Infinite Stratos, Volume 2, page 10
“Wh-What are you two doing?!”
Rapid footsteps sounded from the end of the hall. I didn’t even have to look to know... that it was Houki.
“Oh, Houki! We were simply on our way to dinner,” said Cecilia.
There was a bit of extra emphasis on that “we.” Maybe she placed some extra meaning on it; one of those things I didn’t get that only girls seemed to do.
“And why are you holding hands, huh?!”
“Is it not only natural for a lord to escort his lady?”
So it was like that, huh. I kept ending up as someone’s escort. And, now... Houki was glaring at me. Why was it my fault?
“And Ichika! What about you?! You knew I was going to wait for you in the cafeteria!”
“I wasn’t even...”
I mean, I had other, more important, things to take care of. Anyway, wasn’t it kind of rude to just tell people you’d be waiting and expect them to show up?
“In any case, we’re on our way to supper, so if you don’t mind...”
“W-Wait! I’ll come along, too. I was just on my way to dinner!”
Huh? Really?
“Oh my, Houki. Are you sure a fourth meal a day won’t make you put on even more weight?”
“No need to worry about that. I’ll just burn the calories off at practice.”
—You mean at the Kendo club you never show up at? The rest of the team is crying.
They got a new member who’d made nationals, and then she didn’t even show up. Houki, I appreciate that we get to practice together after school, but you should go to club from time to time, too. Wouldn’t want you to lose your edge.
“Oh, I had my parents send me this. I was going to practice with it later, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
She held up a—wow. A katana. It was sheathed, but it was still immediately obvious what it was. A famous blade passed down since the Edo era—in other words, live steel.
“Its name is Akeyoi. One of the final creations of the famous smith Akarugi You.”
Akarugi You. After marrying a swordswoman, he abandoned his previous work and they settled deep in the Hida Mountains. There, he crafted “swords for women.”
“Women beating men.”
This theme of grace over power influenced his craft until the end of his days. Of course, he’d probably never have started on it if he hadn’t met his wife. Akarugi You finally arrived at two principles of fencing:
“Let cuts flow off your blade like water, until you draw close—then strike in a flash,” and “Draw swiftly your blade, and with it strike swifter still.”
Houki’s blade hewed to the latter—a blade longer and more slender than a standard katana, with a longer sheath to match. Yet somehow, it was quicker to unsheath than a shorter blade. I’d heard the reason was the smoother sheath and the circular path of the stroke, combined with footwork. Still, though, was the government okay with this? A high school student walking around armed with a—oh, wait. This was IS Academy, proclaimed by both law and treaty as belonging to no nation.
“Then, let’s go.”
What? Huh? Why was Houki standing next to me? Wait! Why was she grabbing my arm?!
“Houki... whatever are you doing?”
“It’s only natural for a man to escort a lady, right?”
—Escort? Jeez... You two are only going to the cafeteria.
Yet now I had Cecilia hanging from my left arm, and Houki from my right.
—C’mon, if we walk like this no one’s going to be able to get by us coming up the stairs.
Everyone was staring at us, too.
“God, I wish that were me...”
“That’s double-dipping.”
“No fair getting a head start!”
“No fair having your own IS!”
Hm? Why was everyone giving Houki and Cecilia jealous looks. And why did they look so smug and self-satisfied? Was being escorted by a man that great?
“Um...”
“What?”
“What is it?”
“It’s hard to walk like this...”
My arms were wrenched in stereo. What was wrong with these two?!
“Don’t you have anything better to say right now?”
“A man who doesn’t recognize his own fortune is lower than a dog.”
Fortune? Was it considered fortunate, in Britain, to have both arms twisted at once? Sorry, but that isn’t my kind of thing at all.
“Anyway, whatever. Let’s get something to eat, okay?”
That was enough to get them moving again, but soon, another problem arose.
“Today’s fish dinner is sawara mackerel. It’s delicious.”
Smoosh.
“I’d heard today’s western meal is carbonara. Would you like some, too?”
Smoosh.
“Well, uh, they both sound good.”
I was being completely honest, they did both sound good. There was something else that I was trying to get away from right then. With us walking arm-in-arm-in-arm, it was rather difficult to pass. So they each pressed up close to me, and with each step my arm felt—something soft, girlish, swelling, something I tried not to think about but couldn’t help but realize what it was.
“What’s wrong, Ichika?”
“Is something the matter?”
Smooooosh.
Each leaned their face even closer to mine. My arms could feel their breasts squeeze through their clothes.
“Oh, it’s nothing! It was nothing at all. It won’t be a big deal.”
I worked my way through the tenses to try and keep my grip. Tense—that was an appropriate way to think of it, all things considered. What I actually ended up eating for dinner completely slipped my mind.
◇
“I’m back.”
“Hey, Ichika. Hm? What’s wrong? You seem worked up over something.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’m fine. You must be famished, though. I got you a fish dinner, think you’re up to it?”
“Sure, thanks.”
Charles grinned as she took the tray from me, but her expression hardened as she placed it on the table.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uhhh...”
“Hurry up, or it’ll get cold. Someone worked hard to make that, you should eat it while it’s still warm.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks.”
Charles seemed to be holding an awkward smile, and I quickly understood why.
“Ah...”
Plop.
“Ah, uh...”
Plop, plop.
Charles let out a sigh as her food fell back to the plate again. She picked up the fish. Or at least tried to, but it wasn’t going so well. Now that I thought of it, this was the first time I’d seen Charles use chopsticks.
“Are you having trouble with the chopsticks?”
“Yeah. I’ve practiced, but it’s still not— Ah...”
Once again, the fish fell. It was landing on the plate, so it was still edible, but at this rate she’d never finish her meal.
“Sorry. I’ll go get you a spoon.”
“Eh? N-No, I don’t need one. I’ll finish eventually.”
“Are you sure? It looks like you’re having a lot of trouble, I don’t mind.”
“But...”
“C’mon, Charles. You need to learn to let other people do you favors. If you keep turning them down, it just hurts you,” I said to her as she let out a sigh. “I know it’s tough to just ask for things out of the blue, but why not get into practice starting with me? This may be going back a bit, but remember, I’m just like you, especially in family-type things. So feel free.”
“Ichika...”
She seemed to toss the idea over in her mind for a while, before accepting that she couldn’t eat otherwise and opening her mouth.
“Then, um...”
“Okay. Shall I get you that spoon?”
“Well, uh... Can... Can you feed me?”
She fidgeted hesitantly as she asked—but the unexpected request just melted me. Charles smiled up at me, her jaw open, and asked again.
“You said it was okay to ask for favors...”
“You’re right. A man doesn’t go back on his word. Okay, let’s do that.”
It wasn’t quite what I’d meant, but at least Charles was asking for something rather than first trying to do it all herself and then giving up. What kind of man would I be if I refused? That smile was kinda unfair, though... Her expression was like an abandoned puppy on a rainy day, begging to be lifted out of its box. Only a hero—or a villain—would be able to refuse, and I didn’t want to be either. I took the chopsticks from Charles, and picked up a piece of fish like the ones she’d dropped.
“Okay, say ahh.”
“Ahh.”
I’d never even dreamed that I’d be hand-feeding Charles, too. As Charles chewed, her cheeks seemed to glow a faint red.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah. It tastes great.”
“That’s good.”
“How about some rice next?”
“Okay.”
I picked up a clump of rice, about bite-sized for a girl, and lifted it to her mouth with the saucer under it.
“Ahh.”
“Hm...”
Watching Charles eat was sending my heart racing again. Was this what a bird felt while feeding its hatchlings? Somehow, I couldn’t calm down.
“How about some salad next?”
“Okay.”
I fed her the rest of the meal as our conversation slowed, and after a few words we then each went to bed. Too much had happened today. Exhausted mentally and physically, I fell asleep the moment I hit the sheets.
◇
Darkness. In pitch darkness, a single point.
“.........”
She no longer remembered how long it had been this way, only that her life had been darkness since birth. Humans saw light for the first time when they were born, but she was different. She was raised in darkness, and born in the shadows. And nothing had changed. In an unlit room, embraced by shadows and bathed in gloom, the only light the dim gleam of a ruby-red eye. Laura Bodewig.
She knew it was her name, yet she understood it held no meaning. But there was one exception. When her Lehrerin—when Orimura Chifuyu—called her name, it echoed in her ears. Her heart fluttered.
“Her existence... Her power... It is my goal, my Daseinsberechtigung...”
The single ray of light in her life. The first time they met, she was nearly brought to her knees. With terror. With emotion. With... Joy.
Her heart wavered. Her body burned. And she prayed. Ah, that someday she could be like that. That someday, that could be her. It filled her emptiness. Made her whole. Master of herself. An absolute force. Living perfection. The only one she could ever identify with. No grime could ever be allowed to besmirch her perfect form.
“Orimura Ichika... You have besmirched mein Lehrerin...” She could not accept his existence. “I will eliminate him... No matter what it takes.”
Laura closed her eyes, a dark flame growing in her chest. The girl, who was one with the darkness, fell into a dreamless sleep.
◇
“For real?!”
“You’re not lying, are you?”
I was on my way to class Monday morning, and I blinked in surprise at being able to hear the shouts all the way from the bottom of the stairs.
“What?”
“Well?”
Next to me was my roommate, Charles (Male Version).
“It’s true! Like, everyone’s talking about it! The winner of the tournament at the end of the month gets to go on a date with Orimu—”
“A what with me?”
“KYAAA!”
What was up with them? I’d waited until I made it to the classroom and asked in a normal voice, yet all I got back were shrieks of sorrow. How vulgar.
“So, what were you all talking about? I thought I heard my name somewhere in there.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
Rin and Cecilia were trying to laugh it off and change the subject. Was it something I shouldn’t have heard?
“Anyway, I’m heading back to my class.”
“Ah, of course! I should take my own seat as well.”
Each made a swift, if somewhat suspicious, departure. The rest of the girls gathered seemed to follow suit.
“What was up with that...” I asked Charles.
“Beats me.”
◇
—Why does it have to be like this?
I sat at my desk near the window as my head swirled with thoughts.
—The winner of the class tournament gets to go on a date with Orimura Ichika...
That was for me and him to know! He wouldn’t go around telling people that, would he? It must have slipped out some other way.
“.........”
Still, now all the other girls knew, and even the upperclasswomen had questions like “But what if the winner’s in a different grade?” and “Will they announce it at the ceremony?” This was really, really bad. There was no way I’d approve it if Ichika ended up going out with another girl! But at the same time, trying to keep him all to myself would basically proclaim that we were dating. If only one could live in peace without rumours flying around like wasps...
—Ah, it’d be nice to have a secret relationship, free of all these problems, and we could—
“J-Just what am I thinking?!”
It wouldn’t hurt to dream a little... But things were complicated now that there were many others in the fray.
Anyway, I just had to win. Winning would solve this entire problem. There was no way I would repeat the same mistake as last time. I couldn’t repeat the same mistake... It would all work out in the end. Probably...
—I can’t let it happen again. Not like before, when I made a similar promise...
Back in fourth grade, I’d participated in the Kendo Nationals. Even though elementary school entries had been lumped together and I was to compete with fifth and sixth-graders, I was pinned as the favorite due to my upbringing. No else in the competition could match me. Victory was all but ensured, or so I thought... Yet on the day of the competition, I was forced to forfeit because my family had to move—and it was all Tanabe’s fault. The IS that Tabane had developed were, even at first announcement, recognized as so overwhelmingly powerful that they would be misused as weapons. To prevent this, our entire family was put into a government protection program. And ever since then, I couldn’t stand my sister. I hated her, in fact.
It was all because of her that my life was in utter chaos. We had to move multiple times, and before we could settle down again, we would move again. Despite all that, I’d gotten a letter from Ichika back then, somehow. But because of who I was, I couldn’t reply because it was a “threat to our location” if I did.
Eventually I managed to carve out my own existence, after separating myself from my parents, and after my sister had mysteriously vanished. But even then, I was still watched. I never could truly escape the fate forced upon me. The only thing I had to myself was kendo, and I trained long and hard in hopes that one day maybe it would connect Ichika and I again, like before. Yet, even after winning a national title, I felt empty.
I wasn’t doing kendo purely because I enjoyed it. It was all I had, and all I could do to fight against my inner demons. Every opponent was a chance to potentially relieve my stress, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t shake the feelings that I harbored within me. Seeing the tears of my opponents only made it worse. I slowly came to realize the monster I was becoming. When I was being presented my award, I just wanted to run away. I didn’t deserve it. Not in the way I had gotten to that point...
—What have I been doing with my life...
That was only violence. That wasn’t true strength. True strength is something different. I knew the answer, but I still didn’t understand it.
—Ngh! There I go again, thinking about the past.
“.........”
I wished it would all just go away. If I won this time, surely things would be different. All the pieces were actually here. I just needed to win.
“I can do this. I will do this... There’s no one here that can stop me.”
◇
“Phew. This thing is way too far away.”
There were only three toilets the boys of the school, i.e. me, could use, so the bell that sounded the end of a period was also the starting pistol for a track event. And of course, I had to sprint back to make it in time. Yet lately, I’d received a cruel scolding for running in the halls. What was I supposed to do?
Though really, if I thought about it, it was worse of all for Charles. After all, Charles was really a girl, but she still had to run all the way to the boys’ room. Meaning... Actually, I’d rather not. Probably better not to think about that at all. If nothing else, I didn’t have the time to waste. My next class was the basics of close-quarters IS combat. Obviously a life-and-death matter for myself.
“And why are you even teaching here?!”
“Sigh...”
Hm? Voices from around the corner caught my attention—naturally, as they were familiar. One was Laura, and one had to be Chifuyu.
“I’ve told you repeatedly. I have my own duties. That’s all I have to say.”
“What duty could possibly bring you to the furthest of the Far East?”
I supposed nothing else could cause the Ice Queen, Laura Bodewig’s, voice to rise like that. It seemed like Laura was pouring out her frustrations with Chifuyu’s current job, and her admiration for her.
“Please. Please, return to Germany. Your talents are wasted here.”
“Oh?”
“Not one of the students here are worthy of an instructor such as you.”
“Why?”
“Their wits are slow, their senses dull. They mistake IS for evening gowns. To burden yourself with such trifling nobodies is—”
“That’s quite enough, young miss.”
Laura let out a grunt, as if punched in the gut. Chifuyu’s voice rang as if from above. Even Laura was set aback by her force of will. She stayed silent, unable to continue.
“You’ve gotten quite full of yourself since we parted. Decided you’ve already got your position stitched up at age fifteen?”
