A/N: IDK why but after 15 hours after publishing chapter 10 is still not accessible, so I'm trying this, hope it works.


In the center of the sprawling grounds of the IS Academy, high in the middle of the awkwardly shaped spiral tower, was the head office. A circular, orb shaped room with walls of almost solely glass, gave any occupant a perfect view of the entire academy.

A few sets of uncomfortable looking chairs and a couch, all faced a desk with stacks of perfectly aligned files and papers. The desks chair was empty.

Sitting in one of the uncomfortable chairs, shifting her legs rather awkwardly and twiddling her thumbs, Maya sat with her head turned away from the desk towards one glass wall.

"You….what?...I'm not sure I understand. You said the student, this-" She gestured to the open file in her hands, which Chifuyu had given to her. "-Charles Dunois, who is a female but is…. pretending...to be male, is trying to steal information….but that I should let them do it?"

"So you do understand, then. Perfectly, in fact." Chifuyu's hand swiftly moved a stack of completed paperwork to the side of her desk, replacing it with a fresh stack that needed her attention.

"But, why? Wh-" "I doubt she is doing it of her own volition. The child probably believes she is doing what is right, to help her father. I'm worried her father is merely a pawn…. was probably promised something along the lines of his failing business being pulled from the fire of bankruptcy….."

"So…?"

"I'm more worried about the girl, to answer your question."

"You...huh? Sorry, you're more worried about her than Orimura-kun?"

"I'm more worried about her because of him. Orimura-san is a good man, but no one ever said he was a merciful one. There isn't much of a chance, almost none actually, but still a small chance that he could not see the complete picture. If we tell him why she is here he could potentially mistake her as his enemy, instead of a victim. If that's the case…."

"Dead?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Why not just tell him about the situation in its entirety? Openly tell him she is a spy, but is also the victim in this situation?"

"Then he goes straight for her father's throat, that could cause an incident, as well as increased tensions between already strained national relationships. I would prefer to simply tell him nothing, and allow him to figure out the situation on his own terms."

Chifuyu forewent her authoritative voice as she got back into the routine of signing paperwork, and began mumbling. "Not to mention the fact that I am busy enough without his incessant strive to help everyone. Always managing to get himself in trouble." Maya could see her pause her signing for a moment, and rub her temple.

"...you worry about Orimura-kun lot."

Chifuyu met her eyes, clearly annoyed that her work was once again interrupted. "Orimura-san is my co-worker and I am his boss, he is merely my responsibility." She said dryly, as if it was painfully obvious, continuing to fill out paperwork, desperately trying to finish the work so she could leave work.

Maya could hear the scratch of Chifuyus' pen as she signed her name to each paper, before sliding it aside and repeating the process.

"Hmm…" Maya hummed as Chifuyu incessantly concentrated on her work. Maya grinned, oh how she loved teasing Chifuyu, no matter how mean she seemed. In her defense, Chifuyu was always a good enough sport.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"It's kind of cu-"I'll skin you alive."


Recordings of the fight had been spread across the world. Ichika could tell that Madoka somewhat enjoyed the increased popularity, even though she consistently denied it whenever someone brought it up.

Ichika had continued with his routine of teaching and training, and while he was still very busy in his free time, the job was starting to get slightly dull to him. Sure he enjoyed teaching people about an invention he had a large hand in, he relished in the time off he received (almost all of which he spent with one of the three), the fact that he was doing it to be by Madoka during work was also a plus, but it was….. school.

Say whatever you wanted to try to convince him, school sucked.

He disagreed with the curriculum he was told to teach in many areas. For one, he thought it would be better for aspiring pilots to be taught a heavier amount of practicalities than a majority theoretical and slightly practical amount. He understood many would need to understand the basics of how things worked, but he believed it made far more sense to have two curriculums. One taught to students who wished to be pilots, and one taught to those who wished to be IS engineers, instead of a single one taught to everyone in a desperate attempt to make them all capable of both piloting and building their own IS.

Of course, he saw the irony. Himself believing they should teach less of what he knew how to teach, and more of what he didn't, but hey, the truth was the truth.

Where was he? Oh, right. It was boring, and don't think being a teacher made it any less so. And day by day it was getting duller and duller and the walls of the school were turning greyer and greyer.

For once in his abysmally unlucky life, the universe seemed to be on his side, as today would mark the end of the seemingly infinite uneventfulness.

Standing next to the large holoscreen at the front of the classroom, Ichika gestured to and described the more detailed parts of the Absolute Barrier of an IS, as well as what to do if one failed.

"-when, and I do mean when, as you should all prepare yourselves for the worst scenarios, your Absolute Barrier runs out of shield energy, you-Yes?" He gave a small nod towards a student who had raised her hand.

"What do you mean by worst case scenario? Matches are automatically ended once one participant's shield is drained."

"..." Ichika grew concerned as only some of the class seemed surprised by her question, while many others seemed just as confused.

"...I….see. Well, while I do understand that some of you….hope….to only participate in IS competitions as professional pilots….many of you-" 'All of you.' "-will likely be taking part in military operations throughout your lifetime. At some point in one of these operations it is possible-" 'Highly likely.' "-that your shields may be drained."

"..."

An extremely awkward silence enveloped the room as the fact of what they had signed up for finally dawned on many of the students. Ichika continued to inwardly cringe as he shifted his eyes from students nervously tapping their legs or fiddling with pencils. He made contact with Madoka's eyes which were desperately pleading for him to "do something".

"Which." He broke the silence, and drew the class's attention back to him. "Is…." His mind was working overdrive to get him out of the awkward situation he had made. "...why I will do everything in my power to teach you what to do as well as how to survive in said scenarios."

It wasn't much, but it did dissolve some of the tension in the room, and a little light came back to his students' faces. Madoka gave him a small thumbs up that only he saw, but he wasn't too confident that he had brought the room back to the proper atmosphere to teach in.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Ichika and his students' attention turned towards the door. Maya, who had been in a meeting, opened the sliding door and entered the room.

...*sigh*...saved by the bell….I really have to work on my people skills.

Maya seemed to be looking at him with a questioning face, as everyone else was concentrating on her to explain her interruption.

Ichika cleared his throat to gain her attention.

"Oh. Hello class, ah well… today we have a new student transferring into our-." Maya said to the class, but was cut off from the uproar of comments from the students. Many questioned why there was a new student transferring more than a month into the school year, some guessing as to what the newest student would be like, others just bandwagoning on the noise and talking to their friends about random topics.

Ichika was going to silence the class, but as a figure entered the room, the class silenced themselves.

Without even trying, Ichika's mind analyzed every little detail of his newest student.

A uniform that varied greatly from what was standard, so much so that it almost resembles the white suit Ichika typically wore. It looked extremely tight in some areas, as if the manufacturer had made it for an entirely different person, Ichika took note of the slight crease at the middle of the front. Instead of a skirt, the student was wearing dress pants and shoes.

"Hello-" The transfer student started in a French accent. "I-I am Charles Dunois, fr-from France. I am not too familiar with this country, so please… take care of me."

What is that voice she is putting on? It was fairly obvious the student was female. At least, obvious to him.

"A...a guy?"

"Yes. I heard that there was a male instructor at this academy. So I transferred from my country-" That was as far as "he" got before the entire class began squealing.

...huh?

"No way!"

"A male student! A second male pilot!"

"He's handsome, the type that you want to protect."

"Does that mean he is as strong as Ichika-sama?" Ichika continued to think while the girls squealed and conserved amongst themselves.

Is…. she not a girl?

...

No, I'm right. Long thin fingers. The slight curvature in the hips. Thin face. Not to mention her voice is wavering. She is clearly nervous. They must be taking that as "him" being nervous to introduce himself to a class of female students, but she clearly nervous someone will call her out on her disguise. Why is she disguised? Even Madoka looks like she believes the act, does anyone besides me see through this masquerade? I'm sure Chifuyu has, considering all new students go through her first… Ichika glanced at Maya.

...can't tell, she either doesn't know or is hiding it well. He looked back to his newest student. …she said Dunois? As in Albert Dunois?

I've researched him. He heads the Dunois corporation. Committed countless felonies, blackmail, ordering assassinations, anything to keep his power and wealth. He's one of the first people I put on my kill list when I got reacquainted with society…. I didn't think he had any children.

...

A few options then. She was very recently adopted, was hidden from the public, or is blatantly lying about her lineage. I doubt she would lie about her parentage, she doesn't look foolish enough to think she could get away with that. At the very least she must have Alberts support, regardless of her parentage. For her sake I hope she is just a paid actress or something of the sort….

Whatever this is, it's an attempt by him to save his company, which is currently failing to produce a full fledged 3rd generation IS. Meaning this is somehow connected to money… as is everything these days.

...what could he gain?...A few potential pros to having an "in" at the IS Academy. Allies, for one. Experience, I suppose, after all there is a chance he simply sent her here to train, having a good pilot sponsored by his corporation would give his business attention. No. No no no, if he wanted that there is no reason for her disguising herself. What is the benefit? Why would he have her masquerade as a male… it will bring the company more attention but not that much. Why? What does she gain from disguising herself as male?

...me. She gains me. You don't need to be Tabane to figure out that any male pilot would end up crossing paths with myself in particular. There is a certainty that any male student admitted to this academy would end up in my class. She pretends to be male and gets a guaranteed ticket to the center of my attention.

A spy, then. To sabotage? Mmm, no. I don't see any way that would be beneficial to him. To steal? Most likely. So she is a spy, sent to either steal an IS or to steal information. My guess would be Albert probably thinks if he can get either an advanced IS or information, he can use it to save his dying company by finally creating a third generation IS.

That's not going to happen. I am no fool.

So that means I'll have to separate "Charles" from Albert's control, which is actually already done unknown to both of them. The Alaskan Treaty clearly states that no student of this Academy is under control by any country. Although France could still remove her candidacy if she declared the relations between her and her father null and void, adding to that the fact that after she graduates Mr. Dunois could repossess her personal IS and I seriously doubt that she would declare her relation to Mr. Dunois null.

I'll have to find a way to both separate her from her father and end her father's crimes… I'll figure something out later.

It was Maya's turn to clear her throat, breaking him out of his thoughts. He could think fast, but it did occur to him that even at his speed of thought, he had still been staring at his newest student for a handful of seconds without saying a word. Probably not the best first impression.

"Very well then, Dunois-san. You may pick a seat on a later occasion, as of now we are about to commence our first day of practical training. We will handle other matters such as your dormitory after class."

The bell rang ending SHR.

Students as well as Maya filled out of the room to go change. As Ichika was the teacher for theoretical portions, he would simply be overseeing and providing basic directions during the practical lesson, while Maya would be taking the more hands on approach by piloting her own IS. Which also meant that he had some time to remedy his poor first impression with Dunois.

"Ah, Orimura-sensei we meet for the first time, I will be honored to be your student." Charles said, as she gave a slight bow.

"...I will be honored to be your teacher, but please, as long as it is just you and me, call me Ichika." He replied, though he did not return a bow. "After all, we are the same age, even if we are teacher and student."

"Ah… alright."

"Now, we will talk after class on other matters, but for now you need to go to the Male changing room to change into our piloting uniforms before practice, so I suggest you allow me to show you the way."

"Oh…" Charles was flustered. That confirms it. I didn't even mention anyone changing with her, but she is still flustered just from mentioning the Male changing room.

"I suggest you stay by my side. This is obviously a mostly female school, and the girls can get a little… excited… but by my side they will let you pass."

"Eh…" Seemingly Charles had no response, or was still guessing at what Ichika meant by excited. "Are, ah. Will you be changing with me?"

"No. Yamada-sensei teaches the practical lessons, so there is no need for myself to change, as I will not be piloting an IS." He saw as Charles gave a hidden sigh of relief."

Immediately after they exited the empty classroom they were greeted by hundreds of girls walking in the halls.

"It's the transfer student!" A girl yelled, the attention of the entire hallway shifted to them, but as Ichika had said, none began bothering them. Only stopping and staring.

"Well? Do you plan to get through this school by ogling your peer and teacher? Back to your responsibilities." With that the chaos of the hallways ensued as students shuffled to their destinations.

After a minute of walking they reached the changing room. Ichika stood next to the entrance of the room as Charles had gone in and quickly came out changed.

The members of Class 1-1 were now all in the second practice arena. Even though they were a group of dozens in the center of the arena, the size of the arena dwarfed them.

Maya had messaged Ichika that she would be slightly late to the arena as she was planning to pilot her suit herself. So, he began to follow the lesson plan.

"We will begin the practical lessons with a practice match. Orimura. Alcott. You two have personal machines, so you will be the ones participating. I want you to show the class what a personal IS is truly capable of." Ichika told the class. Madoka and Cecelia hastily obeyed, running out in the arena and starting to goad and joke with each other.

Ichika interrupted their conversation. "Settle down you two, instead of each other, you will both be fighting against-" He was cut off by a high pitched scream from the sky. Ichika looked up to see an IS tumbling from the sky. In a flash he had deployed his Uchigane and shot into the sky, catching a Rapheal Revive in his hands, making a graceful landing on the ground, placing the IS on its feet.

"Ichika-kun…" Maya said, clearly embarrassed, but Ichika had already placed her down before she could begin rambling.

Maya cleared her throat and regained her composure. "Orimura-san, are you alright?" His bespectacled coworker asked.

"Yes." He relieved her concern, even though he was the one that caught her. He looked around at his students, who were all either giggling or hiding their laughter.

"Yamada-sensei is a former IS representative candidate. We want you all to know what a trained professional looks like." Ichika explained to the class, who had enough respect for him to remain silent as he talked.

"Well... that was ages ago, and I never went past a representative candidate." Maya protested with a nervous smile.

"Still, it is an impressive accomplishment. You will be more than enough to show the class the full capabilities of an IS pilot. " Ichika replied. I mean that in all honesty. A representative candidate as well as a teacher at the IS academy, both are rather large achievements. She should have much more confidence in herself.

"Oh… ah… thank you… Orimura-san." Maya was blushing heavily and most of his students were hiding their laughter again. You have my condolences, but an honest compliment does not mean I am flirting with you Maya.

"You're welcome, Yamada-san." He didn't want her to think he was flirting, but he didn't want to be rude. He was also probably the most respectful person in the entire academy to the admittedly pushover teacher.

"Now then, let's begin already!" Ichika ordered. They assumed combat positions.

"Wait, you want us to fight two on one?" Cecelia asked aloud.

"…" Madoka remained quiet, clearly much more aware as to where the situation was headed.

"I would be more concerned about yourselves…..begin!" He shouted as the three IS flew into the air as he and his remaining students retreated to the edges of the arena.

"Dunois, can you please describe Yamada-san's IS." Ichika asked, curious of whether or not the student would be able to successfully describe the IS, which "Charles" quickly disproved as "he" began almost expertly describing even the most integral parts of the Mayas' Rapheal Revive.

I suppose that's the final confirmation that she does have Albert's support, not that there was much doubt.

Putting aside his thoughts for the moment, he decided to concentrate on the practice battle in front of him, frankly he ignored "Charles" commentary as it had already served its purpose. Analyzing Madoka's fighting style would be the best way to help her improve, after all. Of course he cared about helping his other students, just not to the same magnitude.

Cecelia had immediately retreated to a distant range, and summoned her "StarDust Shooter" sniper rifle. It was clear she was uncomfortable being within close range of her opponent, which made sense as long range combat was her IS's specialty, but constantly retreating in any fight will turn her into the prey in any given scenario.

Though it soon became clear that she was no slouch when it came to her sniper. She continued a brutal rate of fire and accuracy towards Maya who, even with her expert experience, was having a difficult time dodging every bolt. The reason being that Maya was also being fired upon by Madoka.

Madoka had assessed both the strengths and weaknesses of her partner before the battle had even begun. She had successfully seen that both of their IS were strong at ranged combat, and catered to that strength.

Unfortunately, though she was the better student, she was no teacher. She had no idea how to properly analyze her opponents IS to accommodate for any strategies. This ended in Maya quickly utilizing her grenade launched to blow a deep enough hole in the ground to use as cover against her opponents as she summoned her own sniper rifle to return a much more effective fire.

...she is good… Ichika took a mental note of her skill. She also had creative use, having created her own cover out of the ground.

That was the kind of fighter he needed by his side when the final battle against Phantom Task came. He didn't want to break it to his eager students, who would probably clamor to help bring a terrorist organization down when the time came, but he was hoping they would be using his teachings as protection, not an offensive takedown. Even if they could, he was hoping they wouldn't have to.

Seeing as both their shields were being shredded to pieces, Madoka turned her strategy on it's head to accommodate for her opponent's now known weaponry. She shot forward, commanding her bits to form a shield in front of her, blocking the oncoming fire. Cecelia stayed at her position, doing her best to cover fire for Madoka.

...Cecelia isn't taking time before firing to ensure she doesn't hit Madoka… Ichika jotted down the mental note.

Madoka was clearly planning to engage in close quarters combat with Maya, as the Silent Zephyrs had summoned it's knife. To get a clear shot, she needed to move her bits, unfortunately Maya took the opportunity to swiftly nail the Silent Zephyrs head on with a sniper bolt, which at close range drained another chunk of it's shield energy.

their teamwork is… decent. They both clearly need work on defense, and making opportunities for each other to attack effectively...

If a pilot was outnumbered in a fight, the best strategy was to focus effort on taking out the lesser opponent, therefore freeing up effort to focus solely on the more experienced opponent. However, Maya's skill was so clearly above the combined skill of Madoka and Cecelia, that she instead chose to take out the Silent Zephyrs then the Blue Tears, to end the fight quicker as to not take up class time.

Juxtaposed to her low shield energy, Madoka had begun a brutal offensive onslaught with the Silent Zephyrs knife and bits. Surprising both Maya and Ichika as she began efficiently slicing and stabbing at the Rafale Revive, while rotating her shield bits to block any shots the IS got off. The offensive fire from the Blue Tears only increased the increasing damage done to the Rafale Revive. A slight look of concern crossed Maya's face as the Silent Zephyr's knife whizzed by her head multiple times, only being blocked by the energy shield of her Rafale Revive.

...Madoka might be a little too reliant on the close combat parts of her IS...

Unfortunately, the offensive fire was hitting both the Rafale Revive, as well as the Silent Zephyrs, which quickly drained the remaining shield energy from Madoka's IS. As the Silent Zephyr's absolute barrier activated as a last defense, Maya moved on to her second opponent, quickly flying towards the Blue Tears.

Finally realizing her mistake, Cecelia immediately stopped firing at the Rafale Revive to avoid hitting the Silent Zephyrs and potentially seriously harming Madoka. Having no closed ranged weapons to fight with, she began to retreat into the air, only to be swiftly shot down by a perfectly placed grenade.

CRASH. The entire class, including himself, audibly cringed as the Blue Tears slammed into the ground at high speeds, skidding along the arena floor and kicking up mountains of dirt.

Ichika wasn't sure when "Charles" had stopped commentating…. probably some time around the end when things had gotten more intense. Regardless, most of the students were now looking at him for instructions. He took note that Madoka was in a huff as she, Cecelia, and Maya, re-joined the larger group.

...hmm...

"I hope you all have a greater understanding of your goals, now that you have seen what a professional IS pilot looks like in action." Ichika said, before allowing Maya to take control of the lesson.

She quickly began instructing the classes to split into groups, which the personal IS users would lead through drills. I sincerely hope they treat Yamada-san more seriously from now on. Underestimating an opponent is the first step towards losing a battle, not to mention they should have clear respect for their superiors.

The rest of the school day went along with no notable occurrences, but after the lessons ended Ichika had shown Charles to "his" room. As the first male in the Academy, Charles had been given his own room.

Charlotte was sitting on the floor in front of a small round table, drinking a sip from a cup of steaming tea she was offered by Ichika.

This… is not what I expected. She thought.

I knew I was being hasty to judge, but being covered in scars and wearing an eyepatch makes him... quite intimidating. He is surrounded by a dangerous energy, it's like my instincts are telling me to run from his very presence or kneel at his feet. I had assumed he would be this cold hearted asshole to be honest. He is straightforward, but not really cold. I mean he takes the time to walk me to my dorm, then makes us tea? He's also extremely polite. That… this… he…. is unexpected.

She decided to attempt to break the ice. "Ah… I've heard that you have been personally training with some of the personal IS pilot's, is that true?"

"It...is. To be more clear, I simply train with my younger sister as she personally requested, her friends simply tag along and it is not my place to deny them that. If you want to join those sessions you must talk to Madoka. Outside of those sessions, I prefer to train alone."

"I….see..." That is... disappointing, I wonder why he likes to train alone. Although, once again, straight forward but polite. At the very least I can talk to Madoka-san about joining those sessions...she seems kind enough to allow myself to participate.

*sigh* "Look I don't like playing these types of games, so I'll be straightforward. I know you're disguising as a male." Her eyes widened, but Ichika continued. "I know your father is forcing you to."

"Ho- how- uhhh….how do you know that?" Charlotte stumbled on her words.

"So he is forcing you...good to know…" Ichika slowly nodded as his theories were confirmed. Her face flushed as the realization that she had fallen for such a basic form of manipulation. How could she remedy this situation? She opened her mouth in protest only for him to continue before she could interject.

"Don't try to hide it, no need to waste time. The good news is I can get you out from under his control." Ichika said as she looked at him stuttering.

"Just take a second to gather your thoughts." Her cheeks reddened further, her embarrassment growing ever more obvious.

"Please don't-" He held up a finger, and she stopped talking.

"Just listen, okay? I'm on your side." She was surprised at the amount of genuineness he could say that to, especially to someone who was almost a complete stranger. Regaining her composure, she gestured for him to continue.

"Thank you. It won't matter if your disguise is revealed, under the Alaskan Treaty no student of this Academy is under the authority of any government. If you reveal your disguise and your father tries to use his influence to remove you from this academy he will be breaking the law, although I'm sure he could easily cover it up. If France does remove your representative candidacy they can't take away your IS until you are no longer a student of this academy or in other words for three years. If your IS or representative candidacy are taken away, I can easily get you another personal IS. As for the candidacy… after three years, should you perform admirably, many countries would likely offer you their own candidacy. However, I doubt that you want to be basically shamed by your own country, so, I have a plan on how to deal with your father, one that will be… satisfactory." Ichika quickly explained as Charles's face continued to shift in emotion.

"Ah… I… well… how can you be sure of that?"

"Please specify."

"Erm… All of it?" She said looking at him confused.

"I don't want or like to brag, but the fact is I am a genius. I have been the apprentice of Tabane Shinonono herself for about 10 years. I make IS units and invent for fun. I possess more than enough money to take care of whomever I wish for as long as I please. Even if I do not have enough time to personally build one, I can pay for one to be built. As for how I will take care of your father… I myself am still working out the details, but I assure you I can take care of him."

"Oh. Well… I… ah…" She couldn't help it, it didn't matter if what he was saying was true, with words alone, he showed his determination to help her. She jumped at him and he caught her in a hug. "Thank you. Just... for being a friend." Charlotte realized she was teary eyed and wiped them from her eyes, smiling brightly.

"You're welcome, but I am serious Dunois-san." Ichika said, grabbing his data pad and sifting through it until he brought up a section of the Alaskan Treaty that stated the rule he claimed existed. Charlotte only smiled more, which Ichika didn't think was possible, and blushed harder, which he also didn't think was possible.

"... thank you. And… please call me Charlotte." She said in a quiet voice, finally letting Ichika go from the hug, looking away from him.

"Sure..." Ichika responded. "Charlotte… I must say that is a beautiful name, one you should be proud to bear. I'll share some wisdom with you, Charlotte. Blood doesn't matter, it's nothing but liquid that flows through our veins. Family are those who you choose to live your life with. You owe nothing to those who created you." She looked back at him. He said that with such determination, like he was speaking from experience.

She couldn't fall asleep that entire night. The fact that she was finally free from her father's influence, finally free to be her own person, was overwhelming. Ichika stated that he would help her stand against him even if he did try to get to her and didn't help her fall asleep either. He was probably the first person to show genuine interest in being her friend.

Not far down the silent hall was a napping Madoka, who had fallen asleep whilst studying. She had been reviewing the blueprints of the Silent Zephyrs, going through the practice match from earlier that day and thinking of how she could improve her fighting style for a better balance of offense and defense, as Ichika had suggested after class.

Madoka was at her desk, arms crossed to form a pillow for her head as she drooled into them and onto the crinkled papers under them. Her thick long hair was sprawled out in a mess covering nearly its entire surface.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"...mmm…the….hell…?" Houki had told her that she would be out until late that night. It was evening, but she wouldn't exactly call this late. Speaking of, how did she fall asleep when it was still a few hours till midnight? Man that practice fight really did take a lot out of her, she would have to work on her endurance.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Yeah!...yeah….mmm…" She gave a pitiful shove to push her chair away from the desk and pulled herself to her feet.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Houki! For fucks sake, so much for "mature" if you've already lost your key-" She unlocked the door and swiftly swung it open. "-caaarrrddd." Chifuyu. Not who she was expecting, not at all.

At any other point in time, she would love to have her sister visit her. However, in her less than impressive state... well… she would prefer to impress her sister… this was….less than so.

"May I come in, Orimura-san?" Chifuyu asked professionally in her standard monotone.

Oh how Madoka cringed at that title. If she was going to insist on calling everyone she knew professionally, Chifuyu might as well just have "I AM UNCOMFORTABLE WITH EXPRESSING MYSELF" written in massive block kanji on her forehead.

Not that she wasn't herself, just not to the same extent the eldest Orimura was.

"...you…may." She walked away from the door, towards the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?" She grabbed a small pot from under a drawer.

Chifuyu walked in, closing the door behind her.

"I don't suppose you-" "No, I don't. Not that I would give you any, Ichika-nii would be upset. Plus, you don't want to lose a bet do you…?"

She could see a hint of surprise on Chifuyu's face. Clearly she hadn't known Ichika had told her about their little bet.

"Ahh….tea then, please." Madoka nodded, already having filled a pot with water and flipping the heat on. She laid down on her bed, sprawling out completely and yawning as she stretched. Chifuyu sat across from her, legs neatly folded over one another, and with flawless posture.

"So…." Madoka lay on her bed, kicking her legs. A tuft of her unkempt hair fell into her mouth, which she quickly spit out.

"...so…." Her elder sister repeated, massaging her jaw as if something was keeping her from speaking.

"..."

"..."

*Sigh* "SO?" Madoka sat up, and faced Chifuyu.

"...Ichika said that you were in a practice match today, and you lost." Chifuyu gained a slight amount of confidence as Madoka seemed to become interested in her feet. It wasn't much but it did mean she was on the right track.

"...did he say anything else?"

"Yes. Ichika said you seemed upset after having lost? He said he tried bringing it up after class but you dodged his question. He….he thought I would be better if I came to….talk….about it."

There's some irony for you. They both thought simultaneously.

"...I wasn't upset, exactly. I was…." She got up and began pacing in front of the bed. "Look, I knew I wouldn't win but getting beaten that quickly in a two versus one does make me a little annoyed…"

"So…"

"So yeah, I'm upset."

"You're being too hard on yourself Madoka. Our teachers wouldn't be much of teachers if merely being outnumbered slightly by two students would allow them to be defeated."

Madoka pitched the bridge of her nose.

"I know that. But it doesn't make it any easier to accept that if I fought a teacher I would've really had a chance of winning."

"..."

"..."

"Madoka, if you dedicate yourself, you will be a far more capable pilot than most if not all of the teachers in this academy. Most of us have at most a decade of experience with an IS, while you will have almost double that once you reach your prime."

She sat down next to Chifuyu, rolling her jaw.

"...hmm...you think?" Madoka asked.

"I know. You're focusing on the negative. You may have lost, but you were meant to. You're the one that took out the IS that breached the arena barriers. Your talent shows, as does your hard work. Continue focusing on your studies and training, and you will be the one of the best pilots in the world, maybe even the best…"

"..."

"I have to go to Madoka, it's getting late and I have papers to grade."

"Sounds...fun." Madoka said as she walked behind Chifuyu to the door.

"Humphf."

"Chifuyu?" Madoka asked before her sister opened the door.

"Mmm?"

"Thanks."

"Mmhmm." Chifuyu hummed as she once again swiftly opened, excited, and closed the door behind her.


A/N: A warm welcome to any new readers and a warm welcome back to loyal ones.

I took a long time to write this chapter. Mainly because I have had college midterms the last couple of weeks, but also because this chapter is the first one with Charlotte. She won't be a main character, but I still wanted to do her justice. Chapter 9 was also the last one I had mostly pre-written, so future chapters may take more time like this one.

I'm glad I made a second story in which I can more directly interact with my audience. I love writing this story, but having a story in which the audience reading it shapes it as it is written is really fun and fulfilling.


Personal Responses:

Just some guy: Thanks for being such a loyal commenter. I know this story isn't really affected by the audience so there isn't much reader interaction, but I appreciate it.

LL: Hope you liked it.