Mortal Reminder

I. Dawn

A ringing sound.

She groans after hearing it while she was asleep. The crude beeping sound woke her after a few more seconds of it constantly harassing her in a loop. Pulling the sheets off her to sit up in her bed, Chifuyu Orimura took her phone and saw that someone had been trying to call her this early at almost four AM in the morning. She wiped her eyes before putting the call through, moving her legs to settle on the floor by her left. Yawning for a short second she waited for whoever was on the other line to respond.

"Hello?" she courtly asked.

"Miss Orimura, apologies for making you wake up this early." A voice said.

Wiping her eyes as she stood up, she began to walk towards her refrigerator within the room given to her within the Academy's grounds. She picked up one of the cold soda cans within and saw that her stock of beer had been reduced significantly. Placing a mental note to possibly run an errand later or buy restock them herself.

"Miss Orimura?" the voice on the phone said.

"I apologize… and no it's okay. I was going to wake up soon when you called."

"I see. Well to start this off, this is Iwanaga Ai, I believe you and I have met briefly on the White Knight incident."

"Go on…"

"We have encountered an individual who seems to be related to you in some sense."

Chifuyu stopped sipping the morning soda she was drinking as soon as she heard those words.

"Can you repeat what you said to me?"

"There's no easy way to say this ma'am, but it appears that we have encountered a certain individual named Madoka and she claims to be the twin sister of your brother, Ichika Orimura. Begrudgingly that is."

Chifuyu's eyes narrowed at the mention of that name. Clearly something strange was happening.

"What of it then?" she asked cautiously, though in a more serious manner.

"The subject was found amidst the orchestrated raid of a Phantom Task cell within Okinawa province."

Chifuyu then walked towards her window, opening the curtains slightly as she gazed at the fields of the IS Academy. It was still bit dark outside but the sun was going to come up soon. The reason however, was that she was cautious enough to look outside as any attack on Phantom Task correlates somehow to anything that the academy was involved in. She was already fearful of that after the so many attacks directed at them, that the mere mention of the name gave her some small chills.

Being vigilant against it was the best she could do should it happen again.

"So the higher ups already grew balls to do something about them? I'm surprised." Chifuyu said as she continued to survey the window outside while taking a sip again with her drink.

She heard a slight hum in agreement with the caller as she continued to explain the situation.

"The raid was orchestrated on two accounts. One, because a person tipped off the government about a possible plan the cell was going to orchestrate upon the upcoming summit for the Alaska Treaty leaders to be part with. It was relatively small, however the so called tip pronounced that they wanted to start chaos amongst the ranks of those attending to allow the other cells off country to initiate operations on obtaining more IS units. As you could see, this was not something that those in charge wanted to happen as the ramifications would be blamed towards Japan in some ways. You could say this tip forced their hand to even think about raiding this cell in the first place."

Chifuyu crushed the tin can as she finished her drink and threw it to the nearby trash bin. Managing to perfectly land it in time as she replied to her caller.

"What about the second?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, as the tipper says that a certain Dr. Shinonono was going to be part of that attack as well. We could not confirm it but since the good doctor is in more ways an unpredictable security risk, those at the top reckoned that they didn't want her to further her agenda to disrupt relations between treaty-bound countries. There's more to the bigger picture about this, but that's where it ends as to what I've been told about that matter."

The mention of Tabane's name made Chifuyu to frown immensely upon hearing it. Surely enough, the woman was indeed a very large security risk. With how much power is being funneled into her on further development for future IS units by various companies and countries, it allowed her significant gain on having as much freedom as she wanted to do literally anything. Even if it meant something as grand as this. She did it before and she would do it again. The only question this time was when exactly, and if the tipper's information was concrete then it sure meant that the woman was playing her cards on something again. Even the academy itself was not immune to her 'experiments' as she continued to play with dangerous game of the weapon system she designed.

"What happened then?" she said.

"The raid was to be initiated with at least four IS units deployed to counteract any resistance. Along with conventional forces and I myself in special Ops to reinforce the mission's success. The directions to the cell's whereabouts were solid but we did not have confirmation of Dr. Shinonono's presence there, yet we went with the green light."

"Let me guess, it all went to shit…" she grumbled. Reason being was, if Tabane was involved then it would be either a bloodbath or a complete annihilation since she had the means to after all.

"No. Not exactly. The opposite of that actually."

She flinched after hearing those words.

"What do you mean?" she said, seemingly worried as to what she was about to hear.

"The cell itself was destroyed. No survivors. Not even the IS cores of the stolen units this cell had survived. Everything was cleaned up the moment we arrived. There were traces of blood everywhere and the presence of their outpost being occupied but there were no bodies. Save for three and one survivor."

Chifuyu's expression darkened. Did Tabane kill that Phantom Task cell? It wouldn't be alien of her to think that way after all, but why do it if she was going to ally with them on the supposed operation the tipper gave? Why bother to even ally with them at all?

Unless…

"We found the survivor intact in one of the downed IS units. Suspiciously speaking, her IS core wasn't destroyed, but the unit was heavily damaged. This brought a bit of confusion amongst us as this one damaged unit was the only one that was intact, the rest were completely gone save the husks of their IS cores. She, was the only pilot that was intact as well… Remember the three bodies? We can account that the three women were pilots as they were on the ground right next to their broken cores." The caller said with a serious tone.

"And?" Chifuyu said in wait.

"The bodies were completely burned over. Traces of DNA were taken but it'll take a while before we manage to identify who they were. The disturbing part was that they were burnt together in the middle of their base. From analysis of their final expressions and the what little details we could see, it seemed they were burnt alive while in the process of bleeding to their deaths."

Sadistic bastards, Chifuyu thought to herself.

"The survivor was alive and became conscious while we were treating her.'

"She didn't fight back?" she asked, knowing Madoka's usual tendencies.

"No… in fact she was lucid. She seemed traumatized by the looks of it, saying Ichika Orimura's name over and over instead of telling us anything. We believe she's pleading to see him ever since she was woke up. Not even bothering to eat nor drink. We have her stable, but I think you need to see her soon."

Chifuyu suddenly felt odd with that remark. Lucid? Why would someone as tough as her act that way? Were the attackers really that strong that she ended up like this?

"I see… what of the attackers? Were they identified? Was it Tabane?"

"We don't believe so."

"How could you be so sure?" Chifuyu asked, afraid of the possible answer.

"Dr. Shinonono actually arrived on the ruins of the base afterwards for a few minutes. We tried to talk to her about it, but she left immediately… with a troubled look on her face. Saying that she needed to look into something before vanishing from one of her machines."

Serious? Tabane was never serious to begin with and when she was going on with these operations of hers, it always ended with her being overly excited and happy about her findings. Her being serious and troubled seemed off. The matriarch of the Orimura family felt that something was amiss within all of these events as they could be tied to something else.

As she was about to reply, a knock on her door was heard.

Alerted immediately to the sound, she quickly walked in silence towards the small kitchen she had within her room and grabbed one of the knives.

"Who is it?" she said as she put her phone down.

"It's Maya! W-We have a situation… it needs your attention." Maya Yamada, her assistant teacher said behind the door. Her voice worried and alert. Sighing in relief, she put the knife down as she opened the door.

"What is it?" Chifuyu said as there stood Maya, her hair unkempt and panting as if she ran all the way to her room. Her clothes barely put on in a modest sense as her blouse was unbuttoned halfway. She seemed to be in a hurry.

"We've encountered someone."

"And?" Chifuyu asked.

"She suddenly appeared out of the blue in one of the docking bays of our IS units. We cornered her almost immediately as this was a breach… yet she voluntarily let herself in our custody."

"What?" Chifuyu said in confusion to the remark.

"S-She's in one of the cells. Waiting…"

"Waiting for what?" she said.

"Waiting for the Anomaly… at least that's what she told us."

Chifuyu narrowed her eyes as she put the phone back to her ear.

"Excuse me, something's come up. I'm going to have to take care of your subject some other time." She replied to the caller, until she replied back with a same grave tone.

"I'm afraid that can't be arranged Miss Orimura. I've been tasked to send the subject to your school with an escort. We need answers and we hope you can help us." The caller urged prompting Chifuyu to try and decide which scenario was more important.

Chifuyu looked at Maya. Two problems at once. One in particular was a person she knew that was apparently trying to find her brother Ichika, and one other mystery person finding an 'Anomaly'.

What was happening she asked herself.

Where the hell was this going to?

"Miss Orimura… please, this is urgent!" Maya said as she held her hand.

Sighing she went back to the call.

"Alright, send the subject in. I believe I have something to show to you as well." There was hum in approval as the phone call ended and Chifuyu set it down as she thought about this other person. She knew that her words were trustworthy enough for those with government clearance to understand. Moving their subject of interest in the academy would give them answers, as well as find a possible link within this other mystery person and her methods. That is if the two had any link at all with what was happening.

"Did this person give a name?" Chifuyu asked.

"W-We tried asking… as well as her allegiances. She wouldn't say anything other than to get the 'anomaly'. W-We're not even sure of what she means by that. The worst part is, she has an energy signature unlike anything we've ever known and she doesn't even have an IS unit. Nor anything in her possession that looks like one."

Chifuyu felt worried at that statement.

"What did she say?"

"That she was a messenger, a guide for the 'Anomaly' to return home."

END OF PROLOGUE


6:54 AM, Dorm 1025…

Ichika Orimura's eyes opened on the cusp of dawn. The sunlight coming out from the windows covered by the curtains were shining down upon his face slightly. Blinking his eyes, he got up into a sitting position as he moved the sheets away from him while being accompanied by a yawn. Looking at his room he wondered what time it was as his alarm didn't ring yet. Yet seeing the glow of the sun outside made him feel that it was already early morning.

The room was quiet. It was as clean as ever before he went to sleep last night. Some of his books and notebooks still neatly placed on the desk near his own computer. The studies for the upcoming written exam were tough, but he managed somehow last night. Even with the major setbacks placed by the numerous responsibilities he had now in the academy.

He wasn't technically tired of it all, in fact the complete opposite of it. He loved his work both on being the class representative as well as being the vice president of the student council. While they were technically tough, it didn't mean that he resented them. In fact, he loved interacting both with his classmates and the upper class frequently. Being able to talk to numerous people and making friends with them. In addition, it made him a lot more likeable in the eyes of the other patrons within the school as time passed within his first year being in the academy.

It wasn't hard getting that much attention however. Being the only male in the school sure turned a lot of heads towards him and some of them while most had positive views were still quite questioning of his addition. In more ways than one he had proven his worth within the school along with his piloting skills. Help from Laura along with the rigorous training Tatenashi gave him frequently proved to be of major help as now he could very well go even with any of the other pilots he was tasked to fight on a one on one fight with.

He wasn't the best nor was he the strongest, but at the very least he had come a long way ever since his first day here in this school.

Moving his feet towards the floor as he sighed in relief. Relief that so far, things have been going fine in a normal sense. Sure, there was still the threat of being attacked again from time to time, but as things went on he did feel that it was rather peaceful lately.

Along with the time he spent with the girls.

If there was one thing that he was thinking heavily right now, it wasn't about schoolwork nor his studies. It was about the girls. Feelings deep inside him were stirring right now lately and as days pass he could more or less say that he views them each on a different level than just mere friends now actually.

He couldn't pin point what it was, but there was something there.

Houki was surely someone he cherished Their friendship had further strengthened the more time they spent with each other. It was also easier that they were already friends to begin with back when they were kids. It was a joy being with her all the time even in training.

Cecilia as well was someone he liked being with. She had come a long way ever since they first met and while she was still clinging on to her old self, she genuinely did change into a better person. A change that he himself had noticed and was proud of. The amount of effort she gave out to be the person she was now made him smile. Their friendship became tighter after that.

Rin was surely a blast to be with. While not technically the best in the group in terms of anything, there was a reason why they became friends back then. She illuminated the bad parts of his day mostly and talking to her was never boring as the energetic Chinese girl always made everything happier than it initially seemed.

Charlotte was special as well. Out of all of his friends, she was one of the few that never lashed out at him. While he was already used to that, Charl as he called her was surely something else. The lovely French Girl was never a bore to talk with and was always there for him no matter what. The promise he made for her was still something he cherished and he would continue to do so even in the future.

Laura, smiling while thinking about her… the German Super Soldier herself much like Cecilia had come a long way from their initial meetings. While soft wasn't the best term to describe her now, she was surely more friendly, sociable, and best of all a great companion to be with regardless of what occasion. It also helped that to him the girl was simply adorable. Especially when she slept.

Kanzashi… he couldn't really say much, because in truth he really liked the girl a lot after they first met. Getting to befriend her while redeeming himself of an indirect mistake caused by his IS unit made him feel all the more grateful as it allowed him to meet her. Sure, the road wasn't easy and he only did it for Tatenashi at first, but in the end he surely got more than he bargained for and he was happy that it ended that way. The girl was smart, smarter than him and there was never a dull moment between them that he surely liked so much.

Her sister though, the student council president herself… his partner in crime as she told him was Tatenashi herself. She was surely something else. A random girl that came into his life at the most bizarre moment that made him realize how special she was to begin with. She was certainly a different person compared to the rest of the girls, having so many likeable traits and a teasing attitude to boot. However, the more time he spent with her, the more time he realized how much he liked her to the extent that almost out of all the girls, she was the one he was the most comfortable with spending time together.

All those thoughts aside, he never chose a favorite amongst them. Never one person who was above the rest. While there were times that he preferred someone within them, it never dragged on for him to actually resent the others in any way possible.

It also helped that he was more sensitive to their feelings now, especially with the five that he saw within the World Purge scenario. He knew that these girls liked him, and while he liked them back it wasn't in a sense that would attribute to what they really want out of him. Which was something more… and something deeper than on the surface.

He himself was puzzled to this thought. Unsure what to make of it. He wanted to try and talk to his sister Chifuyu about it so many times recently but she was far too busy or she was not a fan of the idea at all to begin with. There were exceptions when she's drunk but he digressed in thinking that her advice while inebriated was good coming from her.

At the very least for now, he would continue to be friends with them in any way he can. In the end of it however, he knew that he had to give them an answer and he was still unsure as to what he would say.

Finishing his shower after a small quick meal he was now starting to ready his clothes for the day. Classes were still about an hour and fifteen from that moment so he wasn't hurrying himself to get dressed quickly. The other girls would be up and about right now especially Laura and Houki who had their own morning rituals within the academy. He tried to join them once before and it was fun, though doing it daily would surely make him tired beyond relief. Since he had so much work to do on the numerous jobs he had within the school. It was still fun nonetheless and he bets that the two were doing those things right now as he thinks about it.

While he was taking the hanger that was holding his uniform in place, he then heard a knock on his door. He bid the visitor to wait for a moment as he put the uniform on the bed. He thought it was probably Chifuyu who checked up on him every once in a while at this early in the morning, he then walked to the door wearing only a shirt and his underwear on.

As he opened the door, surprisingly it was Tatenashi.

"Oh." He said as they locked eyes with each other. Tatenashi giving her sunny smile like usual at him even in his underwear. A while ago the situation was reversed between them and at this moment she would be teasing him while wearing nothing but her underwear as well when they first met. Like he thought of her earlier, there relationship was surely something else as he would be embarrassed wearing these facing other people other than her, and maybe Charlotte he thought.

Yet at this very moment they could only look at each other with the girl blushing slightly at their gazes upon one another.

"T-Tatenashi… uh, you need something?" he awkwardly said as this broke the silence between them. Bringing them both back to reality. Tatenashi who wasn't shy was certainly acting strange at that moment, sure their interactions were different after she saved her from that near-death experience when the academy was attacked but they still acted on equal terms when they were together. Which is why he was very comfortable being around her so much.

"R-Right, sorry I'm just surprised you opened the door wearing nothing but that." She teased with a wink, displaying the Tatenashi he knew very well. Despite blushing a bit still.

"Well, you've turned up in my room so many times wearing less… so I don't see the problem the-" he was about to finish the sentence until he saw her glare with an eyebrow raised at him. Her fan displaying the word "pervert" while being partially open towards him. He smiled as Tatenashi shook her head with a small grin afterwards.

"Anyway, that aside I need you to come with me." She said as she placed those thoughts elsewhere. Instead focusing on the errand given to her.

"Is it important?"

Tatenashi put her fan away as she looked at both directions within the hallway. Making him understand that it was serious if it needed secrecy to begin with. Plus, she looked rather troubled with that expression. Worrying him to some degree.

"Look, this is probably not going to end very well but Ms. Orimura wanted you to be part of it. I think it's dangerous as is, but putting you there makes me worried about what could happen."

"Can you at least tell me what's going on? Because you're kinda scaring me a bit."

Tatenashi sighs at him, trying her best not to lay the truth on him so suddenly that he would freak out in turn.

"Do you remember the IS pilot of the stolen Silent Zephyrus?"

Ichika was surprised to hear that from her and he immediately recalled the young woman his age that looked so much like Chifuyu that he wondered about the things his big sister never told him about their family. However, why was she part of this? Was there an attack again? Or something worse?

"What about it?" he asked in a serious tone this time, worried as to what extent this problem was that it made Tatenashi troubled as well.

"We have her downstairs. Ms. Orimura and the staff have been taking care of her, along with a few special operators from the Japanese Government there with them. There's something big going on but no one is telling me anything. I was only given orders to escort you down there since well…"

Ichika nods, putting a hand on her shoulder. Making her look at him with a more pronounced yet still faint blush.

"I get it." He said with a smile as she smiled back. Making her confused.

"You're acting weird today, are you finally growing a pair Ichika?" she teased, trying to get the answer out of him. It didn't work however as he was already immune to most of her teases at this point.

"No, I'm just thinking about a lot lately. No need to worry yourself about it alright? Also, just give me a few minutes. I'll be dressed in no time." He said, trying to dodge the question, but not lying about it either.

"I see… but Ichika I have to ask you about something." She said as she took his hand before he closed the door.

"What is it?"

"Are you and Chifuyu really the only ones in your family?"

Ichika connected the dots at what she was trying to ask of her. He knew by that moment that Tatenashi had seen Madoka up close and had questions about. Questions including the mystery as to why she was so eager to kill him to get to Chifuyu Orimura as it seemed.

"I don't really know… my sister doesn't tell me everything about it. Whenever I do, she always says that it's the two of us and that there's no one else."

"I see… I-I'm just worried. About what would happen when she sees you that is." She said.

He smiled at her, hoping to temper her worries.

"Don't worry, I got you remember? I feel totally safe in your hands like always."

"Really?" Tatenashi asked.

"Yeah. I do. More so than you think."

"T-Thanks…"

"Like the rest of the girls too also…" he added as Tatenashi suddenly frowned at his statement and looked away disappointingly. Her fan now having the words 'stupid' on them.

"What did I do now?"

"Never mind that… Just get dressed. We need to go or Ms. Orimura is going to be furious at both of us." She said as Ichika shook his head with a smile while closing the door. As he headed to get dressed he then thought about the pilot of the Silent Zephyrus.

He then wondered what supposedly happened as to why she's here.

And what was the connection between them.

So many questions with a part inside of him hoping that they could be answered somehow.

He did want to know what the truth really was with the situation between him and Chifuyu. Who their parents were and their origins. As well as the mystery of who that young woman was that looked so much like Chifuyu.

Looks like I'm going to know some of it sooner than I hoped… he thought to himself as his day was just starting and it was already going into a direction he did not expect.


7:12 AM

"She's this quiet, ever since she woke up huh?" Chifuyu said.

"Yes. We don't even know if she's merely ignoring us or doing it on purpose. We hoped meeting you would somehow change it but here we are…"

Chifuyu looked through the monitors overlooking the room Madoka was in. She was sitting at the chair, her hands on her lap while she stared at the table aimlessly. Like it was the most interesting thing in the world right now in her mindset. Yet her expression was blank and her eyes drooping from the sleepless night she experienced.

Not even Chifuyu's presence made her flinch nor move slightly. Which is why they decided to ultimately get her brother down there to try on their behalf. Chifuyu wasn't fond of the idea but they had no choice for that matter, as they needed answers from the girl and they were willing to risk it just for that. There was far too much vital information within her for them to simply pass on.

That and because they couldn't piece the puzzle yet with their other guest.

"I trust you've tried talking to the other one?" Iwanaga Ai said beside her.

"We haven't tried anything at all yet actually. We're far too concerned with how comfortable she is inside that cell. Like she's pleased with the whole damn situation. Her appearance in the school raises questions as its timed almost close to the incident you and your men discovered hours ago." Chifuyu replied as her companion within the observation room nodded.

"I have a hypothesis about all of this. This seems way too elaborate and planned out for it not to make sense. I think someone is deliberately playing with us."

Chifuyu thought of it the same, with a part of her leaning heavily towards a theory she had.

"Do you think she's the tipper?" Ai asked.

"I'm not sure yet but with how this is all coming to be, I'm afraid there's something bigger in play. Tabane's inclusion or not, there's something really big that's coming and it's not making me comfortable."

Iwanaga Ai agreed with her, but at the same time curious about something else.

"I have a question… if you don't mind that is Ms. Orimura."

Chifuyu drifted her attention towards the woman, the distinct query and tone of her voice made her raise an eyebrow at her.

"I've read the files. Some of it. Enough for me to get the whole picture that is, so I know in some capacity about you and your brother's… origin."

Chifuyu suddenly changed the air of the room around them. Her glare turning into something or pure seriousness that radiated out of her own form. The woman never flinched however, standing strong against the Brunhilde herself. Fear non-existent in her eyes as they stared down at each other.

"Why haven't you told the boy yet?" she asked.

"About what?" Chifuyu replied in a deadpan tone.

"About who and what you people are… or is there something missed out in the files? Something you chose to hide from everyone else." Ai said, continuing to pry about this topic further.

"What's your point?" Chifuyu said again, a higher tone in voice than prior.

"You definitely know something Ms. Orimura. You don't even consider this girl as your sister, much less your family yet… you consider the boy as your brother. Why is that?"

"I didn't even know about this girl's existence until she confronted Orimura back then." Chifuyu said as Ai tilted her head in question.

"So you admit that you only consider the boy as your family. Knowing full well that the other… subjects out there could still exist." Ai replied.

"The others are dead or gone. You know that. I made sure of that. This girl is a special case. Something after the program that I was unaware of, but I ultimately fixed that mistake by making sure they were all shut down. Unfortunately, I was late to that problem, hence her creation." Chifuyu explained.

"Why did you in fact… save him Ms. Orimura? From what I've been told, he was an abomination compared to the program's ideal specimen." Ai said, looking at her directly for answer.

"He is my brother, whether in whatever shape or form you view him remember that he is my family. Calling him anything less than that will get you nowhere with me. Try to keep that in mind." Chifuyu threatened as Ai stood down on her provocations.

"I apologize. Though you haven't answered my question yet Ms. Orimura."

She sighs, knowing full well that this conversation won't end until she says anything about that.

"I know you're already aware that my brother is… special in a sense. He was the only valid male specimen that was fully given life. The scientists working on the program were quite appalled that he came out normal at least at first. Until they saw what he really was, a mistake that was brought to life. Something that was meant to be terminated, until I intervened."

"I wasn't given a full report about it, but given the results you gave out for them, they let you go." Ai added to which Chifuyu nodded to.

"If you can consider it like that, then yes… that was the case. However, I was only able to free him from everything because he never knew about his past. Further making it certain that he wasn't going to be the monster the program deemed as a failure. I wanted him off of that life. To be normal in a sense but we all know where that turned to." Chifuyu said.

"What happened to the ones who were in charge of the program? I was told they were really furious of the funding taken out from their pockets when Dr. Shinonono was put in the picture. They've disappeared without a trace after that as it would seem."

"They were completely outclassed by the level of benefits they got out of Tabane, that in result the program's usefulness was deemed non-existent. Even my existence was now a fluke they wanted to cover, giving me a backstory to keep my mouth shut. Though it did make things easier with my brother's situation. Making him unaware of everything until now."

"Yet she exists."

"That was a mistake of those who let those researchers go. They won't be a threat anymore however; they're mostly gone given the state secrets they held. Leaving me and Orimura the only relics left of that past. You can include her, but I doubt she even knows what I know about it all."

"That's good and all, but why are we in this situation Ms. Orimura? Why does it look like that yet again, that part of your life is coming back to haunt us all?"

Chifuyu turned to her.

"I have no answer to that."

Ai was about to ask her another question when the door behind them was opened and a certain green haired assistant of Chifuyu came in.

"They're here." She said as both women turned to her. Armed guards on either side of the door with multiple technicians and part of the school faculty monitoring both cells. Though the most of the monitors were looking directly at Madoka's cell.

"Get them in. We can't waste time." Chifuyu commanded as Maya escorted the two in. Ichika still in a confused demeanor of this whole situation and Tatenashi beside him looking cautious at everything presented. Ai watched as she saw the only male pilot in the world, though that was enough for her to acknowledge the boy, the mere fact that she knew about the truth made her judge him in a different light.

"Big Sis- I mean, Ms. Orimura… what's going on exactly?" Ichika corrected himself.

"I'm afraid this situation requires your attendance. In simple terms, we need you to talk to the subject." She said to him while crossing her arms. Tatenashi who was already uncomfortable with this situation tried to speak out.

"Ms. Orimura with all due respect, isn't it dangerous putting him there with her? The last time they interacted with each other never ended well to begin with. Wouldn't that be the same case here?"

Ai who saw the blatant worry in the girl's tone and expression made her smile slightly. She had heard of the representative contender of Russia and the verified Student Council president but she never knew that she had a thing for the boy.

"We've confirmed that she's lucid ever since Ms. Iwanaga here took her into our custody. The doctors have also put some sedatives to keep her nerves calm, so anything violent coming out from her would be neutralized easily." Chifuyu said in finality, moving her attention to Ichika directly to get this over with. This maneuver made Tatenashi unable to continue questioning her further.

"So you need me… to talk to her? It's that simple?" Ichika inquired.

"Yes, ask her of any information she can give us. We haven't been able to talk to her. Ms. Iwanaga and her team have been unable to. Myself couldn't even get her to talk."

"What's wrong with her then? And how did she get herse-

"I just need you to make her talk Orimura. Nothing more, nothing less." Chifuyu said, almost like a direct order towards him. Making him nod with Tatenashi still uncomfortable about it. Chifuyu then turned to the blue haired girl beside him.

"If anything happens, you need to be close enough to get him out of there understood?" Tatenashi nodded at her for giving her that much as Chifuyu returned her attention towards her brother. "And you, if something happens. Make sure to get yourself out of there. You'll be alone with her, but the moment something goes wrong we'll have you out as fast as we can."

"Right." Ichika said as she bid them to go. Maya escorted them as they left the room. Leaving her with the SAT operative again in silence.

"Are they dating?" Ai said.

"Hmm?"

"Are they a couple? The girl seemed far too overprotective over him."

Chifuyu managed a grin as she took the cup of coffee that was inside the room and took a sip.

"Be grateful that one was is the most sensible out of all of them. If the others were here, I doubt that conversation would stay short."

Iwanaga furrowed her brow at that response.

"Others?"

"One of the many qualities my brother has it seems… is to gather a flock of girls that like him." She replied in a sarcastic tone of which Ai shrugged at.

"But I am worried if that's what you're thinking." Chifuyu added.

"Worried about what?"

"Where this is all going to."


Madoka stared at the metal table she was facing at for the last half hour. The cell itself was quite cold. The air conditioning across the white walls made it feel slightly chilly. Her hands which were bound by cuffs were entangled with one another, a reflex from the feeling of being exposed at that every moment.

She knew that eyes were peering into her from another room. Cameras of different kinds watching her every move as she sat there, wordlessly. People had been trying to talk to her ever since she woke up, but she didn't want to talk nor even interact with anyone at all.

She was scared to.

Fear wasn't a concept that she embraced lightly, yet the events leading up to her inclusion here changed that drastically. Even the appearance of the one person that she wanted to best and overcome never deterred her from being silent. It was strange, knowing full well that she had come face to face with the person she loathed against her entire life only for their first interaction to be that of a void silence.

It was her dream for the woman to finally notice her, but the emotions stirred up inside her ate away any desire that would come forth against it. The allusions of fear, trauma and utter disbelief in what happened still ate away her conscience.

Making her silent the moment she opened her eyes again.

What she saw within the attack made her feel inadequate. Useless.

She finally saw the worthless piece of trash that she was. A pale imitation to the person she wanted to be noticed by. Madoka was never the person she thought shewas, she was never the one that would proclaim that she was the strongest anymore. The sheer terror she felt as she looked at everything aimlessly was evident.

She may not weep nor sob at the horror's she saw…

Yet the terror ate away everything that made her sane.

Even if it meant she wasn't sane to begin with at all.

There was nothing good to say anyway. Nothing good to begin with.

She looked at her hands, wounds that did not heal yet even though they should have already. She clung on to both hands tight. Worried. Scared. A large question of what to do now lingered inside her.

What worth was her life now anyway? Knowing that someone out there was better than her.

Stronger.

Normally she would try and escape by now. But what would that be worth anyway? Maybe it was best to remain like this? Or maybe stop it altogether… end it all in one fell swoop to get rid of the nightmare she witnessed.

Maybe.

As she continued to dwell on those thoughts, the door inside the cell slid open. Her head wasn't turned to that direction nor did she plan to but she did hear voices. One of them familiar to her. The same voice she trained to hate all these years.

Yet it didn't bother her anymore. Nothing seemed to as she heard the door slid back to being closed. A person she knew well, not by relationship but by her obsession of years being cast out of the picture. The same person that was looking at her now in confusion, and in some form… worry.

Worry not for himself.

But for her.

"Hello there… heh." He said with an awkward smile. Hoping it would enliven the mood.

She didn't react however as he looked at how frail and pale she was. A stark contrast to the woman she last saw that tried to kill her.

Madoka heard footsteps approach the table.

"Mind if I sit?"

She didn't respond.

"I'll take that as a yes…" he replied as she pulled one of the chairs and sat across her. If she would look up that is, they would be face to face at that very moment.

Madoka didn't budge nor say anything, leading some of the people who were watching them to feel that this was a wasted effort after all. Ichika on the other hand was determined to try.

He didn't know why exactly, but ever since her first saw this girl multiple questions had been coming up to his mind. Questions about his family and the things that Chifuyu doesn't want to say to him. He knew there was something else. It didn't mean that he didn't trust his sister, but in more ways than one he knew that there was always something else underneath it all.

And this girl was part of that.

"I think you know why they sent me here. You've probably got all of that figured out… right?"

Madoka didn't respond, prompting Ichika to move the conversation somewhere. She on the other hand didn't care whatever tricks he had up his sleeve to talk, as she was far too desensitized to say anything else. Especially to the person she resented the most of in the world.

Ichika placed his hands on the table. Joining them together in a fidgeting motion. Unsure if the next words out of his mouth could help.

"Look, I'm not here to ask you about anything regarding your situation. I'm sure you're tired of that already. But… if you can just humor me on one thing, can I at least ask you a question and hopefully you'll answer me back?"

Madoka didn't respond still, so he pressed further.

"Chifuyu doesn't say anything to me about my parents. The family we came from." He looks directly at Madoka who was still not looking straight at him but seemed to move slightly at the mention of the word family. "But when I saw you during that night you and I met, I was surprised that you look exactly like Chifuyu. Like we were related in a way…"

Madoka who didn't wish to react moved her head slightly towards his direction. The very first interaction she made with someone when she was put in this cell. She looked at Ichika with a disdainful expression, yet some of it akin to a questioning look.

Ichika who felt that he had made progress, decided to continue.

"So can I ask you if we are related? If you and I are family? And if we are… where did you come from? Who are..." Ichika paused recalling the advent of his childhood. Remembering how many times he asked his sister about their parents. The parents that never showed up on anything, not even his sister's accomplishments being the top IS pilot throughout the years back then.

The same parents that Ichika secretly yearned to see, being jealous of the complete families his friends and the people around him have. Maybe asking the truth from Madoka would finally end that chapter of his life. Maybe even close the book by having that part of the mystery solved.

"Who are my parents?" he finished, with a bit of sadness at the end of his words.

Madoka stared at him. She looked almost pitiful at Ichika's questions. Yet deep inside she asked herself on who was the real pitiful person at that very moment? The one who still has something to fight for… or the person who has lost everything?

A voice in her head wanted her to stay quiet. There was no point after all in saying anything.

She didn't matter to the great big scheme of things. She was a petty excuse of a person.

"We aren't… family." She replied. Her voice soft. Vulnerable. Unsure why she responded to his answer when a few seconds ago she vowed an oath of silence. She asked herself why, but the moment those words came out, her demeanor changed.

From the non-expressive features came a face of utter disbelief and sadness upon her own self.

An emotion that Ichika observed. One that he knew very well, especially when Chifuyu was emotionally vulnerable herself during times she was drunk. Times where she would seem to tear up to no reason at all. It didn't happen all the time, but he saw it in a few instances, making him wonder what she was thinking about.

That same face was now displayed upon Madoka's.

Earning a feeling of worry deep within him.

"Hey, are you okay?" he said, reaching out his hand to try and comfort her only for her to slam the table, the force strong enough for the spot she hit it with to leave a small dent. Unbeknownst to Ichika, Tatenashi was about to come inside along with Ms. Yamada only for Chifuyu and Ai to stop them. Wanting to see where this goes.

"We… are not family. Ichika Orimura." She said as a tear escaped her left eye. He could see her more clearly now, her eyes red and heavy from all the pent up emotions inside her. She was shaking as well, making him feel bad for his earlier provocation.

"There is no 'parents' for people like us. We don't exist because we're normal. We're not even totally human. We're different and by now you should know that." She said as she looked at him, seriousness in her eyes never leaving as the tear dropped to the table in a small splash.

Ichika looked at her intently. He was confused as to what she was saying, but he did have questions like that as well. The most prominent of it was the various dreams he had, and the fact that he was able to somehow resuscitate himself from death and heal from his wounds quicker than any live person he knew of.

Still, that wasn't the point of this conversation. As much as he wanted to know all of these answers, he wanted to first and foremost ease her into a much more sensible, meaningful conversation. Based on how much she was triggered both in sadness and anger, he knew he was doing terribly.

He expected it of course, as this girl was more than willing to kill her with the other encounters they shared before. Yet it didn't mean that he wanted it to be the same on his end.

"Take it easy. I'm sure you're upset abou-

"Don't bullshit me! Don't try to comfort me. I'm not your sister. I'm not anything to you. The only thing that matters to me is for Chufuyu Orimura to take notice of my existence." Tears suddenly went down her cheek as she began to sob.

Remembering the horrors, she witnessed from the recent attack.

The words of someone finally breaking her to realize the truth she was unaware of.

"Y-Yet I'm not even worthy to be anything. I'm not… what I thought I was. I'm only a hollow shell. A stupid imitation of someone far better than me. Useless." She said in a slow manner, sadness and despair in her voice as her elbows rested on the table.

Ichika did not understand her, but he felt terrible seeing her like this. He stood up and slowly walked closer towards her. Cautious still of anything that could happen between them but eventually he managed to close the distance between them. With his hand cautiously moving towards her back, stroking it like how he lulls Chifuyu to sleep in her drinking escapades.

Madoka didn't expect that sensation and slowly but surely calmed down a bit.

Until unexpectedly she clung close to him and continued to sob within his arms. Ichika didn't move at that moment as he kept stroking her back to comfort her.

Even those who watched it transpire were quite shocked at that small moment they saw. Chifuyu on the other hand didn't feel surprised at it, knowing full well who and what Madoka was. What did make her interested were the words she said and together with Ai, they wanted to press this issue further but they acknowledged that they had to take this slow in order for her to cooperate.

An idea formed in her head as she looked his brother and the girl together.

It was risky idea, but if they were to learn what they were dealing with, they needed the girl to ease up in any way they can. She was uncertain of the result of it, but knowing Ichika she knew that it would pay off in any shape or form.

To Ichika at that very moment, the only thing within his mind was to help her in any way he can.

He would leave the questions later, for now that was the only thing that mattered.


8:26 AM

"Did Ichika say anything about being busy with something last night?" Cecilia asked Houki, whom like her along with Charlotte and Laura were wondering the same thing. Usually he would arrive earlier in class and never late lesser than fifteen minutes before the first period starts. Sure, he did have many cases of being late back then when classes had started but as time passed with the amassed duties he partook in, being late became a rare thing for him.

"He said he was studying in for the night and was busy with other things. Even then I think he would have arrived by now." Houki replied, worried for Ichika as well.

"Did you not see him during your morning drills Laura?" Charlotte asked the platinum blonde German candidate. Laura crossed her arms as she was wondering about it herself.

"No, I was going to ask him to join but after a quick visit last night I decided against it."

Suddenly the other three looked at her intently.

"You visited him last night?" Charlotte asked.

"Of course, he is my bride after all. I wanted to check him if he was doing okay, alas he was quite busy with all of the things he had strewn across his table so I let him be and left soon after." She replied, making Houki and the others breathe a sigh of relief.

"Do you think he's still in his room right now? Poor thing may have been overworked with all the stress he's been subjected into." Cecilia said with a worried tone.

"Ichika may act stupid at times but he's smart enough to wake up for class today." Houki said.

"Even so, we can't just rule out Cecilia's concerns." Charlotte rebuked.

"Well I can certainly agree to that, with the upcoming exams and the tasks the Student Council is dealing with, he is pretty much overworked." Laura added.

"I thought we already told Tatenashi to ease his workload? Isn't Kanzashi his assistant?" the blonde British said again as Houki began to take it into consideration.

"Come to think of it, I don't think we've seen the both of them early today as well…"

"I've seen Kanzashi a few minutes ago Houki. I even walked her to her class before coming here. If she's doing okay, then I'm sure Ichika should be okay." The French candidate stated out.

"Then that makes my concern of him still sleeping in his room dead tired plausible!" Cecilia cried out loud as she, Houki and Charlotte began to have a small argument with each other.

"Should we check then?" Laura said in between them, making them stop as they all looked at her.

"But it's almost homeroom period." Houki replied.

"We can just ask for an excuse once we get back. Ichika is the priority here right?"

"I agree… let's go." Charlotte said as she stood up from Houki's desk. Followed by Cecilia after.

"I second that."

As they were about to head to the door, the assistant teacher of the class Ms. Yamada came in, thwarting them from continuing. Laura still wanted to ask permission until the green haired lady who was unusually serious shushed her to return to their seats. The entire class was surprised to the sudden interaction and quickly shuffled back to their seats.

Maya who went to the center of the room cleared her throat and tried to explain what was happening.

"Excuse me for being on the edge today. There were a few developments within the faculty that caused quite a stir early today." She opened making heads turn at her announcement. It also made the four girls quite curious and suspicious that this could be connected to Ichika.

"First off, Ms. Orimura will be absent for the remainder of the day. She is dealing with a situation right now with the help of the faculty staff and some manpower from SAT."

A few murmurs were shared once that was said, Laura especially felt that something was going on. Charlotte raised her hand to ask a question to which Ms. Yamada humored.

"Is there something wrong that needs our attention ma'am?"

"No, as of the current moment everything is control. With that said, the student council has been mobilized to assist the current situation. Our class representative, Ichika Orimura himself will also be excused for today's class."

Cecilia stood up from her seat.

"Pardon me Ms. Yamada, but does the Student Council require a few helping hands? If so I would gladly volunte-

"I'll volunteer too if you would allow me." Houki interrupted.

"Me as well!"

"Of course I will be up to the task if needed." Laura and Charlotte added making Cecilia frown as the four looked at each other. Ms. Yamada on the other hand managed to diffuse their upcoming argument as she tried to explain everything further.

"I'm afraid Mr. Orimura's whereabouts is not part of the Student Council's job right now." She stated, making everyone turn their eyes at her on that proclamation. "He has been tasked with a different assignment, one far more important on its own."

"What assignment?" all four girls asked simultaneously.


"Miss Orimura, as much as that initial meeting was a success, are you sure that this is a good idea?" Tatenashi asked Chifuyu after she finished briefing him with new orders to comply.

"I'm positive that it will go smoothly. This bonehead of a brother I have is quite good at convincing someone like her to talk. It helps that he knows me well enough to do what needs to be done..." she then turns her attention to Ichika. "Isn't that right Mr. Orimura?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Alright, but at the very least give him escort. Or someone to keep watch."

"I'm leaving that to you Sarashiki, I can negotiate with your teachers to excuse you for the rest of the day. Are we clear on that?"

Tatenashi nodded as Chifuyu looked back to Ichika.

"Ms. Orimura… you did see what she's going through right? As much as I want Tatenashi's help, wouldn't it be easier if it was just the two of us?" he asked, but the moment he suggested it, a certain blue-haired girl beside him was baffled almost immediately.

"Ichika, are you stupid? She's tried to kill you. Twice. The last one you almost died and you're risking yourself to be alone with her after all of that?" she said as Ichika looked at her.

"Look, I don't think this is safe as well, but you did see that she only wants to talk to me. I think it'll be harder if I'm accompanied with a person she doesn't seem to trust yet."

"And you're certain she trusts you?" she argued.

"No… I'm not, but if we can't allow her to feel at ease she won't be able to talk to us at all."

Tatenashi was about to rebuke, only to stop when she thought about it.

"Fair point." Chifuyu said. "Though I'm not leaving you unguarded. You're capable of handling yourself as you've proven time and time again, but I'm not taking the risk of you getting hurt. I will allow you to accompany her within the academy's grounds, Sarashiki would tail you while you do so. Sound good?" she said as Tatenashi nodded once again. Ichika on the other hand, agreed to the plan but wanted something else from his sister.

"Ms. Orimura… if I may-

"Anymore to add?" Chifuyu interjected.

"No… it's not that. C-Can I ask that we talk privately for a moment?"

The elder woman sighed as she looked at him. The operative Ai listening in close as she reviewed their data close by. Tatenashi seemed to understand this as well given what was said within that cell between the two. It opened so many questions, especially to Ichika himself.

Chifuyu then put her hand on his shoulder, her expression serious but understanding as they both looked at each other.

"I know you have questions, and as much as I resent telling the whole truth to you… I think it's time that I tell you everything. But not now, I need you to help me with this first, then later today I promise that we'll have that talk between us." she said, her voice pleading a bit towards him.

"Alright."

"But remember, anything you hear from her, should she say anything important… you report back to me and only me understand? If you have questions, directly tell me about it and I'll answer as best as I can. What matters now is what information you can get out of her because something is coming and I'm afraid it concerns both of us."

"Wait… what do you mean by that?"

Chifuyu looked away before facing him.

"I'll explain everything soon. For now, keep watch on her."

Ichika had been thinking about that last sentence Chifuyu told him before he escorted Madoka towards the School's cafeteria. It was quiet at this hour as most of the students were in their classes leaving next to no one eating at that area except for them. He tried asking her now silent companion what food she wanted to eat, and while she was quiet about it at first she settled with some soup to fill her belly with.

Right now as he continued to contemplate on what to do with this mysterious girl that looked like his sister, he then realized that she was looking at him this entire time. Almost like she was curious as to what he was thinking at that very moment.

"D-Do you like the soup?"

"Mmm…" she moaned slightly in reply.

"I see. Do you feel comfortable at least?"

Madoka then settled the spoon down as she looked at the window by her right, they did pick a table right next to the view overlooking the outside and the girl seemed to survey the area as if there was something out there to attack her.

"I don't know yet." She said with a low tone.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be safe. You're technically in our protection now after all."

Immediately she stared at him.

"You've been attacked numerous times. Some of them you and your friends were barely able to contain. I don't think your protection means anything except that you're all magnets for trouble. You specifically especially." She stated, the last few words with a bit more emphasis.

"I don't disagree with that either, but you got me to protect you… that's gotta amount for something." He said making Madoka grin slightly.

"If you ask me, it's all worth jack shit."

"Hey… I'm not that terrible."

"Sure you're not. There's a reason why you're pretty strong after all." She said, making him confused yet again. Madoka seemed to catch this as she took another sip of her meal.

"Let me guess. She hasn't told you the truth huh?" she asked.

"If you're implying that there's more to what my sister told me about our past, then yes." He admitted. She moaned again to that.

"Makes sense why you seem so confused with everything. I assume you're wondering why I look like Chifuyu Orimura huh?"

"If anything, I suspected us to be sisters. Like a long last family, I wasn't aware of."

"I told you before that we're not. We're related… in a sense, but we're not sisters. Nor am I inclined to believe Chifuyu and you most of all are my siblings."

"Yeah, you kinda made that point clear already." He replied as Madoka raised her eyebrow at him.

"I can't even put you in the same level as my own. Though I think it's irrelevant now, given how worthless I am." she said to him, a tone of disbelief and a bashful side against herself that only made her feel twice as useless. Her demeanor made Ichika recall Kanzashi when they first met.

How she belittled herself when being compared to her sister.

This was different however, hers was more extreme in a case. Despite that, he didn't want to give up on her. Call it stupid, but he knew that just by that small interaction they had within her cell made it indicative that she can be reasoned with. Probably, even given a more positive interaction between them.

Even the moment where Chifuyu explained that he would be the one handling her for the rest of the day made her slightly agree in some sense. Trust would be hard between them for now, but he was determined to build it in time. For now, he just needed to diffuse the heavy tension between them into something positive and meaningful.

"Don't call yourself useless. You kicked my ass many times before, I doubt that counts as being useless. You're probably a better pilot than me overall to be honest." He said in acknowledgement with a friendly smile, hoping the compliment would help her. What it did however was made her somewhat annoyed.

Holding the spoon halfway to her lips, Madoka looked at him like he was an idiot.

An already familiar expression the other girls gave him.

"Please don't tell me you actually believe that showering me compliments is going to help me. I'm not one of your girlfriends Ichika Orimura. I'm not a person you should try and help cope with their already bullshit excuse of a life. I'm not Chifuyu either. So don't give me the petty pussy talk because it won't work in hell." She said to him, in an aggressive yet low tone.

They stared off at each other until he spoke.

"I know that. I can see it."

"Then why tell me that in the first place?"

"Well... I can ask you the same thing actually. Why did you agree that I should accompany you outside of your cell when you can simply stay in it and ask me to go away?" Ichika said, surprising even himself with the rather blunt, but truthful reply.

Madoka went silent, no rebuttal could be given as she placed the spoon back on the bowl.

She tried looking away from him but Ichike kept his gaze still upon her.

She conceded defeat at the end as she bit her lip and took the spoon again wordlessly. Taking in another spoonful of the soup as Ichika felt like he hit a brick wall trying to talk to her again.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that…

"I wanted… someone to talk to. That isn't someone I know, or even Chifuyu herself." She whispered, making him smile slightly. Pleased internally that his was going somewhere.

"Plus, you're technically the person I hate the most of in this shitty world. When it still mattered to me that is." She added as Ichika grinned slightly in an awkward sense after hearing that.

"Well at the very least I'm glad I can keep you company."

"Don't take it as a compliment." She retorted.

"I didn't."

"Good."

At the end of those words, Madoka quivered the edge of her lips in relief at that. Ichika who saw it on her face made him feel better knowing that in some way she was opening up. She was still sarcastic and very much annoyed at his attempts at comforting her but her admitting that she wanted to talk to him in a way was progress. Progress he wanted to dial on with as their interaction continued.

"I guess you want to ask me about what our 'relation' really is huh?" she suddenly asked.

"I wasn't really counting on it, since I wanted to ease you in before we talk about it."

"I don't think that's needed. Clearly the woman never told you about anything. What we are, where we're form, etc."

"Chifuyu's always like that. She has been ever since I was little. She's been more of a mother to me than anyone and even though she was cold and distant at times, I could see that she cared about me. Probably telling me about that truth would cause a stir so even though I really wanted to know about that facet of my life, I never really wanted to in the end knowing that she kept those from me for a reason."

"Pretty dumb reason actually. But I digress, you grew into a normal person, unlike the rest of us. Well, normal as it counts at least. In some way, I can even say that I envy you. If you weren't 'discovered' having that ability to pilot an IS unit then I think you'd be in a better situation than where you are now."

Ichika took those words in as he replied back.

"I don't mind that I got the chance to be here. I met a whole lot of people that I came to know as friends. I'm closer now to my sister than anything and even with the amount of work and situations of near-death experiences we all face together; I'd still say that I enjoy it. A lot actually."

Madoka raises her eyebrow at him but groans at him instead.

"Things like that don't account to the shit I've been through unfortunately. Your life is basically a fairy tale compared to mine. Familial relations as you say aside, my life wasn't really the best of terms compared to the both of you. I don't feel envious about it at all, but seeing how much she cared for you really pissed me off with the already thousand reasons of how shitty my life is."

"That sounds like a bummer." He said with a bit of dry humor, she seemed to accept it well but her tone continued to be glum and depressed.

"It is… but like I said, it doesn't matter anymore. My past, my goals in life, everything. It doesn't measure up to anything. It's next to nothing and like me… useless."

"Why do you say that?"

Her hands start to shake again but thankfully this time she doesn't give in to her emotions and as she heavily sighed to herself, Ichika put a comforting hand on top of hers. Unlike his prior attempt, it worked better this time as she calmed down.

"I'm a poor imitation of something clearly better than me." She admitted, pain in her voice.

"What happened?" he asked, wanting to help her get over it with how stressed and depressed she was with that subject. Madoka wanted to get out of this conversation yet seeing him that worried and concerned for her somehow convinced her to continue talking.

Like the world made some sense talking to him.

Back then she would laugh if this thing ever happened at all between them, now the whole situation didn't feel bad at all.

"Ichika… look, I know you want to help me but-

"I understand why you don't want to say anything about it. Whatever it was that happened, it was clearly terrible. Right now, what's important is that you feel better. If you feel that talking about it doesn't help, then let's move on from that subject. Let's talk about something else, something different."

Madoka blinked at that and felt sort of relieved that he thought of it. Making it easier for her to put a bit more trust between this strange relationship of theirs to something more cordial.

"Like what?" she asked, almost in a sheepish sense.

"Maybe something about you? Tell me about yourself, like what do you enjoy doing on your free time. I'm sure something like that exists, and if you want I can accompany you with it. Should be fun."

Her lips curve slightly but retract as she shakes her head.

"You're surprisingly good at this. Is this the reason why you have a lot of girlfriends?" she sarcastically remarked. Ichika giggled and waved off her accusation.

"I don't know about that… but they're my friends and I care about them."

"That's already obvious… and since you're offering, maybe I'll take you up on it. Should be better than you trying to talk to me to death like this."

He giggled to that statement and surprisingly even Madoka did so as well.

They continued to talk in peace without the weight of the world on their shoulders after that. The initial goal of the task given to him was still in play, but for the moment he wanted to help her in any way he can with the suffering and pain she was experiencing.

He would leave the questions for later. Focusing on helping her recover in her stay at the academy.

Family or not, Ichika was determined to help her.

While also hoping that she would help him fix the missing pieces of his past as well.


Chifuyu opened the door to the other cell. Cameras everywhere monitoring everyone's moves from the control room where Ai stood along with a few of her men and the school's faculty. The woman in question, that suddenly appeared in the academy's grounds was now the topic of concern amongst them. Her sudden appearance and coincidental arrival at the same time when Madoka was discovered raised questions.

The fact that she surrendered herself willingly and almost pleasantly was also suspicious.

Making everyone on edge as Chifuyu Orimura herself came inside to interrogate her.

Sitting in similar-looking cell with a rather pleased and curious state made Chifuyu frown. Her maroon colored eyes were directed towards her as she sat down. The woman's face was rather beautiful all terms considered and coupled with her silver, shoulder length hair and almost goddess-like features; she gave off an air of someone important. Someone who had authority and power.

She wore rather formal clothes, a dark violet blouse coupled with white pants. She had a bracelet of sorts on her right arm making everyone think it was an IS unit, only for them to find something stranger.

Everything looked normal for her but the instruments and sensors within the cell gave off something far more sinister. There was no IS unit of any kind detected but a power signature was radiating off of her and even though the cell was equipped with homeboard jammers and equipment used to stop any sort of device from working, her radiation levels and power output that were displayed were not decreasing nor were they moving at all.

Putting everyone in an ideal sense of fear and concern since the woman didn't look fazed nor afraid with the situation she was in. In fact, she was rather more pleased than ever seeing that they decided Chifuyu herself to talk to her directly.

Like she was planning all of this along which was a bad sign considering the situation they were all in right now.

"Wow. I've finally landed my eyes upon seeing Specimen 1 herself. Lucky me."

Chifuyu stopped for a second when she said that. Even Ai was floored.

Steeling her nerves, Chifuyu looked at the subject directly.

"For someone who lackadaisically entered out perimeter without problem, you somehow know a lot of things about me. Care to tell me where exactly you know that designation of mine?"

The woman smiled at her.

"Oh come on, it's classified information and all, but it's in the past. Surely some people would've known about it by now. Especially those closest to the project."

Chifuyu frowns at the mention of that.

"You admit to being part of the program huh? Why is it that it's the first time I've seen your face from the all the people I know who were part of it?"

"Guess… I have all day to talk to you after all…"

"Were you sent here by Tabane?"

The woman suddenly laughed hysterically.

"Are you serious? That woman isn't even right in the head enough to see what's already happening lately and you're saying that she sent me? Funny how that sounds coming from you. I thought you're smart enough to know that she works alone in most cases. Using people only in circumstances where she deems it necessary, for my case I don't think she would trust me knowing who I am."

"You claim to be someone of importance then?"

The woman shrugged.

"Something like that I suppose."

"Then tell me who you are and explain why you know so much about me." Chifuyu challenged.

"My name is not important. What my mission here is… and that mission concerns of someone close to you. Someone that this academy values."

"The Anomaly" Chifuyu said as the woman nodded.

Confirming it made her worried as deep inside her head she already guessed who it was.

"I'm going to ask again… who are you and why do you know so much about this?" she said with a glare as the woman leaned in closer.

"I think you already know the answer to that… dear sister."

Chifuyu's face darkened at those words.

Fear and worry dipping her entire being as she gulped before asking a question again.

"W-Who created you?"

"Who else?"

TO BE CONTINUED…


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