Infinite Stratos, Volume 3, page 14
“.........”
“.........”
“.........”
“.........”
Huh? Why were all the girls looking—no, glaring at me?
“Er, Orimura? It’s time for everyone’s checkup, so, um—”
“GET OUT OF HERE!”
Five angry shouts chased me into the hallway. Leaning against the sliding door which slammed shut, I let out a deep sigh.
“Phew...”
For now, the battle was over. I had plenty to think about, and plenty to go over, but for now... I protected my comrades. I did it. Me and Byakushiki.
◇
“So, what happened up there? C’mon, tell me!”
“I can’t. It’s classified.”
Across from me, Charl was happily munching on her dinner as several of the first year students interrogated her. I supposed they had gone after her as she seemed the easiest to strike up a conversation with, but that was a poor decision. Charl was easily the one among us with the strongest sense of responsibility.
“Jeez. You’re like talking to a brick wall.”
“Well, I could tell you, but then I’d have to... You know. Are you sure you want that?”
“Well... That doesn’t sound that great...”
“Okay, then this conversation is over. I’m not telling you anything else.”
The first years grumbled audibly at her statement. She really handled that well. Fending off our classmates was no effort at all. Sometimes, I feel like Charl’s the real big sister in this story.
“Hm? Is something up?”
Charl noticed my gaze and asked why. I didn’t really have a reason, but I felt like it would seem weird to just say “oh, nothing,” so...
“Charlotte, your yukata’s coming open on top.” The girl beside her whispered something in her ear. I had a really bad feeling about this. And lately I’d been right on the money regarding bad feelings about girls.
“Wha—”
As expected, Charl blushed a bright red and nervously clutched a hand to the placket of her yukata. And, hmm? What was that look of absolute defiance?
“Ichika, you pervert...”
“What?!”
Why the sudden wrongful prosecution? Why? Well? Huh?
“I was kidding... You’re fine.”
“......!”
Again, the girl next to her whispered something. As soon as she heard it, Charl’s ears flushed bright red as she stood up. What was going on?!
“.........”
“Wow, this sashimi sure is good. Ahahahah.”
Charl’s defiant glare shifted from me to the girl next to her, who continued eating as if she didn’t notice.
“You have a really dirty mind, Charlotte.”
“What? No way! I just...”
This time Charl was on the receiving end of the teasing. Yeah, I had no clue where this conversation was going.
“Ichika? Uh, sorry about that...”
“Huh? Oh, it’s fine.”
I wasn’t sure, so I gave an honest answer. Well done. Charl sat back down with a thump, and after a quick grin, reached over and pinched the girl’s side. Weird, she seems angry for some reason. Whatever. I had bigger things to worry about, like who was next to me.
“.........”
Chew, chew, chew, chew... Houki, her hair back up in a ponytail, had kept her chopsticks moving the whole meal. I almost felt like she didn’t want to talk to me, and that’s why she just kept eating. Was I overthinking it?
“Ah... Houki?”
Suddenly the chewing came to a stop.
“Um, are you okay? You’re not hurt or anything, right?”
Gulp. Houki breathed out quickly, nodded, then continued on chewing. Well, then.
“Hey, Houki.”
She shuddered in surprise. After a pause she set her chopsticks down and turned toward me. The motion was so awkward that anyone else would probably have been able to tell that something was up, too.
“W-What?”
“Oh, something about you just seemed a bit off.”
“Off? Are you sure?”
Ugh, I really tripped over myself there. Why was she being so polite? No, really, it was weird. Houki has been way too quiet since the end of that fight. I couldn’t even say ‘quiet as a mouse,’ since at least they’d squeak in surprise. I’d been beginning to learn lately from how people reacted to me that girls really didn’t like it when you pointed out that they were doing something weird. It didn’t really make sense... But it was definitely happening, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Um. Honestly, never mind.”
“Uh... Ahh. Sure.”
It really felt like I put that the wrong way. I could see Houki’s shoulders slump as she returned to eating, albeit at a much slower pace. I’m sorry, Houki...
“.........”
“.........”
Houki and I finished our meals without really saying anything more. Honestly, even though it was probably extremely tasty, I barely even remember it.
◇
Whooosh, crash.
“Phew...”
I gave myself a few taps on the head as I got out of the water. Shaking my head from side to side to clear the water from my ears, I then sat down on a nearby rock.
After a short rest, I’d left the resort for a nighttime swim. A full moon left the world around me bright, even late into the night. The calm sound of the ocean filled my ears as I gazed up at it. You know, I feel like I had a dream this afternoon... I wonder what it was about? I felt like I remembered it clearly when I woke up, but now I couldn’t even pin down what it was about. That may just be how dreams were, but it felt like it was something very important, and forgetting left me feeling troubled.
“I-Ichika?”
Hearing my name suddenly called out, I turned around. Standing in the moonlight was Houki in a swimsuit.
“Houki? Now that I think of it, I didn’t see you yesterday—”
“Don’t stare like that... It’s making me nervous...”
“Sorry.”
I quickly turned back around. Even though I only saw her swimsuit for a few seconds, it was burned into my mind. It was white. A white bikini, which was rare for Houki—or at least the kind of thing I would never have imagined her wearing. There were black lines around the hems, and the cut left little to the imagination—it was, maybe... Sexy? Yeah, sexy. Wow, this is awkward. I tried to figure out a way to take my mind off it, but I didn’t have much luck. Even though there was a space of around a meter between us, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“.........”
“.........”
“Errrr... You know...”
“Yeah...”
Forcing myself to ignore my pounding heart at all costs, I hunted for something to make small talk about. But what came out of my mouth next was anything but.
“That swimsuit looks great on you... I think it’s fine.”
“Ah—”
I could tell that Houki was shying away. As I stole a peek at her face, I saw it glow red.
“Oh, this? I, uh... I got ahead of myself when I went shopping... I made myself put it on, but it’s just so embarrassing...”
It seemed like that was why I didn’t see her during the free time on the first day. Anyway, apparently she found it embarrassing to look at me while we talked, so I turned so we could be facing apart. The moon, hanging between us, lit us like day.
“Hey, Houki...”
“W-What... is it?”
“Why are you being so formal today? You can just talk like normal, it’s fine.”
“Mm...”
I’d wanted to ask her that since dinner. She sat silent for a moment, then answered slowly in spurts, as if she had a hard time putting it in words.
“You... You said... You preferred modest women...”
Ugh, so I did. Was that what she was worried about?
“Well, um. I think you’re fine just the way you are. You don’t have to change yourself for me, okay?”
“O-Okay...” It was a bit stiff, but after she cleared her throat again, Houki’s reluctance faded. “Like this?”
“Yeah. That’s the Houki I know. By the way, how’s your hair? Did it get burnt?”
“Y-Yeah, a little. Not badly, though. The ribbon took most of it. And... I mean, I have a new ribbon now, so...”
“Sure. Happy birthday, again.”
“Well... Th... Thanks...”
She finished so quietly that I couldn’t actually hear it, but I could tell what she meant. And, yeah—Houki looked best with a ponytail.
“Er... Um.
How about you? Are you okay? You seemed hurt pretty badly.”
“Me? Oh, I got better.”
“What?”
“Uhh, when I woke up, I was already in my IS, fully-healed.”
“Are you kidding?! That’s impossible!” Houki grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me into the moonlight. “Your burns... They’re gone... Are you really all better?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. You know what it probably was? The IS’ life support system.”
“That just keeps you alive. I’ve never heard of it healing wounds.”
Tentatively, Houki ran her hands over my back, to feel with her own fingertips that it was unscarred. I heard her murmur “I can’t believe it” to herself, and couldn’t understand why.
“I’m all better now, so no big deal, right?”
“It is a big deal! I... I got you hurt like that, and still...”
“Would you rather I wasn’t better?”
“NO!” She only realized how loudly she spoke after it was out of her mouth. “No, no, it’s not like that at all... I just... I just don’t know how to deal with you being okay with it...”
She sounded almost disappointed, and I didn’t know quite how to react. It seemed like she felt guilty for getting me hurt, and didn’t want to be forgiven just because I was fine now. Sometimes she was really hard to deal with. But if that was how she felt, then I had no choice... I was going to have to punish Houki.
“All right, I’ll punish you for it, then.”
“R-Right...”
Turning back to Houki, I looked closely at her face. Her eyes were squeezed tight, in preparation. This girl, sometimes... I flicked her forehead with a finger.
“Mm?!”
“That’s enough. You’ve learned your lesson about getting overconfident and going off on your own, right?”
“What?!” Houki blinked twice in bewilderment before closing in on me, her face bright red. “Are you just making fun of me?! All that, and you think it’s paid back by flicking my forehead?!”
“Calm down. Don’t get so excited.”
“Silence! I am a warrior! Expecting me to remain silent as my pride is sullied is—”
“Er... Could you back up a little? Something’s rubbing on me...”
My personal orbit had been invaded by two massive cannons.
“......!!”
Houki, suddenly realizing how close she was, ducked back away from me. After gaining a bit of distance, she wrapped her arms around her breasts and gave me a glare of pure defiance. Oops.
“I can’t believe you! Someone’s trying to hold a serious conversation with you, and all you can think about—”
Well, it was true. Sorry. I’m sorry I was born a man.
“S-So... So maybe you do notice them...”
“Huh?”
“Okay, fine then!”
She grabbed my hand and stuffed it... straight into her cleavage. Umm... Houki?
“So? Do you think of me as a woman or not?”
Houki’s voice had suddenly lost its insistence, and was almost entreating. Her embarrassed blush had extended up to her ears.
“Yeah...” There was nothing forcing me to say that, but I let it slip anyway. Surrounded by the sound of the waves, with my childhood friend in front of me in a sexy bikini, under the light of a full moon, it just felt right. And plus—how should I put it... I thought Houki was cute.
“Really... I see...”
Houki took her time chewing over the words before really digesting them. I could feel the heat of her body next to me. We were so close, I was worried she could hear the sound of my own heart pounding.
“.........”
Even the sound of it hammering in my chest was almost enough to break the spell. Suddenly, our gazes met. Ah... I was mesmerized. Her face, lit by the moon, was beautiful. This is bad. Really bad... I think? Even as I thought to myself, the sound of my heart filled—
“C-Cecilia?! What are you doing here?”
“I could say the same, Ling! I don’t even want to imagine what’s going to happen to you for sneaking out of the resort.”
“Okay, Ichika’s—”
“Laura? Rin and Cecilia? Why are you all here?!”
A different pang in my chest. Those voices were unmistakable. It was Rin, Cecilia, Laura, and Charl. From how loud their voices were, they couldn’t be far away. If we stayed where we were, they’d find us. Us. Alone. Together. I think I knew what was waiting for me when that happened.
“Houki, let’s go over there.”
“Eh? Wha—”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the nearby voices, towards an outcropping. There, we climbed up onto a rock. Phew... Let’s just hide out here for a while. If we head back when they leave, it should be fine.
“I-Ichika... This is so sudden... Bringing me somewhere where we can be alone. I...”
“Huh?”
As Houki whispered to me, I turned my face toward her.
“Mm...”
Eh?! W-W-What are you doing, Houki?! Why are your eyes closed? Why are you looking up at me with your lips curled like that?!
“.........”
Her face was truly beautiful as she waited. Oh no. How could I get myself out of this? Dammit... I don’t know if I can resist... Houki shivered as I placed my hand on her shoulder. Then, as she leaned forward, our faces pulled together, and—
Bonk.
Huh? What was that? Leaning in again, I—
Bonk.
Dammit, what does my forehead keep hitting?! Curious, I opened my eyes. I shouldn’t have. Waiting to say ‘hi’ was a floating object with fins. Its tip was punctuated by a rectangular slit.
“Blue... Tears...”
The bit’s barrel poked at my forehead. Whiiiiiiiing.
“Whoa!”
Fshoom! A BT laser scorched my hair as I ducked out of the way.
“Oh my.”
“Now we kill him.”
“Ichika, what were you doing?”
“Ahahaha, hahahahahahaha!”
As I finished my pivot, I was met with four piercing glares. In order, they were Laura, Rin, Charl, and Cecilia.
“Houki! Let’s get out of here!”
“Eh? What? Eek!”
Even though she shrieked as I suddenly picked her up, I didn’t have time to care. It was time to respec to Hare Stance. We sped off, with the four others in hot pursuit. Oh, right. This happened a month ago too, didn’t it? As I indulged myself with reminiscence, the sounds of gunfire drew closer. Stop it, I’ll die! I’ll really die!
◆
“So including Kenran Butou, Akatsubaki operated at a total of forty-two percent of its capacity. Ah well, I guess that’s all I could expect.”
As she looked at the data on a floating display, an innocent grin washed across the woman’s face. Like a child. Like an angel. Like usual, even under the moonlight. Shinonono Tabane always had just a hint of boredom about her.
“Hmm, hmm-hmm.”
As she hummed to herself, she pulled up another display. On it was footage of Byakushiki’s second shift in combat. She sat on the guardrail on an outcropping, swinging her feet back and forth as she watched. Three hundred meters below her, the sea spread out to the horizon. No matter how risky her perch, her expression remained unchanged.
“Wow. The Byakushiki’s incredible. Even healing its pilot? It’s almost like—”
“Like the White Knight, isn’t it. Core #001. The first to see combat. The one you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into.” Chifuyu silently stepped out of the woods. Still wearing her black suit, she carried all the quiet gravity of the midnight shadows she walked through.
“Hey, Chichan!”
“Hey.”
They didn’t turn toward each other. Facing apart, Tabane continued swaying, while Chifuyu leaned against a tree. Even though they couldn’t see each other’s faces, they knew what was written on them. Such was the bond between them.
“There’s one problem, though, Chichan. Where did the White Knight go?”
“You’ll find your answer if you read ‘Byakushiki’ as ‘White Form.’”
“Bingo. I knew you’d be familiar enough with the White Knight to tell.”
The White Knight had been dismantled except for its core, and its analysis had been a major driver in the production of first-generation IS. As for the core, after a certain laboratory was raided, it disappeared from history until eventually coming to reside in an IS called Byakushiki.
“And then, you know... Just as a guess, let’s assume that there was some communication over the core network between your first IS, the White Knight, and your second, the Kurezakura. If that happened, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if they ended up with the same one-off ability, would it?”
“.........”
Chifuyu didn’t answer. Tabane, though, paid no heed to her silence.
“Still, something’s a bit funny. That core was completely wiped before the White Knight was dismantled. I did it myself, so I know it got done properly.”
“Sometimes not everything has to make sense.”
Neither of them really knew. Not Chifuyu, not Tabane. But that didn’t stop Tabane.
“Actually... I think I’ll make a guess, too.”
“Really, Chichan? That’s unusual.”
“What if a certain genius happened to make sure a young boy went to the wrong entrance exam. And meanwhile, she had an IS there set up to operate automatically. If that happened, wouldn’t he be piloting an IS even though men couldn’t?”
“Hmm. I don’t think I have the attention span for that.”
“I suppose. You never did spend that much time on any given project.”
“You’re right. I get bored way too easily,” Tabane giggled.
“.........”
“.........”
“.........”
Huh? Why were all the girls looking—no, glaring at me?
“Er, Orimura? It’s time for everyone’s checkup, so, um—”
“GET OUT OF HERE!”
Five angry shouts chased me into the hallway. Leaning against the sliding door which slammed shut, I let out a deep sigh.
“Phew...”
For now, the battle was over. I had plenty to think about, and plenty to go over, but for now... I protected my comrades. I did it. Me and Byakushiki.
◇
“So, what happened up there? C’mon, tell me!”
“I can’t. It’s classified.”
Across from me, Charl was happily munching on her dinner as several of the first year students interrogated her. I supposed they had gone after her as she seemed the easiest to strike up a conversation with, but that was a poor decision. Charl was easily the one among us with the strongest sense of responsibility.
“Jeez. You’re like talking to a brick wall.”
“Well, I could tell you, but then I’d have to... You know. Are you sure you want that?”
“Well... That doesn’t sound that great...”
“Okay, then this conversation is over. I’m not telling you anything else.”
The first years grumbled audibly at her statement. She really handled that well. Fending off our classmates was no effort at all. Sometimes, I feel like Charl’s the real big sister in this story.
“Hm? Is something up?”
Charl noticed my gaze and asked why. I didn’t really have a reason, but I felt like it would seem weird to just say “oh, nothing,” so...
“Charlotte, your yukata’s coming open on top.” The girl beside her whispered something in her ear. I had a really bad feeling about this. And lately I’d been right on the money regarding bad feelings about girls.
“Wha—”
As expected, Charl blushed a bright red and nervously clutched a hand to the placket of her yukata. And, hmm? What was that look of absolute defiance?
“Ichika, you pervert...”
“What?!”
Why the sudden wrongful prosecution? Why? Well? Huh?
“I was kidding... You’re fine.”
“......!”
Again, the girl next to her whispered something. As soon as she heard it, Charl’s ears flushed bright red as she stood up. What was going on?!
“.........”
“Wow, this sashimi sure is good. Ahahahah.”
Charl’s defiant glare shifted from me to the girl next to her, who continued eating as if she didn’t notice.
“You have a really dirty mind, Charlotte.”
“What? No way! I just...”
This time Charl was on the receiving end of the teasing. Yeah, I had no clue where this conversation was going.
“Ichika? Uh, sorry about that...”
“Huh? Oh, it’s fine.”
I wasn’t sure, so I gave an honest answer. Well done. Charl sat back down with a thump, and after a quick grin, reached over and pinched the girl’s side. Weird, she seems angry for some reason. Whatever. I had bigger things to worry about, like who was next to me.
“.........”
Chew, chew, chew, chew... Houki, her hair back up in a ponytail, had kept her chopsticks moving the whole meal. I almost felt like she didn’t want to talk to me, and that’s why she just kept eating. Was I overthinking it?
“Ah... Houki?”
Suddenly the chewing came to a stop.
“Um, are you okay? You’re not hurt or anything, right?”
Gulp. Houki breathed out quickly, nodded, then continued on chewing. Well, then.
“Hey, Houki.”
She shuddered in surprise. After a pause she set her chopsticks down and turned toward me. The motion was so awkward that anyone else would probably have been able to tell that something was up, too.
“W-What?”
“Oh, something about you just seemed a bit off.”
“Off? Are you sure?”
Ugh, I really tripped over myself there. Why was she being so polite? No, really, it was weird. Houki has been way too quiet since the end of that fight. I couldn’t even say ‘quiet as a mouse,’ since at least they’d squeak in surprise. I’d been beginning to learn lately from how people reacted to me that girls really didn’t like it when you pointed out that they were doing something weird. It didn’t really make sense... But it was definitely happening, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Um. Honestly, never mind.”
“Uh... Ahh. Sure.”
It really felt like I put that the wrong way. I could see Houki’s shoulders slump as she returned to eating, albeit at a much slower pace. I’m sorry, Houki...
“.........”
“.........”
Houki and I finished our meals without really saying anything more. Honestly, even though it was probably extremely tasty, I barely even remember it.
◇
Whooosh, crash.
“Phew...”
I gave myself a few taps on the head as I got out of the water. Shaking my head from side to side to clear the water from my ears, I then sat down on a nearby rock.
After a short rest, I’d left the resort for a nighttime swim. A full moon left the world around me bright, even late into the night. The calm sound of the ocean filled my ears as I gazed up at it. You know, I feel like I had a dream this afternoon... I wonder what it was about? I felt like I remembered it clearly when I woke up, but now I couldn’t even pin down what it was about. That may just be how dreams were, but it felt like it was something very important, and forgetting left me feeling troubled.
“I-Ichika?”
Hearing my name suddenly called out, I turned around. Standing in the moonlight was Houki in a swimsuit.
“Houki? Now that I think of it, I didn’t see you yesterday—”
“Don’t stare like that... It’s making me nervous...”
“Sorry.”
I quickly turned back around. Even though I only saw her swimsuit for a few seconds, it was burned into my mind. It was white. A white bikini, which was rare for Houki—or at least the kind of thing I would never have imagined her wearing. There were black lines around the hems, and the cut left little to the imagination—it was, maybe... Sexy? Yeah, sexy. Wow, this is awkward. I tried to figure out a way to take my mind off it, but I didn’t have much luck. Even though there was a space of around a meter between us, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“.........”
“.........”
“Errrr... You know...”
“Yeah...”
Forcing myself to ignore my pounding heart at all costs, I hunted for something to make small talk about. But what came out of my mouth next was anything but.
“That swimsuit looks great on you... I think it’s fine.”
“Ah—”
I could tell that Houki was shying away. As I stole a peek at her face, I saw it glow red.
“Oh, this? I, uh... I got ahead of myself when I went shopping... I made myself put it on, but it’s just so embarrassing...”
It seemed like that was why I didn’t see her during the free time on the first day. Anyway, apparently she found it embarrassing to look at me while we talked, so I turned so we could be facing apart. The moon, hanging between us, lit us like day.
“Hey, Houki...”
“W-What... is it?”
“Why are you being so formal today? You can just talk like normal, it’s fine.”
“Mm...”
I’d wanted to ask her that since dinner. She sat silent for a moment, then answered slowly in spurts, as if she had a hard time putting it in words.
“You... You said... You preferred modest women...”
Ugh, so I did. Was that what she was worried about?
“Well, um. I think you’re fine just the way you are. You don’t have to change yourself for me, okay?”
“O-Okay...” It was a bit stiff, but after she cleared her throat again, Houki’s reluctance faded. “Like this?”
“Yeah. That’s the Houki I know. By the way, how’s your hair? Did it get burnt?”
“Y-Yeah, a little. Not badly, though. The ribbon took most of it. And... I mean, I have a new ribbon now, so...”
“Sure. Happy birthday, again.”
“Well... Th... Thanks...”
She finished so quietly that I couldn’t actually hear it, but I could tell what she meant. And, yeah—Houki looked best with a ponytail.
“Er... Um.
How about you? Are you okay? You seemed hurt pretty badly.”
“Me? Oh, I got better.”
“What?”
“Uhh, when I woke up, I was already in my IS, fully-healed.”
“Are you kidding?! That’s impossible!” Houki grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me into the moonlight. “Your burns... They’re gone... Are you really all better?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. You know what it probably was? The IS’ life support system.”
“That just keeps you alive. I’ve never heard of it healing wounds.”
Tentatively, Houki ran her hands over my back, to feel with her own fingertips that it was unscarred. I heard her murmur “I can’t believe it” to herself, and couldn’t understand why.
“I’m all better now, so no big deal, right?”
“It is a big deal! I... I got you hurt like that, and still...”
“Would you rather I wasn’t better?”
“NO!” She only realized how loudly she spoke after it was out of her mouth. “No, no, it’s not like that at all... I just... I just don’t know how to deal with you being okay with it...”
She sounded almost disappointed, and I didn’t know quite how to react. It seemed like she felt guilty for getting me hurt, and didn’t want to be forgiven just because I was fine now. Sometimes she was really hard to deal with. But if that was how she felt, then I had no choice... I was going to have to punish Houki.
“All right, I’ll punish you for it, then.”
“R-Right...”
Turning back to Houki, I looked closely at her face. Her eyes were squeezed tight, in preparation. This girl, sometimes... I flicked her forehead with a finger.
“Mm?!”
“That’s enough. You’ve learned your lesson about getting overconfident and going off on your own, right?”
“What?!” Houki blinked twice in bewilderment before closing in on me, her face bright red. “Are you just making fun of me?! All that, and you think it’s paid back by flicking my forehead?!”
“Calm down. Don’t get so excited.”
“Silence! I am a warrior! Expecting me to remain silent as my pride is sullied is—”
“Er... Could you back up a little? Something’s rubbing on me...”
My personal orbit had been invaded by two massive cannons.
“......!!”
Houki, suddenly realizing how close she was, ducked back away from me. After gaining a bit of distance, she wrapped her arms around her breasts and gave me a glare of pure defiance. Oops.
“I can’t believe you! Someone’s trying to hold a serious conversation with you, and all you can think about—”
Well, it was true. Sorry. I’m sorry I was born a man.
“S-So... So maybe you do notice them...”
“Huh?”
“Okay, fine then!”
She grabbed my hand and stuffed it... straight into her cleavage. Umm... Houki?
“So? Do you think of me as a woman or not?”
Houki’s voice had suddenly lost its insistence, and was almost entreating. Her embarrassed blush had extended up to her ears.
“Yeah...” There was nothing forcing me to say that, but I let it slip anyway. Surrounded by the sound of the waves, with my childhood friend in front of me in a sexy bikini, under the light of a full moon, it just felt right. And plus—how should I put it... I thought Houki was cute.
“Really... I see...”
Houki took her time chewing over the words before really digesting them. I could feel the heat of her body next to me. We were so close, I was worried she could hear the sound of my own heart pounding.
“.........”
Even the sound of it hammering in my chest was almost enough to break the spell. Suddenly, our gazes met. Ah... I was mesmerized. Her face, lit by the moon, was beautiful. This is bad. Really bad... I think? Even as I thought to myself, the sound of my heart filled—
“C-Cecilia?! What are you doing here?”
“I could say the same, Ling! I don’t even want to imagine what’s going to happen to you for sneaking out of the resort.”
“Okay, Ichika’s—”
“Laura? Rin and Cecilia? Why are you all here?!”
A different pang in my chest. Those voices were unmistakable. It was Rin, Cecilia, Laura, and Charl. From how loud their voices were, they couldn’t be far away. If we stayed where we were, they’d find us. Us. Alone. Together. I think I knew what was waiting for me when that happened.
“Houki, let’s go over there.”
“Eh? Wha—”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the nearby voices, towards an outcropping. There, we climbed up onto a rock. Phew... Let’s just hide out here for a while. If we head back when they leave, it should be fine.
“I-Ichika... This is so sudden... Bringing me somewhere where we can be alone. I...”
“Huh?”
As Houki whispered to me, I turned my face toward her.
“Mm...”
Eh?! W-W-What are you doing, Houki?! Why are your eyes closed? Why are you looking up at me with your lips curled like that?!
“.........”
Her face was truly beautiful as she waited. Oh no. How could I get myself out of this? Dammit... I don’t know if I can resist... Houki shivered as I placed my hand on her shoulder. Then, as she leaned forward, our faces pulled together, and—
Bonk.
Huh? What was that? Leaning in again, I—
Bonk.
Dammit, what does my forehead keep hitting?! Curious, I opened my eyes. I shouldn’t have. Waiting to say ‘hi’ was a floating object with fins. Its tip was punctuated by a rectangular slit.
“Blue... Tears...”
The bit’s barrel poked at my forehead. Whiiiiiiiing.
“Whoa!”
Fshoom! A BT laser scorched my hair as I ducked out of the way.
“Oh my.”
“Now we kill him.”
“Ichika, what were you doing?”
“Ahahaha, hahahahahahaha!”
As I finished my pivot, I was met with four piercing glares. In order, they were Laura, Rin, Charl, and Cecilia.
“Houki! Let’s get out of here!”
“Eh? What? Eek!”
Even though she shrieked as I suddenly picked her up, I didn’t have time to care. It was time to respec to Hare Stance. We sped off, with the four others in hot pursuit. Oh, right. This happened a month ago too, didn’t it? As I indulged myself with reminiscence, the sounds of gunfire drew closer. Stop it, I’ll die! I’ll really die!
◆
“So including Kenran Butou, Akatsubaki operated at a total of forty-two percent of its capacity. Ah well, I guess that’s all I could expect.”
As she looked at the data on a floating display, an innocent grin washed across the woman’s face. Like a child. Like an angel. Like usual, even under the moonlight. Shinonono Tabane always had just a hint of boredom about her.
“Hmm, hmm-hmm.”
As she hummed to herself, she pulled up another display. On it was footage of Byakushiki’s second shift in combat. She sat on the guardrail on an outcropping, swinging her feet back and forth as she watched. Three hundred meters below her, the sea spread out to the horizon. No matter how risky her perch, her expression remained unchanged.
“Wow. The Byakushiki’s incredible. Even healing its pilot? It’s almost like—”
“Like the White Knight, isn’t it. Core #001. The first to see combat. The one you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into.” Chifuyu silently stepped out of the woods. Still wearing her black suit, she carried all the quiet gravity of the midnight shadows she walked through.
“Hey, Chichan!”
“Hey.”
They didn’t turn toward each other. Facing apart, Tabane continued swaying, while Chifuyu leaned against a tree. Even though they couldn’t see each other’s faces, they knew what was written on them. Such was the bond between them.
“There’s one problem, though, Chichan. Where did the White Knight go?”
“You’ll find your answer if you read ‘Byakushiki’ as ‘White Form.’”
“Bingo. I knew you’d be familiar enough with the White Knight to tell.”
The White Knight had been dismantled except for its core, and its analysis had been a major driver in the production of first-generation IS. As for the core, after a certain laboratory was raided, it disappeared from history until eventually coming to reside in an IS called Byakushiki.
“And then, you know... Just as a guess, let’s assume that there was some communication over the core network between your first IS, the White Knight, and your second, the Kurezakura. If that happened, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if they ended up with the same one-off ability, would it?”
“.........”
Chifuyu didn’t answer. Tabane, though, paid no heed to her silence.
“Still, something’s a bit funny. That core was completely wiped before the White Knight was dismantled. I did it myself, so I know it got done properly.”
“Sometimes not everything has to make sense.”
Neither of them really knew. Not Chifuyu, not Tabane. But that didn’t stop Tabane.
“Actually... I think I’ll make a guess, too.”
“Really, Chichan? That’s unusual.”
“What if a certain genius happened to make sure a young boy went to the wrong entrance exam. And meanwhile, she had an IS there set up to operate automatically. If that happened, wouldn’t he be piloting an IS even though men couldn’t?”
“Hmm. I don’t think I have the attention span for that.”
“I suppose. You never did spend that much time on any given project.”
“You’re right. I get bored way too easily,” Tabane giggled.
