“Show me your IS!”

  “Can I get a photo with you?”

  He was being treated like a rock star. But, ever-conscientious, he followed through with everyone... To his own disadvantage, as the director had a flash of inspiration when he saw the IS.

  “Now we’ve got you!”

  Kiyomizu-dera. Miss Casual, in a formal gown, was being chased by a group of men in dark suits and sunglasses.

  “Give up, and marry me! Gahahaha!”

  As the villain laughed menacingly, Miss Casual spoke firmly, “He is the wind. Nothing can stand in his way. And someday, that wind will carry me away.”

  Turning, she jumped from the old lover’s leap of the temple.

  “What?!” The villain panicked as Ichika, in his IS Byakushiki, swooped down to pluck her from the air.

  “Ahh, my beloved! Let me be your wind...”

  “No matter how far it carries me! Let my love be my wings, and you the wind which carries them.”

  The two soared away into the night sky of Kyoto.

  “CUT!!” The director’s voice echoed.

  “Good work!” With a round of applause, filming was over.

  “Wait, where’d that darling little boy go?”

  They really had flown off, and it didn’t seem like they were coming back.

  “Ah—!” Cries of dismay welled up from the cast.

  “They ran away!” The absurdity of the whole afternoon set in, and they broke down laughing.

  “All right, around here should be fine.” Picking a secluded back street, Ichika landed and closed his IS. “Miss Casual, did you want to go back and get your uniform?”

  “Mmm. I brought plenty of changes.”

  “I see.” A man in a tuxedo, a woman in a gown. They were quite the sight to behold. “Maybe we should fly back to the ryokan.”

  As Ichika pondered, Miss Casual spoke up, “You know, Orimu.”

  “Mm?”

  “You’re always, always there for us. But you should let us be there for you, too.”

  Ichika wasn’t prepared for that. Tears rose to his eyes, rolled down his cheeks.

  “H-Huh? What are you talking about?”

  “C’mon, Orimu.” Miss Casual wrapped her arms around him. “When it gets to be too much, we can help. We’re all here for you. All of us.”

  Ichika nodded, silently, from within her embrace. For a while, they stayed just like that. Only the two would know how tender of a moment it was.

  ◇

  “Where did you run off to, Ichika?!”

  After they returned to the ryokan that night, the cadets were lined up with their arms crossed in a room where Ichika sat stoically.

  “Well, a lot happened.” Keeping what happened with Miss Casual to himself, Ichika bore the full brunt of the questioning. That was a man’s duty, after all.

  “Dinner’s already finished, you know.”

  “Explain yourself!”

  As Ichika attempted to patch things up, Ms. Yamada interjected, “Now, now. Ichika worked hard today, so I’ve put together something special to reward him.”

  “Something special?”

  “Yes, something special!” she excitedly replied. Ichika was famished, and definitely liked the sound of that. “All right! You cadets will get to be geisha!”

  “...Eh?” A cold glare shot him down before he was able to bemoan that the ‘surprise’ wasn’t just dinner.

  “You can get changed in the next room! I’ve got someone there to help you with the kimono.” Ms. Yamada prodded them all into the adjoining room.

  Left alone, Ichika was finally able to relax.

  “Phew...” He stretched out on the tatami mat, listening to the rustle of cloth from the next room.

  “Proper Japanese clothing for a proper Japanese maiden. Meaning, me.”

  “Wait, Houki, have your breasts gotten bigger again?”

  “Share some of that with us!”

  “I wouldn’t mind a little more either.”

  “Hmph, I’m fine how I am! They’d just get in the way anyway.”

  “Laura, just because they’re grapes and not melons doesn’t mean you have to be sour.”

  No matter how many times he heard the girls talking among themselves, he couldn’t quite get used to it. Rolling to his side, he tried to block it out. I can’t hear them... I can’t hear them...

  Half an hour of endurance later, they finally filed back into the room.

  “Whoa!” Six stunning geisha had entered. Ichika couldn’t help but gulp nervously.

  “Anyway, since Ichika hasn’t eaten yet, first things first! Get him dinner!”

  As Ms. Yamada clapped her hands, the ryokan’s hostess entered, accompanied by a waitress. And what they were carrying looked mouthwatering: the freshest seafood, the finest produce, tofu made with the crystal-clear local water.

  “But first, a drink. Shinonono, if you will?”

  “Of course! If I may sit by you, Ichika?” Houki kneeled next to Ichika, perfectly accustomed as a very Japanese girl to movement in a kimono.

  “Your glass?”

  “Uh, okay... Remember, I’m underage.”

  “It’s ramune.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  The drink burbled merrily into his red glass, settling with the reassuring hiss of fresh-poured soda.

  “Anyway, let’s eat.”

  Swigging from the glass, he let the effervescent sweetness soothe his throat. As he exhaled, he felt like all the exhaustion of his day was leaving his body.

  “I’m starving. Can I have some of this?” Cecilia sat to his left as he eyed the banquet laid out before him.

  “I’ll be feeding you, Ichika.”

  It seemed like it was now Cecilia’s turn, as Houki quietly stepped away.

  I knew it was a good idea to practice with chopsticks just in case! Firmly gripping her chopsticks, Cecilia fed Ichika.

  First up was whitefish sashimi. It tasted wonderful, it must have been seasoned with a very good soy sauce. The sweet, savory, more than anything rich flavor spread through his mouth.

  “This is delicious, Cecilia! You should have some!”

  “Ah... No thank you, I...” Cecilia still wasn’t quite accepting of the idea of eating raw fish, but more important to her now was the geisha’s role as a companion.

  As she struggled to find the right words, Ichika took the chopsticks from her hand and said, “Here, I’ll feed you. Say ‘ahh.’”

  With table service like this, she couldn’t refuse. Cecilia nervously opened her mouth.

  “That is delicious!” She didn’t even realize she was saying it until the words left her mouth. That’s how good the whitefish sashimi was. Even the notorious gourmet Cecilia praised it. Though, even more than the flavor, she enjoyed Ichika serving it to her.

  “Ve-Very well, Ichika. Shall we continue?” Picking up another pair of chopsticks, Cecilia fed Ichika the yuba salad. Time seemed to slip away as they ate.

  “All right, next is my turn.” Ling kneeled in front of Ichika. At the same time, Cecilia stepped away. “Ichika, I thought a traditional Japanese card game would be just right!”

  She pulled out a deck of hanafuda cards made by Japan’s most famous video game company.

  “Wait, I thought you didn’t know the rules to this.”

  “Ugh!”

  As Ling wilted, Ichika looked past her, and spotted a box of Jenga blocks.

  “Hey, they have Jenga. Why don’t we play that instead?” Ichika had been really into it in middle school.

  “Oh, yeah, you used to love that one, didn’t you.” Ling had also remembered this, and had made sure to leave it there so he had the option.

  With that decided, Ling opened the box. It was an exceedingly well-constructed set, ready to go as soon as it came out of the box.

  “All right, let’s play rock-paper-scissors to pick who goes first!” With a deep breath only Ichika noticed, the game began. Ling won, and chose to go second.

  “All right, I’ll go first. Hmm... How about here?” His choice was anything but safe. Ichika applied everything he’d learned from Chifuyu to his Jenga play. Just like he did in IS battles.

  “You still like to show off, huh. Well, I’ve gotta keep up then!” Ling went for a risky move as well. She’d learned, over their years as friends, that this kind of competition was the most fun she could have with Ichika.

  Their battle continued until there were only two moves left: one very safe and one extremely dangerous. And now, it was Ichika’s turn.

  “All right, time to have some fun!”

  Ichika, of course, went for the dangerous one, and Ling yelled in dismay, “Agh! I wanted that one!”

  “Don’t yell! You’re gonna make me knock it over!”

  “And that would be your fault! Now put that block back!”

  “How am I supposed to do that?! Then it’d definitely fall over!”

  It was just like they were back in middle school, and the others were jealous. They could only imagine what he was like before they met.

  “Well then give me that piece!”

  “No way!”

  “What’s your problem, Ichika, you idiot?!”

  “You’re always making it someone else’s fault, Rin, you moron!”

  As they were squabbling over the piece, Ling started to stand up, but stumbled and fell on the hem of her kimono.

  “Eek?!”

  “Look out!” Beside the tumbling Jenga tower, Ichika caught Ling.

  Someone let out a sigh of dismay... But just then, Ms. Yamada stepped in to stop things from getting out of control.

  “Next is my turn.” Charlotte, in a kimono, approached, carrying a delicious-looking sweet potato.

  “Ooh, that looks good. Wait, Charl, what are you sulking about?”

  “I am not sulking.”

  Ichika felt like it was a waste for her to have a pout on her face on one of the rare chances she had to wear a kimono.

  “C’mon, how often do you get to dress up like this? What happened to that cute smile of yours?”

  “Eh? Wait, cute? Me?”

  “Totally. Really, I want my cute Charl, like you normally are, back.”

  “Like I normally am... Ehehe...” Charlotte started to slowly shuffle toward Ichika, her expression one of perfect bliss. “Anyway, let me feed you. I cooked this sweet potato myself.”

  “Oh, wow! Yeah, let’s get into that!” While the other girls were fretting about their own worries, Charl had snuck off to prepare a handmade dessert. Ichika wasn’t sure whether this was amazing or entirely what he’d expect from her.

  “Anyway, Ichika. Say ‘ahh.’”

  “Ahh!”

  As he bit into the sweet potato, his mouth was filled with its sweetness, rich yet delicate. It obviously must have taken a lot of effort to get right.

  “What did you mix this with? It’s like nothing I’ve ever had before.”

  “Um, after I chilled it, I mixed it with ice grains, then formed it back into its skin.”

  “Ice grains? Wow, you’re really clever.”

  “If it’s for you...” Ichika watched Charlotte fidget in embarrassment as he enjoyed the sweet potato treat.

  “No, really, this is great. Isn’t it, Charl?”

  The perfect dessert for his meal. She really didn’t miss a single thing.

  “And I’m next!” Laura stepped forward dramatically. With that, Charlotte took what remained of the sweet potato and left.

  “I visited a glassblower while I was here, and had them make you this!” Laura pulled out a phone strap with a small glass charm.

  “Wow! It’s beautiful!”

  “You think so? Isn’t it though.”

  “Yeah, it’s a really great boar!”

  Laura’s palm caught Ichika upside the face.

  “You fool! It’s a rabbit!”

  “Are you sure? It really looks like a boar.”

  A second slap.

  “You double idiot!”

  “Oww! Okay, okay! I get it, Laura! I’ll definitely use it, just stop hitting me!” Ichika pulled out his phone and threaded it through the loop. “See? It’s perfect.”

  He couldn’t quite think straight in between the slaps, but in any case, seeing it seemed to satisfy her.

  “Yeah! It’s perfect!”

  Next in line was Kanzashi.

  “I... I’ll dance for you.”

  An assistant with a shamisen appeared, and Kanzashi danced a traditional Japanese dance. It was bold, vivid, almost unimaginable from the girl whose footsteps were normally so tentative. And it may have been meant for Ichika, but it charmed everyone in the room.

  “Wow, Kanzashi. The tea ceremony, flower arranging, traditional dance... You really can do it all.”

  “I mean, I am a Sarashiki.”

  The round of applause as she concluded her performance marked the end of the feast.

  ◇

  That night, after the crowds had cleared, Chifuyu walked through Kyoto’s old city. Pulling out her phone, Chifuyu entered a secret direct connection code. Three seconds later, it picked up.

  “What is it, Chifuyu?” The voice was the Unnamed Squad Leader.

  “Thanks for sending Maya’s IS, Karen.” She was no longer just ‘Squad Leader.’ Chifuyu had named her Karen Calleria.

  “It was nothing. I’m glad it helped.” Karen, the Squad Leader, sounded pleased with herself.

  “Are you sure you should have gone that far, though? Even as the leader of the Unnamed, do you have that much free reign?”

  “If it’s for you, I can make it happen.” Karen’s tone was nothing but respectful.

  Chifuyu was grateful, but still couldn’t manage much more than a wry laugh, “C’mon. We’re equals, right? You can just treat me like a normal person.”

  “This is normal for me.”

  “I see. Maybe you should take some time to appreciate some flowers. It’ll help you learn about the things in life beyond duty.”

  “Is that an order?”

  Another wry laugh from Chifuyu. Their relationship was almost like that between Tabane and Chloe.

  “Anyway, talk to you later, Karen.”

  “Understood. Thank you, Chifuyu.”

  “I should be thanking you.” Chifuyu laughed again, and ended the call. “...It’s cold.”

  The chill wind blew on her face.

  ◇

  Daybreak. It was morning in Kyoto, and Ichika opened his eyes in his private room at the ryokan.

  “Mmm...”

  Squish. His fingers were poking into something soft.

  “Mmm?!” A sweet aroma filled his nose. Recognizing the scent of a girl, Ichika shot upright in shock.

  “Mmm... Huh? Is it morning?”

  “Charl! Your yukata, your yukata!”

  “Eh? Eeeeeek!”

  For some reason, Charlotte was sharing a blanket with Ichika—and her yukata was open far enough to expose her pink underwear. As Ichika pointed it out, she nervously folded it back closed, but it was already too late. He’d seen everything.

  “Ichika, you pervert...”

  “It’s not my fault!”

  Anyway, though, the big question wasn’t whose fault it was: It was what she was doing in his bed.

  “Ugh...” He could hear moans rising up from the hall.

  “Now what is it?!”

  Ichika flung the door open. And there, lying sprawled on the floor, were the other cadets. Their dying message: ‘Charlotte did it.’

  “Are you okay?! What happened to you?!” Houki was the nearest to him, and he tried to wake her up first. “Are you okay? What happened?!”

  “Well...” Houki couldn’t find the right words. As Ichika inadvertently glanced down, he noticed her breasts poking out from her yukata, and—

  “Stop staring, you idiot!”

  Smack! He caught a fist to the face.

  “Why me?!”

  As blood streamed from his nose, Ichika slumped back into unconsciousness.

  ◇

  Turning back time to the night before—

  “Bwahaha. With the Schwarzer Hasen Sleeping Drug #5, Ichika won’t realize a thing of what happens tonight. And that’s my chance to...”

  Laura was sneaking into Ichika’s bed. But just as she was about to achieve her goal, embarrassment overtook her.

  “No, this is okay. This is what people do with their brides. It’s okay! It’s okay... I think.” She clenched her fists in determination. A little too hard, as the tip of her syringe dug into her own palm.

  “Ah—” In moments, it had spread through her body, and soon she fell into a deep sleep. “Ugh... At least... At least, let me make it to Ichika’s bed...”

  She collapsed on the floor. Soon, her breathing steadied (but definitely didn’t stop).

  Meanwhile, in the hallway...

  “Gah!”

  “Haaa!”

  Houki and Ling, the two childhood friends, were doing battle. Less metaphorically, more with live steel. Katana clashed against liuyedao. Both of them would rather die—and this was a real possibility—than yield.

  Clang! Clang! Sparks flew as they battled.

  “Out of my way! I’ve got a date with Ichika!”

  “Too bad! I can’t let you near him with something as dangerous as that!”

  Ling was of exactly the same opinion, but no one was there to point that out to them. After a strenuous battle, they both collapsed.

  “Well, that was extremely dangerous.”

  “Definitely.”

  Cecilia and Charlotte had each taken a few blows during the brawl.

  “Okay, then...”

  “That leaves...”

  Sparks flew between Cecilia and Charlotte. Friendship or not, this was a chance neither could let go of. They eyed each other up for a moment. The slightest hesitation and the other’s victory would be assured. Just as the tension reached its peak, Charlotte let out a gasp of surprise.

  “Ichika!”

  “Er?”

  From behind Cecilia, Charlotte smiled like an angel.

  “Damn—” Cecilia crumpled to the floor.

  And then only Charlotte was left, her fists clenched in anticipation.

  “I can finally... Me and Ichika can... Can...”

  Imagining the night they’d spend together, she entered Ichika’s room. Spotting him asleep, she tried to hold back her urge to rush toward him. But her heart, and her body, were too honest, and—

 

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