Infinite Stratos, Volume 6, page 9
“M’s doing excellent work holding off so many personal IS.”
She squinted through her sunglasses as she watched the attacker—M. On closer examination, she was the woman who had run into Ran earlier.
“But she’s still not pushing herself. I wish she’d try a little harder.”
Someone called out to the woman as she sighed, “Isn’t that a bit cruel? It’s not like she had the choice to participate or not.”
The woman didn’t turn. She could tell from the voice who it was. Sarashiki Tatenashi. IS Academy student council president. A woman who, even as a high school student, could make a place for herself anywhere in the world with her genius talent. Currently a Russian pilot. Not a cadet, a full pilot.
“Your IS—which one was it, the Gustoi Tuman Moskva?” the woman asked.
“That’s its old name. It’s the Mysterious Lady now.”
“Oh.” The woman turned, tossing a glimmering knife in the blink of an eye.
“I dislike women with poor manners.”
Immediately deploying her IS, Tatenashi batted the knife away with her Rusty Nail chain sword. Continuing on in one motion, she swung it at the woman like a whip.
“Why, isn’t that a rude way to treat someone you’ve just met?” Casting off her sunglasses, the woman caught it with the gauntlet of her own IS.
“Whatever are you after, Phantom Task?”
“Whyever would I tell you? Especially with a setup as good as this.”
“I insist.”
“Oh, but can you? Sarashiki Tatenashi.”
“I will, Squall.” Tatenashi dropped her chain sword and took up her lance. The four gatling guns mounted inside it roared to life, firing a coordinated burst. Rat-a-tat-tat!
Tatenashi’s aim was true, but there wasn’t a shade of relief on her face. A golden cocoon enveloped Squall, and not a single round struck true.
“Shall we stop this?”
“.........”
“Your IS can’t break through mine. You understand this, right?”
“If you can’t win—if you can’t defeat your foe—there’s no reason to fight. That may be the wise decision... But—” Tatenashi’s veil of water formed into a blade and moved to attack. “I’m Sarashiki Tatenashi. I’m the IS Academy’s student council president. I need to live up to expectations!”
Swiftly dodging a thrust from a drill formed of water, Squall threw another knife and bellowed, “You’ll need more than that!”
A water blade slashed the knife out of the air. But as it made contact, the knife exploded.
“......?!” The air was filled with a thick black smoke. Of course, it wasn’t enough to block an IS’ vision, but through her hypersensor, Tatenashi saw Squall turn tail and flee. “Ugh... That’s the second time she’s gotten away...”
Tatenashi was a fierce foe in a head-on fight. But if her opponent chose to flee, all she could do was watch them make their escape. No one was perfect.
Sigh... I haven’t done anything to be proud of at all lately. I guess I have no right to make fun of Ichika. Tatenashi stood, regret in place of her usual playfulness.
◆
“Eeeeeek!”
“Rin?!” Rin was sent flying by the full-power BT rifle blast. “You idiot! Why did you cover me... Hey! Rin!”
“Quit complaining... It’s because... You’re so slow... Cough...”
“Rin!”
Rin, who had taken the shot for me, passed out as she tried to sling a punch at me. Her IS’ life support systems must have kicked into full life support mode and put her into an induced coma as it received near-fatal damage. I’d been through that summer, and it was pretty intense.
“Dammit!” Just as I pushed myself to my feet, Setsura’s energy ran dry. The Silent Zephyrus trained its rifle on me again, and this time I was without a shield.
“I won’t let that happen!”
Before it could unleash it’s shot, Cecilia pushed herself between me and the Zephyrus. Not to cover me, but for a ramming attack with all of the high-mobility package’s power.
“Cecilia!”
“Get energy from Houki! Now! I’ll buy you time!” Cecilia grappled with the Zephyrus as if to pin its arms down, and drove it into the arena’s barrier wall. She fired her thrusters, slamming it into the barrier over and over, until on the fourth blow it finally cracked.
“Damn you...”
“I’ll show you the power of BT Unit 01, Blue Tears!”
Two blue IS flew through the crack in the barrier. Gaining speed, they soared toward the city.
“Ugh! Hold on, Cecilia!” Houki flew toward me, and as I took her hand energy began to flow into my IS. “Please, Houki! Activate Kenran Butou!”
“That... That’s not something I can just use whenever...”
“Please, just figure it out somehow! Cecilia can’t hold back that thing alone!”
I shook her arm in frustration. But she answered with a firm nod, as if that was enough to show her how dire the situation was.
“Understood. I’ll try.” Houki touched my shoulder. I kneeled instinctively, my head drooping.
“All right! Please!”
“I feel the same as back then... I...” Houki closed her eyes to focus. “I... want to fight alongside Ichika. I want to give him strength!”
Vrrrr...
“Answer me, Akatsubaki! HAAAH!” At that moment, I felt a flow of warmth from Houki’s hand. “It... It worked, Ichika! Kenran Butou activated!”
“Ah! Thanks, Houki!”
“I... It’s... If it gave you strength, that’s good enough.”
“All right, I’ll leave this to you. Give Rin some energy too.”
“Got it. Hurry up and catch up to Cecilia.”
“Yeah!” As I answered, I fired up my thrusters to full power. “I’m coming, Cecilia!”
◆
Ugh! She’s tough! As she raced to keep pace, Cecilia trained her long high-output BT rifle Blue Pierce on the Silent Zephyrus. But, as if reading her timing, the shield bits always flew in the way or the Zephyrus always drew away at just the right time.
Meanwhile, M quietly, almost indifferently, continued her hail of attacks on Cecilia, who had a hard time with the precise, fast, and most importantly unpredictable Flexible Fire shots.
At this rate, one of them’s going to catch me eventually. So if it’s come to this...! Cecilia summoned her close-combat blade, Interceptor, into a tight grip, and charged in at the Silent Zephyrus.
“I’ve got you now!”
“Hmph.”
M, as if discovering a new game to play, summoned a knife into her own left hand and closed into melee with Cecilia. Clang! The blades clashed with a shower of sparks.
“Ugh...!”
Melee combat at supersonic speeds took a huge toll on the mind. But Cecilia, obstinate to the end, fought on. Clang! Clang! Ching! As she fought one-handedly, M daringly braked. Cecilia, still in hot pursuit, saw her vision suddenly fill with a highway overpass.
“Damn you!”
An Earley roll pulled her out of danger, and her rage overflowed at M’s taunting grin. Is she playing with me?! Again, Cecilia swung downward with her blade. But M sent it flying in a flash.
“......?!”
“...Die already,” came a voice cold enough to chill one’s blood. Immediately after came a cruel volley of fire which washed over Cecilia.
“AHH!” Her shield energy worn away, the rifle in her left hand exploded. Somehow, she managed to quickly climb just before crashing into the ground.
“It’s over.”
The bayonet on the Zephyrus’s rifle glowed blue.
“No... Not yet. I still have one last trick!” Screaming, Cecilia pulled the trigger in her heart. The high-mobility package, Strike Gunner. There was one forbidden tactic, one thing she’d been told never to use with every bit dedicated to increased thrust.
“LET’S GO! BLUE TEARS FULL BURST!”
A hail of fire burst out from the covered barrels. Four cannons fired, blowing the skin above off. If worst came to worst, her IS would come apart in the air. But without Flexible Fire, this was the strongest attack she had for life-or-death moments.
“Is that all you have? Don’t make me laugh!” M’s voice cracked. Laughing, she rolled, evading each shot.
“Wh—?!”
“Die.”
With a sickening sqwunch, her bayonet pierced both of Cecilia’s arms.
“AHHHHHH!” The sudden, intense pain made her cry out. Hearing Cecilia’s screams, M’s mouth twisted cruelly.
“...Please, Blue Tears...” Cecilia’s hands, no longer able to grip, reached out toward M. Inside her heart, blue drops fell, rippling on the surface of a pool. Ah, that’s right. Blue Tears means...
“......?”
M watched, unsure of Cecilia’s plan. And a slow smile spread over Cecilia’s face.
“Bang.”
Her hand formed into a pistol. No bullet would ever leave her finger. But in the next moment, four beams tore through M’s back.
“......?!”
Flexible Fire, only available with BT energy at full utilization. In her final moments, Cecilia had finally made it her own, but now her IS, having lost thrust and balance at supersonic speed, could no longer hold itself together.
This must be it for me... But at least I gave as good as I got. Her face showed perfect peace, but just as she resigned herself to her fate, she heard a voice.
“Kept you waiting, huh?”
Byakushiki soared in, cleaving the Silent Zephyrus’s rifle in half as it wrapped Cecilia in its arms.
◆
“Cecilia! Just hang on!”
“Why, Ichika... You’re late...”
“Sorry!”
“Whatever shall we do about this? You’ll... You’ll have to make it up to me with... With a date...”
“A da— Hey, Cecilia! Cecilia!” As I shouted out to Cecilia, her vital signs came up on my hypersensor. Thankfully, she was just unconscious. Jeez, you really pushed yourself too hard... I found a building that would hold us up, and made landfall.
Looks like her IS has stopped the bleeding from her arms... But I’ve still gotta get her medical attention, or who knows what’ll happen. IS Academy had medical facilities comparable to a research hospital. I decided to bring her there for now.
“Ah...!” I was just about to lift off again when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Silent Zephyrus floated there, the sun at its back, looking down at us. Its gaze was every bit as chilling as a knife held to my throat. “Damn you...”
I glared up at the pilot who had hurt Cecilia so badly. Her visor covered her face, but I could still sense her hostility. What do I do? Can I fight her while keeping Cecilia safe? Probably not. But I had to at least try. It was the only way I could protect everyone. Gritting my teeth, I clenched Yukihira Nigata’s hilt.
“What, Squall? ...Wilco. Bugging out.”
“What...?”
“Hmph...” The Silent Zephyrus shot me a glare, then turned and retreated.
“What the heck was that thing doing?”
Still feeling the pressure of its malevolence even after it left, I hesitated for a moment.
◆
“All together, now!”
“Happy birthday, Ichika!”
At Charl’s signal, a volley of party poppers fired.
“Yeah, thanks.”
The time was 7:30 at night, the place was the Orimura residence... So far, so good. But...
“Wow, it’s packed in here.”
Let’s list the participants. There were the usual suspects. Houki, Cecilia, Rin, and Charl. Then there was Ran. For guys, there were my friends Gotanda Dan and Mitarai Kazuma. And as for other students, Tatenashi, Miss Casual, and Utsuho. Then, for some reason, Mayuzumi Kaoruko, the newspaper club’s most active member, had shown up too. My living room wasn’t especially big, so it was packed nearly to bursting.
Phew... I can’t believe everyone’s partying this hard after what just happened. No, if anything, it made sense. We all needed something to pick us up after that.
Things had settled down for now, but we still weren’t sure what Phantom Task was even after. But seeing Academy staff like Chifuyu and Ms. Yamada on edge as they responded made it clear that this was serious business. Especially since we brought our IS into urban combat... They kept me for a thorough debriefing, and I didn’t make it out until after four.
“So, um, Ichika! I made you a cake!”
“Ooh, thanks, Ran. Hey, how was today? Have fun? I mean, I know it was kind of a mess, but.”
“Of course! You looked great! Here’s your cake!”
“Thanks.”
I took the plate she offered me and began to eat the slice of cake that was on it. It was a cocoa sponge cake, with whipped cream and chocolate. The soft, fluffy whipped cream spread a gentle sweetness through my mouth as I chewed.
“This is really good. Did you make it all by yourself?”
“Y-Yes!”
“You’re good at cooking. I’m sure you’re gonna make a great wife someday.”
“A... A wife?!”
“Here’s some ramen, Ichika.”
“Wow! Where were you hiding that, Rin?”
“Just finished it. Dig in while it’s still hot. I made the noodles myself.” Rin puffed out her chest proudly. The wavy noodles floating in the golden broth definitely looked delicious. Did she make the char siu herself too? That must’ve been a lot of work.
“C’mon, Ling...”
“Hmm? Oh, is that you, Ran? You’ve gotten so much taller!”
“Funny you should notice that.”
Rin and Ran were already going at it like two cats. I wonder why they couldn’t get along. They’ve been like this since middle school. At one point I almost asked what their beef was, but really, I got the feeling that that would be poking the hornet’s nest.
“Thanks, then!” I slurped up the ramen. The broth was a seafood dashi base with a refreshing aftertaste. Al dente noodles sprang back as I chewed. The more I chewed, the more my mouth filled with that relaxing blend.
“Wow. This is good. You’re getting even better at cooking, aren’t you?”
“I guess! I may be a national cadet, but I’ve still got to learn what I’ll be doing as a bride too.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
“C’mon... play along a little...”
“Eh?”
“Oh, nothing!” I wondered what she was mad about. Anyway, I set the bowl down and headed toward the kitchen.
“Cecilia?”
“Yes?”
Cecilia sat there, her right arm wrapped in bandages. Her wounds definitely weren’t light, but a week or so of applied regenerative therapy would likely have her back in action. They had wanted to keep her overnight in the hospital, but she fervently insisted on coming to my birthday party.
“Are you feeling okay? If it hurts too much, you can always go rest.”
“Why, of course! I was barely scratched! More importantly, though.”
“Hm?”
“Happy birthday, Ichika. Here, I bought this for you.”
“What’s in here?”
“Why, a present, of course! Open it up!”
“Sure.”
I picked through the careful wrapping and opened the box.
“Ooh, a tea set.”
“Ahem! This is an Aynsley set, of the sort used by the royal family. I’ve also included some of my favorite black tea.”
“Wow, this is incredible. Thanks a lot. I’ll be sure to take good care of it.”
“It’s the least I could do. More importantly, perhaps we could—”
“I-chi-ka, are you eating well?”
“T-Tatenashi?! Don’t hug me from behind like that.”
“Why not? It’s not hurting anything!”
“Yes it is! It’s hurting my pure heart!”
“Oh my. Well, maybe I can heal that scarred heart, then.”
“Umm.”
While we talked, Tatenashi was pressing her breasts into my back.
“Hey! President Sarashiki!” Cecilia couldn’t keep her voice from cracking. She was trying to split the two of us apart, but Tatenashi had latched onto me like a barnacle. “Let go of him!”
“Call me Tatenashi, please.”
“Who even cares?! Just let go of Ichi— Oww!”
“C’mon, don’t be silly. Cecilia, your need to take it easy while your arm heals. Are you okay?”
“I am perfectly fi— No! I most certainly am not. Ichika!”
“Jeez, make up your mind.”
“Ahem. Since my arm is injured, could you feed me some cake.”
“Sure, fine.” I took another slice of cake and got Cecilia ready. “Open wide.”
“Ahh...”
“Whoa! What are you doing, Cecilia! This is Ichika’s party!” Dammit, Charl had found us.
Cecilia closed her eyes and sighed in bliss as she took a bite, “Ahh, what luxury.”
“I-Ichika! That’s no fair! Hey, wait, what are you up to, Tatenashi?! Ugh, I give up!” Charl spun between worries. She always ended up with the short straw, didn’t she...
“Oh my. Shall we move on, then?”
“Of course. I’m quite satisfied. Ahh...”
The duo, seeming quite pleased with themselves, left for the living room. While I was left alone with Charl in the kitchen, I took the opportunity to open her present.
“Thanks. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of use out of this.”
“Oh, of course! I hope it works well for you!”
The white gold wristwatch was loaded with features. It could show humidity, precipitation, weather, and even the news. Clicking the crown in popped up a projection display. It used the newest vacuum cell batteries, and could charge via solar panel or body heat. It really was amazing.
“Charl, you have to tell me when your birthday is, so I can get you something just as nice.”
“Mm. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Today sure was a mess, wasn’t it. I wonder what she was after.”
“...You don’t have to always be super-serious with me.”
“Eh?”
“Oh, nothing!” Charl waved her hands. After clearing her throat, she spoke again, “I knew they were an international terrorist organization, but them having IS makes it even worse. Even a single IS can put them on an even footing with an entire national army if used right. At least they haven’t found a workaround for the limit on how much weaponry it can have installed, though.”
She squinted through her sunglasses as she watched the attacker—M. On closer examination, she was the woman who had run into Ran earlier.
“But she’s still not pushing herself. I wish she’d try a little harder.”
Someone called out to the woman as she sighed, “Isn’t that a bit cruel? It’s not like she had the choice to participate or not.”
The woman didn’t turn. She could tell from the voice who it was. Sarashiki Tatenashi. IS Academy student council president. A woman who, even as a high school student, could make a place for herself anywhere in the world with her genius talent. Currently a Russian pilot. Not a cadet, a full pilot.
“Your IS—which one was it, the Gustoi Tuman Moskva?” the woman asked.
“That’s its old name. It’s the Mysterious Lady now.”
“Oh.” The woman turned, tossing a glimmering knife in the blink of an eye.
“I dislike women with poor manners.”
Immediately deploying her IS, Tatenashi batted the knife away with her Rusty Nail chain sword. Continuing on in one motion, she swung it at the woman like a whip.
“Why, isn’t that a rude way to treat someone you’ve just met?” Casting off her sunglasses, the woman caught it with the gauntlet of her own IS.
“Whatever are you after, Phantom Task?”
“Whyever would I tell you? Especially with a setup as good as this.”
“I insist.”
“Oh, but can you? Sarashiki Tatenashi.”
“I will, Squall.” Tatenashi dropped her chain sword and took up her lance. The four gatling guns mounted inside it roared to life, firing a coordinated burst. Rat-a-tat-tat!
Tatenashi’s aim was true, but there wasn’t a shade of relief on her face. A golden cocoon enveloped Squall, and not a single round struck true.
“Shall we stop this?”
“.........”
“Your IS can’t break through mine. You understand this, right?”
“If you can’t win—if you can’t defeat your foe—there’s no reason to fight. That may be the wise decision... But—” Tatenashi’s veil of water formed into a blade and moved to attack. “I’m Sarashiki Tatenashi. I’m the IS Academy’s student council president. I need to live up to expectations!”
Swiftly dodging a thrust from a drill formed of water, Squall threw another knife and bellowed, “You’ll need more than that!”
A water blade slashed the knife out of the air. But as it made contact, the knife exploded.
“......?!” The air was filled with a thick black smoke. Of course, it wasn’t enough to block an IS’ vision, but through her hypersensor, Tatenashi saw Squall turn tail and flee. “Ugh... That’s the second time she’s gotten away...”
Tatenashi was a fierce foe in a head-on fight. But if her opponent chose to flee, all she could do was watch them make their escape. No one was perfect.
Sigh... I haven’t done anything to be proud of at all lately. I guess I have no right to make fun of Ichika. Tatenashi stood, regret in place of her usual playfulness.
◆
“Eeeeeek!”
“Rin?!” Rin was sent flying by the full-power BT rifle blast. “You idiot! Why did you cover me... Hey! Rin!”
“Quit complaining... It’s because... You’re so slow... Cough...”
“Rin!”
Rin, who had taken the shot for me, passed out as she tried to sling a punch at me. Her IS’ life support systems must have kicked into full life support mode and put her into an induced coma as it received near-fatal damage. I’d been through that summer, and it was pretty intense.
“Dammit!” Just as I pushed myself to my feet, Setsura’s energy ran dry. The Silent Zephyrus trained its rifle on me again, and this time I was without a shield.
“I won’t let that happen!”
Before it could unleash it’s shot, Cecilia pushed herself between me and the Zephyrus. Not to cover me, but for a ramming attack with all of the high-mobility package’s power.
“Cecilia!”
“Get energy from Houki! Now! I’ll buy you time!” Cecilia grappled with the Zephyrus as if to pin its arms down, and drove it into the arena’s barrier wall. She fired her thrusters, slamming it into the barrier over and over, until on the fourth blow it finally cracked.
“Damn you...”
“I’ll show you the power of BT Unit 01, Blue Tears!”
Two blue IS flew through the crack in the barrier. Gaining speed, they soared toward the city.
“Ugh! Hold on, Cecilia!” Houki flew toward me, and as I took her hand energy began to flow into my IS. “Please, Houki! Activate Kenran Butou!”
“That... That’s not something I can just use whenever...”
“Please, just figure it out somehow! Cecilia can’t hold back that thing alone!”
I shook her arm in frustration. But she answered with a firm nod, as if that was enough to show her how dire the situation was.
“Understood. I’ll try.” Houki touched my shoulder. I kneeled instinctively, my head drooping.
“All right! Please!”
“I feel the same as back then... I...” Houki closed her eyes to focus. “I... want to fight alongside Ichika. I want to give him strength!”
Vrrrr...
“Answer me, Akatsubaki! HAAAH!” At that moment, I felt a flow of warmth from Houki’s hand. “It... It worked, Ichika! Kenran Butou activated!”
“Ah! Thanks, Houki!”
“I... It’s... If it gave you strength, that’s good enough.”
“All right, I’ll leave this to you. Give Rin some energy too.”
“Got it. Hurry up and catch up to Cecilia.”
“Yeah!” As I answered, I fired up my thrusters to full power. “I’m coming, Cecilia!”
◆
Ugh! She’s tough! As she raced to keep pace, Cecilia trained her long high-output BT rifle Blue Pierce on the Silent Zephyrus. But, as if reading her timing, the shield bits always flew in the way or the Zephyrus always drew away at just the right time.
Meanwhile, M quietly, almost indifferently, continued her hail of attacks on Cecilia, who had a hard time with the precise, fast, and most importantly unpredictable Flexible Fire shots.
At this rate, one of them’s going to catch me eventually. So if it’s come to this...! Cecilia summoned her close-combat blade, Interceptor, into a tight grip, and charged in at the Silent Zephyrus.
“I’ve got you now!”
“Hmph.”
M, as if discovering a new game to play, summoned a knife into her own left hand and closed into melee with Cecilia. Clang! The blades clashed with a shower of sparks.
“Ugh...!”
Melee combat at supersonic speeds took a huge toll on the mind. But Cecilia, obstinate to the end, fought on. Clang! Clang! Ching! As she fought one-handedly, M daringly braked. Cecilia, still in hot pursuit, saw her vision suddenly fill with a highway overpass.
“Damn you!”
An Earley roll pulled her out of danger, and her rage overflowed at M’s taunting grin. Is she playing with me?! Again, Cecilia swung downward with her blade. But M sent it flying in a flash.
“......?!”
“...Die already,” came a voice cold enough to chill one’s blood. Immediately after came a cruel volley of fire which washed over Cecilia.
“AHH!” Her shield energy worn away, the rifle in her left hand exploded. Somehow, she managed to quickly climb just before crashing into the ground.
“It’s over.”
The bayonet on the Zephyrus’s rifle glowed blue.
“No... Not yet. I still have one last trick!” Screaming, Cecilia pulled the trigger in her heart. The high-mobility package, Strike Gunner. There was one forbidden tactic, one thing she’d been told never to use with every bit dedicated to increased thrust.
“LET’S GO! BLUE TEARS FULL BURST!”
A hail of fire burst out from the covered barrels. Four cannons fired, blowing the skin above off. If worst came to worst, her IS would come apart in the air. But without Flexible Fire, this was the strongest attack she had for life-or-death moments.
“Is that all you have? Don’t make me laugh!” M’s voice cracked. Laughing, she rolled, evading each shot.
“Wh—?!”
“Die.”
With a sickening sqwunch, her bayonet pierced both of Cecilia’s arms.
“AHHHHHH!” The sudden, intense pain made her cry out. Hearing Cecilia’s screams, M’s mouth twisted cruelly.
“...Please, Blue Tears...” Cecilia’s hands, no longer able to grip, reached out toward M. Inside her heart, blue drops fell, rippling on the surface of a pool. Ah, that’s right. Blue Tears means...
“......?”
M watched, unsure of Cecilia’s plan. And a slow smile spread over Cecilia’s face.
“Bang.”
Her hand formed into a pistol. No bullet would ever leave her finger. But in the next moment, four beams tore through M’s back.
“......?!”
Flexible Fire, only available with BT energy at full utilization. In her final moments, Cecilia had finally made it her own, but now her IS, having lost thrust and balance at supersonic speed, could no longer hold itself together.
This must be it for me... But at least I gave as good as I got. Her face showed perfect peace, but just as she resigned herself to her fate, she heard a voice.
“Kept you waiting, huh?”
Byakushiki soared in, cleaving the Silent Zephyrus’s rifle in half as it wrapped Cecilia in its arms.
◆
“Cecilia! Just hang on!”
“Why, Ichika... You’re late...”
“Sorry!”
“Whatever shall we do about this? You’ll... You’ll have to make it up to me with... With a date...”
“A da— Hey, Cecilia! Cecilia!” As I shouted out to Cecilia, her vital signs came up on my hypersensor. Thankfully, she was just unconscious. Jeez, you really pushed yourself too hard... I found a building that would hold us up, and made landfall.
Looks like her IS has stopped the bleeding from her arms... But I’ve still gotta get her medical attention, or who knows what’ll happen. IS Academy had medical facilities comparable to a research hospital. I decided to bring her there for now.
“Ah...!” I was just about to lift off again when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Silent Zephyrus floated there, the sun at its back, looking down at us. Its gaze was every bit as chilling as a knife held to my throat. “Damn you...”
I glared up at the pilot who had hurt Cecilia so badly. Her visor covered her face, but I could still sense her hostility. What do I do? Can I fight her while keeping Cecilia safe? Probably not. But I had to at least try. It was the only way I could protect everyone. Gritting my teeth, I clenched Yukihira Nigata’s hilt.
“What, Squall? ...Wilco. Bugging out.”
“What...?”
“Hmph...” The Silent Zephyrus shot me a glare, then turned and retreated.
“What the heck was that thing doing?”
Still feeling the pressure of its malevolence even after it left, I hesitated for a moment.
◆
“All together, now!”
“Happy birthday, Ichika!”
At Charl’s signal, a volley of party poppers fired.
“Yeah, thanks.”
The time was 7:30 at night, the place was the Orimura residence... So far, so good. But...
“Wow, it’s packed in here.”
Let’s list the participants. There were the usual suspects. Houki, Cecilia, Rin, and Charl. Then there was Ran. For guys, there were my friends Gotanda Dan and Mitarai Kazuma. And as for other students, Tatenashi, Miss Casual, and Utsuho. Then, for some reason, Mayuzumi Kaoruko, the newspaper club’s most active member, had shown up too. My living room wasn’t especially big, so it was packed nearly to bursting.
Phew... I can’t believe everyone’s partying this hard after what just happened. No, if anything, it made sense. We all needed something to pick us up after that.
Things had settled down for now, but we still weren’t sure what Phantom Task was even after. But seeing Academy staff like Chifuyu and Ms. Yamada on edge as they responded made it clear that this was serious business. Especially since we brought our IS into urban combat... They kept me for a thorough debriefing, and I didn’t make it out until after four.
“So, um, Ichika! I made you a cake!”
“Ooh, thanks, Ran. Hey, how was today? Have fun? I mean, I know it was kind of a mess, but.”
“Of course! You looked great! Here’s your cake!”
“Thanks.”
I took the plate she offered me and began to eat the slice of cake that was on it. It was a cocoa sponge cake, with whipped cream and chocolate. The soft, fluffy whipped cream spread a gentle sweetness through my mouth as I chewed.
“This is really good. Did you make it all by yourself?”
“Y-Yes!”
“You’re good at cooking. I’m sure you’re gonna make a great wife someday.”
“A... A wife?!”
“Here’s some ramen, Ichika.”
“Wow! Where were you hiding that, Rin?”
“Just finished it. Dig in while it’s still hot. I made the noodles myself.” Rin puffed out her chest proudly. The wavy noodles floating in the golden broth definitely looked delicious. Did she make the char siu herself too? That must’ve been a lot of work.
“C’mon, Ling...”
“Hmm? Oh, is that you, Ran? You’ve gotten so much taller!”
“Funny you should notice that.”
Rin and Ran were already going at it like two cats. I wonder why they couldn’t get along. They’ve been like this since middle school. At one point I almost asked what their beef was, but really, I got the feeling that that would be poking the hornet’s nest.
“Thanks, then!” I slurped up the ramen. The broth was a seafood dashi base with a refreshing aftertaste. Al dente noodles sprang back as I chewed. The more I chewed, the more my mouth filled with that relaxing blend.
“Wow. This is good. You’re getting even better at cooking, aren’t you?”
“I guess! I may be a national cadet, but I’ve still got to learn what I’ll be doing as a bride too.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
“C’mon... play along a little...”
“Eh?”
“Oh, nothing!” I wondered what she was mad about. Anyway, I set the bowl down and headed toward the kitchen.
“Cecilia?”
“Yes?”
Cecilia sat there, her right arm wrapped in bandages. Her wounds definitely weren’t light, but a week or so of applied regenerative therapy would likely have her back in action. They had wanted to keep her overnight in the hospital, but she fervently insisted on coming to my birthday party.
“Are you feeling okay? If it hurts too much, you can always go rest.”
“Why, of course! I was barely scratched! More importantly, though.”
“Hm?”
“Happy birthday, Ichika. Here, I bought this for you.”
“What’s in here?”
“Why, a present, of course! Open it up!”
“Sure.”
I picked through the careful wrapping and opened the box.
“Ooh, a tea set.”
“Ahem! This is an Aynsley set, of the sort used by the royal family. I’ve also included some of my favorite black tea.”
“Wow, this is incredible. Thanks a lot. I’ll be sure to take good care of it.”
“It’s the least I could do. More importantly, perhaps we could—”
“I-chi-ka, are you eating well?”
“T-Tatenashi?! Don’t hug me from behind like that.”
“Why not? It’s not hurting anything!”
“Yes it is! It’s hurting my pure heart!”
“Oh my. Well, maybe I can heal that scarred heart, then.”
“Umm.”
While we talked, Tatenashi was pressing her breasts into my back.
“Hey! President Sarashiki!” Cecilia couldn’t keep her voice from cracking. She was trying to split the two of us apart, but Tatenashi had latched onto me like a barnacle. “Let go of him!”
“Call me Tatenashi, please.”
“Who even cares?! Just let go of Ichi— Oww!”
“C’mon, don’t be silly. Cecilia, your need to take it easy while your arm heals. Are you okay?”
“I am perfectly fi— No! I most certainly am not. Ichika!”
“Jeez, make up your mind.”
“Ahem. Since my arm is injured, could you feed me some cake.”
“Sure, fine.” I took another slice of cake and got Cecilia ready. “Open wide.”
“Ahh...”
“Whoa! What are you doing, Cecilia! This is Ichika’s party!” Dammit, Charl had found us.
Cecilia closed her eyes and sighed in bliss as she took a bite, “Ahh, what luxury.”
“I-Ichika! That’s no fair! Hey, wait, what are you up to, Tatenashi?! Ugh, I give up!” Charl spun between worries. She always ended up with the short straw, didn’t she...
“Oh my. Shall we move on, then?”
“Of course. I’m quite satisfied. Ahh...”
The duo, seeming quite pleased with themselves, left for the living room. While I was left alone with Charl in the kitchen, I took the opportunity to open her present.
“Thanks. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of use out of this.”
“Oh, of course! I hope it works well for you!”
The white gold wristwatch was loaded with features. It could show humidity, precipitation, weather, and even the news. Clicking the crown in popped up a projection display. It used the newest vacuum cell batteries, and could charge via solar panel or body heat. It really was amazing.
“Charl, you have to tell me when your birthday is, so I can get you something just as nice.”
“Mm. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Today sure was a mess, wasn’t it. I wonder what she was after.”
“...You don’t have to always be super-serious with me.”
“Eh?”
“Oh, nothing!” Charl waved her hands. After clearing her throat, she spoke again, “I knew they were an international terrorist organization, but them having IS makes it even worse. Even a single IS can put them on an even footing with an entire national army if used right. At least they haven’t found a workaround for the limit on how much weaponry it can have installed, though.”
