That doesn't matter. I have no right to choose. This can't be helped."
After saying that, Charles reveals a smile that's heart-wrenching. That's an expression that far surpasses the realization of despair. I can't forgive Charles for showing such an expression, and at the same time, I'm furious that I can't do anything to help her—I'm extremely frustrated that I can't even save a friend now.
"...If that's the case, just stay here."
"What?"
"Clause number 21 of the special directive: students who are studying in this Academy will not be affiliated to any country, organisation or syndicate. Without the student's agreement, external organisations are not allowed to manage them.'"
Oh yeah, that can be used! Thinking about this, my mind calmed down, and I then recited what I memorised from the textbook with such fluency.
"—In other words, you won't be affected for 3 years as long as you stay in this school, right? If there's so much time, we can find a way to solve it. Besides, there's no need to rush."
"Ichika."
"Hm? What is it?"
"It's amazing that you could remember it. There are 55 clauses."
"...I do work hard, you know."
"Really. Hehehe."
Charles finally laughed—and that's a 15-year-old girl's laugh, devoid of any dark clouds.
(Uu, it's making me nervous for some reason...)
Looking closely, Charles' body's really nice looking, and most importantly, she has a gentle presence. Maybe it's because of this that she looked really cute to me. Right now, this defenselessness of hers is making my heart race.
"An-Anyway, the decision's still Charles'. Do what you want."
"Mn, I will."
As I'm starting to feel awkward about this, I immediately end this conversation. But should I give her a little push? Thinking about this, I again turn to look at Charles, and our eyes crossed each others.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing..."
I don't know if Charles understands what I'm thinking as she glances at my face. This isn't just a defenseless expression. The cleavage that's showing from below the collar is causing my heart to beat crazily.
"An-Anyway. How should I say this...Charles, please back away."
"?"
"No, that...your breasts..."
After bringing it up, Charles' cheeks blush...it felt like something similar happened a second ago.
"I-Ichika, you've been fixated at my breasts...could it be that you want to see them?"
"Wh-What?"
"..."
"..."
Charles said something that's hiding her real thoughts, causing me to panic. For some reason, she blushed and remained silent, causing an awkward atmosphere between both of us.
*THOMP* *THOMP*
""!!""
"Ichika-san, are you there? It seems that you haven't eaten dinner yet. Are you feeling bad?"
The sudden knocking and calling at the door made us jump up in shock.
"Ichika-san, I'm coming in."
Damn it, damn it, damn it! We're doomed this time! Once she sees Charles like this, any dimwitted fellow can tell that she's a girl.
"Wha-What do we do?"
"An-Anyway, hurry up and hide."
"I, I got it. I'll go hide then—"
"HEYY! Why the cupboard? The bed, the bed! Cover yourself in the blanket!"
"Oh, oh yeah, I forgot."
Charles and I hurriedly moved—clak, the door opened.
"Oh, oh, hi Cecilia! What's up? Is something up?"
"....What are you doing?"
Right now, the scenario is that I'm using a blanket to cover Charles' body and pressing her down from above. Anyone would probably find it weird to see someone sprawled wide on a blanket. Cecilia's looking like she's trying to point it out anyway.
"No-Nothing, Charles seem to be sick, so I was just covering him with a blanket. Hahaha..."
"...Do Japanese have a way of curing sick people by sprawling on them?"
No, there isn't. There has never been such a thing in the world, right? Or rather, how could there be one!?
"An-Anyway, about that, Charles just said that he's not feeling well, so he wants to sleep. It doesn't seem like he wants to eat dinner either, so I just said something along the lines like I'll go alone or something like that."
"That, that's true."
A vague voice could be heard from inside the blanket. Hey, act more like a sick person, will you?
"A-Ahem."
Wahh, that feels deliberate. So I still can't fool her...?
"A-Ahh, is that so? I haven't eaten my dinner as well. Uh hm, there sure are rare coincidences in the world."
Seems like I just fooled Cecilia as she suddenly changes her attitude and changes the topic to going for dinner together. Now it seems like I need to find a way to get food back for Charles.
"Ahem, then, enjoy yourselves then."
"I, I got it."
"Dunois-san, please take care. Ichika-san, let's go then."
She links an arm with mine. As expected of an Englishwoman, doing something that a Japanese doesn't really do. To be honest, I'm really troubled that she's being so close to me, but right now, I don't want her to keep thinking about the weird stuff, so I might as well just let her crazy me out like this.
We left the room and arrived on the corridor. While walking down the staircase, we hear a shout.
"WHA-WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
Another person came running down fast from the other end of the corridor, and I can tell who's that without looking...it's Houki.
"Ahh, Houki-san, we're going to have dinner together now."
It seems like she's emphasising on the word 'together'. Is there a special meaning behind it? Maybe it's something that I don't know and the girls do, some myth or something.
"WHAT HAS THAT GOT TO DO WITH LINKING ARMS AND STICKING YOURSELF SO CLOSE TO HIM LIKE THAT!?"
"Oh? It's absolutely natural for a gentleman to escort a lady."
Is that so? I thought that I was the one being escorted...ahh, Houki's glaring at me now. Why is it my fault now?
"You too, Ichika! I was waiting at the cafeteria for you, what's going on!?"
"Even if you ask me, I had..."
I still had other things to do. Besides, you went there on your own. Isn't it too much to scold me then?
"Anyway, we're going to eat now. We'll take our leave now."
"Hol-Hold it! If that's the case, I'm coming along as well. I'm going for dinner as well."
Hm? Is that so?
"Ara ara, Houki-san, eating too much will speed up weight gain, you know?"
"Humph, don't worry about me. I will burn off those calories through my activity level."
Ohh, are you talking about the kendo club that you never show up for? The sempais will cry. There's a national-level freshman who doesn't come for practice at all. Houki, I'm really happy that you'll train me after class, but you should at least show up at the club? It's too bad if the potential you trained so much goes to waste.
"Besides, my household sent me this, so I'll be training Iai with this. There won't be any problems."
She said that as she shows us--WAH! IT'S A KATANA! It's sheathed, but I remember it. I remember it's a famous katana that was passed down for generations ever since the Edo period--in other words, it's a real katana.
"It's name is Akeyou, crafted by the master swordsmith Akaru Giyou in his last years."
After the master swordsmith Akaru Giyou chose a swordswoman as his lifelong partner, he abandoned all the swords he made before and moved up into Hida mountain. It seemed like he created 'a sword that exists for women'.
The idea of 'women beating men' was of using soft power to beat hard power. As a swordsmith, it seemed that he was always chasing that theme. Of course, all these started from when he first met his wife. That Akaru Giyou finally came up with two conclusions.
"When swinging swords, swords should never touch other weapons. Also, a fatal blow must be dealt while the sword's close."
"One must draw the sword faster than the enemy, and the first hit must kill the enemy immediately."
Houki has the latter--which is a katana that's made to be long and thin. The sheath was made to be longer than normal, but what's unbelievable is that the drawing speed is actually faster than a dagger. I remember that one reason was because of the smoothness of the sheath and the circular motion of the body. And the other was the footing.
But is this alright? There's a high school student carrying a katana with her in this law-enforced country called Japan...oh yeah, I forgot. This is IS Academy, it's 'a land that does not belong to any country', whether in legal terms or in international.
"The-Then, let's go."
Hm, Hm? Why did Houki run to me--HUH, WAH! WHY ARE YOU EVEN HOLDING MY ARM!?
"...Houki-san, may I know what you're doing?"
"It's natural for a man to escort a lady, right?"
Escort...you two, we're just heading to the cafeteria!
Let me add on, Cecilia's holding onto my left arm, and Houki's on my right. Hey, three people in a straight line will block the corridor! Look, everyone's looking!
"Ahh, so good..."
"This is the so-called being hugged on both sides, I guess."
"What childhood friend? That's too sneaky!"
"What personal machine? That's too sneaky!"
Hm? Huh...why is everyone staring and Houki and Cecilia with such envious eyes? And it seem like these two people are doing it deliberately to earn the envious eyes of many. Is being escorted by a boy really something that's worth being envious for?
"Excuse me."
"What?"
"What is it?"
"It's really hard to walk like this."
Kii! I got pinched on both hands! What, what are you two doing? Everyone watch them!
"Don't you have anything else to say in this situation..."
"People who don't realize how happy they are are dumber than dogs."
Happiness? Well, is being pinched on both sides really considered happiness in England? Sorry, I just don't have that habit.
"Ne-Never mind. Anyway, let's go for dinner."
After I prompted them, we continued to walk, but there's another awkward situation.
"Today's fish set meal is mackerel, it should be delicious."
Squeeze over here.
"I heard that the Western set today has half-cooked egg and bacon spagetti. Want go get some, Ichika-san?"
Squeeze over there.
"Oh, oh yeah, well, about that. I think both are good."
Though I thought this way, what my mind was really thinking was: ANYTHING WILL DO! Actually, I would prefer to change the current situation now. They're holding onto my arms, and 3 people walking together will be rather obstructive. Thus, while both of them continue to walk, for every step we take, my arms are--well, how should I say it? I feel the soft ample parts of the girls, and even though I told myself not to think about it, I would still remain aware of it.
"What's wrong, Ichika?"
"Is there anything wrong, Ichika-san?"
Both of them squeezed over. They glance up at my face, and they're sticking even closer to me. While our bodies are touching each other, my arms can clearly feel their breasts being squashed underneath their clothes.
"NO, NOTHING AT ALL! NOTHING! REALLY NOTHING! DEFINITELY NOTHING!" [2C 2]
I tried to use the five perfective regular verbs to grasp tightly onto my sanity I was rapidly losing. Though it seemed like I lost a part, I don't need to mind that stuff. Speaking of which, is it used like that?
After that, I don't even remember much about what I ate, let alone the taste.
◇
"I, I'm back..."
"Ah, Ichika, welcome back--what's wrong? You seem to swaying about."
"Oh, no, don't mind me, I'm alright. Actually, you should be pretty hungry now, right? I brought a grilled fish set meal here. You don't mind eating that, do ya?"
"Um, thanks, I'll have some then."
Charles smiled as she takes the tray, but she froze the moment she put it on the table.
"Ichika...well, I'm an illegitimate child."
--I have nothing to say.
I'm a 15-year-old boy who only has a normal understanding of society, and I don't even understand about what's going on around the world, and don't even know the meaning of the term 'illegitimate child'.
"I was sent back 2 years ago, about the time when my mother died. My dad's subordinates came looking and put me through many check-ups. They immediately found that my IS aptitude was extremely high, so...while it was unofficial, I was made a test pilot."
It's likely that all of these were things that Charles didn't want to mention. Even so, she still said it out, so I listened to her silently.
"I only met my dad twice, and only talked to him those two times. I usually stayed somewhere else, and was only summoned to the main house once—it was horrible. I got beaten up by the real wife and labelled 'a thief's daughter'. It was miserable...had my mother told me more, I wouldn't have been so lost."
Hahaha. Though Charles laughed softly, her voice was still dry and without emotion, and I couldn't answer to her smile. Besides, Charles probably doesn't need such an influence, right? But for some reason, I started to rage, and had to clench my fist to endure that emotion.
"After a while, the Dunois Corporation was facing a crisis."
"Huh? But the Dunois Corporation has the third largest share of mass-produced IS in the world."
"That's correct, but the Revive is still a second generation machine after all. IS development needs a lot of money, and most of the enterprises were only able to develop after getting the support of their respective country. However, France was omitted from the European Union's 'Ignition Plan', and facing this crisis, they had to create 3rd generation frames. Though it was out of national defense concerns, for a country that doesn't have enough capital, what awaits it is doom if they don't get any benefits right from the beginning."
Speaking which, I remember what Cecilia said about 3rd generation IS development.
"Right now, the European Union's having a surge in selecting the 3rd generation Ignition Plan! Right now, the ones taking part are my country's [Blue Tears], Germany's [Schwarzer] and Italy's [Thunderstorm II]. Though England's leading right now in terms of practical usage, there's still some instability, so the country sent me into this IS Academy to obtain data."
I remember she said that. So this means that the reason why Laura transferred in was also because of that.
Back to the main point—thus, the Dunois Corporation would end up developing the 3rd generation frames, but they were already a lot slower than the other countries and was the last company selling the second generation frames. Thus, they had too little data and time, and couldn't create much. Thus, the government naturally gave far little capital to the Dunois Corporation. Then, the situation had become one such that 'if the company fails in the next selection, the government will completely cut off funding and even revoke the rights to develop IS'.
"I can get what's going on, but what does that have to do with you having to dress up as a guy?"
"It's simple. I'm supposed to gain publicity. And also—"
Charles looks away from me and says with an anxious voice,
"If I'm a guy, it'll be easier for me to approach the current irregular case that appeared in Japan. If possible, I'm to take his IS and biometric data back. Just like that."
"In other words—"
"That's right. He called me to steal [Byakushiki]'s data. That person."
As I listened to what she said, isn't that father just using Charles? She just so happened to have high IS aptitude, and if that's the case, make use of her—it felt like that.
And then, Charles herself should understand more of this better than I can...I see, no wonder she talked about her real father like an outsider. That's not a father, that's just a stranger—that's the way she segregated him out of her life.
"Hm, that's the case, but now that Ichika found out, I'll definitely be recalled back...as for Dunois' Corporation, mn...whether it collapses or merges with other enterprises, it shouldn't be the same as now, right? It doesn't matter to me anyway."
"..."
"Ah, I feel a lot better saying it out. Thank you for listening to me! Also, I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry."
Charles bowed to me deeply. Before I realized it, I found myself grabbing onto her shoulders and forcing her to look up.
"Is that fine with you?"
"Huh...?"
"Is that alright with you? Definitely not, right? So what about them parents, do they have the rights to take a kid's freedom away? That logic's too strange!"
"I-Ichika...?"
Charles shows a timid look of not understanding what's happening, but—ahh damn it, I can't stop talking. That's mostly because I can't even control my emotions now.
"It's logical that kids won't be born if there are no parents. But still, that doesn't mean that they can do anything with them. That's absolutely ridiculous! Everyone has the right to choose how they live, AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT EVEN PARENTS CAN INTERFERE WITH!"
As I kept talking, I seemed to notice—I see, I'm definitely not talking about Charles. I'm talking about myself, right? And then, thinking about Chifuyu-nee who's been working so hard, I had all the more reason not to endure further.
"Wha-What's wrong with you, Ichika? You seem strange..."
"Wha, ah...sorry, I just got agitated all of a sudden."
"It's alright...but what happened to you?"
"I—Chifuyu-nee and I were abandoned by our parents."
Perhaps she understands what it means to 'be abandoned by parents', Charles lowers her head in apology.
"About that...I'm sorry."
"Don't. I only have Chifuyu-nee, and right now, I don't want to see my parents at all. Right now, the most important thing, Charles, is, what are you going to do next?"
"How...I guess it's a matter of time? If the French government learns the truth, they will revoke my rights as a representative candidate without saying a word. If I'm lucky, I'll spend some time in prison..."
"Is it okay?"
"That doesn't matter. I have no right to choose. This can't be helped."
After saying that, Charles reveals a smile that's heart-wrenching. That's an expression that far surpasses the realization of despair. I can't forgive Charles for showing such an expression, and at the same time, I'm furious that I can't do anything to help her—I'm extremely frustrated that I can't even save a friend now.
"...If that's the case, just stay here."
"What?"
"Clause number 21 of the special directive: students who are studying in this Academy will not be affiliated to any country, organisation or syndicate. Without the student's agreement, external organisations are not allowed to manage them.'"
Oh yeah, that can be used! Thinking about this, my mind calmed down, and I then recited what I memorised from the textbook with such fluency.
"—In other words, you won't be affected for 3 years as long as you stay in this school, right? If there's so much time, we can find a way to solve it. Besides, there's no need to rush."
"Ichika."
"Hm? What is it?"
"It's amazing that you could remember it. There are 55 clauses."
"...I do work hard, you know."
"Really. Hehehe."
Charles finally laughed—and that's a 15-year-old girl's laugh, devoid of any dark clouds.
(Uu, it's making me nervous for some reason...)
Looking closely, Charles' body's really nice looking, and most importantly, she has a gentle presence. Maybe it's because of this that she looked really cute to me. Right now, this defenselessness of hers is making my heart race.
"An-Anyway, the decision's still Charles'. Do what you want."
"Mn, I will."
As I'm starting to feel awkward about this, I immediately end this conversation. But should I give her a little push? Thinking about this, I again turn to look at Charles, and our eyes crossed each others.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing..."
I don't know if Charles understands what I'm thinking as she glances at my face. This isn't just a defenseless expression. The cleavage that's showing from below the collar is causing my heart to beat crazily.
"An-Anyway. How should I say this...Charles, please back away."
"?"
"No, that...your breasts..."
After bringing it up, Charles' cheeks blush...it felt like something similar happened a second ago.
"I-Ichika, you've been fixated at my breasts...could it be that you want to see them?"
"Wh-What?"
"..."
"..."
Charles said something that's hiding her real thoughts, causing me to panic. For some reason, she blushed and remained silent, causing an awkward atmosphere between both of us.
*THOMP* *THOMP*
""!!""
"Ichika-san, are you there? It seems that you haven't eaten dinner yet. Are you feeling bad?"
The sudden knocking and calling at the door made us jump up in shock.
"Ichika-san, I'm coming in."
Damn it, damn it, damn it! We're doomed this time! Once she sees Charles like this, any dimwitted fellow can tell that she's a girl.
"Wha-What do we do?"
"An-Anyway, hurry up and hide."
"I, I got it. I'll go hide then—"
"HEYY! Why the cupboard? The bed, the bed! Cover yourself in the blanket!"
"Oh, oh yeah, I forgot."
Charles and I hurriedly moved—clak, the door opened.
"Oh, oh, hi Cecilia! What's up? Is something up?"
"....What are you doing?"
Right now, the scenario is that I'm using a blanket to cover Charles' body and pressing her down from above. Anyone would probably find it weird to see someone sprawled wide on a blanket. Cecilia's looking like she's trying to point it out anyway.
"No-Nothing, Charles seem to be sick, so I was just covering him with a blanket. Hahaha..."
"...Do Japanese have a way of curing sick people by sprawling on them?"
No, there isn't. There has never been such a thing in the world, right? Or rather, how could there be one!?
"An-Anyway, about that, Charles just said that he's not feeling well, so he wants to sleep. It doesn't seem like he wants to eat dinner either, so I just said something along the lines like I'll go alone or something like that."
"That, that's true."
A vague voice could be heard from inside the blanket. Hey, act more like a sick person, will you?
"A-Ahem."
Wahh, that feels deliberate. So I still can't fool her...?
"A-Ahh, is that so? I haven't eaten my dinner as well. Uh hm, there sure are rare coincidences in the world."
Seems like I just fooled Cecilia as she suddenly changes her attitude and changes the topic to going for dinner together. Now it seems like I need to find a way to get food back for Charles.
"Ahem, then, enjoy yourselves then."
"I, I got it."
"Dunois-san, please take care. Ichika-san, let's go then."
She links an arm with mine. As expected of an Englishwoman, doing something that a Japanese doesn't really do. To be honest, I'm really troubled that she's being so close to me, but right now, I don't want her to keep thinking about the weird stuff, so I might as well just let her crazy me out like this.
We left the room and arrived on the corridor. While walking down the staircase, we hear a shout.
"WHA-WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
Another person came running down fast from the other end of the corridor, and I can tell who's that without looking...it's Houki.
"Ahh, Houki-san, we're going to have dinner together now."
It seems like she's emphasising on the word 'together'. Is there a special meaning behind it? Maybe it's something that I don't know and the girls do, some myth or something.
"WHAT HAS THAT GOT TO DO WITH LINKING ARMS AND STICKING YOURSELF SO CLOSE TO HIM LIKE THAT!?"
"Oh? It's absolutely natural for a gentleman to escort a lady."
Is that so? I thought that I was the one being escorted...ahh, Houki's glaring at me now. Why is it my fault now?
"You too, Ichika! I was waiting at the cafeteria for you, what's going on!?"
"Even if you ask me, I had..."
I still had other things to do. Besides, you went there on your own. Isn't it too much to scold me then?
"Anyway, we're going to eat now. We'll take our leave now."
"Hol-Hold it! If that's the case, I'm coming along as well. I'm going for dinner as well."
Hm? Is that so?
"Ara ara, Houki-san, eating too much will speed up weight gain, you know?"
"Humph, don't worry about me. I will burn off those calories through my activity level."
Ohh, are you talking about the kendo club that you never show up for? The sempais will cry. There's a national-level freshman who doesn't come for practice at all. Houki, I'm really happy that you'll train me after class, but you should at least show up at the club? It's too bad if the potential you trained so much goes to waste.
"Besides, my household sent me this, so I'll be training Iai with this. There won't be any problems."
She said that as she shows us--WAH! IT'S A KATANA! It's sheathed, but I remember it. I remember it's a famous katana that was passed down for generations ever since the Edo period--in other words, it's a real katana.
"It's name is Akeyou, crafted by the master swordsmith Akaru Giyou in his last years."
After the master swordsmith Akaru Giyou chose a swordswoman as his lifelong partner, he abandoned all the swords he made before and moved up into Hida mountain. It seemed like he created 'a sword that exists for women'.
The idea of 'women beating men' was of using soft power to beat hard power. As a swordsmith, it seemed that he was always chasing that theme. Of course, all these started from when he first met his wife. That Akaru Giyou finally came up with two conclusions.
"When swinging swords, swords should never touch other weapons. Also, a fatal blow must be dealt while the sword's close."
"One must draw the sword faster than the enemy, and the first hit must kill the enemy immediately."
Houki has the latter--which is a katana that's made to be long and thin. The sheath was made to be longer than normal, but what's unbelievable is that the drawing speed is actually faster than a dagger. I remember that one reason was because of the smoothness of the sheath and the circular motion of the body. And the other was the footing.
But is this alright? There's a high school student carrying a katana with her in this law-enforced country called Japan...oh yeah, I forgot. This is IS Academy, it's 'a land that does not belong to any country', whether in legal terms or in international.
"The-Then, let's go."
Hm, Hm? Why did Houki run to me--HUH, WAH! WHY ARE YOU EVEN HOLDING MY ARM!?
"...Houki-san, may I know what you're doing?"
"It's natural for a man to escort a lady, right?"
Escort...you two, we're just heading to the cafeteria!
Let me add on, Cecilia's holding onto my left arm, and Houki's on my right. Hey, three people in a straight line will block the corridor! Look, everyone's looking!
"Ahh, so good..."
"This is the so-called being hugged on both sides, I guess."
"What childhood friend? That's too sneaky!"
"What personal machine? That's too sneaky!"
Hm? Huh...why is everyone staring and Houki and Cecilia with such envious eyes? And it seem like these two people are doing it deliberately to earn the envious eyes of many. Is being escorted by a boy really something that's worth being envious for?
"Excuse me."
"What?"
"What is it?"
"It's really hard to walk like this."
Kii! I got pinched on both hands! What, what are you two doing? Everyone watch them!
"Don't you have anything else to say in this situation..."
"People who don't realize how happy they are are dumber than dogs."
Happiness? Well, is being pinched on both sides really considered happiness in England? Sorry, I just don't have that habit.
"Ne-Never mind. Anyway, let's go for dinner."
After I prompted them, we continued to walk, but there's another awkward situation.
"Today's fish set meal is mackerel, it should be delicious."
Squeeze over here.
"I heard that the Western set today has half-cooked egg and bacon spagetti. Want go get some, Ichika-san?"
Squeeze over there.
"Oh, oh yeah, well, about that. I think both are good."
Though I thought this way, what my mind was really thinking was: ANYTHING WILL DO! Actually, I would prefer to change the current situation now. They're holding onto my arms, and 3 people walking together will be rather obstructive. Thus, while both of them continue to walk, for every step we take, my arms are--well, how should I say it? I feel the soft ample parts of the girls, and even though I told myself not to think about it, I would still remain aware of it.
"What's wrong, Ichika?"
"Is there anything wrong, Ichika-san?"
Both of them squeezed over. They glance up at my face, and they're sticking even closer to me. While our bodies are touching each other, my arms can clearly feel their breasts being squashed underneath their clothes.
"NO, NOTHING AT ALL! NOTHING! REALLY NOTHING! DEFINITELY NOTHING!" [2C 2]
I tried to use the five perfective regular verbs to grasp tightly onto my sanity I was rapidly losing. Though it seemed like I lost a part, I don't need to mind that stuff. Speaking of which, is it used like that?
After that, I don't even remember much about what I ate, let alone the taste.
◇
"I, I'm back..."
"Ah, Ichika, welcome back--what's wrong? You seem to swaying about."
"Oh, no, don't mind me, I'm alright. Actually, you should be pretty hungry now, right? I brought a grilled fish set meal here. You don't mind eating that, do ya?"
"Um, thanks, I'll have some then."
Charles smiled as she takes the tray, but she froze the moment she put it on the table.
