Infinite Stratos, Volume 7, page 9
“Yeah, yeah.”
“...Do your best, Sarashiki.” Kaoruko winked at Kanzashi, and whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was made her face turn bright red.
Kanzashi began to sweat in nervousness. If... If I do this right... Still looking down, she raised her eyes, watching Ichika. His breath was ragged as he lugged a piece of machinery. What do I do? Maybe... Maybe I should offer to help... She lowered her IS and stepped out of its armor.
“Um...”
“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about it. Just get Uchigane Nishiki put away so it’s ready for tomorrow.”
“B-But...”
“It’s okay. When you’re done, just head back. It’s getting pretty late, you wouldn’t want to miss out on the baths, right?”
“W-Wait!” Her voice came out louder than Ichika expected.
“What?”
Kanzashi, being Kanzashi, found herself too embarrassed by her own outburst to say anything more, and instead started work on her IS. Not a word was uttered as the clink and clatter of their final cleanup filled the hangar. In this wide, wide space, she was alone with Ichika.
What do I do? What do I do... At a complete loss, Kanzashi kept working. She disconnected the maintenance apparatus, and returned the Uchigane Nishiki to standby mode. Of course, she didn’t forget to activate its automatic optimization routines first.
She took a quick glance over at Ichika. The tools were heavy, but he was working hard at putting them away—too hard to even notice that he was alone with her.
I... I guess he’s used to being around girls... She wasn’t in any of the cliques, but she had still heard the rumors. About how friendly he was with each of the first years who had their own IS.
Someone like me can’t really... Kanzashi imagined the faces of the others in her mind. Each one of them was overflowing with girlish charm. Dejected, she pressed a hand to her chest to hold back the pain in her heart.
She could feel her heart fall. If she could be... If she could just be a little cuter than she was...
“Kanzashi.”
“Wha?!” As she slumped, Ichika clapped a hand on her shoulder. Kanzashi, startled, straightened up. “...W-What?
“I’m done. How about you?”
“Uhh... I still...”
The sprawl of tools and equipment was gone, now. She must have been lost in thought for some time.
“Let’s head back.”
“O-Okay...”
Still nervous, she stroked the ring on her right hand that was Uchigane Nishiki as she walked alongside Ichika toward the door. Her pulse was pounding. Echoing in her ears, loud enough to give her a headache.
“Let’s get changed. I have to use locker Room B in the third arena. You?”
“I, ah... 2-A...”
“Oh. We can walk part of the way together, then.”
“Ye... Yeah...”
Kanzashi and Ichika walked through the halls together. Outside the windows, it was already pitch-black.
“Looks like we just squeaked it in.”
“Yeah... Thanks to all the help we got...”
With nothing left to say about that, they fell silent once more, Kanzashi so nervous she couldn’t decide what to say and Ichika assuming she welcomed the respite.
“All right, here I am.”
“Yeah...”
Ichika waved and walked off. For a moment, she watched him leave, then, a moment before he was out of sight, she turned and fled for her locker room like she was trying to escape from something.
I’m such a weirdo... The closer Ichika got, the harder a time she had talking to him. Even though, when they first met, she didn’t have any problem saying whatever she wanted.
I... I...
Liked him, just maybe.
Just the thought springing to her mind made her heart leap.
I can’t... I can’t keep thinking about that... Suddenly finding herself in front of her locker, Kanzashi clasped her hands to her chest to hold back its aching.
◇
“Phew...” I’d just gotten out of the shower, and was laying on my bed, drying my hair with a towel. “I can’t believe we pulled that off...”
At first, I’d despaired over whether we had any chance at all, but thanks to Mayuzumi and the others we’d pulled it together. And, of course, thanks to one other person...
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
I stood up, hearing the knock on my door. It clicked open, and that person made her appearance.
“Ciao!”
“Tatenashi.”
Suddenly having a bad feeling about this, I scanned the hallway behind her. Good. No one saw her come here.
“Can I come in?”
“Uh, yeah...”
“Very well, then.”
She walked with her usual graceful stride to the middle of my room, then dove headfirst into my bed. Man. She was like a little kid sometimes.
“Heyyyy, Ichika!”
“I know, I know.”
“Gimme a massage?”
She kicked up her legs in anticipation. C’mon, I can see your panties when you do that...
“Jeez...”
Well, this was Sarashiki Tatenashi. I couldn’t argue with her. If I tried, she’d just want something even worse. Like a massage in the shower... Not even joking. Reluctantly, and I mean that in every sense of the word, I placed my hands on Tatenashi.
“By the way, Tatenashi, who are you teaming up with tomorrow?”
While my hands wandered looking for tense muscles, I asked something I’d been wondering for a while.
“Huh? I thought they announced the teams.”
“I’ve been in the hangars all week, so I haven’t had a chance to look. Hey, wait... Your legs are so stiff. Did you run a marathon or something?”
“C’mon, I had some very important things to say during the assembly. Weren’t you paying attention?”
“Ahahaha, it can’t possibly be that.”
“Ichika, you shouldn’t tell lies you’re not confident in.”
“Ugh...”
“Anyway, then. My partner is Houki.”
“Houki, huh... Wait, Houki?!”
That wasn’t a name I was expecting. If it’d been me asking, I feel like she would have answered with ‘I’d rather enter solo!’ but I guess Tatenashi was a different story.
Oh, right. Tatenashi must have been concerned for Houki. And her estrangement from her own big sister. Maybe it reminded Tatenashi of her own relationship with Kanzashi. Even if it didn’t, though, she couldn’t have wanted Houki to be left out.
“Ichika, you get along well with your sister, don’t you.”
“Where’d that come from all of a sudden?”
“Well, she’s always so strict with you.”
“And that’s supposed to mean that we get along well?”
“You don’t get it, do you? I guess you don’t. It’s because you’re that important to her, because you’re that special to her, that she’s so strict with you. So that you don’t die.” Tatenashi said it matter-of-factly, but it struck me from out of nowhere, and it took me a second for it to sink in.
Me? Fight and die? The memories came rushing back. Orimura Madoka. The girl who looked identical to Chifuyu. The one who attacked me. The weapon gripped in her hand. The raw malice she exuded.
My right hand began to shake involuntarily. Softly, so Tatenashi wouldn’t notice, I steadied it with my left. Trying to get it to calm down. As if scolding it. As if praying it would stop. I couldn’t focus on anything else.
“I mean, if a war starts or anything.” Tatenashi’s normal grin returned, and she kicked her legs as if swimming. The spell of fear that had entranced me melted away like mist in the morning sun. “Ichika, massage my butt.”
“C’mon, I told you! Get Utsuho or Miss Casual to do that!”
Her hips, while ample, were beautifully sculpted. As I sunk my palms into their softness, I felt a nosebleed coming on.
“No. You’re better at it.”
“Ah, umm...”
I was a little bit pleased by the praise.
“Don’t even think about it. Just do it.” Tatenashi grinned, happy as a clam. I swallowed nervously. Sometimes, a man has to do what a man has to do.
“Is it finally happening?!”
Silently, I gave myself a ‘dude, it’s not like that.’
“Ichika?”
“Yes?”
“Should I take off my panties?”
“ARGH! W-Why?!”
“I wanted to see the expression on your face when I asked that.”
With a Cheshire grin, Tatenashi pounced on me, poking at my cheeks.
◇
Kanzashi had taken over her dorm’s kitchen, and the gas oven was burning red-hot. She sat before it in a chair, nervously waiting for its contents to finish baking. I wonder if Orimura will try these... She’d made green tea cupcakes, one of the few recipes she was familiar with.
She looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already after ten. Ichika might already be asleep. That worry dragging her down, she looked over at the oven again, hoping the cupcakes were done. Beep!
“Ah...!”
They were finished baking! Her expression suddenly brightened, and putting oven mitts on her hands, she pulled them out. The air was filled with the sweet smell of baked goods, and with the rich smell of green tea.
Hmm... Looks like they came out good... As she watched the steam rise off the piping-hot cupcakes, her mouth opened in anticipation. She opened a bag she’d had ready and carefully placed them within before tying it with a ribbon.
Now, if I can just get him to try one... He’d be happy. And if he was happy, her heart would leap. I have to hurry, before they get cold... Clutching the bag of three cupcakes in her hand, she left the kitchen.
“Ehehe...” As she walked quickly through the halls, a smile rose to her face.
This was fun. Giving something to someone you like was fun. A little bit embarrassing, but also something to be proud of. I want to be with him... That was all she could think of, and her pace quickened to a jog as she walked on. Just around the next corner was his room.
“Ahh... Haa...”
She stopped for a moment, to steady her breath. I should... Walk the rest of the way... She didn’t want him to see her out of breath. Ready, she rounded the corner. Click.
“Eh...?”
Ichika’s door was open. Quickly, reflexively, she ducked back around the corner.
“Mmm, that was fun.”
“......!”
That voice was unmistakable. It was her sister Tatenashi. Why... Why is she here? Hidden behind the wall, she watched the interplay at Ichika’s door.
“C’mon, gimme a break...”
“But it’s fun!”
Tatenashi took Ichika’s arm. As Kanzashi watched, her breath stopped. They... They look so happy together... Her heart ached like a railroad spike was being driven into it. Unconsciously, she began to squeeze the cupcakes.
“Anyway, how’d it go? Did you manage to finish Kanzashi’s IS?”
What?
“Yeah, somehow.”
What was going on here? As she strained her ears to hear their conversation, warning bells went off in Kanzashi’s heart. She shouldn’t hear this. She absolutely shouldn’t hear this.
“So, was the data from my IS useful?”
Huh?! Kanzashi pressed herself against the wall, clamping her hands over her mouth to keep herself from shouting, then slumped to the floor. The... The data sample Orimura brought... I thought it was from Byakushiki... But it was from my sister’s IS!
Kanzashi’s world crumbled around her. Ichika may not have meant anything wrong by it. But... But she had her pride. I... I thought I had finally done it... Finally finished Uchigane Nishiki on my own two feet... But... Thought that she had maybe finally caught up with her sister.
“Ahh... No....”
It was a lie. It was all a lie. Ichika’s tenderness. The joy of completing Uchigane Nishiki. All of it. It was all just a game her sister was playing.
A vision of Tatenashi welled up in her mind.
“Ahh...!”
Classical beauty. Uncommon genius. Superhuman physique. Bewitching charisma.
“Ahhhhh...”
It was terrifying.
Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying.
Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying.
“N-Nooooo....”
“Kanzashi.”
The vision whispered in her ear. No matter how hard she jammed her hands over her ears and clamped her eyes shut, it wouldn’t disappear, wouldn’t be quiet.
“You don’t have to do anything. I’ll take care of it for you.”
Sweet, sweet poison. Kanzashi could feel it spreading through her veins. Dragging her down into the darkness of despair.
“N-No... No...”
“So you can just stay—”
Useless.
“......!” Her heart couldn’t take any more. Her body couldn’t take any more. Kanzashi ran. Ran, ran, ran, blindly, until she found herself back in her own room. As she gasped for air, a single crystal-clear tear ran down her cheek and fell to the floor.
“Ahh...” She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear its brethren away. But more and more welled up, and despairing, she crawled into her bed and hid under her blanket.
“I... I can...”
“You can stay nice and useless.”
The cruel words of the vision pierced her chest, and her tears burst forth as if a dam had burst.
“Waaaah...” Crying, sobbing, her heart quaked. “Waaaaah... Waaaaaaah...”
Alone, miserable enough to die, Kanzashi sobbed.
Chapter IV: What It Takes to Be a Hero
It’s morning... Rubbing her reddened eyes, Kanzashi got out of bed. She felt terrible. But today was the day of the tag team tournament. She couldn’t run away anymore.
I need to get going... Staggering into the bathroom, she washed her face with cold water. Feeling a bit more like herself, she adjusted her glasses. She had to do her best today. She knew that. Even if her heart wasn’t in it.
The brackets will be announced at the opening ceremony... Then I’ll know who... But if she won, and kept winning, eventually she’d meet Tatenashi.
Twinge. Her chest ached.
Tatenashi, the one who’d been having so much fun with Ichika yesterday. She knew neither of them had been doing it to spite her, but it still hurt. I’ll never be able to match up to her... I have no chance... Kanzashi gnawed her lower lip, and tears welled up in her eyes.
If only she had a hero. She couldn’t drive the thought from her mind. A storybook hero, like in her anime, making a dramatic entrance to save her. Strong. Gallant. Kind. Unflinching. Unwavering. A true hero.
“Ah......”
She shook her head as her image of a hero turned into Ichika.
Gotta hurry up... Kanzashi left her room, almost wishing she could just leave and never come back.
◇
“And now, a few words from student council president Sarashiki Tatenashi.” Utsuho stepped back from the microphone. Me and Miss Casual, the other student council members, were lined up behind her.
“Yawn... I’m tired....”
“Ssh! The vice principal’s looking at us!”
“‘Kay...” Miss Casual gave a nod which would have been almost imperceptible if I wasn’t watching her closely. As she did, she wavered as if she’d just gotten out of bed. And the vice principal was glaring at us again. She was a woman with triangular-framed glasses, hair up in a bun, a prim suit, and dark lipstick. The girls called her ‘the witch,’ but in my opinion, she was a bit cute for that. Now, if you wanted to talk about real demons, there was Chifuyu.
“Good morning, everyone! Today the students with personal IS will be conducting a tag team tournament. You’ll be able to learn a lot from their tactics and technique, so be sure to watch carefully.” Tatenashi’s clear voice and precise enunciation were almost songlike. Her presence wasn’t the only reason she was so popular. “And, aside from that—”
She snapped her fan open. On it was written ‘bookie.’
“The student council has come up with a plan to make this even more fun for everyone! We’re holding a tournament pool, and the prize is meal tickets!” A cheer rose up from the crowd.
“Wait, isn’t that gambling?!”
“Don’t worry, Vice President Orimura.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve already greased the right palms.” Tatenashi grinned. I watched the teachers, but none of them seemed to react. Except Chifuyu... Who suddenly looked like she had a headache. “And besides, it isn’t gambling. It’s just supporting your favorites. That you happen to be doing with your meal tickets. And since we have all those tickets gathered already, what else can we do with them but give them to whoever picked right?”
“Yeah, that’s just gambling!”
‘You didn’t even ask me about it!’ was what I wanted to say, but Miss Casual tugged on the hem of my shirt.
“Orimu, you haven’t even been showing up to student council meetings. We had a vote on it and everything.”
“Ugh... I know I’ve been spending all my time in the hangars, but still...”
What a mess. I couldn’t believe we were just openly placing bets on this. But that was Tatenashi’s charisma for you. She had the student council in the palm of her hand. That still didn’t stop me from feeling blue.
“And now, the official bracket!” Tatenashi opened a large projection display behind herself. On it—
“Guh!”
The first match: Orimura Ichika and Sarashiki Kanzashi vs. Shinonono Houki and Sarashiki Tatenashi.
Jeez, we’re taking on the final boss to start off the day? This is gonna be tough... I sighed, remembering my battle with Laura. Is Kanzashi gonna be okay? I’m worried about how she’ll feel having to go up against Tatenashi without preparation... I couldn’t see her among the crowd of cheering girls. Well, we’re working out of the same pit, so I’ll just have to catch up with her then.
