Infinite Stratos, Volume 2, page 4
I had stripped off my pants and shorts completely, and pulled my IS suit up to around my waist. In flagrante—very flagrant—delicto, so to say.
“These’re tough to put on naked. Things get caught.”
“Th-Things?”
“Yeah.”
“.........”
Was I just imagining things, or did he suddenly blush? What a weirdo.
“There we go. Let’s get going.”
“Okay.”
Having both changed, we left the locker room. As we walked to the field, I looked over at Charles again.
“That suit looks easy to wear. Who makes it?”
“Oh, this? It’s a design by Dunois. It’s based on the Phalanx, but it’s almost all custom-order.”
“Dunois? That name sounds familiar.”
“Yeah. It’s my family. My father is the president. I think we’re the biggest IS-related company in France.”
“Wow! So your dad’s the company president? Makes sense, I guess.”
“Er? Why?”
“I dunno, I just got the impression that you were brought up somewhere fancy. Guess I was right.”
“Somewhere fancy, huh...”
Charles avoided eye contact, and a troubled expression sprang to his face. It seemed like I’d brought up something I shouldn’t have.
“You’re more impressive, to be honest. I can’t believe you’re the brother of the Orimura Chifuyu,” he said.
“Hahaha, you little scamp!”
“Huh?”
“Oh, nothing. Anyway, looks like we’ve each got one strike.”
“Huh? I’m not really sure what you mean...”
There was some unavoidable circumstance here. Circumstance, circumstance, stump.
“Oh, never mind. We’re better off not talking about it.”
“Huh?”
Oh. He gave me a funny look. What a failure! I’d changed the topic to get away from funny looks. I felt like crawling into a hole and dying.
“Ahem... Mr. Dunois, a physics question.”
“Why are you being so formal all of a sudden?”
“Bear with me. How do you calculate the drag force acting on a falling object?”
“Er, using the square of its velocity?”
“It’s like that.”
Good job, me. What an intelligent-sounding way to explain it. I had to have had at least 50 points in INT just then. I was sure of it.
“.........”
Eh? Huh? He clammed up. Why? Silence of the North? I loved that one, but maybe Charles preferred of the Lambs.
—Hm? Wait. “Silence” wasn’t a series?
He burst out laughing.
“Seriously? You’re so funny, Ichika.”
He laughed. What a failure! (Repeat from above.)
“I was hoping you’d laugh and give me a ‘Hahaha, you little scamp!’...”
“Don’t sulk like that! I already complimented your sense of humor!”
Huh? Really? Okay, then.
“You’re late!”
We arrive at the second field... A moment too late. The demon stood, her arms folded...
—Did she want a beatstick? Really, when you write it out, it looks like a brand name for something. Beatstick, by Dr—
“If you have time to stand around thinking of worthless things, you have time to get in line!”
Smack! Thanks for the advice.
Charles and I join the end of our class’ line.
“You sure took your time.”
As luck would have it, we were next to Cecilia. She had been trying to micromanage me since the class rep match in April. Sorry, but my “big sister” spot was filled already.
“Why did it take you so long to just get changed?”
Her IS suit was a standard women’s model, and looked something like a one-piece swimsuit, or a leotard. Apparently, showing so much skin made it easier to move around. The IS’ shield barrier provided enough defense for the suit to be fairly flimsy.
On the other hand, mine and Charles’ were different—they completely covered our bodies up to our necks. Only the head, hands, and feet were left uncovered, almost like a scuba drysuit. Supposedly, this was to gather more data. Oh well, if ours were like swimsuits, too, they’d leave us shirtless. It seems like they thought of everything, probably.
“It was crowded getting here.”
“Liar. You normally make it on time, too.”
Huh? For some reason, Cecilia’s words were laced with barbs. I suppose she proved the old saying ‘that every rose has its thorns.’ Somehow, I feel like I’ve said that before. Though then, it was in response to Rin’s “Wow, doesn’t it embarrass you to say that?”
“That’s right. I’m sure it’s because Ichika is just soooo popular with the girls. After all, if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t get slapped two months in a row.”
Ugh. Such snark. Remembering that slap, my cheek began to ache again.
“What? Did you do something again?”
—A formless voice... Are you a master ninja?! Guards! GUARDS!
“Behind you, idiot!”
Oh, right. Class B was lined up behind us. Who was it? Rin? Had to be. No one else in Class B would say that to me. Always with the “idiot.”
“Ichika here already got slapped by the new girl.”
“Wow! Ichika, why are you such an idiot?”
“Don’t worry... there are two idiots right here in front of me,” said a voice.
Cecilia and Rin twisted their necks in the direction of the sudden creak of tin. A demon awaited their gaze. The demon of this training field welcomed all. She does not discriminate on the basis of age, nationality, and gender. And now, the gates of hell creaked open.
Smack!
Under the wide blue sky, the clipboard claims another set of victims.
◇
“Beginning today, we’ll be conducting both hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship exercises.”
“Okay.”
With Class A and B together, there were twice as many students as usual. It made the response sound more energetic.
“Ugh... Hitting someone on the head on the least pretext...”
“It’s all, all, all Ichika’s fault...”
Cecilia and Rin rubbed their heads with tears in their eyes, perhaps from the pain of being hit.
—Anyway, Rin, wasn’t that an improper and baseless claim? I may be overthinking things, but if I wasn’t there’s a slander case there for sure!
Bam!
“I can tell exactly what you’re thinking.”
Ow, she kicked me. The girl behind me kicked me!
—Teach! Teeeeach! I need aid!
“We’ll be conducting combat exercises today. Now, I know you girls are full of energy, so... Huang! Alcott!”
“Why me?” cried Cecilia.
They were completely caught up in it now. Give it up, Cecilia. You’re never going to be able to slide past Chifuyu. Of course, that didn’t stop her from doing it to us sometimes, though she preferred physical attacks.
“We’ll be starting immediately with those who have their own personal IS. Step forward.”
“Still, why me out of that list?”
“It’s Ichika’s fault that I have to do this...”
—Lalala, I can’t quite hear.
“Show some enthusiasm. Don’t you want to impress him?” Chifuyu whispered.
“I suppose this is a moment suited to I, Cecilia Alcott, the British National Cadet!”
“I guess we can show off the talent that earned us our own IS!”
—Huh? What did Chifuyu just say to them?
For some reason, their morale gauges are suddenly maxed out. What the heck. Did she tell them the winner got lunch? Wait, they’re girls, so maybe dessert instead.
“And who am I to compete with? I certainly wouldn’t object to it being Ling.”
“Well, well. I could say the same. This time, I’ll take you down.”
“Be quiet, you idiots. Your opponent will be—”
Shiiiiiiiing!
Huh? What was that sound? It sounded as if the heavens were being ripped apart, but—
“Ahhhhhh! Look out!”
Lookout? Who, me— Whoa!
Boom!
By the time I turned toward the voice, it was already too late. I was struck by an unidentified flying object, and rolled to the ground after being blown several meters away.
“Phew. I barely got Byakushiki out in time. But what was—”
Squish.
“Huh...?”
What was this feeling in the palm of my hand? Is the ground supposed to be this soft? Is it pudding here? Is this what they mean by the Pudding Belt?
“Er, Orimura, could you— Ahh!”
—The pudding is talking!
Wait, wait, wait. That made no sense... Fearfully, I turn my gaze toward my hand.
“Er... Um... We can’t... do that here... No! That’s not the only problem! You and I are student and teacher! But... I suppose being Ms. Orimura’s sister-in-law has its own appeal...”
Ms. Yamada. It was Ms. Yamada. Ms. Yamada was the pudding. And what a big cup of pudding it was.
—I sound like a dirty old man.
It hadn’t been obvious because of how her clothes were cut, but now she was in an IS suit. Its low-cut neckline did nothing to conceal the beautiful curves of her swelling breasts. They were huge. Bigger than Chifuyu’s. And even worse was my own position. Somehow, after being blown away, I had rolled to a stop on top of Ms. Yamada. And my hand was not only on her breast, but was still squeezing in shock.
I realized that I needed to let go. However, my body wasn’t inclined to cooperate. No, really!
—Come on! Hand, you need to move right now! Why won’t you move?! Is this what sleep paralysis is li—
“Wha—”
A sudden premonition of danger snapped me from my paralysis, and I immediately threw myself away from Ms. Yamada. A blast of laser light filled the space where my head had been a moment before.
“Ohohohoho. That’s too bad, I seem to have missed.”
There was a smile on her face, but also an obviously-visible pulsing vein on her forehead. The Azure Sniper, Cecilia Alcott (Rage Mode)!
—Oh God...
“.........”
I heard the clang of something being pieced together. Was that what I thought it was? The sound of Rin’s weapon, the Souten Gagetsu, being combined? At first, it was split into two pieces. Combining them turned it into a double-bladed form that she could then throw. Yeah, she wound up just like that and then—
“WHOA!”
That thing almost took my head off! I barely managed to dodge, but stumbled and fell flat on my back. What I looked up at filled me with despair. Her twin blades, when combined, flew just like a boomerang. There was no way I could dodge.
—I’m done for...
“Fire!”
Bang! Bang!
Two swift shots echoed. The bullets found their mark on Rin’s Souten Gagetsu, and changed its trajectory.
As I listened to the sound of spent casings hitting the ground, I turned my gaze toward the shooter who had saved me. It was Ms. Yamada. Mounted firmly in her hands was the .51-caliber assault rifle called Red Bullet.
Manufactured by the American company, Klaus, its practicality and reliability have made it standard-issue worldwide. But what was most surprising was her accuracy, even having only managed to prop herself up slightly after falling. Unlike her usual puppylike air, now she had a steely calm. She seemed completely unlike the person who’d crashed into a wall during my entrance exam.
“.........”
I wasn’t the only one shocked, either. Cecilia, Rin, and the other girls were all stunned.
“I guess you really are a former National Cadet, Ms. Yamada. You made that shot without breaking a sweat.”
“That was a long time ago. And I never was anything but a cadet.”
Ms. Yamada returned to her normal self. She rolled over and stood up, then returned her gun to its shoulder-mounted container. Afterward, she adjusted her tilted glasses with both hands. Yep... That was definitely Ms. Yamada. She was even blushing slightly from Chifuyu’s praise.
“Anyway, girls, that’s enough gawking. Let’s do this.”
“What? Two-on-one?”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Don’t worry. You two will lose quickly enough.”
Being told they’d lose was enough to put some fighting spirit back in Cecilia and Rin’s eyes. Especially for Cecilia, it seemed the prospect of a rematch was just continuing to pump her up.
“Then, let’s begin!”
As the signal, Cecilia and Rin immediately leapt. Ms. Yamada watched for a moment, then followed.
“I won’t hold back!” explained Cecilia.
“Last time I was just playing around!” shouted Rin.
“H-Here I come!”
The words were definitely Ms. Yamada’s, but her demeanor was as cold and calculated as before. Cecilia and Rin made the first attack, but it was easily dodged.
“Now... Oh, right. Good timing. Dunois, tell us about Ms. Yamada’s IS.”
“Okay.”
As we watched the aerial battle unfold, Charles began an explanation in a clear voice.
“The IS Ms. Yamada is using is Dunois’ ‘Rafale Revive.’ While it was the final second-generation IS to be developed, its specs are comparable to those of early third-generation models, and it’s become known for its consistency, versatility, and wide variety of available loadouts. It currently holds a third-place share of the global IS market, even as the most recent model to enter mass production, and is produced under license in seven countries and used in twelve. Especially notable is its ease of piloting, making it both acceptable to a wide range of pilots and versatile in a multirole function. Its loadouts make it useful in close-in, sniping, and defensive roles, and it’s well-known for extensive third-party support.”
“Thank you, that’s enough for now... It’s over.”
I had been so engrossed in Charles’ explanation that I had completely forgotten about the battle going on. As I looked up again, I saw a shot of Ms. Yamada’s force Cecilia to dodge into Rin, which she then followed up with a grenade. From the smoke of the explosion, two figures fell to earth.
“Ugh... I can’t believe I, of all people, lost...”
“You got read like a book.”
“And you didn’t?! You’re not supposed to just fire your impact cannon in the air aimlessly!”
“I could say the same thing! Why’d you launch your bits so soon? And you run out of energy so fast!”
“Grrrrrr....”
“Grrrrrr....”
They were like oil and water... Or maybe they just didn’t get along. Really, neither was wrong so it was kind of embarrassing to watch. I could practically hear the whoosh as the reputation value of having our own IS fell. And unfortunately, there was no circuit breaker. Their squabble continued until the girls of both classes were practically gasping with laughter.
“I believe we’ve established the competence of our instructors at IS academy, then. Be sure to show proper respect in the future.”
With a clap of her hands, Chifuyu brought everyone back to attention.
“Orimura, Alcott, Dunois, Bodewig, and Huang. You each have your own IS. Split up into groups of eight, led by that list. Understood? Get to it.”
As soon as Chifuyu finished speaking, Charles and I were buried under two classes of girls.
“Let’s do our best, Orimura!”
“Show me how to do this!”
“I want to see how you pilot, Dunois!”
“Hey, hey, pick me for your group!”
They were as vibrantly enthusiastic as I’d expected, if not more so, and all Charles and I could do was stand there wondering what to do. Whether it was out of exasperation at their pace, or frustration with her own misjudgment, Chifuyu rubbed her forehead while growling in a low voice.
“These idiots... Group up, rotating groups one by one, in alphabetical order! Like I told you before. The next one to hold things up does 100 laps with an IS on her back.”
Her voice cut through the confusion. The girls, who’d been swarming like ants until a moment before, suddenly skittered apart like spiders and groups were formed around each of us within two minutes flat.
“You idiots should’ve done that to begin with,” Chifuyu said with a sigh.
The girls of each group continued speaking softly to each other, so as not to be overheard by her.
“Yay! I’m in the same group as Orimura! I’m glad I have my name...”
“Ugh, Cecilia? After she just lost like that? Sigh...”
“Let’s do this, Huang. Oh, hey, can I ask you something about Orimura later?”
“Dunois! If there’s anything you need explained, just ask! And by the way, I’m single!”
“.........”
The only group which was quiet was that of the German transfer student, Laura Bodewig.
Her tense manner. Her standoffish aura. Her cold, disdainful gaze. The mouth, which hadn’t opened even once since before. The other girls were just standing quietly, staring at the ground, seemingly unable to work up the nerve to strike up conversation with such an impervious fortress.
—Honestly, I kinda feel sorry for them.
“Listen up, everyone. For this exercise, each group will get to choose one trainer IS. We have three Uchiganes and two Revives. Discuss among yourselves which one your group would like. But remember, they’re first-come, first-served!”
Ms. Yamada was three times—no, five times—as serious as usual. Perhaps the mock battle before had brought back her confidence? Standing boldly and imposingly, if you took her glasses off, that would be all it took to give the impression of a woman who could get things done. But it wasn’t just her posture that was imposing. The swell of her ample bosom, larger than any of the students’, was on full display.
As is her habit from time to time, she adjusted her glasses. And as she did, her forearms rubbed against her dangling breasts, which shifted like melons on the vine.
“.........”
Scrunch!
“Oww! Hey, what was that for?”
Someone had suddenly stepped on my foot. With her heel, too. The aim of her stomp was almost exquisite, and was enough to make me let out an involuntary gasp of pain. Who would do this to me?
