Infinite Stratos, Volume 4, page 4
“And how have you found three days of sleep deprivation and starvation? Hmm?”
I didn’t want to respond. Didn’t want to burn the energy to. That’s how exhausted I was.
“This is how interrogations are. How they’ve always been. In a room where time stands still. Sleepless. Unfed. Nothing to keep you company but falling drops of water.” The woman took a few steps, her hard soles clacking on the floor. “Mind if I sit down?”
‘Do whatever.’ Yes. Even if I could only think it, I thought it. The woman sat in a chair and rolled her head from side to side while slowly crossing her legs. As she did, one leg stretched out from her blinding halo. Surprisingly, it was bare. Was she not in uniform? Who was this? Definitely not my usual trainer. Likely not even a soldier. I’d thought it was the master of this room, but it seems I was wrong. Thinking again, her voice was higher than a soldier’s, her cadence more languid. Who is this? What is she doing in here? The dissonance brought my senses back to life. Overflowing with energy, in the next moment I began to plan my escape. That’s it. First, I—
“First, you kick out my chair, then you go for my neck? I wouldn’t recommend it.”
How?!
“How could I tell what you were thinking? Well...”
Her face slowly faded in from the light. No, only her lips. I couldn’t see her eyes. She was beautiful—at least, it seemed so. Her jawline certainly was. As were her lips, which slowly formed a few words.
“ ”
Somehow, I couldn’t make out her speech, despite having been trained in lipreading. Usually, I could easily make out speech even in utter silence. Yet now, I understood nothing. Still... That makes sense. It made more sense than I wanted it to. ‘Something’ made it seem inevitable. Something in those words.
“Then, let’s begin your interrogation. Laura, are you a patriot?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re a seasoned liar, I see. You don’t have a single shred of the flag in your heart, do you.”
“Of course I do!”
She pulled out a notepad, as if to imply that she didn’t care about my answer.
“Where are your comrades? How many are there? How are they equipped? Is there any backup?”
“I’ll never tell you that!”
“I see. How about this?” Her smile twisted into a smirk. I ignored the woman’s expression, though, as I cast about for a new gambit. “There’s someone you like, isn’t there.”
“...............”
My thoughts froze.
“N-No, there’s...”
“His name is Orimura Ichi—”
“WHAT?! No, wait, don’t say it!”
“Ahahah. You’re so adorable when you blush like that!”
“I’ll kill you! I’LL KILL YOU!”
Throwing off my exhaustion and my dejection, I leapt at her. And then—
◆
“Er... Laura?”
“Uh?”
The person Laura was pinning down with a knife to her throat was Charlotte. The place was their own room in the first year dorms at IS Academy. The time was sometime early in the morning, with the chirping of sparrows leaking in through the window.
“Um... You seemed like you were having a nightmare, so I was checking on you.”
“I... I see.”
Now that Charlotte mentioned it, Laura realized that she was covered in sweat. Her tangled hair was clinging to her skin.
“So... how much longer are we going to stay like this?”
“Oh, right... Sorry.”
Laura pulled her knife away from Charlotte’s jugular, then got up from off her. She didn’t remember much of her dream, but it couldn’t have been anything pleasant. The rush of blood to her head told her that much.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“Really? Thanks.”
At first, Laura’d been ambivalent about being paired with Charlotte, but as time went on, she was more and more grateful for her steadying presence. Even after their battle, Charlotte had welcomed her as a roommate and as a friend. I can’t believe I went at her with a knife...
Laura sighed as she stepped down from Charlotte’s bed. Charlotte continued, “By the way, Laura.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you ever going to start wearing anything to bed?”
Charlotte pointed it out again. Just as she’d said, Laura always slept nude. Her reasoning—
“I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I mean, I can’t argue with that, but... C’mon. You’re going to catch a cold.”
That was what the bath towel Charlotte always kept on her side table was for. As usual, she draped it over Laura.
“Mmm. Sorry about that. Anyway, I’m going to take a shower. What about you?”
“Yeah, I think I will, too. I’m all sweaty.”
“Together, then?”
“C’mon, no way! After you!”
“I was joking.”
Charlotte was stunned for a moment, hearing it with Laura’s trademark deadpan delivery. That was enough time for Laura to step into the bathroom and close the door behind her. Laura never jokes around, though. What was with that? There must be something going on with her, emotionally. Charlotte was worried about her, as a friend. Anyway, let’s find a way to at least make her wear pajamas. It was early in the morning, but Charlotte was already deep in thought.
◆
“So you want to go shopping?”
“Yeah.”
Laura and Charlotte spoke over breakfast in the dorm cafeteria. While they weren’t the only ones there, it certainly wasn’t crowded, as the only other students there were coming back from morning practice. As for their menu: macaroni salad, toast, and yogurt. Laura, though, had one more item.
“Are you sure you’re gonna feel well after a steak for breakfast?”
“Why not? Morning is the most efficient time to eat. It’s been scientifically proven. It’s weirder if you just go to sleep after, like you would with dinner. Any energy you don’t burn off just turns into fat, right? So I won’t stop you if you actually want to thicken up, but...”
“Say, Laura. Where’d you hear that, anyway?”
“My bride Ichika.”
“Phew... You really don’t sound like yourself today.”
I’ve never seen her this emotional, Charlotte thought as she poked her fork through the holes in her macaroni.
“Hey, why are you doing that?”
“Eating macaroni?”
“No, I mean. Why are you threading it on your fork, rather than just stabbing it?” Laura’s expression was so serious that Charlotte paused for a moment. “Why? Well, why not?”
“Why not, huh...”
“You should give it a try too. It’s pretty fun.”
As Charlotte spoke, she already regretted it. Wait, I sound like a little kid. Laura’s probably...
“You’re right, something’s definitely funny.”
“Really? You enjoy it too?”
“Something’s funny with your head.”
No way! Of course not! Laura would never say that!
“Charlotte.”
Gulp!
“You’re right, this is fun. Maybe I’ll try to do it with all of them.”
As Laura spoke, she began to push her macaroni around her plate. It looked like she really was having fun. Charlotte was relieved.
“This is harder than I thought.”
Laura was struggling fiercely with the last few pieces. Somehow, Charlotte was reminded of a cat she’d once had, and became lost in thought for a moment. She was always clumsy in the funniest ways. I still remember her face when she chased a ball of yarn so long that it unraveled.
“I did it.”
“Yay!”
Charlotte clapped as Laura brandished her macaroni-laden fork. Other students began to look over, curious at the commotion.
“So, when did you want to go shopping?”
“Hmm. I was thinking we should head out around ten, how’s that sound? Maybe spend an hour or so looking around, and get lunch wherever looks good.”
“I see. I should invite my bride along. I’m going to make a great husband.”
“Ah— Ahaha... I’m sure...”
◆
“He’s not in his room. He’s not answering his phone either. Where’d he go? Is he cheating on me?”
“Maybe he’s just not home.”
“I can probably get through to him over IS private channel. I’ll give that a shot.”
“Wait! Bad idea! Laura, you can’t just use IS functions for whatever you want.”
“Whatever. I’m more worried about finding my bride.”
“Ms. Orimura will be mad.”
Laura stopped abruptly.
“You’re right. He needs his private time. All right, Charlotte. Let’s get going.”
“Yeah.”
The two went back to their room to prepare to go out. Which should have meant street clothes, but...
“Um... Laura? Why are you in military uniform?”
“It’s the only other clothes I own.”
“.........” Charlotte held her head in her hands. Now that she thought of it, she never had seen Laura hanging around their room in normal clothing. “Your school uniform’s fine. Plus, you don’t want anyone from Germany to be mad at you, right?”
“Oh, good point. All right, I’ll change into my school uniform.”
Laura changed with a speed surprising for a girl, and no more than 15 minutes later, they headed out.
“First, let’s take a bus to the station.”
“Okay.”
Almost as soon as they reached the stop, a bus arrived, and they boarded. It was still summer vacation, so it was nearly empty even at a little past ten. Laura was in her school uniform, and Charlotte was in street clothes: a summery one-piece, with cooling light blue accents. Unusually for a city bus, rather than being air-conditioned, the windows were open to let in a breeze.
You know, I’ve never gotten the chance to really take a look around town. I’ll have to do that today. The breeze lapped at Charlotte as she gazed out the window. Her golden hair glimmered in the sun as it fluttered back and forth.
Next to her, Laura’s eye fixed intently on feature after feature. That building would make an ideal sniper’s nest. The supermarket across the street could provide long-term supplies. I’ll need to acquire a map of the sewer and subway systems. And then, find a building with a backup generator... Her silver tresses had their own glimmer, but her sharp glare made her seem out of place.
“Hey, look over there! At those two!”
“Wow, she’s beautiful.”
“Her friend is cute too. Are they models?”
“I dunno, it looks like the one with silver hair is in a school uniform. I’ve never seen that design before, though.”
“Silly! That’s an IS Academy uniform. They let you customize them there.”
“IS Academy? You mean the one with an acceptance rate under one in ten thousand?”
“Yeah. You have to be the best of the best, on a national level, to get in there.”
“Wow! It’s no fair that she gets to be that pretty, too.”
“Life isn’t fair.”
A group of high school girls, so excited they couldn’t keep their voices down, were watching Charlotte and Laura. Their excited conversation drifted across the narrow space of the bus.
“.........”
Charlotte had never heard such praise, and hid her face in embarrassment. Laura, on the other hand, let it pass by as she returned to her mental simulation of the city at war.
The power of an IS has no rival. But still, wars aren’t won by individual soldiers. If an invading force attempted to move in and hold territory, the defenders would need to set up an infantry line themselves.
IS were only useful if the goal was to level the entire city.
If I assume that the attack would be preceded with a bombing raid, multiple independent mobile SAM launchers would also be necessary. If possible, also MANPADS. Javelins or Starstreaks could also be used as anti-tank weaponry. Most importantly—
“Laura. Laura!”
“What?”
“We’re at our stop. C’mon, save whatever it is for later.”
“Fine.”
Together with the other passengers, they stepped off the bus and walked into the mall. Charlotte pulled a magazine from her bag and began checking the directory printed inside for something.
“Hmm, okay. It’s probably best to go in this order.”
“Right.”
“Let’s check out the clothes first, and get lunch on the way. I was also going to look at housewares and accessories, if you don’t mind.”
“I’m not really sure what I’m doing, so I’ll just follow you.”
As usual, Laura was unaccustomed to what normal teen girls were into. She may have been one herself, but she still didn’t understand them at all. Still, it felt a bit weird to her. She’d always been insistent on getting on her own way, but she was following along with Charlotte without a complaint. Normally she’d have chosen her own route even if she wasn’t completely sure. It’s surely strange... Charlotte had some sort of strange authority. Perhaps this was the motherly touch Laura’d never known.
“Laura, are you listening?”
“Huh— Oh, sorry. I missed that.”
“Come on. Do you prefer slacks or a skirt?”
“I’m fine either—”
“Don’t just tell me you’re fine either way. Sometimes you’re just like Ichika.”
Charlotte let out a sigh, while Laura broke into a proud grin.
“It’s good for a husband and bride to be alike.”
Charlotte let out another sigh in frustration at the absurdity and changed the topic.
“Anyway, let’s head up to the seventh floor. The sixth and fifth are ladies’ clothing too, so we can work our way down.”
“Huh? Why start at the top? What’s wrong with working our way up?”
“It’s best to go top to bottom. See, it’s how the stores are set up.”
Charlotte pointed at something in the magazine, but...
“I don’t get it.”
Charlotte grumbled, “The lower floors already have fall clothing. Up above has mostly changed over too, but there’s still some summer clothing on clearance, so...”
“I don’t need fall clothing.”
“Eh? Why not?”
“It’s summer.”
Laura said it matter-of-factly, but Charlotte was dumbfounded.
“I can buy fall clothes in fall.”
“Wait, but... Girls normally do their shopping in advance.”
“Oh? I see. If the war’s already begun, it’s too late to begin mobilization. Is it like that?”
“Sure... Yeah. Yeah, it is.”
“Forewarned is forearmed, then.”
That wasn’t really the way a girl would normally think of it, but Laura had managed to work her way to a similar conclusion. It would be strange to call it wrong, per se, so Charlotte let it go.
“Anyway, let’s work our way through. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask.”
“Sure. I’m glad you’re here,” Laura replied.
The two took an elevator to the seventh floor. The air conditioning was turned up to deal with the masses of teenagers doing their shopping.
“It’d be bad if we got split up. Let’s hold hands.”
“O-Okay.”
Charlotte said it casually, but Laura nodded with a bit of shyness. For some reason, she was just going along again.
“All right, let’s start here.”
“‘Third Surface.’ That’s a funny name.”
“It’s pretty popular, though. Look at all the girls in there.”
As Laura looked in, she saw that it was indeed packed with middle school and high school girls. The store was buzzing, especially because of the sales. It was only to be expected that it was a bit understaffed. But—
“.........” A bag slipped out of the manager’s hand. “A blonde, and one with silver hair!”
As soon as the manager noticed them, the staff followed along. As if mesmerized, they began to talk among themselves.
“They’re like dolls...”
“Are they filming?”
“Yuri, can you handle this one?”
The manager looked at Laura and Charlotte before shuffling over. As if entranced, or as if the heat was getting to her.
“Wait, what, me? Are you even going to pick—”
The clerk lost her words mid-complaint as she looked over the duo. Two beauties as if plucked from the pages of a storybook, and holding hands with fingers intertwined. Lightly, oh so ephemerally. It made them seem even more ethereal.
“Wh-What can I help you find?”
The manager’s excitement was visible, and made her seem out of place in her suit. It was striking enough to make Charlotte put aside her thoughts of leaving the store to get away from the stares.
“I’m looking for clothing for her. Do you have any recommendations?” Charlotte asked.
“Ah, the girl with the silver hair? Just a moment, I’ll take a look! Here!”
The manager pulled something off a mannequin—one which would likely sell even out of season, placed in the front of the store to draw in customers. While it wasn’t strictly just for advertising, it was the sort of thing that would normally only be removed from the mannequin for special customers. Normally.
“How about this? I think this white summer shirt matches your hair fabulously.”
“It’s so sheer you can almost see through it. Laura, what do you think?”
“I don’t kn—”
“No saying you don’t know.”
“Ugh...”
Headed off before she could even finish her sentence, Laura let a rare look of offense creep over her face. The manager blinked as the childish expression made her reevaluate her assessment of Laura as the calm one.
“White, huh. I don’t mind it. I’m wearing that color now.”
“Ah, yes.”
The unexpectedly un-girlish response left the manager at a loss for words.
“Why not try it on, Laura?”
“It would be too mu—”
I didn’t want to respond. Didn’t want to burn the energy to. That’s how exhausted I was.
“This is how interrogations are. How they’ve always been. In a room where time stands still. Sleepless. Unfed. Nothing to keep you company but falling drops of water.” The woman took a few steps, her hard soles clacking on the floor. “Mind if I sit down?”
‘Do whatever.’ Yes. Even if I could only think it, I thought it. The woman sat in a chair and rolled her head from side to side while slowly crossing her legs. As she did, one leg stretched out from her blinding halo. Surprisingly, it was bare. Was she not in uniform? Who was this? Definitely not my usual trainer. Likely not even a soldier. I’d thought it was the master of this room, but it seems I was wrong. Thinking again, her voice was higher than a soldier’s, her cadence more languid. Who is this? What is she doing in here? The dissonance brought my senses back to life. Overflowing with energy, in the next moment I began to plan my escape. That’s it. First, I—
“First, you kick out my chair, then you go for my neck? I wouldn’t recommend it.”
How?!
“How could I tell what you were thinking? Well...”
Her face slowly faded in from the light. No, only her lips. I couldn’t see her eyes. She was beautiful—at least, it seemed so. Her jawline certainly was. As were her lips, which slowly formed a few words.
“ ”
Somehow, I couldn’t make out her speech, despite having been trained in lipreading. Usually, I could easily make out speech even in utter silence. Yet now, I understood nothing. Still... That makes sense. It made more sense than I wanted it to. ‘Something’ made it seem inevitable. Something in those words.
“Then, let’s begin your interrogation. Laura, are you a patriot?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re a seasoned liar, I see. You don’t have a single shred of the flag in your heart, do you.”
“Of course I do!”
She pulled out a notepad, as if to imply that she didn’t care about my answer.
“Where are your comrades? How many are there? How are they equipped? Is there any backup?”
“I’ll never tell you that!”
“I see. How about this?” Her smile twisted into a smirk. I ignored the woman’s expression, though, as I cast about for a new gambit. “There’s someone you like, isn’t there.”
“...............”
My thoughts froze.
“N-No, there’s...”
“His name is Orimura Ichi—”
“WHAT?! No, wait, don’t say it!”
“Ahahah. You’re so adorable when you blush like that!”
“I’ll kill you! I’LL KILL YOU!”
Throwing off my exhaustion and my dejection, I leapt at her. And then—
◆
“Er... Laura?”
“Uh?”
The person Laura was pinning down with a knife to her throat was Charlotte. The place was their own room in the first year dorms at IS Academy. The time was sometime early in the morning, with the chirping of sparrows leaking in through the window.
“Um... You seemed like you were having a nightmare, so I was checking on you.”
“I... I see.”
Now that Charlotte mentioned it, Laura realized that she was covered in sweat. Her tangled hair was clinging to her skin.
“So... how much longer are we going to stay like this?”
“Oh, right... Sorry.”
Laura pulled her knife away from Charlotte’s jugular, then got up from off her. She didn’t remember much of her dream, but it couldn’t have been anything pleasant. The rush of blood to her head told her that much.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“Really? Thanks.”
At first, Laura’d been ambivalent about being paired with Charlotte, but as time went on, she was more and more grateful for her steadying presence. Even after their battle, Charlotte had welcomed her as a roommate and as a friend. I can’t believe I went at her with a knife...
Laura sighed as she stepped down from Charlotte’s bed. Charlotte continued, “By the way, Laura.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you ever going to start wearing anything to bed?”
Charlotte pointed it out again. Just as she’d said, Laura always slept nude. Her reasoning—
“I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I mean, I can’t argue with that, but... C’mon. You’re going to catch a cold.”
That was what the bath towel Charlotte always kept on her side table was for. As usual, she draped it over Laura.
“Mmm. Sorry about that. Anyway, I’m going to take a shower. What about you?”
“Yeah, I think I will, too. I’m all sweaty.”
“Together, then?”
“C’mon, no way! After you!”
“I was joking.”
Charlotte was stunned for a moment, hearing it with Laura’s trademark deadpan delivery. That was enough time for Laura to step into the bathroom and close the door behind her. Laura never jokes around, though. What was with that? There must be something going on with her, emotionally. Charlotte was worried about her, as a friend. Anyway, let’s find a way to at least make her wear pajamas. It was early in the morning, but Charlotte was already deep in thought.
◆
“So you want to go shopping?”
“Yeah.”
Laura and Charlotte spoke over breakfast in the dorm cafeteria. While they weren’t the only ones there, it certainly wasn’t crowded, as the only other students there were coming back from morning practice. As for their menu: macaroni salad, toast, and yogurt. Laura, though, had one more item.
“Are you sure you’re gonna feel well after a steak for breakfast?”
“Why not? Morning is the most efficient time to eat. It’s been scientifically proven. It’s weirder if you just go to sleep after, like you would with dinner. Any energy you don’t burn off just turns into fat, right? So I won’t stop you if you actually want to thicken up, but...”
“Say, Laura. Where’d you hear that, anyway?”
“My bride Ichika.”
“Phew... You really don’t sound like yourself today.”
I’ve never seen her this emotional, Charlotte thought as she poked her fork through the holes in her macaroni.
“Hey, why are you doing that?”
“Eating macaroni?”
“No, I mean. Why are you threading it on your fork, rather than just stabbing it?” Laura’s expression was so serious that Charlotte paused for a moment. “Why? Well, why not?”
“Why not, huh...”
“You should give it a try too. It’s pretty fun.”
As Charlotte spoke, she already regretted it. Wait, I sound like a little kid. Laura’s probably...
“You’re right, something’s definitely funny.”
“Really? You enjoy it too?”
“Something’s funny with your head.”
No way! Of course not! Laura would never say that!
“Charlotte.”
Gulp!
“You’re right, this is fun. Maybe I’ll try to do it with all of them.”
As Laura spoke, she began to push her macaroni around her plate. It looked like she really was having fun. Charlotte was relieved.
“This is harder than I thought.”
Laura was struggling fiercely with the last few pieces. Somehow, Charlotte was reminded of a cat she’d once had, and became lost in thought for a moment. She was always clumsy in the funniest ways. I still remember her face when she chased a ball of yarn so long that it unraveled.
“I did it.”
“Yay!”
Charlotte clapped as Laura brandished her macaroni-laden fork. Other students began to look over, curious at the commotion.
“So, when did you want to go shopping?”
“Hmm. I was thinking we should head out around ten, how’s that sound? Maybe spend an hour or so looking around, and get lunch wherever looks good.”
“I see. I should invite my bride along. I’m going to make a great husband.”
“Ah— Ahaha... I’m sure...”
◆
“He’s not in his room. He’s not answering his phone either. Where’d he go? Is he cheating on me?”
“Maybe he’s just not home.”
“I can probably get through to him over IS private channel. I’ll give that a shot.”
“Wait! Bad idea! Laura, you can’t just use IS functions for whatever you want.”
“Whatever. I’m more worried about finding my bride.”
“Ms. Orimura will be mad.”
Laura stopped abruptly.
“You’re right. He needs his private time. All right, Charlotte. Let’s get going.”
“Yeah.”
The two went back to their room to prepare to go out. Which should have meant street clothes, but...
“Um... Laura? Why are you in military uniform?”
“It’s the only other clothes I own.”
“.........” Charlotte held her head in her hands. Now that she thought of it, she never had seen Laura hanging around their room in normal clothing. “Your school uniform’s fine. Plus, you don’t want anyone from Germany to be mad at you, right?”
“Oh, good point. All right, I’ll change into my school uniform.”
Laura changed with a speed surprising for a girl, and no more than 15 minutes later, they headed out.
“First, let’s take a bus to the station.”
“Okay.”
Almost as soon as they reached the stop, a bus arrived, and they boarded. It was still summer vacation, so it was nearly empty even at a little past ten. Laura was in her school uniform, and Charlotte was in street clothes: a summery one-piece, with cooling light blue accents. Unusually for a city bus, rather than being air-conditioned, the windows were open to let in a breeze.
You know, I’ve never gotten the chance to really take a look around town. I’ll have to do that today. The breeze lapped at Charlotte as she gazed out the window. Her golden hair glimmered in the sun as it fluttered back and forth.
Next to her, Laura’s eye fixed intently on feature after feature. That building would make an ideal sniper’s nest. The supermarket across the street could provide long-term supplies. I’ll need to acquire a map of the sewer and subway systems. And then, find a building with a backup generator... Her silver tresses had their own glimmer, but her sharp glare made her seem out of place.
“Hey, look over there! At those two!”
“Wow, she’s beautiful.”
“Her friend is cute too. Are they models?”
“I dunno, it looks like the one with silver hair is in a school uniform. I’ve never seen that design before, though.”
“Silly! That’s an IS Academy uniform. They let you customize them there.”
“IS Academy? You mean the one with an acceptance rate under one in ten thousand?”
“Yeah. You have to be the best of the best, on a national level, to get in there.”
“Wow! It’s no fair that she gets to be that pretty, too.”
“Life isn’t fair.”
A group of high school girls, so excited they couldn’t keep their voices down, were watching Charlotte and Laura. Their excited conversation drifted across the narrow space of the bus.
“.........”
Charlotte had never heard such praise, and hid her face in embarrassment. Laura, on the other hand, let it pass by as she returned to her mental simulation of the city at war.
The power of an IS has no rival. But still, wars aren’t won by individual soldiers. If an invading force attempted to move in and hold territory, the defenders would need to set up an infantry line themselves.
IS were only useful if the goal was to level the entire city.
If I assume that the attack would be preceded with a bombing raid, multiple independent mobile SAM launchers would also be necessary. If possible, also MANPADS. Javelins or Starstreaks could also be used as anti-tank weaponry. Most importantly—
“Laura. Laura!”
“What?”
“We’re at our stop. C’mon, save whatever it is for later.”
“Fine.”
Together with the other passengers, they stepped off the bus and walked into the mall. Charlotte pulled a magazine from her bag and began checking the directory printed inside for something.
“Hmm, okay. It’s probably best to go in this order.”
“Right.”
“Let’s check out the clothes first, and get lunch on the way. I was also going to look at housewares and accessories, if you don’t mind.”
“I’m not really sure what I’m doing, so I’ll just follow you.”
As usual, Laura was unaccustomed to what normal teen girls were into. She may have been one herself, but she still didn’t understand them at all. Still, it felt a bit weird to her. She’d always been insistent on getting on her own way, but she was following along with Charlotte without a complaint. Normally she’d have chosen her own route even if she wasn’t completely sure. It’s surely strange... Charlotte had some sort of strange authority. Perhaps this was the motherly touch Laura’d never known.
“Laura, are you listening?”
“Huh— Oh, sorry. I missed that.”
“Come on. Do you prefer slacks or a skirt?”
“I’m fine either—”
“Don’t just tell me you’re fine either way. Sometimes you’re just like Ichika.”
Charlotte let out a sigh, while Laura broke into a proud grin.
“It’s good for a husband and bride to be alike.”
Charlotte let out another sigh in frustration at the absurdity and changed the topic.
“Anyway, let’s head up to the seventh floor. The sixth and fifth are ladies’ clothing too, so we can work our way down.”
“Huh? Why start at the top? What’s wrong with working our way up?”
“It’s best to go top to bottom. See, it’s how the stores are set up.”
Charlotte pointed at something in the magazine, but...
“I don’t get it.”
Charlotte grumbled, “The lower floors already have fall clothing. Up above has mostly changed over too, but there’s still some summer clothing on clearance, so...”
“I don’t need fall clothing.”
“Eh? Why not?”
“It’s summer.”
Laura said it matter-of-factly, but Charlotte was dumbfounded.
“I can buy fall clothes in fall.”
“Wait, but... Girls normally do their shopping in advance.”
“Oh? I see. If the war’s already begun, it’s too late to begin mobilization. Is it like that?”
“Sure... Yeah. Yeah, it is.”
“Forewarned is forearmed, then.”
That wasn’t really the way a girl would normally think of it, but Laura had managed to work her way to a similar conclusion. It would be strange to call it wrong, per se, so Charlotte let it go.
“Anyway, let’s work our way through. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask.”
“Sure. I’m glad you’re here,” Laura replied.
The two took an elevator to the seventh floor. The air conditioning was turned up to deal with the masses of teenagers doing their shopping.
“It’d be bad if we got split up. Let’s hold hands.”
“O-Okay.”
Charlotte said it casually, but Laura nodded with a bit of shyness. For some reason, she was just going along again.
“All right, let’s start here.”
“‘Third Surface.’ That’s a funny name.”
“It’s pretty popular, though. Look at all the girls in there.”
As Laura looked in, she saw that it was indeed packed with middle school and high school girls. The store was buzzing, especially because of the sales. It was only to be expected that it was a bit understaffed. But—
“.........” A bag slipped out of the manager’s hand. “A blonde, and one with silver hair!”
As soon as the manager noticed them, the staff followed along. As if mesmerized, they began to talk among themselves.
“They’re like dolls...”
“Are they filming?”
“Yuri, can you handle this one?”
The manager looked at Laura and Charlotte before shuffling over. As if entranced, or as if the heat was getting to her.
“Wait, what, me? Are you even going to pick—”
The clerk lost her words mid-complaint as she looked over the duo. Two beauties as if plucked from the pages of a storybook, and holding hands with fingers intertwined. Lightly, oh so ephemerally. It made them seem even more ethereal.
“Wh-What can I help you find?”
The manager’s excitement was visible, and made her seem out of place in her suit. It was striking enough to make Charlotte put aside her thoughts of leaving the store to get away from the stares.
“I’m looking for clothing for her. Do you have any recommendations?” Charlotte asked.
“Ah, the girl with the silver hair? Just a moment, I’ll take a look! Here!”
The manager pulled something off a mannequin—one which would likely sell even out of season, placed in the front of the store to draw in customers. While it wasn’t strictly just for advertising, it was the sort of thing that would normally only be removed from the mannequin for special customers. Normally.
“How about this? I think this white summer shirt matches your hair fabulously.”
“It’s so sheer you can almost see through it. Laura, what do you think?”
“I don’t kn—”
“No saying you don’t know.”
“Ugh...”
Headed off before she could even finish her sentence, Laura let a rare look of offense creep over her face. The manager blinked as the childish expression made her reevaluate her assessment of Laura as the calm one.
“White, huh. I don’t mind it. I’m wearing that color now.”
“Ah, yes.”
The unexpectedly un-girlish response left the manager at a loss for words.
“Why not try it on, Laura?”
“It would be too mu—”
