Infinite Stratos - Volume 8, page 2
"That is, I'm sorry Ichika..."
"It, it's my bad."
"Sorry, Ichika-san."
"I'm wrong..."
"Apologies."
Everyone lowered their head to show that they were truly sorry.
"It's fine."
I replied with a weak smile.
"Really, this is how you attract us."
"Fu, fu."
Tatenashi-san showed a smile more beautiful than usual.
◇
A few days later, a joint IS training class was held for all of the first-year students.
In the arena, every single first-year was present, lined in a straight line with Chifuyu-nee standing in front with arms crossed as usual.
"Orimura, Shinonono, Alcott, Huang, Dunois, Bodewig, Sarashiki! Step forward!"
As soon as class started, Chifuyu-nee called out all the personal IS users.
"During the incident a few days ago, all of your IS units sustained serious damage. So due to repairs, you're all not allowed to use your IS."
""Yes!""
This was something that everyone understood even without saying.
As if to prove this point, everyone replied without hesitation.
"Then, it's about time... Yamada-sensei."
"Yes! Everyone, please look this way!"
Saying this, Yamada-sensei, standing in front of a cargo container placed behind Chifuyu, waved her hands in a "look here!" manner.
From the moment everyone gathered in the arena, they were curious of what was inside the container. Now that its contents were finally coming to light, a commotion naturally erupted. After all, grabbing any chance to talk was a distinct trait of all maidens.
"What could be inside?"
"Could it be a new IS model?!"
"Eh——? If it was, then it wouldn't be in a cargo container, but an IS stand right?"
"What? What is it? How strange?! How very strange!"
... these last words carried no meaning. Said just for the sake of saying.
"Quiet! ... Really, can't you guys just keep your mouths shut? Yamada-sensei, please open it!"
"Yes! Then, open sesame!"
Not understanding Yamada-sensei's words, everyone stood stunned.
Seeing this reaction, a tear formed on Yamada-sensei's eyes as she pressed the remote controller.
"Uuu, this generation gap sure is painful..."
Powered by a motor in the container, the heavy metal door began to open with a buzzing sound.
"This, this is..."
Ichika let out a surprised voice.
"... What is this?"
Bang! Chifuyu's attendance book attacked, causing 30 damage to Ichika.
Rubbing his head, Ichika looked at the container once again. What was inside was something that resembles metal armor.
"Instructor, this is——"
"Call me Orimura-sensei."
It seems Laura has seen this armor before. Being called by the name back when she was training the German army accidentally, Chifuyu shot a stare towards Laura.
Being shot by such a harsh expression from her beloved Chifuyu, Laura immediately shut her mouth.
"This is the offensive armored exoskeleton developed by the United Nations, 'EOS'."
"EOS...?"
“Extended Operation Seeker. Known as EOS, it is mainly designed for disaster relief and peace keeping operations. However, branching out the suit's usage is under consideration”
"Then, Orimura-sensei, what are we supposed to do with it...?"
Houki asked conservatively.
Right after, she received this simple answer.
"Operate it."
"Eh!?"
All seven — Ichika and the girls — replied in unison.
"Don't make me repeat myself. These are the orders of the academy's higher ups; they want a report on these things' practical operation data. Since you guys can't use your personal machines anyway, why not help me with this report?"
"O, oh..."
Finally receiving an answer they could understand, the seven nodded their heads.
Maya then walked forward and clapped her hands together as she began to give orders to the rest.
"Ok. Everyone please form groups for the mock battle~. And bring out the training machines from the hangar~."
Wanting to witness the EOS's capability, the girls let out an "eh" sound of unwillingness. However, they sprung to work as soon as they received Chifuyu's stare.
To the seven personal IS users who were still pondering about the armor, Chifuyu used the attendance book to knock their heads to hasten them.
"Hurry up, you idiots. We don't have all day, or could it be that you guys can't pilot these on such short notice?"
"That, that can't be, Orimura-sensei. As representative cadets, how could we possibly not know how to pilot such weaponry?"
Cecilia confidently asserted.
"Oh really. Try it then."
Seeing Chifuyu smile secretly, everyone began to feel a certain sense of extreme terror, but they all went to their allocated machines and worked into them.
When manipulating the armor, it gave a sensation no different from lifting heavy metals. Lacking being able to move freely, their brows naturally furrowed.
"Uuu, this is...!"
"Thi, this..."
"He, heavy."
"Ah, this must be a joke right..."
"How, how difficult to move..."
Ichika, Houki, Cecilia, Rin and Charlotte ran into trouble operating EOS. Simply because they were just too heavy.
Well, of course it felt that way. An EOS had more weight compared to an IS. Not to mention, IS's are equipped with the PIC's (Passive Inertia Control) anti-gravity system, and all IS parts also have auxiliary drives and auxiliary power to minimize loading. Therefore, one could operate it without worrying about it's weight.
In contrast, the EOS, in one sentence, is a big block of metal.
Even if auxiliary drives were to be fitted, the difference was still as clear as day.
In addition, the auxiliary power generator couldn't remain on for long periods of time with the EOS.
Furthermore, compared to the IS, which is equipped with the Direct Motion System so the suit could move faster than the pilot's body could, the movement of the armor, which did not have this system, seemed to lag behind the manipulation of the operator.
To top it off, the main weight problem is largely due to the huge box at the back of the armor. Called the next generation PPB (Portable Plasma Battery), just the weight of one plasma cell inside is already 30 kilograms.
Even so, the EOS only have an operation cycle of 10 minutes.
In this situation, everyone grew to understand how superior IS was.
"..."
However, compared to the others, the only remark Laura had for the EOS was an "ok".
"Then let's begin testing the EOS in a mock war situation. By the way, the only protection is the armor, so no one is allowed to aim directly at unarmored parts. Even though we're using paint bullets, getting hit will really sting."
Chifuyu clapped her hands to order everyone to get ready. At a moment's notice, a loud "Start!" resounded. Upon this signal, Laura used the roller blades on the machine to close in on Ichika who was still fighting with the controls of the armor.
"What!?"
"Humph. Too late!"
Laura turned to avoid a weak counter punch and drove right in front of Ichika.
She then lowered her waist and attacked his legs with a sweep.
"Ah!"
As Ichika fell, Laura took out the semi-automatic assault rifle equipped on the EOS, fired a burst of 3 bullets and retreated. The next target was Cecilia.
"It's over!"
"I will not be defeated so easily!"
Using the assault rifle which was set on full-auto, it was impossible for Cecilia to aim properly.
"Damn! What enormous recoil...!"
Typically, any IS-related shooting reaction force would be automatically offset by the machine's body, the PIC's reaction controls and the automatic balancing systems of the IS.
However, the EOS did not have such convenient systems. Thus, all actions and their resulting forces had to be controlled directly with the body.
"Ah, really! Even though it's just a normal live ammunition gun, operating it is enough to throw up!"
Even though she was hesitant at the start, Cecilia was still a national IS Representative Cadet. And thus, she had also experienced combat training in the military which allowed her to get used to the recoil after a while.
But, Laura was far superior. Before Cecilia could get used to the gun, she closed the gap between them.
"Aren't you fast! However, at this distance, I will not miss!"
"Naive."
Different from the turn against Ichika, it was a straight rush this time. Using the physical shield on her left hand to block the bullets, she dashed towards Cecilia using gathered momentum.
"!?"
"Hump..."
Still in her usual graceful posture, Cecilia's shoulder armor was rammed by Laura's straight rush.
"Ah!?"
Losing balance, Cecilia fell to the ground.
Due to the weight of the EOS, it was very difficult to get back up.
Of course, there was a support arm at the back to help one get back up, however, it was already too late. Before she could get up, Cecilia was caught in a rain of bullets from Laura.
"Two down!"
"Hu hu, an opening!"
From Laura's side, Rin rushed in for the assault.
"Take this!"
A straight punch suddenly came into range, however, with a slight tilt of her body, Laura avoided the attack.
"Eeehhh."
Unable to stop from her initial acceleration, Rin tripped and, "Bang" the unavoidable sound of Laura's gun resounded.
"Now all that's left is..."
Laura turned her gaze forward, towards Houki and Charlotte who were standing side by side.
"Who shall I start with?!"
"I, I don't mind going second..."
"Me, me too..."
Charlotte and Houki stood head to head, mutually asking the other to go first.
"Charlotte, why, why don't you go first?"
"No, no need. Houki can go first."
"Don't say that."
"You are being too kind."
"..."
"..."
"Then I shall go first!"
"No, let me go first!"
""You go ahead. No, you go ahead. No, you go ahead.""
Aah, such touching friendship.
But, the person to attack first was Laura.
"Eh?"
By the time Houki and Charlotte had realized this, it was too late.
A low but sharp sound resounded as the roller blades brought Laura closer.
"Eat, eat this!"
"I'm sorry Laura!"
The two formed a temporary team and decided on a shoot-out after seeing the way Rin fell.
Let's first not talk about Charlotte. Houki, being unable to control the recoil of the gun, fell butt first onto the ground.
"You're mine!"
To be expected, a rain of bullets came right after.
"Ouch! Stop, stop it idiot! Ouch! It hurts it hurts it hurts!"
But, Laura mercilessly fired the remaining bullets in the gun at Houki. Subsequently, she threw the empty assault rifle at Charlotte.
"Eeh!"
"Pardon me!"
Laura closed in in an instant, using both her hands to hold down Charlotte who instinctively took a defensive stance.
"Ah, ha ha...!"
"Oh. You guarded against it?"
"Eh, uum..."
"Then let's try it again."
Dong! She mercilessly pushed down the second time.
"Aah!?"
Just like Cecilia, Charlotte fell, back first.
But, as expected of Charlotte, she braced herself just before hitting the ground.
"Ok, that's enough!"
Chifuyu's voice announced the end of the mock battle.
"As expected of Bodewig."
"No, all of this was taught by the instructor when she was in the German army——"
Bang! An attack from the attendance book burst forth.
"It's Orimura-sensei."
"Ye, yes..."
As Laura rubbed her head, the rest took off the EOS and gathered around.
"Laura, have you used the EOS before?"
"I have not, but I have used something similar in the German army. It was mainly during the practical experiments with IS equipment."
Facing Ichika's question, Laura answered fluently. At this point, Charlotte joined in on the conversation.
"Eh, so that's why you're so amazing."
"No, this level can't be considered 'amazing' yet."
"If this is not amazing, then what is? Really."
Having felt utter defeat, Rin could only carry a sad expression.
"I say, you guy, ah... ha, ptz~."
Laura suddenly seemed to be holding back an urge to laugh.
Not understanding the reason, Ichika and the rest looked at each other. No matter what, whether it was their attire or faces, there were paintball ink traces everywhere.
"How, how evil of you Laura... You shot my face on purpose right?"
"I say, you can only blame yourself for getting hit... Ha ha ha~."
Seeing Laura's rare laughing face, Houki and the rest were at a loss.
Shown all over her face was an expression of an ordinary girl playing around with her friends.
"But really, this EOS thing, is there really any practical application for it?"
"I am also very concerned about this point."
Cecilia and Houki used their eyes to inquire Chifuyu.
"Well, in the wake of the limited number of IS available, this thing will show its worth in the fields of rescue activities and the likes."
Not to mention, even with 1000 EOS, it still cannot defeat 1 IS. About this point, it is better not to mention it.
It's tentative basis is also on the conclusion of 'never come into combat against an IS'.
(Really. To have these sent to the IS Academy, they sure are taking some risks.)
Furthermore, it's hard to understand the purpose of the principal in accepting such things.
But, let's not think too much for now.
——before 'that moment' arrives, Chifuyu can't consider too much on this issue.
But of course, some preparations still had to be made.
"..."
Because of such thoughts, she continued to reason in silence. Noticing the look of "we are waiting for further orders" from the members who had taken off the EOS,
"Ah. Then everyone, move the equipment to the second hangar. Use the equipment used to bring them here to bring them back. That's all."
Chifuyu clapped her hands together and everyone began working as ordered.
Even though the container was returned by Maya using an IS, the movement of the equipment still had to be done by hand. Rin let out a clear sound of dissatisfaction. With this, today's practical lesson ended.
"Ah, now that I think about it,"
In the changing room filled with girls after the joint practice, in the shower compartment,
Rin started this conversation.
"In that incident, didn't other personal IS machines receive serious damage as well?"
"There was something like this... ah, Rin! Please don't take my shampoo without permission!"
"Eh——, is there a problem? So the great Cecilia is actually very stingy."
"I am not! I just want you to tell me first!"
"Ah~, expensive shampoo really is the best~."
"Are, are you even listening to me!?"
Putting this problem aside first, the topic Rin brought up seems to have caught the attention of all the personal IS users present.
"Indeed. I heard that the second and third year personal IS users had to return to their country of origin for emergency repairs."
"U, un... It seems to be the case... however, it seems onee-san used the school's resources to fix hers..."
Kanzashi replied to Laura's words.
"Tatenashi-san's machine belongs to Russia right?"
"I've heard her say that because of international technical cooperation, it also incorporated technology from other countries."
Charlotte and Houki added respectively. Kanzashi added,
"Japan's technology, and... There were Italian researchers as well..."
"Italy? Could it be (Tempesta II)...?"
As expected of someone who was in the European next generation IS development race, to hear information about a competitor, Cecilia asked in a hurry. Kanzashi frantically nodded her head and answered.
"Un. The model was based after (Tempesta)... Just the machine, though."
The pilot of that model was Chifuyu's finals opponent in both the first and second Mondo Grosso. That (Tempesta).
She was also one of the rare few machines with a One-Off Ability, renounced world Number 2 and like Chifuyu's machine at that time, it was a pure offensive-type, using raw power to overwhelm its opponents.
Because she had such strengths, she dared to openly announce that the strongest was still undecided between her and Chifuyu. However, she also seems to have declined being the winner of the second Mondo Grosso.
Thus, when mentioning the "Strongest in the world", it is widely believed to be Chifuyu.
"Aah, but aren't those liquid nano machines something like the VT System?"
Charlotte's careless reasoning or should it be said natural direction of thought, caused Cecilia to shiver.
It seems she had reached the same conclusion in her heart.
"Because, to use emotions to control the flow of energy and that, aren't they the same thing?"
"Is, is it like this..."
"That said, aren't they the closest to perfecting it now?"
——crack.
It seems that Rin had stepped on a landmine in Cecilia's heart, or should it be said ripped through it.
"... Rin-san."
"Ah, what is it?"
"I'm never lending you my shampoo again."
"Eh?"
"Bath soap, hair conditioner, face cream, hand cream, towel, lotion, perfume, money. I am never lending anything to you ever again!"
'Eeeehhh? Why? Hey, why? Uuu, I will be really troubled by this..."
"..."
"Don't ignore me!"
