Infinite Stratos, Volume 2, page 12
“Here, one Oolong and one black. Have a drink, it’ll calm you down.”
“Hmph!”
“If I must.”
Rin and Cecilia snatched up the proffered plastic bottles, tore the caps off, and immediately chugged the tea inside. Come on, you shouldn’t be drinking cold things so quickly.
“The teacher said you could leave once you calmed down a bit, so why don’t you take a rest and—”
Rumble.
“What was that noise?”
A sound like an earthquake echoed from the hallway. It sounded like it was drawing closer, but that must have just been my imagina—
Boom! The door to the nurse’s office blew open.
It really did. Seriously. That was the first time I’d ever seen a door blow off its hinges. I was amazed it could happen in real life.
“Orimura!”
“Dunois!”
And what entered through it was anything but easy to deal with. A veritable avalanche of dozens of schoolgirls. Even though there was room in the office for five beds, it was packed with people in an instant. Spotting Charles and I, they encircled us, poking their hands out like they were picking through a bargain bin. It was the kind of thing you’d see in a horror movie. An endless sea of hands, hands, hands protruding from a faceless crowd. It was honestly downright terrifying.
“Wh-What’s going on?!”
“What’s wrong? Calm down!”
“THIS!”
The girls slammed down an emergency notice from the school, with an application form attached, before us.
“What’s this?”
“It says that in order to provide a more accurate simulation in next month’s tournament, participants will be organized into teams of two, and that those without a partner will have one randomly assigned. The deadline for submitting your team is—’”
“All right, all right! I get it!”
Another blizzard of hands. Oh, man.
“Orimura! Team up with me!”
“Dunois! Let’s team up!”
I didn’t know why they’d suddenly changed the rules of the tournament, but from the looks of things, and their ribbon colors, these girls were all from our year. Apparently they’d worked up the courage to try and snap up one of the only two boys in the school before anyone else did. But...
“Umm...”
Indeed. Charles was really a girl, so it’d be really bad if she was teamed up with any of them. There’d be a lot of duo training, and a lot of opportunities to get caught.
I looked over at Charles, and saw a harried expression flit over her face for a few seconds before she noticed I was looking at her. Our eyes met for a moment, and it seemed like she realized I understood her silent cry for help before averting her eyes. I gave my best self-effacing grimace, before turning to the excited crowd and making an announcement loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Sorry, girls. You may as well give up now, because Charles and I are a team.”
Silence. The sudden stillness gave me a few moments to squirm. This probably wasn’t a good idea, was it?
“Well, that makes sense.”
“It’s better than you going with another girl.”
“Bromance is a thing.”
Looks like they were able to deal with it after all. The girls each mumbled their own acceptance as they filed from the nurse’s office. A lively bustle sounded from the hall as they moved immediately toward setting up Plan B.
“Phew.”
“Uh, Ichika...”
“ICHIKA,” yelled Rin.
“ICHIKA!” shouted Cecilia.
Charles began to speak as I let out a sigh of relief, only to immediately be shouted over as Rin and Cecilia leapt to their feet.
“You should partner with me! We’ve known each other forever!”
“It’s only natural for two classmates to team up, though.”
Both of them seemed about ready to latch on so hard that they’d strangle me. When you’re hurt, you needed to rest quietly. You’d make your injuries worse if you got worked up. Anyway, though, I wasn’t sure what to do. Unlike the girls from before, these two were obviously in no mood for arguments. All I could do was let out a sigh.
“I’m afraid that won’t be happening.”
Oh?! It seemed like I wasn’t the only one shocked by the sound of another voice. Both Rin and Cecilia blinked in surprise as the new arrival, Ms. Yamada, spoke.
“I’ve checked out your IS, and they’re both damaged beyond Level C. If you don’t focus on their repair, it will cause major problems in the future. Your IS need a rest. You won’t be allowed to participate in the tournament.”
Would these two passionate National Cadets go along with it? I had my doubts, but...
“Ugh... Understood...”
“Under protest! Under the firmest, firmest protest! I withdraw under protest!”
Huh? That was a lot less fuss that I expected. How come?
“I’m glad that you understand, then. Remember, the debts you rack up pushing your IS’ limits will come back to haunt you. The worst thing in the world is when you see a chance and can’t take it. I don’t want that to happen to you.”
“Yes, ma’am...”
“Understood...”
Ms. Yamada’s clear, sober lecture may not have explained everything she hoped it would, but at least it made the duo accept that they wouldn’t be participating in the tournament.
“Ichika, what’s the third basic rule of IS experience?”
It was, uh...
“An IS will independently develop based on experience accumulated, including through combat. This process continues even if the IS is operated while damaged, and if operated while damaged beyond Level C, will include the function of energy bypasses which will have a negative effect on normal operations,” Charles cut in.
“That’s exactly it! Good work as always, Charles!”
Charles offered up the explanation that failed to spring to mind for me. Essentially, it was like “overexerting yourself with broken bones will, in turn, hurt your muscles.” That pretty much nailed it. Anyway, with that nailed down, I asked Rin and Cecilia the question I’d been wondering for a while.
“Just why were you battling Laura, anyway?”
“Well, um...”
“How shall I put it... It was a question of feminine pride.”
“Huh?”
Why were they so reluctant to answer? Ah well, it was obvious that Laura provoked them, somehow. Still, being National Cadets, they shouldn’t be so eager to take the bait. Yep.
“Oh. Were you fighting over Ichi—”
“Agh! Dunois, you talk too much!”
“Indeed! Far too much! Ohohoho.”
Whatever idea had sprung up in Charles’ mind, they were extremely quick to shut it down. Charles gave a grimace as she was talked over.
“C’mon, knock it off. Look at what you’re doing to Charles. Besides, you two’ve been way too active for how hurt you are.”
In an attempt to slow them down, I poked each of their shoulders.
“BWAH!”
Just like I thought, it must have stung. Each let out a strange scream before falling silent.
“.........”
“.........”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize it would hurt so much.”
Their silent stares of reproach made it obvious just how much it hurt. Realizing I’d gone too far, I apologized immediately.
“Ichika, you...”
“You’ll pay for this later...”
Oops... When they were feeling better, surely some fists of fury would fly my way. Probably a full-cour... a full-course meal. Yeah. And probably dessert would be included, as well. Drinks? Definitely free refills, too.
◇
“Hey, Ichika...”
“Yeah?”
As we arrived back at our room after dinner, Charles opened her mouth. It was a casual phrase, but I could tell there was something behind it. What was up?
“Sorry for not saying this before, but... Thanks for covering for me.”
“Huh? What did I do? If anything, you’re the one who had my back in the arena.”
“Not that. In the nurse’s office. I was really happy that you said you were teaming up with me for the tournament.”
“Oh, that? Don’t even worry about it. I’m the only one who knows about your situation right now, so of course I’d do what I could.”
To me it was nothing special, but for Charles it seemed to be different. She was positively glowing with gratitude.
“It’s more than that. If you weren’t so kind, you’d never have come up with it yourself. I really like people who are willing to speak up to help someone else. It made me very happy.”
Well... That was spoken like a true “blond gentleman.” Each and every classy choice of words embarrassed me a little bit more. I fanned my cheeks to take away the warmth.
“Anyway... About that. You don’t have to force yourself to talk like a guy when I’m the only one around, right?”
“True— you’re right. They put me through intensive training before I came here on how to act and speak like a boy so I wouldn’t be caught. So it’ll probably take a while to adjust back to normal.”
Even though I’d never met Charles’ father, the part about “putting her through” something made me angry at him, but she treated it like no big deal, so I held myself back. It was important not to mistake anger for someone else’s sake for your own anger.
“I mean, I’m not really that girlish, right?” Charles asked timidly, her eyes flitted away from contact.
“Huh? You mean, like how you talk?”
“Yes. I’m not really that girlish, so I’d like to be able to just be myself with you...”
“You just don’t need to push yourself, okay? Plus, I don’t think that you’re not girlish. In fact, I think you’re cute.”
“C-Cute? Me? Really? Are you sure?”
For some reason, Charles seemed a bit panicked, and she quizzed me intently.
“Of course. Trust me.”
“I... I guess. Okay... Fine, then.”
I wasn’t really sure what was going through her head, but I guess it didn’t matter. She nodded again in acceptance.
“Anyway, so much has been going on that we’re still in our uniforms. Shall we change?”
That was when it really struck me. Charles was a girl. We didn’t really have any choice while putting on our IS suits in the locker room, but at home we had more time and freedom to wander around, so it was probably better if I made myself scarce until she finished. Yeah, definitely a good idea.
“Okay, I’ll head out then.”
“Eh? Why?”
“I mean, you can’t change with me in here, right? Especially with the IS suit involved. I’ll just go somewhere for a while.”
Now that I thought of it, I had the same conversation with Houki. It was kind of awkward living with girls. And Charles presenting herself as a boy made it even worse.
“Oh, no, it’s fine. I don’t want to impose on you like that, and besides... I don’t really mind...”
“You might not, but I kinda do.”
“And... And! It’d be weird if one guy had to leave the room while the other changed, right?”
“Well, you’re right about that. All right... I’ll be in the bathroom. Just tell me when you’re done.”
“I told you, you don’t have to worry about it! Just act normal. And you have to change too, right?”
Well, I guess I didn’t have to leave. I wasn’t really sure why Charles was so insistent, but because of it I couldn’t exactly refuse her.
“All right, I’ll change too, then.”
“Of course.”
A grin rose to Charles’ face. Perhaps because of how passionately she’d been speaking, her cheeks shone a faint crimson.
“All right, guess I should just pull out a t-shirt. Where’d I put those... Oh, there they are.”
“.........”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
Charles had said it was okay to stay in the room, but for some reason, she wasn’t changing. I watched her, bemused by the contradiction.
“Ichika, I can’t change while you’re staring at me...”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
I spun around. It’s like déjà vu. I could swear I had the same conversation with Hou—
“Okay, I’ll start changing now,” said Charles.
“R-Right.”
I froze up as the sudden announcement interrupted my train of thought. A few moments of silence later, I heard the sound of her pants sliding down.
—Oh no... There’s that sweet smell again...
I’d never noticed it when I thought she was a boy, but now that I knew she was a girl, it was like the room was filled with a mild yet bewitching scent whenever we were together. The sweet smell only girls had. What even was that? I’d never noticed a boy smell like that. Was it those pheromones I’d heard of?
“Ichika? Aren’t you going to change?”
“Oh, right. Guess I will.”
The reminder snapped me out of my haze. I stood up from my bed, and began removing my clothes from the top down.
“.........”
Stare.
I could feel eyes burning into my back.
“Charles?”
“Wha— Y-Yes?”
The shock in her voice was enough to surprise even me. And the tremble in her words was enough to make me ask a bit reluctantly.
“Sorry if I’m wrong, but you weren’t looking at me, were you?”
“O-Of course not!”
“Oh, good.”
A full-throated denial. I guess I was just imagining things. A guy, feeling a stare? That was girlish, even for me.
—Oh well, let’s just finish up.
“.........”
Stare.
Er, Charles? Hello?
“No peeking.”
“What?! No, I wasn’t, I would nev— Eek!”
Charles’ flustered voice changed to a shriek. At the same time, I heard a loud thump, and reflexively turned to see what happened.
“Oww... I got caught on my leg... Eh?”
“Eh?”
“EHHH?”
What met my gaze was Charles, who had tumbled to the floor with her pants around her legs. The problem was how she looked. Her only top was her corset, and below, apart from the pants which had caught on her knee, she was wearing nothing but underwear—not just underwear, but... panties. And when she collapsed, she’d come down on all fours, with her butt sticking out. The light pink panties, bunched up between those firm cheeks, were, how shall I put it, extremely sexy... And that was no good. That was really bad. Especially for me.
“N-No—”
—Oh no! We’d both be in a lot of trouble if someone heard a girl shrieking in here.
Was all I could think about as I bunched up the pants I’d just pulled off and leapt to cover Charles’ mouth with them. This was really enough to make Charles reflexively stop her scream, but by this point I was already diving. There was a brief moment of quiet after she stopped but before inertia carried me on top of her.
There’s a saying: “Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” It made sense, making something else go wrong was part of going wrong. As I dove, my pants tangled on a bedpost and got caught. My momentum sapped, I fell straight to the floor.
This all happened in the space of a second. Reflexively, I grabbed something with my outstretched hands—something I really shouldn’t have.
“Mmph!”
My hands felt something supple and springy, yet meaty. Smooth skin below silky fabric. Meaning... I was clutching hold of Charles’ butt. It was soft and warm. At that moment, I understood the calmness of those resigned to death. That sense of universal yearning.
But gravity’s, famously, a harsh mistress. My body continued fall. Meaning, the panties in my grasp joined me in my continued descent.
“WHAAAA—”
Bam!
Charles had flipped up from all fours, and delivered an instinctive counter. As it hit, my jaw and my head snapped back, and the world faded to black.
◇
“.........”
Charles, after lifting the unconscious Ichika into his bed, changed into her pajamas, her face still red. Her expression was a strange one, mixing anger and embarrassment, and a bit of joy.
“Jeez, Ichika, I never thought you’d be so handsy...”
Understanding that he hadn’t done it intentionally, Charles was still conflicted. If it hadn’t been by accident, it would have been unforgivable, so it still angered her a bit to brush it under the rug.
“If you’d just asked, I would have...”
She began to speak before snapping back to herself. Realizing what she was saying, her face flushed a bright red, and she shook her head.
—Ugh, I should just go to bed. Yeah! That’s it!
Turning away from Ichika, Charles put out the lights. It took some time for her vision to adjust to the darkness. She couldn’t quite make out Ichika’s face, yet strangely, it gave her courage.
—What am I doing...
Charles thought to herself as she thrust her own face toward Ichika’s. She stared from a distance of not even five centimeters. At this range, she could feel not only his breath, but even his warmth—and she could feel her own pulse quicken.
“.........”
As she gazed at Ichika, her expression turned serious.
“Why not... stay here?”
It was the first time she’d ever heard those words. Since her mother died she had had no place in the world. Her father was kin by blood alone, and she felt as if walled away with ice, suffocating in the meaninglessness of her days. She grew accustomed to an ashen-dull repetition of days, not even daring to dream of a time when she’d be called for. And thus, when her father decreed that she be sent to Japan, she felt nothing.
Yet...
—Why does Ichika make my heart pound like this?
Without that, she wouldn’t have met him. The boy in front of her. Sometimes he arrived with what seemed like all the howling of a storm, only to bloom like a spring clover by her side. Yet sometimes, as soon as she stretched out her hand, he fled, darting from tree to tree like a squirrel.
